How parents can handle a poor report card

It’s that time again — report card time.

While many students will come home with good grades, others would rather stuff their report cards deep into their backpacks than show them to their parents. As parents, you want your child to do well in school. So what do you do when your child’s report card isn’t as good as it could be?

Children get frustrated and upset when their report cards show they are doing poorly. Understanding your child’s personal ability will allow both you and your child to set appropriate goals for each class before report cards are distributed. It will also help establish an environment in which your child is not apprehensive about sharing their report card with you.

The following tips offer advice for parents on how to deal with a poor report card:

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1. Set expectations. Talk with your child and explain that you won’t be upset if he or she doesn’t bring home all A’s — but that you will be upset if they don’t try their hardest and don’t ask for help.

2. Communicate with your child. Talk with your child every night and every week about homework. Ask how they are doing in school and what subjects they find challenging.

3. Discuss your child’s performance with his teacher and/or guidance counselor. Your child’s teacher can recommend ways to help your child or point out difficulties they are having. Their guidance counselor can help set up additional parent-teacher conferences when necessary.

4. Set goals for improvement with your child. If your child is currently a C student, then setting a goal of getting all A’s may not be reasonable. However, creating an improvement goal for each subject will help them work toward an attainable level for each class.

5. Establish a personalized study plan with your child. Your child should keep a schedule of all assignments and key dates, including specific times for studying, projects and extracurricular activities. The more comprehensive the schedule, the more efficient your child will be in completing homework.

6. Seek outside help. Some children may need additional attention that can’t be provided in school. Speak with your child’s teacher about supplemental education providers to help your child work toward better grades in school.

7. Praise your child’s successes. Praise your child for what they are doing well, whether it’s a specific academic subject or an extracurricular activity.

Morgan Griffith is the center director at the Federal Way Sylvan Learning Center, 32717 1st Ave. S. Contact: (253) 838-0507.