Sure Fire Tips to Impress Your Teacher

Summertime and the livin's easy. . . so the song goes. However, in another month it's time to begin thinking back to school. There are some sure-fire strategies that will help just about every student become successful in the classroom. How do I know this? I am a middle school teacher and I am impressed by certain behaviors and actions. And in the classroom, it should be every student's goal to impress one person--the teacher.

Sure-fire tip number 1: Get a good night's sleep. How does that impress the teacher? When your teacher is standing before the class, explaining her heart out about global warming, the Pilgrims, or the formula for finding AREA, she wants to see wide-eyed boys and girls, listening to what she's saying. Anyone, not just teachers, would be terribly discouraged, if her audience was nodding off, yawning, or looking generally bored. While getting eight to ten hours of sleep won't cure all of that, it will definitely help. Often times, students who are not getting enough sleep, continually nod off. Not only are they missing out on learning, they are also missing out on impressing the teacher. Get a good night's sleep--it's a must in the classroom!

Sure-fire tip number 2: Show up! Yes, you heard it--show up. There is tremendous absenteeism in schools. Boys and girls wake up feeling tired, feeling a little under-the-weather, or feeling the need for a day off. Not good! Be there. Giving in to those negative feelings, in many cases, becomes a pattern. A teacher is highly annoyed by undisciplined behaviors from a student and begins to realize the student's priorities are all out of whack. Yes, there are truly legitimate reasons for a person's absence from school. And if a student does have a legitimate reason, then, by all means, stay home. But learn to know the difference. If a student misses an average of one day a week, then it's time to look at the reason for this. Probably, the reason is: I don't want to go to school. Attend school--it is a wonderful way to get on your teacher's good side.

Sure-fire tip number 3: Sit close to the front. This may not always be possible, but it never hurts to ask. When students request a front-row seat, not only do I do my best to oblige them, I am also highly impressed. Teachers love it when students look for ways to improve learning. It is a fact, that students who sit up front make better grades than their counterparts who sit in the back. And it is impressive when students take control of their learning by making a request that will improve learning. Sit up front or ask to be seated in the front of the classroom--the teacher will be pleasantly surprised.

Sure-fire tip number 4: This may seem like a no-brainer, but it is amazing how many students DON'T do this--turn in the assignments on time. Again, this is about discipline and priorities. Homework should be a priority. When it's assigned, do it as soon as possible and keep it in a secure place. Before stepping into a classroom, make sure the assignment is ready to be turned in to the teacher. Teachers give homework to practice skills and to teach good work habits. So don't blow it--"git 'er done" and the teacher will be giving brownie points and the student will be getting high praise.

Sure-fire tip number 5: Be neat. I'll say it again--Be neat! Neatness counts when it comes to the classroom. Students should come to school as neat and clean as possible. But neatness doesn't stop there. It is important for students to keep the area around their desks free from clutter and trash. Books should be out of the aisle, as well as articles of clothing, papers, and feet. Walking up and down the aisles in a classroom should not be an obstacle course. Another area of neatness--assignments. Teachers hate looking at messy, torn, stained, or wrinkled papers. Assignments turned in looking like the student doesn't care will often times be returned with a poor grade or the word, "redo," or both. Teachers love neat and they'll love the students who make the effort to be neat.

Apply these five tips and every student will be well on his way to becoming a student a teacher will admire. It's important to get a good night's sleep in order to stay alert in school. Show up--you won't learn by being absent and you certainly won't impress by skipping school. Sit on the front row or request a sit there. This is a sure-fire way to show you care about learning and a sure-fire way to evoke admiration from the teacher. Turn in assignments on time--a must for impressing. And lastly, don't give the teacher a headache by turning in work that looks like something totally foreign to her. Remember neatness counts in all areas of academic life. Have a great summer and an even greater school year by applying these five tips.