Written by Heather Wolpert-Gawron (with edits and embellishments by David Miller, prior English faculty at WKHS), December 2010

1. Advocate for yourself.  (Don't make your parents do it for you.)  Stake a claim in each class making sure the teacher knows who you are - in a good way.  When you need help, ask: schedule conferences, send emails, call teachers who make their numbers available.
2. Ask for clarification early and often.  Confusion is normal; staying confused is not an effective option.
3. Talk with your teachers about your concerns and difficulties.  Let them know what's going on that affects your work - the earlier the better.  Last-minute fumbling sounds more like procrastination than valid reasons.
4. Think of school as your workplace where you give your boss honest, hard work and you cooperate with co-workers.
5. Dress for success especially when making presentations.  You are the message.
6. Do more than the minimum to prevent gaps you'll have to fill in later when you have less time and energy.
7. Sweat a little or even a lot.  Think of academic work as your brain gym.  You have to work out your muscles, make them a little sore if you're going to lift a heavier load later on.
8. Find ways to relate to your reading and writing.  What original thoughts and experiences can you bring to a lesson to make it come alive for you?  To be bored says more about you than about an assignment or a teacher.
9. Don't miss classes anymore than you'd miss athletic practices, rehearsals, games, or performances.  Don't jeopardize your own training.
10. Surround yourself with other students who can help you.  You don't have to be best friends with everyone you study with, but at least find friends or acquaintances that share your desire to learn and to produce high-quality work.

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