HOW TO HELP A CHILD WITH LOW GRADES IN SCHOOL

Now most schools are rounding off their academic session and teachers are busy working on report cards. Your child’s report card may not meet your expectations. You know your child is capable of more, he/she may be intelligent but the grade doesn’t correspond with your perception of him/her. In this case, it’s tempting to blow a gasket, withhold privileges, and expect more from your child, especially when you know some of his/her peers who performed excellently.

Don’t take it too far, you need to be softer; more strategic approach may yield better results. First, you need to understand why your child’s report card isn’t studded with A’s. Then you can work out a plan with your child to get back on track. To do this, you need to talk to your child and your child’s teacher. And you might need to take a look at yourself, making sure you are setting realistic expectations.

Talk With Your Child

When things go wrong, the first person to talk with is your child because he/she is directly involved in the situation. You need to let him or her feel that you can trust his/her opinion about reasons for the poor grades. When you talk with your child about his/her report card, see if your child has a realistic view of the situation. For example, your child may think he/she occasionally fails to turn in a homework assignment. But his teacher’s grade book might reveal a consistent pattern of neglecting his work. Your child may also feel that s/he needs assistance with home work and reinforcement of what was taught at school.

Also, your child may think that s/he understands Mathematics because she has always been strong in that subject. But as Maths becomes increasingly abstract, some kids struggle. Your teacher can help you and your child face reality if necessary.

Often, lower-than-expected grades reflect a more challenging curriculum. Science can get difficult for some kids when memorization and lab work are involved. Languages become tougher when teachers start expecting students to infer from their text and delve deeper into topics in their writing. When the curriculum gets harder, your child will need to work harder just to maintain his/her grades. This can be a hard fact to face. The good news is that as some subjects get harder for your child, other subjects may get easier as his/her academic strengths emerge.

It’s also possible that your child has an especially hard teacher. If your child’s teacher is tough but fair, try to see it as a blessing even if it means a lower grade. Kids often learn more from tough teachers and tend to look back on them fondly.

Talk With the Teacher

As a parent, you need to investigate any grade lower than a B. If the report card does not detail the reasons for the lower grade, ask the teacher. Does your child not understand the concepts? Or is s/he not turning in homework? Did s/he barely miss the cut-off for a higher grade? Or does the grade represent a higher mark than what s/he earned? (Some teachers are generous; also some school proprietors in Nigeria make it compulsory for their teachers to increase the grades of some students unnecessarily).

One of the hardest things to hear is that your child seems to be trying his/her best but is still just getting average grades. Parents should keep in mind that a stretch of average academic performance does not mean their child will always perform at that level or that s/he will be limited in life. A good teacher will help parents understand the reasons their child earned certain grades so parents can respond appropriately.

Talk to Yourself

Before stressing out over an inconsistent report card, consider whether the grades reflect your child’s strengths. If your child gets A’s and B’s in most subjects and a C in one subject, it might not be a big deal, as long as your child is making progress.

Many teachers express concern that their stressed-out students believe they must get an A in every subject to please their parents. For a small number of gifted students, a perfect report card is attainable. But for most students, the idea of being a lifelong straight-A student is unrealistic.

Pupils who are obsessed with perfect grades may develop anxiety, neglect their friends and family, be hostile and envious of the pupils who perform excellently and at the end, they may develop unhealthy habits like staying up all night and depending on caffeine. They may be tempted to cheat in order to maintain their perfect record. Or they may melt down at the sight of a B-plus. Avoid this scenario by setting realistic expectations for your child, praising the child when s/he does well, and offering to help when s/he doesn’t.

If you and your child are stressing out about grades, remember that they’re just letters and numbers. The most important thing is that your child is learning. If s/he’s progressing, that’s good. It’s possible that when you dig deep into the reasons behind your child’s mediocre or poor report card, you may find out s/he simply didn’t apply himself/herself and do the work. If that’s the case, withdrawing privileges and letting him/her know you’re disappointed might be all that’s necessary to turn things around.

Remember, never beat or scold a child for poor grades, there can always be rooms for improvement. Encourage your child to do better. You may also need to consider getting your child a reliable home tutor during this long holiday. Try Think First Tutors www.thinkfirsttutors.com or Google a reliable and professional home tutor in your area. Good luck!

Written by Kolade Akinyele,

koladeakinyele@thinkfirsttutors.com

www.thinkfirsttutors.com

Source:
http://grammarembassy..com/2014/06/how-to-help-child-with-low-grades-in.html?m=1

Nice tips..

Points noted when i get them i will follow suite.

OK

First of all happy new month

Second to ........ Anyway nice write up.

Nice piece

TNKS

Shouting at them is not the right thing

It's not always about the grades though.. Not every one is cut out to be a bookworm or grades freak..
He who gets the C's in class may eventually go on to get the real A's in life.
If the grades aren't working out despite the input, try considering improving other aspects like hobbies and talents.

THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION.
My name is Prince Samuel Ojua, a student of Guidance and Counselling Cross River University of Technology, Calabar.
My advice to you this day I think will go along way in helping. Firstly, what might be the cause of her low grade? If the pupil or child is havin hardtimes at home, doing home chores and running errand here and there, it can affect that child academically, leading to poor performance. So if the is any such stress on him/her avoid it. Secondly. Psychological Problems: this child may hv been mis-treated by you the parents', teacher or fellow students' in school, by telling him/her you ain't intelligent, you're a dumb etc. This can affect the confidence of this child, because he will believe everything people say about him/her. All i will say is that you should encourage him/her even when he fail. Tell him/her, i know you can do better, Junior I believe in you, you can come first etc. Lastly. Poor nutrition. Try and give this child good food, not fufu, akpu, garri, yam, rice etc. All this are carbohydrate and there ain't good for the childs brain. Enough milk, fish, fruits etc will help in brain development. Encourage good reading culture to this child, buy a good table and chair for reading, good meals, avoid TV. Thank you. Sam

SCHOOL OF DIPLOMA STUDIES EPINMI

NAME: OLADOKUN MICHAEL(MASTER)

SCORE: 72%,.........

NOTICE: Candidates are to get the exam scrstch card of 2000naira to enable them print out their result as soon as possible.

D best way as far as I am concerned is adjusting the childs interest... At that point in a childs life, they are really flexible.. Most kids with low grades perform poorly because they are more interested in other things than school.. Like running around with friends etc.. Make the child interested in studying... I don't mean forcing them to read all the time... U can start by creating a timetable for them and ensuring they stick to it... Studying should be a quid pro quo for playing.. If you don't study, u don't play... U can make studying fun by using the INCENTIVE principle... Buy that child his favorite fruit or cook him his favorite meal if he answers ur questions correctly after studying... U can even inculcate it in the type of play they do.... Make a game for them... "Junior what is the the square root of 25, junior: 5, you: correct, one sweet for you... Kate: who was the first man on the moon: kate, neil armstrong... Correct, one packet of cheese ball.. By so doing, you are gradually influencing their interest... Also, talk to them, boy " u manna be a doctor like daddy, u gotta get an A in mathematics... Surround ur kids with educative materials, if a kid is surrounded by rap cds, he would invariably aspire to be a rapper... Finally, spend time with your kids, help them develop a healthy self esteem and do not underestimate the power of adequate rest.... Works all the time, only if you make the effort...

ok

Very good points I must say but one thing we(parents and teachers) must do is using instructional materials and if possible the real objects not just the drawing. Children understand better when they see what they are being taught about. Field trips and excursions should be encouraged.
Another is to teach the child to understand and not cram. This is where most teachers have failed. Encourage the child to read and understand and also give explainations in the way he understands it so far he is still in line on what is being taught.
Most teachers get angry when pupils/students don't answer questions the same way they were taught ie word to word. This is so wrong and one of the reasons for plagiarism today.

and above all, dont compare that little kid with others
as stated in about 2-3 threads above on the FP

reynaguy: SCHOOL OF DIPLOMA STUDIES EPINMI

NAME: OLADOKUN MICHAEL(MASTER)

SCORE: 72%,.........

NOTICE: Candidates are to get the exam scrstch card of 2000naira to enable them print out their result as soon as possible.

Why does this name and moniker sound familier ??

noted







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Nice shiit

n after all, I pray 4 him or her cos prayer is d key to unlocking great potentials.

Pissed off..... Too much

Nice tips but hard I must tell you.

My daughter who is in boarding secondary school came back with a not too impressive result first term. A part of me wanted to beat the hell outta her. I controlled myself and instead sat her down to make her see reasons why she needed to improve on her studies for her own good and not to boost my ego.

Her improvement last term surprised me and I only hope she would become better and one day top her class.

@ OP....Nice one...

Btw.....Parnt shld endeavour to read this book called "Think Big" by Ben Carson.

Find a way to make learning fun.

When i started in the primary section, the pupils were so dull. I thought cane cld do it bt wt tym i dscoverd it wz abt startn 4m d scratch. I encouragd dem by alwz calln dem out to ans questions,the alphabets and dr oral pronunciatn,pick out new words 4 dem to practice, correct dr spoken english and so on. Give dem compulsory homework, to take dr playn time at home.