Bad Report Card? How To Handle a Child’s Poor Grades
Bad report cards can create stress and tension between parents and children. That’s why a parent must be calm and avoid letting a discussion about poor grades become an emotional landmine that escalates the situation for all concerned.
Poor grades may not indicate your child is not trying hard, nor does a report card predict a student’s potential for success in later life. However, a poor report card does send a warning signal, so that you need to ask one key question —WHY is my child getting poor grades?
Causes of Poor Academic Performance?
Usually, students bring home bad grades for one of two reasons. The first reason is that they haven‘t mastered the content of a subject. The second reason is that they don’t have the study and organizational skills necessary to succeed academically. Poor study skills will probably affect grades in all subjects negatively. In addition to the usual causes of poor grades, many students now have significant learning gaps due to disruptions in learning during the Covid19 pandemic. These students must play “catch up” to get back on track at the appropriate grade level.
Strategies to Cope With a Bad Report Card
Here are some strategic tips for handling a student’s bad grades:
1. Praise! First, focus on the positive and praise something your child did well. Next, you can move on to discuss areas of improvement.
2. Listen! Discuss why school grades are disappointing. During your discussion, listen to what your child has to say about problem areas and possible solutions.
3. Motivate! Reward and improve your child’s self-confidence by recognizing and building on every success and achievement.
4. Set Goals! Create a realistic game plan so the next report card will be much better.
5. Meet teacher. Discuss issues and get more information from your child’s teacher. Consider getting help from a professional tutor who can focus on your child’s problem areas.
If you need help, Learning Tree Tutors is always here for you!