How to be a Great Student: Part Two

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”
Benjamin Franklin

How to be a Great Student: Part Two

Give me five minutes.

This is part of a series, click the tag: Be a Good Student for more.

Showing up five minutes early has so many advantages.

• It shows that you are ready to be taught and in the class.
• It shows that you do want to be there; unlike all those late-bees.
• You can chat with the teacher and find out more about this day’s topic or the teacher.
• You can meet the other students who are intent on getting a good education. They are who you want in that group project, meet them, learn their names.
• You can pick the best seat.
• And so much more.

It is easy to dismiss five minutes and think that it is not important. Five minutes gives you an advantage, prepares you and sends a solid positive message. It is such a small thing.

There has been a lot written on the “power person” who shows up late; sending the message of how busy they are and making people wait on them. It is bogus. We gather as a collective to get things done. A great student is above petty pop psychology.

When I was a free-lance stagehand in Los Angeles, I always showed up early. I got to meet the boss and get a sense of how much work there needed to be done. Even in a pure labor situation, I don’t want to be a drone. I want to be involved, I want to be a part of the big picture, I want to understand what is going on.

Give me five minutes of your time, show up early, and you can be a great student in the classroom and in life.