The Tortoise, the Hare and final exams

Usually in the last few weeks of school leading up to THE FINAL, I get more phone calls than I do all year long. Most conversations start like this: “HELP! My child is failing! What can we do?” Some parents even ask if I can give their children an overview of the entire years curriculum.

Let’s talk about the tortoise and the hare and how they fit in with final exams.

The tortoise won the race because he kept a steady pace the whole time. Whereas the hare moved really quickly and then took a nap. Students who keep a steady pace tend to retain information at a better rate than those who learn material very quickly.

The tortoise practices math problems daily both in and out of school. The tortoise checks his answers as he solves problems. The tortoise knows that slow and steady will win the race. The tortoise really focuses on comprehension for the long term not just to get the grade on the test.

The hare tends to complete assignments quickly. The hare is interested in what’s next. The hare is curious if “this will be on the test?” The hare needs to learn how to learn. But because he is focused on what’s next all the time, he doesn’t have time focus on the right now.

My point is simple – students need to learn the material and then practice it consistently to really retain the material. Students should not learn something once and only practice it for the test.

So is your child a tortoise? Great! Keep doing what you’re doing! Or is your child a hare and you need help? Here are a few things that you can do right now, this summer, and put in place at the start of the next school year so your hare can be more tortoisey.

Right now as you’re getting ready for finals, only practice a few concepts. Even solidifying a few concepts today will help your student on their final. Being really good at one thing is better than being “meh” at a lot of things.

During the summer, review concepts from the previous year. Don’t preview or skip ahead to the next year’s curriculum thinking that it would be better for your student. I am pretty certain that they will forget all of the new material. But reviewing material that they’ve learned before will be much more helpful in the long run. Remember school is a marathon, not a sprint.

Here’s what you can put in place for the next school year. I bet you think I’ll say get a tutor to help you! Surprise! My first recommendation is to talk with the students’ teacher and keep an open line of communication all year long! However, if you do need help there is no reason why you shouldn’t ask for it. Make sure to read my blog about “5 things you need to know before you hire a tutor” before you hire a tutor.