How to Be a Successful Student It’s easier than you think…

Show Up. Period. 90% of life is showing up. Really. Seriously. Show up to class. Show up for peer reviews Show up for the computer lab Show up for discussions. But if you miss class, don’t tell me why; it really doesn’t matter why you’re not there. And if you do miss class? Never ask the teacher what happened when you weren’t there. Ask a classmate, check the schedule.

Turn in Your Work Teachers can’t pass students if there is nothing to grade. The easiest way to fail class is to: Don’t show up Don’t turn in your work

Communicate Effectively When emailing your teacher, pay attention to you’re your writing (its it’s an English class!) Email correctly! Who are you? What class?? Use real words (not “u” or “gonna”) When asking questions, be specific. When given advice about your writing, follow it; make the effort to fix your own mistakes. Merely saying “I’m confused” doesn’t work. Avoid sounding helpless.

Be Practical Buy the textbook. Bring it to class. Every class. Keep all the handouts and refer to them; there is a reason they were given to you. They’re not trash. Bring your drafts for peer review workshops. Start working on your essay when it is assigned – never say “I don’t know what to do” on the day it is DUE. That’s a guaranteed F.

Learn to Learn Take responsibility for improving your writing. Read the feedback comments on essays Use the homework information to address your writing strengths and challenges Use the website to help to improve your writing challenges Don’t rely on a tutor to “fix” your writing. Tie your own grammatical shoelaces.

Why Care about Writing? E. M. Forster, who wrote Passage to India: “How do I know what I think until I see what I say?” National Commission on Writing: “If students are to make knowledge their own, they must struggle with the details, wrestle with the facts, and rework raw information and dimly understood concepts into language they can communicate to someone else. In short, if students are to learn, they must write…The reward of disciplined writing is the most valuable job attribute of all: a mind equipped to think.” Anne Morrow Lindbergh, a pioneering aviator and author: “I must write it all out, at any cost. Writing is thinking. It is more than living, for it is being conscious of living.”

Seriously, Why Care? Good writing will get you the good job. Strong writing will show strong character. Clear writing will show clear thinking. Effective writing will persuade others. Organized writing will organize your thoughts. Elegant writing will give you personal style. Note – If I care about your writing more than you do, there’s a problem!

How to Be an Unsuccessful Student Stare at your phone or answer calls in class Avoid buying the textbook Play games and/or Facebook on your laptop Come in late and disrupt the class Ask what you missed when you weren’t there Wait until the last week to turn in homework Ask what to write about – two weeks late. Sit in class for 15 weeks and then disappear Use your personal life as an excuse. For everything. TMI.

How to Finish a Class Check the gradebook so you know what is missing. Turn in missing work by the last class. Check the syllabus for percentages, so you know how much assignments are worth. Don’t expect a high course grade if you don’t turn in the work. Never whine about final grades. They are final and NOT subject to appeal either by threat or by flattery. Grades are calculated mathematically, and are not affected by how much the teacher likes you!