Ricky was good at everything. He had always gotten As in all his classes. He excelled in all subjects and never had any trouble with the material. This year, he was taking calculus. This was a subject he had never taken before. He was struggling a lot and did not understand the material. His teacher handed his first test back. Ricky was shocked at his score. He had failed the test. It was his first time to fail anything. Ricky did not know what to do. He did not want to ask for help, because he did not know how.
This was his first time struggling, and he had no idea how to approach his problem. He started by talking to the teacher. He asked the teacher if there was a mistake or if there was any way he could retake the test. The teacher explained to him that it was reasonable that he did not do well on the first test. She gave a list of books and websites that may help him and also referred him to some tutors. Another suggestion she made was to reach out to friends and form a study group.
He liked the idea of a study group because he felt more comfortable asking his friends for help. He asked his friends if they would like to form a study group. They loved the idea. They also were relieved since they were also struggling with calculus. They decided to meet twice a week at their school's library. They did homework together and went through each problem step by step. Before the next test, they studied extra long. They did several practice problems and helped each other along the process. Perhaps Ricky would not get everything correct on the next test, but he felt more confident.
