English B1A Getting Started

So you’ve decided to take summer school… Summer school classes are a big commitment because you’ll be covering a full semester’s worth of material in just half the time. This means that we’ll be moving through the material fairly quickly. You’ll need to be committed to doing some sort of work for our class each day. Remember, for every one hour in class, you should be spending two hours outside of class doing homework, reading, or studying. That means that our class, which meets 8 hours each week, requires 16 ADDITIONAL hours of work. Thus, this class should take 24 hours of your time each week, the equivalent of a part time job.

Organization Not being organized From the horse’s mouth: “First of all, organization was key. I wasn’t as organized as I should have been and I felt lost because of it” Get yourself a planner and add in the important deadlines from our class and any others that you are taking. Then, go back in and add in your other commitments (Childcare? Outside job? Other classes? Other obligations?) Finally, attempt to work around your existing schedule. If you have a paper due during a week you’ll be swamped with other homework or obligations, make a note to yourself work on that paper early so that you won’t fall behind.

Homework and Reading Falling behind From the horse’s mouth: “Always do the assigned reading regardless if there is a quiz or not. There is usually always a discussion the next day, and you do not want to be left out of the discussion.” “If I could go back and do something differently, I would change my procrastination habits that I had implemented onto each and every assignment…I believe if I had just allowed myself to begin an assignment a week or even weeks earlier, each and every single one of my papers would have been more developed, more well worded, and more creative. I think those types of papers would have been a more accurate depiction of who I am as a writer than the papers I had turned in that were finished with a rushed and panicked demeanor.” “Procrastination can be detrimental to anything that a person has to get done; don’t put off today which you are sure you can get done tomorrow” Our readings are essential for class. You’ll need to complete them in order to do well on quizzes and homework assignments, but also bigger assignments, like papers and exams. If you turn assignments in late, you miss points, but you also miss other opportunities, like revision. In summer school, especially, staying current on assignments is key. You’ll get more out of the class if you stay focused rather than allowing yourself to fall behind.

Participating Get engaged and be your own advocate! From the horse’s mouth: “If I could go back and redo this class, I would have made sure I asked more questions on everything we did so I understood the material better” “Although I dreaded doing group assignments in other classes, the group comradery in this class was so helpful. The group discussions on the readings also helped me grow as a writer and enhance my thinking and challenge my thoughts.” “Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Miss Peet is more than happy to help you understand anything pertaining to the material that may have left you confused or with a lack of direction” “I wish I wasn’t so shy in class. I had so much to say but wasn’t confident enough to say it” I am more than happy to help you, but if you don’t ask for help, I won’t know that you need it! Make use of your study buddies. They are a great asset to you!

The Payoff You get what you give. From the horse’s mouth: “This class was by far the most difficult class I have ever taken, but it was worth the time and effort that was required” “This class develops students mentally and improves their ability to think and write deeply and critically.” “I felt my writing skills improved and now I know how to do valuable research.” “This class helped me with more than just English. It helped be with other classes I will take in the future and the outside world.” I promise to do all that I can to make sure you are able to pass English 1A and make it a great semester! 