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| Parents of Teens |
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| How do you make a child understand that it's important to get good grades and not just get by? My son makes good grades usually but lately he hasn't been in social studies. I hate to harp on him so much because this seems to be the only class that he just doesnt do well in..but the end of the year is coming and right now he has a failing grade(although it's higher than a few weeks ago). I have talked with him and was hoping that I would see some improvement, but alas, very little. I feel pretty discouraged and dumbfounded about right now...I have tried..what else can I say? |
| Posted by julie on 03/05/2008 02:31 PM
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When my son wasn't doing well, I talked to him first to find out what the problem was, did he like the teacher, did he understand what the teacher wanted.Was he having problems with any kids in that class.
Then I met with the teacher. What did he/she see as the problem.
Then I made arrangements for after school tutoring. If tutoring wasn't available at the school, I found a neighborhood tutoring center (not a chain, Sylvian or Other)
I also reminded my son that he had to go to school no matter what, so he might as well do his best while he was there or he would be grounded for the weekend doing make up work, studying etc.
Where I live i can access my son's grades through the internet. the teacher also posts whta assignments were missing and what projects were due and when. So come Thursday I would print out a report and go over it with my son. It would determine if he would be grounded or not. I did not harp on him during the week becuase he knew Thursday would be the day of reckoning.
Did this take a lot of my time, absolutely. But that is the price we pay as parents. |
| posted by Kathy on 03/05/2008 03:13 PM
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| Is it only one class that his grades are down? I would try talking to him about the subject, maybe he does not understand it. I would also talk with his teacher. I try to explain to all my kids how important good grades are, and that it will affect them later on in life as well (college). |
| posted by sillymom on 03/05/2008 03:18 PM
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My son is 16 and it wasn't until 5th grades that he began not to care. His teacher's saw it as laziness and he has admitted he just doesn't want to do what it takes to do more than just get by.
If you figure out the secret to motivating kids who don't give a rip, let me know. We (the school staff, his father, my family and friends, and I) have tried everything we could think of or find by research. His problem is he doesn't care and you can't make him care. |
| posted by Kelly on 03/05/2008 06:12 PM
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| Maybe its just boring? Ask him to consider arranging a different extra assignment with the Teacher to bring up his grade. An essay on a different topic but has the same needed dates for the test or soemthing along those lines. |
| posted by Tina on 03/06/2008 06:18 AM
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Thank you for all your advice..I will still keep trying to encourage him but in the end I know that it is still up to him because I can't be there watching him, and he knows it.
BTW Kelly...what happened with your son? How is he doing in school now? When I read your post I kind of tended to think that maybe in some way my son is having the same type of attitude about it. I have just recently checked with his teacher and found out that he received another low grade apparently because he didn't do enough of the work. I do have access to the grades online and from what I can see he is doing fine in the other subjects it's just this one that he is flopping around with...it's enough to stress me out for weeks I tell you! I already have another one that is going into middle and she is having a difficult time as well, times have been tough lately! |
| posted by julie on 03/06/2008 08:03 AM
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What you are experiencing, we just went thru in our home. Our son is an honor roll student. He was failing "Chemistry". The excuses of why he was failing, kept rapidly changing. Grounding him did not work.
What finally worked for us, we had called his Counselor at school. We told her we wanted to see a "Weekly Progress Report", which my son had to pick up every Friday from her office. It was that form alone that made him accountable for all his classes.
He went from an A+ student, to an "F", and as of this Wednesday, he has a B+. Hope that helps. |
| posted by esther on 03/07/2008 03:36 PM
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