From an F to an A

Dave was referred to me by student counselling–he had failed a math course, was retaking the course, and was not doing well. At our first meeting, he was really down on himself. When he tried to focus on the midterm that was coming up, his mind was filled with “How can I pass a course when I feel I’m setting myself up for failure?” He also found it hard to do problem sets, so was putting them off, and getting further and further behind.

With STEM or second language courses, I generally recommend sourcing a tutor that fits (more about that on another blog), often together with the strategy work the student and I do. With Dave, however, I picked up on two habits that needed attention, regardless of his actual math capability, and decided to focus initially on those areas.

Those two areas were self-talk, and time management. We focussed first on time management. We broke up the work into chunks: chunks for projects, chunks for problem sets, chunks for review, chunks for exam study. Then we chunked those tasks into do-able time slots (note “do-able,” not “exceptional”). We allowed for breaks, small rewards, other course work, good things in life, not-so-good things in life, and allowed flex-time for contingencies. 

More importantly, we reviewed the schedule weekly. We looked at what worked and what needed changing. This approach resulted in Dave reducing procrastination to the point where more projects, practice, review, and study were actually getting done. 

Dave checked in every week and we focussed on polishing the tools he was using. The way we chunked the work diminished the fear–Dave had been not only afraid of failing, he had been afraid of the material itself. As he identified that fear and used the tools for dealing with it, that fear diminished–he didn’t need a tutor, he just needed to attack one problem at a time. His focus shifted from self-blame to solution seeking. 

Finding focus and overcoming procrastination was a gradual process at first, but one that solidly grew week after week. The result? Dave not only passed with flying colours in this and his other courses, he gained admission into the Commerce program at a top Canadian university. 

Dave’s success is one of the things that I am thankful for this Thanksgiving.

Celebrate tomorrow. Even in COVID, we move forward. Take care, [email protected]