Dealing With a Drop in Grades

It happens to most of us. You might have done excellent in Grade 8 and suddenly fallen behind in Grade 9. You might have been praised for your performance in one semester, only to do be ridiculed in the next. Things change, and sometimes they seem out of our control. 

Yet they aren't. They don't have to be. If you already know what's bugging you, that's half the battle.

It might be because you don't fit in anymore. We are all born with unique talents and once we know what they are, all we wish to do is spread our wings and soar high. Now, if your talent is, for example, being able to solve advanced level maths at ease, fly all you want. But what if your talent is drawing? Composing songs? Rapping? You can fly, if that's the case, too. 

Don't give up on what you're passionate about. Get organized. Make a schedule. Set time aside for both studying and practicing your passion. Soon, you'll notice you're doing better in school. You need to do something that gets your mind off of academics and makes you happy. Doing well in something you love doing also helps you gain a sense of achievement hence, you don't feel like you're not good at anything. 

Sometimes, you might be trying hard but as studies are getting more advanced, you're falling a little behind. That's okay. Peer pressure doesn't need to exist. Take your friends' help. Ask your teachers for extra lectures. If you're not doing as well as you did in elementary school, it doesn't matter. A 90% when you were little and a 90% now aren't the same. Your parents need to know this and if you can't explain it to them, take the help of elder siblings or older friends who have already been through what you're in now. Ask them to talk to your parents. You might be surprised how easily parents get convinced when someone more experienced says the same things as you do. Remember, you can always make up for a bad exam next time unless it's a critical one like an A level exam. Even then, you might be able to recuperate through other means such as taking the SAT exams to go to the USA for higher studies. 

You could be having issues with friends or your significant other. Maybe it's come to the point where you don't like going to school anymore because of it. You can no longer concentrate on studies. At times like this, you need to remember that you're all going through the exact same phase. You're somehow part of the same battle, and you're the only ones that can help each other. If you keep fighting, you'll harm each other. Be the bigger person and talk to them about your future. 

If you're being bullied or blackmailed or anything else that is hindering your academic performance, you don't need to keep quiet about it. Open up. Your parents and teachers will come to your aid. Most people want to help you, so don't hesitate to ask. 

Mayabee Arannya is a confused soul still searching for a purpose. Give her advice on life at facebook.com/mayabee.arannya