Communications With Educators And School Counselors Can Help Students Excel In High School
By Zoe West, Stride Student Advisor
Do you have personal goals, as a high school student, to get good grades? What steps have you taken to get there? I have always been moderately passionate about school and my grades, but I got serious about it once I started high school. I still got decent grades in middle school, but I did not have the motivation or drive to do my absolute best. In 9th grade, I started attending Arkansas Virtual Academy. It is an online school powered by K12. I had great teachers, who emailed me frequently and always made sure I was doing well with my coursework.
I am in the flex program, as a K12-powered student, which means I do not have to attend every single class connect. I did fine with most of my subjects, as long as I kept up with emails and attended classes, when needed. I didn’t have an extremely challenging course load, and I ended up getting straight A’s that year. There was one class that almost made me lose my streak, however, and that was Algebra 1.
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I started falling behind and struggling with Algebra. I reached out to my teacher, and she helped a lot. I started attending every Algebra class connect, even if it was optional. Eventually, I got my grade for the class back up to an ‘A.’ Did I study harder and pay more attention in class? Yes, but I know the real reason behind my final grade was my teacher pushing me to do my best.
10th grade was even more challenging. Not only did I have several honors classes, but I was also taking two math classes at the same time. I was disappointed that I had a different teacher for Algebra 2 than the year before, but it turns out that I had no reason to be. My teacher was great at answering any questions I had about the subject matter. He would schedule one-on-one meetings anytime they were needed. Those always helped my understanding of the subject. The other math class I was taking was Geometry. Thankfully, I didn’t need as much help with Geometry, like I did with Algebra. My Geometry teacher was less involved than my others, due to my performance in that class. In the end, I achieved straight A’s that year, as well.
Eventually, I decided that I wanted to apply for early graduation, and I ended up making that decision last year. I had looked at my graduation plan, and it seemed like I would have enough credits to graduate early. The first thing I did was reach out to my counselor and ask her if that was even an option for me. She told me all the classes I would need to take, and she explained how it would go. Eventually, after more research, I decided to apply. I got accepted for early graduation after my counselor recommended me to the principal. I am so thankful for her! She helps me with questions I have about school that aren't even related to my course work.
Now, I am in my 11th grade of school. Over the years, I have learned to ask lots of questions, to reach out to my teachers, and to get help when I need it. If you’re hoping to get all A’s this year, then of course you should study hard, but don’t take for granted the other great resources you have such… as your teachers, counselors, tutors, and coaches.
Discover how another Stride Student Advisor earned 5 Certifications In 2 Semesters!
To read more about attending an online school, be sure to check out What I Learned From Doing Online School For 10 Years.
Stride also has an article to help students new to online high school, so make sure you read 5 Tips For New Online High School Students, too!
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