He Stepped Up.
When Dylan came home from college for spring break – more than two months ago now – he was struggling in two of his classes. He had a C and a D, mostly because some of his homework was missing.
In college (as I warned him in middle school), you aren’t allowed to turn in your homework late.
So Dylan was really struggling. He’d had a rough time at the beginning of the semester, readjusting to the workload and finally realizing that college is both fun and school.
Then he came home, the pandemic struck, he had two weeks off of school, and Dylan was given a new lease on life. When they restarted classes online, he was ready to go – and his professors were being exceptionally kind. Plus, Dylan had the option of taking up to seven credits “Pass/Fail” – meaning, he could pass with a D.
Better yet, he could choose whether or not to take a class “Pass/Fail” after seeing his final grades.
Oddly, this did not have the effect on Dylan that it would have had on me. If it had been me, in college, I would have done the bare minimum in my classes. I would have continued to struggle with the classes I’d already bombed, and then I would have done only what it would have taken to get by. I would have taken two classes Pass/Fail – the maximum allowed – because I would have ended the semester with a D in at least two classes.
Dylan, however, went the opposite direction. With the “Pass/Fail” option available, he decided he had nothing to lose by doing his best work. He still procrastinated, but he didn’t miss any more deadlines. He kept up with his reading; he did his homework assignments on time.
When exam time rolled around, he prepared and studied. In his biggest project for his most challenging classes, Dylan ended up being “in charge” of his group – and doing an absolutely spectacular job on the project. And he did some other projects with just as much enthusiasm as he has for making music.
In other words, he stepped up.
His grades came out last week. He got a couple of A’s and a B. He got a B- in one class, where he’d originally had a C. And in his most challenging class, he brought up his D all the way to a B+!
Dylan’s grades in both semesters of his freshman year are better than his grades in any of his high school semesters, except possibly during his senior year when he dropped half his classes and just took English, math and AP Psychology.
Dylan is thriving in college – socially, emotionally, and even academically. It boggles my mind. Part of me can hardly believe it.
The other part of me knew all along that he could do it, if only he would apply himself.
That “other” part of me is still stunned – but in a good way.
Dylan – who couldn’t be trusted to finish his homework for nine years in a row – is disciplining himself and finally doing what it takes to succeed.
It thrills me beyond my wildest dreams.