Checkpoint (previously published on my Edublogs account 11/19/2010)

How are things going so far? Is high school everything you thought it would be? Is it more than you expected or are you scratching your head wondering why you wasted a whole summer worrying about starting high school? No matter where you started you are more than 1/4 of the way through your freshman year.

Now seems like as good a time as any to stop and reflect on your progress. Did you play any fall sports or attend fall sporting events? Are you a member of a club? Did you participate in the Homecoming events? Have you done any community service outside of school? If so, then I hope things are going well and if you haven’t, consider whether or not you have time to stretch your horizons and participate in something in or out of school. Never mind whether or not it looks good to colleges. Get out there and try new things because it is in trying something new that you learn about yourself.

Report cards went out last week AND the high school held its parent/teacher conferences. How did that work for you? Here are some things to think about:

• Were your grades what you expected? Why or why not? Identify three things you did that contributed to the grade you received.
• Identify what you would keep and/or change to regarding your grades for quarter 1.
• Can you list three resources that could help you improve or support your academic outcome next quarter?

Taking a few minutes to think about your grades and not just to react to your grades, could help you work smarter rather than harder.