Is your teen failing in school? If so, you don't need to worry or even get mad. Breathe in easy and let the parent in you understand your teen's situation.
If you find out that your teen is failing in school, or even might be experiencing a lower GPA compared to her last year's GPA, don't let it stress you out, because your teen is already experiencing much stress and frustration. It is hard for teens to open up to their parents about school and would tend to hide things from the parents of their struggles instead of sharing it with them. As parents, we have gone through the same thing before-- failing classes because of lower GPAs-- and we know how hard it will be in the future when they will start to apply in colleges, universities, or even a job. When a high school student falls behind, it will be difficult for them to catch up. And when things become difficult to catch up, teens tend to most likely give up.
This is where parents should enter the scene. Instead of yelling at them for doing such bad performance at school, you need to sympathize with them, ask them what's wrong or what went wrong and encourage them to try again and do better. Teens might not be as open as they are when they were little but as parents, you need to come to them first for them to feel that it's okay to tell you stuff like that such as failures.
When addressing your teen's grades issue in school, here are some tips that you can take to understand the whole situation in all angles as possible.
Identify the problem
If your teen is failing his classes or is in danger of failing his subjects, it's always best to sit down and talk to him about it. Discuss the problem and make a connection to him. Ask your teen questions as to why this is happening and help him weigh things over. Teens can be as confused as parents are when it comes to school and grade issues, so you need to help them sort the problem out. Ask them if they find the classes hard, or if they're doing their homework, or what are their test scores. Be calming and at the same time be strong when you have this talk with your teen and do not scare them.
Talk to their teachers
Once you've already heard your teen's side and thoughts about the issue, it's time to talk to their teachers. This is also an option for parents to do if they don't get to talk to their teens in an honest manner. Your teen's teachers may help you determine what really is the problem. Ask their teacher how often does he go to class, if he's attentive in classes, or what their test score results are. It is also best to get advice from teachers about what your child needs to do for them to do better in class.
Solve the issue with your teen
Once you now have a sense of what went wrong, talk to your teen again and set all the options and things that could make their situation in school better. Discuss all ideas in mind that you've noticed and the things that you've spoken to with their teacher. This is also a good time for you to help them construct a homework system or study system that could work for them. Offer extra help to them whenever they need it. If you're a busy parent, you can always state a specific time frame that they can reach you, may it be before bedtime or when you get home from work.
Work together as a team and for sure your teen can ace their grades back up again and will even love and appreciate you more for your guidance and support.
