I loved school.  My own kid, not so much.

If you’ve taken a look at the College Success Made Simple website, you will see a snapshot of my son’s report card for his senior year of high school.

I wanted to give a little background into that story and why I started helping students like my son.

It was my son’s senior year of high school.  In the fall of 2021, he started back full time in the classroom after being out of the classroom the last 3 months of his sophomore year and half of his junior year because of covid.  To say he needed to be in the classroom was an understatement.

He had always been on the dean’s list and done just enough to make sure his grades were “good enough.”  I knew he was a smart kid, but he never really applied himself to school.  More on this in a bit…..

He was having a great fall season with sports and seemed to be happy or at least content with his classes.  I heard some grumbling about his math class, but I wasn’t too worried.  He had a habit of sliding in the beginning and then pulling himself up by his bootstraps.  I had logged in to check his grades once and he had a low C.  I’m not one of those parents that logged in weekly or contacted his teacher.  No offense if you are that parent.  We all pick our own lanes.

I wouldn’t have been surprised if my son’s grade dropped to a D, as he started to complain more and more about the class.

But I’ll never forget the day my stomach dropped.  I had just gotten home from his fall sport.  It was one of those glorious fall days, still warm enough you didn’t need a jacket, but you could feel it cooling off.  The sky was a beautiful shade of blue it only seems to get in the fall.  The leaves were just started to change into their fall symphony of colors.

I flipped through the mail as I walked back to the house and there was a letter from the high school.  I didn’t think too much about it, because it wasn’t uncommon to get letters from the high school, probably the FFA selling oranges.  But when I opened it, my heart sank.  It was informing us that our son was failing his Honors Course in PreCalculus.

Let’s back up a minute just to clarify some things.  I’ve got great kids.  They are beautiful, kind, hardworking, and successful.  But school isn’t their thing, like it was my thing.  Was that hard for me?  YES!  For a while, it really, really was.  Especially with math.  I went through Calculus II in high school.  I absolutely loved the stuff.

But my kids were great at a bunch of things that I couldn’t do at all.  And we are all different!  So, I learned to embrace our differences.   Sometimes we celebrate them.  Sometimes, we joke around about them.  Yes, I am a nerd for loving school!

And one of the things I’ve learned through years of teaching is that not everyone cares about getting A’s like I did.  I was absolutely shocked when I realized this early on in my career.  Grades reflect a student’s success in mastering the material in a course.  And some of the smartest kids don’t get the best grades, for a variety of reasons.  I never realized this as a student. 

Now, back to my original story.  So, even though my son wasn’t in the highest math class, he was still on pace to go to college and be successful.  But not if he failed Pre-Calculus!  If he failed, he couldn’t even graduate from high school in our state.  So, it was obvious he needed help.  He didn’t have the skills to pull his grade up without some serious help and lucky for him, I could help.

That’s when I became his math tutor.  But in becoming his tutor, I realized a couple things.  This kid didn’t have good study skills AT ALL!  Probably because he really didn’t know how to study.

So, his problem was two-fold.  He needed to improve his math skills.  And he needed to learn how to study and pass the tests.

Lucky for him, I could help with both.  And that’s what we did.  He wasn’t very happy about it at first.  No self-respecting kid wants their mom as a tutor.  He didn’t want a tutor at all.  But he realized he needed help, and he did not want to be ineligible for sports, so we worked out a deal.  He was going to do things my way for a while.

As we worked on the math skills, I started weaving in study habits and tactics.  Because of our “deal” he had to do things my way.  Turns out, my way worked. 

He saw the results of his hard work when he got his first test back after working with me and he got a B.  I put his first test after working with me on the refrigerator and it stayed there the rest of the year to remind him what he was capable of doing when he focused and concentrated.

Now, back to the picture that is on the website.  He was able to bring the F up to a D by the end of the marking period.  (He was so close to a C- he could taste it, but it wasn’t to be.)  Then the second term he earned a B!  That term he used the study habits and routines I had taught him for the entire term.  I’m not saying he never slipped, but when he did, he got right back up.

At about this same time in my college courses, I saw students struggling like never before.  I really think Covid had a lot to do with it and the research to support this, but there were other environmental factors also at play.

I started helping some students who desperately needed help.  It was so rewarding seeing their progress.  And that’s why I started College Success Made Simple.  Because it really is simple if you put in the hard work, week after week, semester after semester.

Did I want my son to go through the heartache of having an F at mid-term?  Never.  But I’m glad he did.  He learned what he can accomplish with his own hard work.  And that has been so, so rewarding!

Now my son is at college, and he hasn’t struggled once. It’s such a relief to see him not worried about his classes.  He rarely gets stressed.  He has over a 3.5 GPA.  He knows how to stay organized and study smart so he still has plenty of time for fun without the guilt!

That’s my goal for you as a student!  And for the parents – my goal is for you to relax and enjoy your student’s success!

Here’s to your best semester yet!