Year 11 need help

[smasht]

Hey

So I am not sure why I am writing this or how I am going to write this but I am really having trouble in Year 11 this year. Previously from year 7 to year 10 I was acing most of my subjects. I was doing really well in school and all my classes then Year 11 came along... I've been doing terrible in my opinion and I don't believe that I may get the score that I want if I keep this up. I'm hoping to get 80+ at the very least as I want to do Architecture in University. I have been doing well in my context english essays getting 27/30 and 22/30 in my SAC's but barely passing for ULP with a score of 5/20. In mid-year exams i got 15/30 for my 3 hour english exam which involved writing 2 essays, 1 context, and 1 reading and responding, and a Language Analysis. I have been getting E's, D's and C's in my Maths Methods SAC's and exam and feel as though that I am not doing well because of the class and the teacher. I know I'm blaming others when it is my VCE but I have never felt like this before and I am not learning anything. In General Maths I got an A in my exam with a percentage of 91% and A's, B's and a C in my SAC's. I am doing Design & Technology which I got a C+ for in the exam but will be dropping this subject next year. I also did Systems Engineering last semester which I got a C in but I left the class to do Accounting this semester which I will be keeping next year. For my first SAC in Accounting so far this semester I got an A with 39/45 marks which I was proud of for doing so well when I didn't know as much as everyone else for not doing Unit 1. Business Management I have been getting B's and C's in SAC's and got a B or C in the exam.

This year I believe I have lost motivation, my parents divorced which I, for some reason, didn't feel sad or angry about it and was fine with the decision that they had made. I have not done any homework for English or Maths Methods and always wrote my essay that was supposed to be written during the holidays a period before I had English. I am frustrated at how I get marked down for not using a calculator in Generals Maths even though I get questions right. I have lost 2 A's for 2 B's because I didn't use a calculator yet I answered every question correctly. I am frustrated with the excessive use of the need of calculators in every topic in Maths Methods and how every 2nd topic revolves around graphs and linear equations, etc. I feel as though I also made a terrible decision in dropping Visual Communication & Design for Systems Engineering this year as the teacher's said that I would need to do this course for Architecture when it was all about electronics and circuits which I hated. I had received 98% in my VISCOM exam in year 10 and I believe that this was a big mistake of dropping it for me. Now I am not sure if I should take it up again because I might be behind due to not doing Units 1 & 2 and that I would need to drop a subject which I wouldn't want to unless it was Math Methods. I have also been told that Literature is a good class as all you do is write essays which I feel is better for me as I suck at Language Analysis but as I read some threads on here it seems to be the analysis of novels and deeper idea's and thinking involved which I am not sure if I will be suited for that. As soon as I get home every day I jump straight onto my PC and play games like COD4, CSGO and LoL until about 12am and dont feel motivated to do any homework or anything related to school at home.

I am not looking or begging for people to sort out my life etc. I just want people to help me with some of my problems at school and tips on how I can do better and motivate myself. My mum has been hassling me about getting a job and I feel that that will give me less time to try do anything for school. I may add other info/questions in here if I have any and I hope something can help me excel like I used to as I feel terrible every time I get results back from SAC's and exams.

Classes 2013:
- Accounting
- Business Management
- Design Technology
- English
- General Maths
- Maths Methods 1 & 2

Planned Classes 2014:
- Accounting
- Business Management
- English (OR Literature)
- Further Maths
- Maths Methods Units 3 & 4 (OR Visual Communication & Design?)

Thanks in advance to everyone that helps or has something nice to say :c

[NathanJ]

Hey Mate,

From the perspective of an average student that tries hard this is my opinion.

1. You are only in year 11 and VCE isn't the end of the world. There are many ways to get into courses you are considering.

2. The motivation you speak of or the lack of it is a rut that is hard but not impossible to get out of. I am by no means an A+ student although I take my schooling seriously and spend countless hours studying.

Here are a few points that I can suggest as a fellow year 11 student.

1. When you get home complete your homework immediately or at least spend 1+ hours completing it (whilst or after you have had a snack to re-boost you).

As soon as I get home every day I jump straight onto my PC and play games like COD4, CSGO and LoL until about 12am and dont feel motivated to do any homework or anything related to school at home.

2. Games during high school have there place and I suggest that you use the games as a reward rather then a retreat from completing set tasks


This isn't much but if you stick to it, you will not only feel a sense of completion but you will also hopefully improve your outlook on your schooling and hopefully an increase in your scores

I hope that helps

[shadows]

STOP with the gaming! Don't game everyday and try limit your gaming when you hae finished all your work.

Try talking to your teachers about your progress.

If you practice regularly I think you will start to improve a lot.


Accounting and business - from what I heard its pretty content orientated. Make sure you don't fall behind in class. Read and understand concepts, make summaries. make a glossary and write the definition of important words you need to know.

Also complete questions in your book.


Design technology. Is this a folio subject? Do a bit everyday. Don't leave it till the last minute.

Gen math and methods -improvement only comes from doing questions. If you need a challenge, do questions in review sections

English - believe it or not, English is a subject that you can easily improve in. Spend time to write essays to the best of your ability and get it corrected. Take on teachers comments and let their feedback improve your essays.

Read novels and newspaper to improve expression and Vocab.



Getting good results is not easy. There is no shortcut, there is no secret formula. It's up to you to work hard and the results you get are reflective of how hard you work, regardless how smart you are.

[chasej]

As soon as I get home every day I jump straight onto my PC and play games like COD4, CSGO and LoL until about 12am and dont feel motivated to do any homework or anything related to school at home.

Maybe you are using gaming as a coping mechanism for your parents divorce or for some other thing going on?

It's possible that the problem is simply gaming, in which case you should either stop gaming entirely until you get back on track. Or limit your gaming to a set amount of hours. (I just don't game anymore, despite previously playing WoW 4-5 hours/day in the past, except for sometimes in the summer holidays). But there may also be an underlying cause to this, in which case maybe you should see a counsellor or something to sort it out?

Maybe you should get into a routine/make some sort of study plan?

The year is coming to an end pretty quick so it's a good idea to fix these issues up in prep for yr 12.