Parents often view report cards as the best way to track their child’s school progress. Unfortunately, report cards can also bring stress: kids don’t want to anger or disappoint their parents, and poor grades can cause serious concerns for parents.
Take Action!
Consider the first report card of the school year a warning sign; treat poor marks as indicators that action is needed before kids get too far off track. Poor marks on report cards often catch parents by surprise. Here are some tips to boost school performance and avoid report card surprises.
Focus on the Positive
It can be easy to focus only on bad grades or poor teacher comments. Be sure to keep these tips in mind as well:
- Keep the Report Card in Context. Some report cards are more challenging than others, such as the shift from early to middle school or the first year of high school.
- Talk About Report Cards Together. But, postpone the conversation if you are upset about the report card. Calm, cool, and collected is best when talking to your child about their grades, so stress doesn’t impact their performance any further. Make sure to highlight something positive about the report card to lighten the discussion at the beginning.
- Focus on the Teacher’s Comments! Grades are a decent performance indicator, but the comments give you a better overall insight into how the student is doing in the classroom.
- ListenListen attentively to your child as they address their concerns and offer their own opinion on their learning thus far.
- Remeber, this is the first report card of the year, meaning there’s still lots of time to get ahead of any problem areas.
Don’t Ignore Warning Signs
If your child brings home poor test scores or assignments, it might be time to explore supplemental help. Contact a GradePower Learning near you today to chat with our experts and learn more about how tutoring can help students succeed before the next report card.
