I remember when I was a junior or senior in high school, a graduate of my school wrote a letter to the school board. S/he complained about not being sufficiently prepared for college at the time of graduation.

At first, I felt afraid that I would not be ready for college either, but then I really thought about it. I felt like I was learning in all my classes. I had to work harder to achieve in some classes than others, but I did well. Math was my hardest class, but I still made it through with the basics I needed to move on. That’s when I decided that the author of that letter probably didn’t apply him/herself to studying. I believe you get out what you put into things.

Teachers spend a lot of time trying to teach students. Students spend a lot of time trying to avoid learning much, but they still cry and whine when they don’t have an A or a B in their classes. If students want to do well, they must learn enough to “pass.”

Students, if you have trouble in a class, go for extra help. Teachers are more than willing to spend the time it takes for you to understand a concept. If sports practices are more important to you than your grades, go practice. Just don’t be mad when you discover YOU had your priorities all confused. Don’t whine and beg for extra credit. Extra credit implies that you have done all you can to achieve and are still not doing well. If you have missing assignments, don’t cry to the teacher for bonus points. It’s not fair to the other students who work as hard as possible on a daily basis.

I have seen a few kids breeze through high school without studying much. Many do well in college, but a few of those students actually have to STUDY to succeed in the university. It’s not a bad thing! Saying it’s “too hard” and giving up—those are bad things. If it were super easy, anyone could and would do it!

The goal of education is to challenge young minds to think and solve problems. If every student had 100% in every class, it would imply that the curriculum may not be challenging enough. That’s not education.

Parents, try not to pressure your kids to get 100% all the time. It is NOT a reasonable expectation. Many times, it can backfire. Let your kids learn and have the freedom to fail once in a while. Only then will your children understand the value of the lessons.