Compete With Yourself

In Japanese they have a word - "Kaizen" - meaning continuous improvement. In English we don't have a single word to describe this but we can certainly adopt the concept.  When learning math don't be in the habit of comparing yourself to others.  In college, some classes are graded on a curve, but this is misleading.  If everyone does poorly, you can still pass with a decent grade but still not have a good understanding of the math you were studying.  Focus on what you personally can do to achieve your own personal best and then work on improving from there and so on. Before you know it you will have more easily achieved a high score but without focusing on the least you could do to get that grade but rather on how you can overall improve your abilities. In middle school and in high school it may be difficult for students to change the paradigm of thinking that teachers are there to load them down with homework and that they somehow are like an "employee" working for the teacher. Change your perspective to seeing your teachers as mentors there to help you grow into your fullest potential. Also, take the attitude that you are there for yourself and that you want to get the most out of it.