What makes a successful math student? 

Involve: 

Attend class every day

Math is a very sequential subject.  As a Pathways teacher once said “missing one day is like missing two.”  Think of it as digging a rather large hole, and having to fill the top half before the bottom half.  Doesn’t work, does it?  Neither does learning chapter 3 before learning chapter 2. 

Question: 

Participate actively during class.

DON’T read unless it’s your math book, DON’T write notes, DON’T talk to your friend (especially don’t talk to your friend, that’s a class disruption).  How on earth can you expect to understand the material if you aren’t listening to it? 

Don’t quit until you understand.

Getting frustrated, and then quitting, because you don’t know how to do something completely negates the reason that you’re in school.  If you already know how to do everything taught in a class, then you wouldn’t need to take the class in the first place.  It is your teacher’s job to present the information that you need to know in a variety of different ways. It is up to you to communicate and get extra help when the information is not clear.  This is your education; it is up to you to make the most of it. 

Act:

Do all your homework assignments.

You wouldn’t expect to run a marathon if the day prior you were a couch potato.  That kind of event takes months of training, if not years.  The most educated people in the world have made learning a daily activity, not at all at once cram session.  You simply cannot expect to learn the material, and really have it as your own, without doing a little bit of work every day.  Homework is not meant to be a punishment, nor is it something that we do for no reason.  It is the DAILY PRACTICE necessary to ensuring your retention and understanding of the content matter.

Study and review when necessary.