It’s the night before marking period grades are due from teachers. Your teacher still hasn’t put in five of your grades, your grade is borderline and your parents are breathing down your neck about your B in English. What should a student like you do in order to ensure that they know what their grade will be?

The most important thing to do is to turn in all your assignments and make sure there are no Z’s in the grade book. As we all know, a Z or two will definitely bring your grade down. If you do notice a Z on MyMCPS portal and you have turned in the assignment, make sure to communicate with your teacher consistently until the grade is changed. “I think it is very important that students do their homework and turn all their assignments in throughout the quarter to ensure that towards the finalization of grades, if your teacher still hasn’t put some grades in, you know you have done everything you could’ve until that point,” sophomore Kyler Hamlin said.

An important part of preparing for when teachers put in grades last minute is to communicate with your teacher throughout the whole time you have them – not just when you ask them to bump your grade the night before the quarter ends. Having a healthy relationship with a teacher can make a difference in how they react when you are on the border of a letter grade. “It is very important to have good communication with your teachers. Creating a good relationship with your teachers shows your teacher that you are putting in an effort to work hard and are interested in the subject, which may make them, if you are on the border, bump your grade,” sophomore Nesya Weinsweig said.

There is nothing worse than being on the border of letter grades as the quarter comes to a close. It is especially anxiety provoking when there is a test, quiz or paper due shortly before grades are final that can make or break your grade. This puts a lot of pressure on the students, especially when the majority of their classes do this.

Mentally preparing yourself for the week before the quarter ends is the most important thing to do. One way to prepare yourself is to let yourself know that everything will be OK and that getting a B or lower isn’t the worst thing in the world. “I feel like the tests right before the end of the quarter are some of the most important because that can determine a borderline grade so I prepare for any test that I have and try to focus on them without stressing myself out too much,” senior Eric Quam said.