It happens to everyone eventually. They forget to study for a test, or just don't understand the subject, or maybe another reason. Anyway, some parents may not know how to handle the situation. This article will help you handle the situation.
Steps
Part 1
Part 1 of 3:
Getting the grade.
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Get their grades directly from the school, if possible. If your child may attempt to hide the grade by "forgetting", burning, hiding, or photoshopping their report card, then try to get the grade directly from the school itself, rather than having your child give their report card themselves.
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Know how to recognize a tampered grade. If your child may still tamper with the report card and getting the grades directly from the school isn't possible, then know how to recognize a tampered grade.
- Grades sharply and quickly increasing can be a sign. For example, if an F becomes an A+, then do some investigation.
- Grades may get better more slowly rather than instant, so an F turning into a C or B is more likely genuine then going from F to A+.
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Talk to other parents. If your child is saying the report cards haven't come yet, then contact other parents with children in your child's class. Unless your child has taken extra credit or something like that, their report card should come out at the same time as everyone else.Advertisement
Part 2
Part 2 of 3:
Preventing Bad Grades
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Avoid threatening your child. This is commonly used by parents to get their children to study - saying they will be grounded, lose privileges, etc if they get an unacceptable grade. Avoid doing this if possible, otherwise, you are presenting the fact that good grades and studying well are only there to prevent punishment (which they aren't), which could lead your child to only studying to avoid punishment, not learning.
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Offer a reward. If your child has been wanting something, then offering it to them as a reward for getting a good grade can be an amazing way to encourage your child to study. In this case, not getting what they wanted because they got a bad grade is a consequence here, so no further correction is needed.
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Tell your child about the long-term issues. While bad grades on one test may not be a massive problem, multiple bad grades can affect your child's ability to get into a good college in the future, they could get held back, and they may end up at summer school.
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Find out why your child is getting bad grades. The first step to preventing bad grades is to identify the issue. If your child is not getting enough time to study, then this can be a contributing factor, so consider finding more time to study.
- Other issues that could affect grades include, but are not limited to tiredness, bullying, not understanding the subject, among other things
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Part 3
Part 3 of 3:
Reacting to a Bad Grade.
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Know the situation. Similar to how a court would handle a murder case versus theft, you should handle your child's bad grade differently depending on the situation, so if they were not studying because they were playing video games, for example, then restrict video games, TV, etc to after all homework, studies, etc for that day is done. If they did not understand the subject, consider hiring a tutor.
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Avoid being overly obsessive with grades. It can be tempting be obsess over grades. However, this will only cause problems, and can cause your child to lie to avoid being caught with bad grades, and can also lead to blackmailing (such as siblings forcing your child to do something in exchange for keeping the bad grade secret).
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Help your child improve their grades. Instead of punishment, helping your child improve their grades can be a very good opportunity to well, get better grades. Help identify the problem and help your child fix the problem.
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Consider punishment, if necessary. If you deem punishment necessary, then consider how to act. Taking away privileges, missing events (like parties) to study, groundings, etc can all be good punishments. However, avoid being overly harsh, or otherwise, your child probably will see good grades as important only to prevent punishment, not for learning.
- If there is more involved in the situation, such as lying or cheating, then take that into account when deciding a punishment.
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Tips
- Remember, punishment won't magically make your child good at studies.Thanks
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Warnings
- Keep in mind that spanking is outlawed in numerous places. If you are considering it as punishment (and you really shouldn't), then look up the law in your area first.Thanks
- If bad grades are a result of a teacher discriminating against your child for race, being LGBTQ, etc, then report this to the administration along with any evidence you have and if necessary, the police.Thanks
- Remember to draw the line between punishment and abuse.Thanks
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