By Susanna Schenk from EPIC, Every Person Influences Children www.epicforchildren.org It’s report card time again! This can be a time of joy, pride and validation that hard work pays off for both parents and children. It can also be a source of frustration and disappointment for others. No mat...

By Susanna Schenk from EPIC, Every Person Influences Children www.epicforchildren.org

It’s report card time again! This can be a time of joy, pride and validation that hard work pays off for both parents and children. It can also be a source of frustration and disappointment for others. No matter what your child’s report card looks like, it is important to remember that it is only a small snap shot of your child, and there are always ways to guide them on a path of continued growth and improvement.
If your child’s grades are not where you expected or hoped, you and your child may feel disappointed, embarrassed, and/or angry. Remember we all have points of strength and weakness, and perfection in all areas should not be the goal. Whether they have or haven’t achieved perfect marks across the board, they need to know that making mistakes is an important part of learning. If children aren’t prepared for failure or challenges, it becomes more difficult for them to respond in a positive and productive manner when things don’t come easily to them.
To help your child improve his/her grades for the next marking period, it is more important to focus on making a clear plan, which may include a punitive consequence, than punishment alone.

One approach to this is:
• Ask your child why they think earned those grades. Focus on their actions and behaviors.
• Set up a conference with the teacher. Keep in mind, the teacher wants your child to be successful just as you do.
• Explore how you and the teacher can work together as a team to support your child by asking questions such as;
• How can we help our child at home?
• Do you think our child is putting in enough effort to learn the content you are presenting?
• What should our child do differently this marking period?
• In what area do you need support with our child?
• Use their answers to make a plan with your child and the teacher.
• Check in with the teacher to make sure all of you are on the right track, and make adjustments to the plan as needed.

Once you see improvements, congratulate your child and thank the teacher for working with you and your child, but don’t stop being involved. Remember, research shows that parent involvement has an important effect on student achievement.

Correspondingly, if your child has all A’s, that is wonderful but does not excuse your involvement. Good grades are important and should be a reflection of the work, effort, and knowledge your child displayed in the marking period. You should express how proud you are of them, but also  discuss what they think they did to get those grades. Explore where they may encounter difficulties in the future. Make a plan for at least one way they are going to challenge themselves in the next marking period. Remember that grades are not as important as what your child has learned and their ability to apply that information in the future.
The goal of an education is to give students strong foundational skills so that they can spend a lifetime learning and contributing to their community. Your love, support and involvement in their lives and education is just as import to building this foundation as the information presented in their classrooms.