Help students practice stress and frustration management skills
Stress and frustration are frequent reasons that students drop AP classes. By teaching students that stress and frustration are normal parts of doing something new and difficult, and by creating community in the classroom around shared struggles, they can see that they are not alone in their challenges and emotions. Providing students with strategies to manage stress and frustration and then practicing them together is a powerful way to help students persist when things get difficult.
We suggest implementing these strategies:
Explore Student Experiences Throughout the School Year
Click on each critical period to explore student experiences.
Strong Start
August/September
Keeping Up
November/December
Midterm Reset
January/February
Exam Prep
March/April
Due to varying school schedules and contexts, the exact timing of the critical periods will differ by school and even by class. The months provided are a guide for where teachers should be looking for experiences based on time of year.