DR. WALLACE: I studied hard this school year and read all of my books and did all of the homework assignments my teachers gave me, but I never got an "A" grade in any of my classes. Could it be that my teachers this year all didn't like me?

I'll be a junior in high school next year and my grades will be more and more important to me as I'm thinking about attending a college of some sort, even a community college to start with. Do you have any ideas? — I Want to Receive Better Grades, via email

I WANT TO RECEIVE BETTER GRADES: Yes, I do have a few ideas for you. Starting with your next school year, plan to sit in the front row of every one of your classes. This will help you to stay focused as there'll be no other students in your line of sight in front of you, and you'll be able to follow the teachers' lectures in a smooth, uninterrupted way.

Also, take the time within the first month of the semester to visit each of your teachers during their office hours. Explain that your grades are important to you and that you would like to know what areas you should focus most of your studying efforts on, and request any suggestions or tips that can help you perform better in each of your classes.

Based on my many years of experience, I can tell you that the great preponderance of teachers wish for their students to do well academically. Teachers do not hold students back; in fact, the opposite is true.

Pay attention and follow the lesson with full concentration in each of your classes, and ask a few questions in each class when appropriate. Study hard and communicate with your teachers and I trust it won't be long before you achieve an "A" grade in one or more of your classes this upcoming school year. Of course you'll have to earn it, as simply doing these things without applying yourself fully may not give you the results you desire.

HE BRAGS TO THE POINT WE ALL ROLL OUR EYES

DR. WALLACE: My older brother is a big bragger, and he seems to think he's the smartest, most intelligent, best dressed and hip person at our high school. Apparently, he took some online IQ test and he's claiming that he is by far the smartest one out of all five of our siblings in our family.

Personally, I think the only thing he is the best at amongst all of us is bragging about himself. The rest of us are pretty normal, pretty bright and we all go about our business quietly and confidently, unlike he does.

My question for you at this time would be to inquire about the best IQ test to take in a public setting, so that perhaps all five of our siblings could take a test together on Saturday afternoon and we could prove to him that he is nowhere near as smart as the rest of us.

Do you think this would be a good idea so that we could get him to stop going on and on about his fantasy about being such a great person? — Sick and Tired of His Bragging, via email

SICK AND TIRED OF HIS BRAGGING: I don't think he would accept your offer if he knows deep down he can't compete with the rest of you. Bragging sometimes flows in certain individuals from a position of feeling inadequate, and this may be part of the reason he is so boastful on a constant basis.

It's likely best to just let him go on and on about himself, and say nothing in return. You can of course roll your eyes and quietly go about your own business the way you've been proceeding with your life thus far.

But if you'd like to potentially throw him off his game someday, tell him how proud you are of him and that you'll be sure to seek his advice whenever you have an important issue crop up in your life. Then smile at him sincerely and give him a big hug. Then simply walk away with a wry smile on your face that he won't be able to see once you've turned around and begun to walk away.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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