Grades, grades, grades….

   When your child blames teachers for bad grades in school, listen carefully and analyze his or her words. It is true that children often whine in order to justify a bad grade, but it’s also true that some teachers do not have clear assessment criteria or that the criteria are not always the same for all pupils.

   My daughter was constantly complaining that she could not get more than B in one subject, although she knew well and understood the material. She told me that the only pupils who were getting A, were those who sat in the front row, constantly shouting: "Ask me! Ask me!”, even though their answers were often inaccurate.

    First, I checked her knowledge, and it was really very solid. Then, I explained to her that the teacher sets the rules for class, not the pupils. I praised her for being able to define the existing rules, and proposed her to decide how she would like to behave regarding those rules. My recommendation was:
“In my opinion, the grade is less important than the knowledge, and if you are satisfied with your knowledge, study hard and pay no attention to the grades. If you really want to have an A, then sit in the first row and persistently require to answer teacher’s questions! It’s your choice.“
She did not sit in the front row, she studied really hard, and finally got her longed-for A.

The parents meeting, also known as ‘’Dance of the Vampires ‘’

   The parents meeting may be, for many parents and pupils, one of the more unpleasant events during schooling, hence the name.

   I will present you some of my experiences with parents-teacher meetings.

   I had no unpleasant surprises with grades, behavior and unjustified absences. And my children got low grades sometimes, made some transgression, my son would make a bit more, sometimes skipped classes, but they would regularly inform me of good and bad news from the school.

  If your child is not telling you the truth about the grades and events from the school, then there is a problem in your mutual relationship, a parents meeting only reveals the cracks in the relationship, and that’s why it is so unpleasant. This will be the subject of one of the following posts.

My child does not like to read

    Every parent knows how important reading is and that it is the foundation of any future independent learning. No need for further convincing.

    I often hear the phrase:”My child doesn’t like to read”, which may have many meanings.

    If the child cannot learn to read well and therefore does not like reading, you should immediately contact a specialist.

   The phrase may mean that a child can read but he is reluctant to read in general, or it refers only to some literature, mostly school reading.

   I used to say often this sentence as well, so I will describe its meaning in the example of my son.

The child forgets school supplies and duties

     This is a very common occurance, not only with pupils but also with high school students. Unfortunately, it will continue even when the children grow up and get a job. This behavior can get them poor grades in school, and, later, poor results at work and in life.

     We need to teach children the responsible attitude towards everything concerning their obligations.
     Let’s start with early childhood.
    After the play time, we’ll pick the toys and place them in the proper place. We could teach the child to list the toys he/she played with, to look for them and put them away. Before we go out with our child, to visits, on trips, to school, we could talk with the child about the clothes to wear, and then prepare it. We will start with underwear, socks, in the order in which children dress, the shoes and bags with toys. Together, we will take items, check them and leave them prepared until it’s time to leave. On the way back, we will encourage the child to list the things he/she carried with him/her, and check if everything is still there.