1 thing struggling students should try after school

A couple of things I’ve heard from parents lately:

“My kid works really hard, or at least I think they do. They’re shut in their room for hours after school ‘working’ but still not getting good grades.”

“My son is smart and capable but struggles academically, especially with studying. I feel like if we could help him learn how to study and prioritize what to know - and actually remember what he learned - he’d be in such a better place.”

These are frustrating challenges.

A lot of students, especially high achievers or perfectionists, focus on doing everything right. This creates a default of overwhelm, analysis paralysis, or doing things that feel productive but don’t actually move the needle.

We want to help our teens focus on doing the right things.

While there are a handful of things that lead to higher grades and more confidence like clockwork - managing their own calendar, practicing a strong daily routine - today we’re focusing on one that’s often overlooked: the daily learning period.

The Daily Learning Period

The daily learning period is a block of time after school that students dedicate to ensuring they genuinely understand what they’re being taught in each class.

It’s a super effective way to study, sustain comprehension, and retain information (all of which make assignments and tests feel easier).

It’s also a way of taking ownership over their learning - recognizing that academic success starts in the classroom but ultimately ends with what they do after school.

This learning period isn’t about homework completion or studying for a specific quiz or test. Many students do these things without fully understanding the material.

It also doesn’t have to be daily - I’ve seen students do this 2-3x/week and have huge gains in confidence and grades.

Here’s how it works:

Students create a Google doc (or Notion or Word, whatever they prefer) and log what they covered in each class that day. A few bullet points are enough. I encourage students to refer to their class materials instead of relying on memory (textbooks, teachers’ slides, hand-outs etc.).

From there, they check their understanding of the content. For example:

• Writing a brief summary of key learnings in their own words (without checking notes)

• Taking a mini practice quiz of a few questions (…without checking notes)

• Explaining it out loud as if they were teaching it to a classmate (or you :))

• Connecting the day’s learning with previous material (e.g. “this new formula expands on what we learned about motion last week by…”)

They flag whatever they have trouble with or aren’t crystal clear on. Then they decide what to do about it - spend some time solo trying to figure it out? Ask the teacher about it the next day? See if Mom or Dad can help?

One of my favorite things about the learning period is that it naturally helps build critical skills and mindsets. It helps teens:

• normalize not ‘getting’ everything right away (learning new things can be tough and take time - this doesn’t mean you’re not smart)

• articulate what they don’t understand

• get help sooner than later

• gain confidence in their own learning skills

Now for a couple of caveats.

First, a lot of teens see this as extra work. But when they try it, they see it’s actually a short cut to better grades that can save hours of time and stress later. Instead of spending evenings re-reading notes or re-watching videos trying to cram before a test, they build genuine understanding in small, consistent doses.

Students tell me they can feel the difference - that studying for tests feels lighter and faster because they understand and remember what they’ve learned.

Second, students are so accustomed to ‘doing schoolwork’ in a transactional way (complete the worksheet, submit, move on) that self-directed learning can feel awkward at first.

It’s not assigned and it’s not for marks - it’s for mastery. And once they feel what it’s like to actually understand something, to master the skill of learning across ALL subjects, that feeling becomes its own motivation.

In sum: when students build even a small daily rhythm around understanding instead of output, grades and confidence go up.

If your teen ends up giving this a try, I’d love to hear how it goes after a week or two🙂 

Speak soon,

Kelsey

Resources & Opportunities

• One of my favourite neuroscientists, Nicole Vignola, is doing a free MasterClass starting today November 2 and 3 at 12:30pm ET about understanding “the mechanisms of focus and motivation.” She’s on Instagram here (great follow), and you can register for the class here.

• The RonranGlee Literary Scholarship. For high school seniors or college students, $2,000, application deadline December 19.

• Sandy’s Scholarship. For New York-based high school seniors or college students interested in health care, $1,050, due December 6th.

• Charles Bowlus Memorial Scholarship. For high school seniors who plan to major in Business and are from a “low-income or single-parent household or who have been impacted by cancer.” $3,440, application deadline December 18.