dealing with a
bad report card
TEXT BY CHESKY STERN
I
t happens to every parent. The dreaded report card day sneaks up, nipping at you like a
cool winter chill. Even though you know that
your child works hard, how do you know if it’s
enough? What if the card isn’t as great as you
had hoped? What if your child feels like a failure?
important part of dealing with a bad report card and
will help your youngster remember that you love her
even if she makes mistakes.
Next, make sure you talk with your child
about the classes she did poorly in. Does your child
understand why she got a bad grade? Maybe your
child knows that she was struggling in that particular
If your child has recently brought home a class, but there is also the possibility that your child
bad report card, chances are that she has mixed genuinely didn’t know how far behind she was. Talk
emotions about it. She might feel frustrated, embar- with your child in a calm, non-judgmental way to find
rassed, or even angry about the report card. You out how she feels about the grade she received.
probably have quite a few emotions running through
your head, too. Fortunately, there are a few ways
Finally, make sure you talk with your
you can handle your child’s report card with grace child’s teacher to find out if she has any pointers for
helping your child succeed. For ex“It’s important for your child to understand how much ample, maybe the teacher will note
you love and appreciate her in spite of her failures. ”
that your child has trouble paying
attention in class. If this is the proband compassion no matter what those letters may lem, you can sit down together as a team to come
be.
up with some ways your child can try to pay closer
attention in class. If the problem is deeper than that,
First off, praise your child for the things she though, your child’s teacher might recommend extra
did get right. Maybe she got a “D” in math but an “A” study time or even a personal tutor who ca