How to behave when your child gets a bad grade?

You should lower your expectations, encourage your child to try his best to be better than his past selves, instead of comparing himself to his classmates.

1. Keep calm

According to education experts, parents scolding and scolding children for poor grades will not motivate them to improve. On the contrary, it makes children both pressured because of their grades and stressed when they have to share their learning progress with their families.

If you feel like you can't stay calm when your child gets a bad grade, pause the conversation, think for yourself, or do something else like cleaning the house or cooking. When you delay the conversation, you will regain your composure to consider the problem, avoid saying negative words that affect the child.

2. Identify the problem

When you have calmed down, parents should sit down and discuss learning issues with the child. With a relaxed, open attitude, encourage your child to share the reasons for poor academic performance.

There are many problems that lead to poor grades. A class that is too difficult may be the reason because sometimes children are placed in a more advanced class or study group and cannot keep up with their peers. Children who do not do their homework can also reduce their learning by not doing review activities. Children miss school too much, so they cannot keep up with lectures in class. Or children have psychological problems such as stress when taking tests, competitive pressure in studying leading to lack of alertness when doing tests.

3. Talk to the teacher

Most children don't want their parents to talk to their teachers, but it's important to discuss learning with the teacher. After identifying the problem, you can think of many solutions, but it is still advisable to consult with teachers, who directly monitor the child's learning progress. You can ask the teacher what the child should do or improve to progress in learning.

In addition, when talking with teachers, parents can detect problems happening in the classroom that affect children's learning. For example, they play with a group of friends who are lazy to study and often lose focus when studying. From there, the two sides can discuss ways to help children change.

4. Problem Solving

Once you've figured out why your child is getting bad grades, discuss solutions with them. Encourage your child to suggest ways to improve the situation. When measures are given, remind your child to do it, not to repeat the mistake.

For example, if your child has little time to do homework due to tight extracurricular activities, encourage your child to stop some activities that are not absolutely necessary. If your child is addicted to technology instead of learning, you must limit his play time such as playing on the computer for an hour a day or only playing on weekends.

Another option is to hire a tutor or go to a tutoring center, but you should consult your child before making a decision and consider whether his or her current schedule is suitable for private tutoring.

5. Pay attention to pressure

If the reason your child gets a bad grade comes from a "sick mind" such as anxiety, stress, or pressure, you should pay attention to your child's condition. This pressure can come from the family placing too many expectations on the child or the rivalry between friends in the class.

Parents should lower their expectations so that their children are comfortable. Or encourage them to try their best to be better than their past selves, instead of comparing themselves to their classmates. You should show love to your children, even if they receive poor grades. When you see your child working too hard, you should also remind him to take a break with recreational activities such as sports, walking, painting.