How to Catch up With School After a Day Off

Completing Your Work

Start catching up right away. Do not procrastinate on catching up with school. As soon as you return to school, collect any assignments you missed and ask your teachers about any tests and quizzes you need to make up. New work will start piling on fast, and if you put off catching up on old work you can fall even further behind.

Make a list. A list can be a handy tool to show you what you need to do to catch up. This way, you can make sure you don't miss anything. Talk to all of your teachers and make a catch-up list that incorporates work from every class. Do not just write down the subject. Write down the specific material you need to catch up on. For example, instead of writing down "Finish English assignment," write down "Complete the 10 questions about The Outsiders."

Prioritize your list. After writing your list, figure what work should get done first. Some assignments may be more pressing than others. Teachers often differ in how long they give you to catch up. If your English teacher said you have until the end of the week to turn in the work you missed, you can do English homework later. If your science teacher wants the work the next day, do that first. You should also think about which assignments will be more time consuming. If your English assignment requires a lot of writing, you may want to do that first to make sure you have enough time.

Prepare a schedule. Once you've prioritized your list, make a schedule to catch up. Carve out blocks of time where you can focus on different subjects. You can, for example, spend the first hour after school doing your science homework before working on your English homework. If you have a study hall at school, incorporate that into your schedule. You can plan on doing some of your missed work during study hall.

Seeking Outside Help

Contact the teacher about what you missed. If at all possible, do this before coming back to school. You can send an email or have a parent stop by your school to pick up any work you've missed. If you can't contact your teachers ahead of time, ask your teachers the next day about missed work.

Ask for a classmate's notes. If you have a class where your teacher lectures a lot, it can be difficult to make up missed work. If you've missed an important lecture, see if you can get a classmate's notes. Lectures often highlight things that will be important on future tests and quizzes. Choose a student who you know takes thorough notes. This way, you'll be more likely to get a full picture of what you missed. You can also ask a classmate for help if you're confused about anything. If you missed a lecture about a new equation in math, for example, you can have a classmate you trust help you figure it out.

Talk to your teacher if you're confused about a lesson. If you don't understand a lesson you missed, stop your teacher after class. Ask them if you can meet with them sometime to go over what you missed. This is especially important if you're struggling to complete an assignment due to missing a day of class.

Seek help from a tutor. If you've missed more than a few days, you may be genuinely struggling to catch up. In rare cases, you may need a tutor if you missed significant material. If your school has tutoring services, take advantage of them. For example, there may be after school programs where students can stop in for tutoring. You can also ask your parents if they could contact a tutor. This can be helpful if you're really struggling with a subject. Usually, a tutor is only necessary if you've missed a lot of school.

Avoiding Common Mistakes

Do not neglect new assignments. It can be easy to forget new assignments when trying to catch up on old ones. In addition to doing everything you missed while you were gone, make sure you complete anything new that's assigned the day you get back. This may mean you will have to make extra time for homework the day after returning to school. You may have to cut out certain activities if you get a lot of new work the day you get back. For example, you can sit out your softball practice one day to catch up on work. Write down any new assignments in your planner to make sure you keep track of everything.

Take breaks. It's important to take study breaks. If you're trying to do extra work, you'll burn out without giving yourself an occasional break. Every hour or so, commit to taking a five minute break. You can have a snack, text a friend, watch a video online, or do anything else that helps you unwind.

Maintain your sleep schedule. Sleep is important to your well-being and ability to concentrate. If you missed school due to sickness, it's especially important not to neglect sleep upon returning. Strive for a solid night's sleep, even if you're struggling to catch up, so you have the energy to get work done in a timely fashion.

Prepare beforehand whenever possible. Things like illness cannot be predicted. However, in some cases you may know you're going to miss class ahead of time. If you're missing class due to something like a vacation, ask for the work in advance. This way, you can complete the work before returning to school.