It's Not Too Late to Turn Around a Bad School Year
posted November 6, 2009 - 2:00am
It is a couple of months into the school year and already many parents and students are ready to throw in the towel. You may have followed the 10 Steps to Having a Great School Year. You may have taken Time to Evaluate Your Child’s
Progress for the School Year. Still nothing seems to work, and your child has already fallen behind. What you go to do? It's time to get serious about turning an already bad school year around. Here are the steps you should take.
1. Call a conference. It doesn't matter if it is not time for parent teacher conferences yet. Every day you waste waiting for the appropriate time is another day that your child will fall further behind. First meet with the teacher to find out what they think the problem is. Next, get the child and the teacher in the same room so that everyone is on the same page.
2. Find out what can be done to rectify what has gone wrong. Perhaps the teacher will allow the student to make up work that has not been handed in. Perhaps the teacher will allow the child to do a make up a test or two. Perhaps the teacher will allow extra credit.
3. Make the child do the work. Whatever it was agreed upon with the teacher to do that would raise the child's grades, do it. This is not going to be an easy task. The child will push back. They will complain. They may claim they don't understand. It does not matter. If the child does not learn to meet deadlines and finish assignments now, they will never survive at any job.
4. Do not make excuses or blame the teacher. I am not saying that there are cases where the teacher is not to blame, because it does happen. Still, you never want to give your student the impression that there is an excuse for doing poorly. While it is OK to acknowledge a teacher's fault, you should never allow the child to use it as a reason to not rise above it.
5. Make sure all of the child's past due work is completed and handed in to the teacher's satisfaction. Follow up to make sure the child continues to stay on track.
(image under a Creative Commons license.)
by KOMUnews
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Comments
Anotherthing2...
You make valid points... this is definately and "except for" that I might have to address in my next article.
This one was written for parents who know their kids are able to do the work. Kids who just won't do the work.
Even in homeschooling we have this problem... a child who makes excuses to not be smart.
It is also a huge problem in African American communities (of which I am also a part)... kids who are afraid to look smart.
The child that CAN'T is definately another story.
Thanks for pointing that out.
~While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about~ follow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/ahermitt
Doing what you've gotta do
as an adult I can (and do) find another job - kids don't have that option - they have to put up with teachers who don't mark their work (as in the comment below). Then there's the individual child to consider: not all children are academically gifted or have developed the necessary brain power... yet or will ever.
I'd like to make the point that children who haven't developed abilities should be treated differently so they don't feel bad about themselves and opt out completely.
I've added my vote (now) because the debate your article has inspired is timely. Thanks.
AndAnotherThing2 writes COMEDYand is Xomba's first featured HISTORIAN
Andanotherthing2...... yeah, but....
I hear what you are saying, (I homeschool ming, so I really understand about inspiring kids) but sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do.
When was the last time your boss tried to inspire you or cajole you into doing your job.... do it or get out of the way... i.e. find another job.
Kids need to eventually learn that if they are asked to do something that will benefit their life, then they should just do it.
~While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about~ follow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/ahermitt
I agree with Joseph Howard.
I agree with Joseph Howard. At the end of the day, the purpose of homework is to practice the material. If your child already knows the material, and the teacher does not care to include the material in the grade, then you can make a decision to not do it, or to not put so much effort into it, but mek sure you have an understanding from the teacher to be sure the homework doesn't count toward the grade in some way. It could be part of the "class participation". At the end of the day, the effort of doing homework will count towards the grade in increased comprehension.
~While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about~ follow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/ahermitt
Every teacher has their own method for grading +1
Homework and Grades
Every teacher has their own standards as to what is expected from students. I've known a couple of teachers who were real strict, but, most were not. As, your daughter moves forward in her schooling she'll encounter more. Right or wrong, what the teacher does regarding homework is up to the teacher.
And, besides, exam-grades pass classes. All homework does is prepare a person for the exams. For most, not doing their homework usually results with an unfavorable grade.
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A very timely article...
Very timely post especially nowadays wherein online gaming, video games and other electronic games are on the go, thereby causing some setbacks to us parents. Yes, you're right, sending our kids to school is a joint partnership between the parents and the teacher.
Lots of Homework with No Credit
Good article if your child is falling behind and not turning things in. But, what do you do with a teacher that gives homework every night and then refuses to average it into the final grade? Personally, I think this is very unfair to the kid who does complete all of their homework on time but doesn't do that great on tests, essays, etc. I've got a situation right now where 17 homework assignments that my child spent numerous hours completing are not being averaged into her grade. Is this fair to ask students to devote their time to homework and then not have that effort reflected in their grades? I don't think you get an accurate assessment of the students commitment to the class if you don't factor in the time and effort put forth on homework assignments. What do you think, this is a 10th grader? Should homework count towards the class grade and if so what percentage would be appropriate?
School is such a large part of thier lives..
And extremely important. Some good tips in this article. Thank you for posting it.
DISAGREE with "Make the child do work"
From my experience of parenting and working in education "making children do work" is counter-productive. Try coaxing them; try inspiring them; try teaching them surreptitiously. Also try understanding them.
AndAnotherThing2 writes COMEDYand is Xomba's first featured HISTORIAN
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