Hello everyone:

It’s important to get on track and stay there as you complete your college semester. I’ve run into quite a few students lately who do not understand this concept.

They begin the semester strong, only to peter out as the term progresses. They stop checking into class (or stop showing up for lectures). They do not turn in later assignments, even though they may have done rather well at the beginning of the term.

They somehow believe that good grades at the beginning of the term will mean that the professor will automatically give them a good grade at the end of the term, even when they don’t turn anything in during the last few weeks of the course. Folks, that can spell disaster for your grade.

It doesn’t matter how much I like you, you will not pass the class if you don’t turn in an assignment. A student told me recently that she was going to challenge the grade she got, reporting me to my boss for being unfair with my grading.

The sad thing is that some of the students who have submission problems came from school districts who gave them at least 40 points out of 100 for not turning anything in. (No, I’m not kidding here. The mindset is that students can’t come back from a zero, so the lowest grade a teacher can give them is a 40, even if the assignment is never turned in).

Folks, some colleges may work that way, but the ones where I teach don’t. A zero calculated into any grade offers bad results. Don’t take that chance.

Stay on track, keep your head down and your mind focused, and get through the course with success.

Best,

Dr. Sheri