Grades: A Guide For Parents

Grades are stressful for many parents and children. Supporting and stimulating his child in his learning, in particular by pushing him to think, will help him to obtain good results.

When children start school, the anxiety about school grades begins too. The presentation of the report card can cause great joy as well as great disappointment.

Parents tend to take school grades very seriously, as if it were an assessment of their own education. They forget that it is simply an evaluation on the acquisition and memorization of specific academic content.

School grades respond to specific circumstances. They do not necessarily indicate that the education of parents is good or bad: they do, however, indicate several things for which we can act without suffering or making our children suffer.

School grades, what do they teach us?

• School grades are circumstantial evaluations. The grade obtained in an exam does not take into account the child’s level of maturity, his interests or his learning style.
• The mark does not always express the effort made by the child to obtain it. Sometimes an excellent mark is obtained without great effort and, conversely, a bad mark can have meant a great effort.
• School grades show us the interests of children. For some, maths or visual arts will be easy subjects, while for others, it will be languages ​​or sport, for example.
• Passing an exam does not guarantee that the child has actually learned something.
• An average mark, or even a lower than average mark, does not indicate the child’s worth. It cannot be used against him: it does not indicate who he is.

School grades: how can we help our children?

See beyond the note

We must evaluate the efforts made by our child to obtain the mark obtained. This is the best way to read school grades and the best way to motivate your children to keep putting in the effort and surpassing themselves.

Value daily efforts

Do not wait for the delivery of notes to congratulate your child. Value their daily efforts.

When the score is not very good, discuss together what was the problem so that your child will do better the next time.

Stimulate your child and encourage him to do his homework correctly on time.

Organize a work schedule

Supervise the start of activities. You will be able to take the child back from the start if he does not do it well.

Also, make sure your child has all the materials they need to study and do their homework.

Also remember to check at the end that all the homework has been done.

Give her a quiet space to study and do her homework

For your children to have better grades in school, they need to be able to work in a quiet space.

In this space, avoid the presence of certain stimuli such as television, toys or electronic devices. So the child will not get distracted so easily.

If you are away from home, make sure that your child can study in an appropriate environment while providing for their rest needs.

Maintain smooth and regular contact with the teacher

Evaluate together which contents need to be reinforced, which are the working methods of the child and how to improve them.

If your child needs tutoring, see if you can offer private lessons.

Don’t threaten your child and don’t make promises

When your child has good grades, you should reward them with words of encouragement, not gifts.

Likewise, don’t threaten your child if they don’t get good grades and promise something that you can’t keep.

Avoid requiring a specific note

Explain clearly and concretely to your child what school means and what it leads to.

Encourage your child to do the best they can to get the results they want.

Likewise, show him that not respecting schedules and working methods has consequences.

Organize the study

Divide a large school task into several small tasks so that it is easier for your child to keep up over time.

Rather than carrying out a single long school task, it is better to offer him several small tasks. This will further motivate your child.

Work one material at a time

Make a priority list of things to review and work on it one point at a time. This will help your child achieve goals without getting exhausted or frustrated.

School marks: what to do if your child does not pass his tests?

• Identify the cause. Discuss it with his teacher or mistress to get his point of view and, together, develop a work plan. If the cause is lack of effort, you need to monitor your child’s work daily and motivate your child.
• Discuss it calmly with your child. Try to figure out why he gets bad grades. You can try out new, more active learning methods .
• Avoid yelling, blaming and demeaning. It will not improve your child’s performance.
• Reinforce their sense of responsibility. Good results are the result of effort and dedication. Avoid making false excuses for your child: it is not the fault of the teacher or the teacher, nor that of other children who do not let your child concentrate, for example.
• Don’t turn study into punishment. This will create negative conditioning which will associate learning with pain or boredom.

School is a stage of training for children. School grades are part of the process. Encourage your child to overcome his difficulties : it is the best learning to face the challenges of the education system and of life.

If, despite applying our tips, your child’s grades do not improve, your child may have a deeper problem, such as a learning disability. To check this, you will need to consult a specialist.