Summer Ending, School Starting....

August 1 always signifies the end of summer and the focus back on school and fall sports. It seems that the last few days we have received a lot of calls from parents who want to know what they need to be doing in order to get their students back in the swing of school and start competing against the process.

Each year it seems that competition gets tougher and what we did last year, isn't good enough for this year. My only real advice to folks is that success during the school year is usually directly proportionate to the student's ability to stay focused throughout the year. Too many times kids go through ups and downs -- often times leaving a big hole to get out of with little time to do so. The cautious, hard-working, and detailed oriented student can find themselves within striking position of the grades they want as long as they stay in the game....

A couple of suggestions:

*Get organized. Have a separate folder for each class. Keep an assignment book so that all work due is logged.

*Work your teachers. It is never too soon to start building a relationship with your teachers. Often times, the difference between the B+ and the A- is a little bit of effort from the student.

*Get help. A lot of kids think that a tutor is a sign of weakness. It's not. The top kids across the country all get tutored to make sure that they stay at the top of the class. If you need help in a class, seek help asap.

I am sure that as the school year gets in full gear, I will begin blogging a couple of times a week. Please send me your comments or emails: bdowning@esmgroup.org