What are your punishments, if any for bad grades?

[hereyago]

I was wondering how different parents do with punishment for bad grades, and also, would you consider a bad grade as a B or C?

Does it matter if the kid really tried and 'not get it" or they didn't try at all?

I was talking to a friend who said her kids aren't allowed to bring home anything less then a B or they get things taken away. She is also a teacher, so not sure if that kind of weighs in on things.

 

[shortbun]

I would consider a C a red flag that my son was having some kind of problem and I'd look into it. All C's or worse would make me crazy and all activity wiould stop until we got to the bottom of the problem but 'punishment' would not be in my mind until I figured out why the grades were as they were. In other words, there would be no harsh words, just concern and attempt at discovery and assistance in the way of a tutor or figuring out why it happened and a slow recovery process. My DS just brought home all A's for the 2nd time this school year. He got one C in the 2nd 10 weeks because of absence even though his grade for that class was an A average-the teacher took off 2 letter grades because he wasn't sitting in her class/participating. Her call.

 

[castmember19]

In middle school when I started making Cs, my parents where there at the school immediately asking for parent teacher conferences. At the time it was annoying and embarrassing (although I was nearly thirteen so everything my parents did was annoying and embarrassing) but it paid off in the long run.

My issue was that I simply wasn't turning in all assignments, not that I wasn't comprehending the material. See if you can pinpoint what the problem is.

I also loved the computer as a small child and my dad is a technology pro, so if I did something exceptionally bad he would take my name off of the computer. Meaning I couldn't get on at all seeing as he and my mother's accounts were password protected. That got my butt in gear fast!

 

[Planogirl]

All I wanted from my son was for him to do his best. He wasn't good at everything so a lower grade might be more of an accomplishment in a difficult class than an 'A' in an easy class. He almost always made good grades though.

I would never punish a kid for lower grades but I might take away privileges for not trying or goofing off.

 

[quasar4legs]

No punishments for grades, I don't think they are important

 

[jaminmd]

I think it depends on the kid. Not all kids are "A" material. Some kids are but are just lazy. My neighbors daughter is a smart kid but she is forgetful. She's always forgetting to hand in the homework that she's done, so she takes a huge hit in her grades for not handing it in. This results in her having her cell phone taken away but it still doesn't change the behavior.

I'm not one of those parents that demand A's. My expectation is that she does her best, which she does. If her best was a C, then so be it. I'm not going to put that kind of pressure on my child.

If low grades were a result of bad behaviors, I'd work with her to change those behaviors. If it's a subject she struggled with, I'd expect her to put in her best effort but wouldn't punish her for a low grade.

 

[indimom]

I don't punish for bad grades that result from difficulty in a subject, but I do punish for laziness/poor work habits.

Not turning in assignments, waiting until the night before a project is due and then telling a parent you need posterboard or some other type of help, not studying for tests when they give you a full week's notice, slopping together a paper last minute (turning in what amounts to a rough draft): all are punishable offenses in our house.

It's not about the grade, it's about their work ethic.

Punishments might include a required "study time" each day or much closer parent supervision of homework completion. Normally, we do not check their school day timers or look over their homework. But, we will if they are getting sloppy. And, if we felt electronics were the cause of the distraction, they would have to earn that priveledge day to day by following through on their homework. We do not typically control how much time they spend on the computer/tv/game systems.

I don't feel our punishments are anything dramatic, just what we consider logical consequences for demonstrating poor time management and sloppy work.

If they want to be in charge of their schedule (study time vs. play time), then they need to "be in charge." Otherwise, we will step in and take charge.

 

[SydSim]

I don't punish for bad grades that result from difficulty in a subject, but I do punish for laziness/poor work habits.

Not turning in assignments, waiting until the night before a project is due and then telling a parent you need posterboard or some other type of help, not studying for tests when they give you a full week's notice, slopping together a paper last minute (turning in what amounts to a rough draft): all are punishable offenses in our house.

It's not about the grade, it's about their work ethic.

Punishments might include a required "study time" each day or much closer parent supervision of homework completion. Normally, we do not check their school day timers or look over their homework. But, we will if they are getting sloppy. And, if we felt electronics were the cause of the distraction, they would have to earn that priveledge day to day by following through on their homework. We do not typically control how much time they spend on the computer/tv/game systems.

I don't feel our punishments are anything dramatic, just what we consider logical consequences for demonstrating poor time management and sloppy work.

If they want to be in charge of their schedule (study time vs. play time), then they need to "be in charge." Otherwise, we will step in and take charge.

Don't think I could have said it better myself!

 

[joviroxx]

I don't punish for bad grades that result from difficulty in a subject, but I do punish for laziness/poor work habits.

This! I expect responsibility and effort. This is my kids biggest "job" and I ask them to treat it that way. Laziness and lack of trying is not an option. If you come home with a bad grade but I know you tried, worked and gave it your best effort, then thats ok.

When I find they are trying their best but not getting the grades, I usually get involved for extra help or talk to the teachers as to how to help them.

In my house you get "punished" for missing assignments, missing due dates, not studying because you forgot about a test, etc.

 

[PollyannaMom]

...I'm not one of those parents that demand A's. My expectation is that she does her best, which she does. If her best was a C, then so be it. I'm not going to put that kind of pressure on my child.

If low grades were a result of bad behaviors, I'd work with her to change those behaviors. If it's a subject she struggled with, I'd expect her to put in her best effort but wouldn't punish her for a low grade.

I agree. What a "good" grade is depends on the child and the subject. Sometimes, you know a certain class is an easy A for a certain kid, and you remark that the A is good, but neither of you dwell on it. The same kid might have had to work twice as hard for his A (or B, or C, for that matter) in another class, and that's what you both really celebrate.

 

[AristocatFan]

Do you mean grades on assignments or report cards? A low grade on assignments gets a talking to in order to find out why so they can learn from their mistakes. Receiving a zero because they didn't turn in an assignment (which DS16 is notorious for doing) gets a privilege taken away because that comes down to responsibility. Nothing below a B is expected on a report card and thankfully we haven't had to deal with that yet.

 

[nmmom95]

I guess it would depend. If my child got a bad grade because they had trouble with the subject, I would help him, but not punish him. If he got a bad grade because he blew the class off, that's a different story. I would be angry if he didn't try.

 

[aprilgail2]

Only way I would punish for bad grades is if they were just slacking off---if my daughter tried and tried and the best grade she could get was a C then there would be no way I would punish her. Right not she is capable of getting 90's-100 so that is what I expect. She came home with an 85 on a test and I was not thrilled but neither was she and she got her butt to tutorials the next day to earn a few extra points to bring it up to a 90.

 

[Mkrop]

I don't punish for bad grades that result from difficulty in a subject, but I do punish for laziness/poor work habits.

Not turning in assignments, waiting until the night before a project is due and then telling a parent you need posterboard or some other type of help, not studying for tests when they give you a full week's notice, slopping together a paper last minute (turning in what amounts to a rough draft): all are punishable offenses in our house.

It's not about the grade, it's about their work ethic.

Punishments might include a required "study time" each day or much closer parent supervision of homework completion. Normally, we do not check their school day timers or look over their homework. But, we will if they are getting sloppy. And, if we felt electronics were the cause of the distraction, they would have to earn that priveledge day to day by following through on their homework. We do not typically control how much time they spend on the computer/tv/game systems.

I don't feel our punishments are anything dramatic, just what we consider logical consequences for demonstrating poor time management and sloppy work.

If they want to be in charge of their schedule (study time vs. play time), then they need to "be in charge." Otherwise, we will step in and take charge.

I couldnt have said it better

If I feel they have tried their hardest and the material is just not clicking, we will work on it, or get tutoring.

But if I find out it is for missing assignments and lack of time management, well that does not fly here. Although I feel teaching my kids time management is just as important in their schooling as going over sight words or times tables, Kids dont just come ready to be responsible.

 

[MoonFaerie]

I guess it would depend. If my child got a bad grade because they had trouble with the subject, I would help him, but not punish him. If he got a bad grade because he blew the class off, that's a different story. I would be angry if he didn't try.

That.

I cannot imagine punishing for trying but still getting a bad grade. I studied my butt off for an exam I had earlier this week. I spent close to 20 hours studying for this one exam. Unless he ends up curving, there is no way I got an A. I was already so upset I left the class in tears. I can't imagine how much worse I would have felt if I knew I was also going to be punished.

 

[Katy Belle]

It depends on the situation. Oldest Ds is very bright, but in Middle School he stopped putting any effort into school...never bringing work home, never studying for tests, turning stuff in late, etc and he spent loads of time on video games and the computer. He and I discussed it and decided upon this for the report card...if this wasnt met, then no video games until the next repot card ..."no Cs, Ds, Fs, or incompletes and more As than Bs". Sounds harsh, but for this kid it worked. He kept to that and never lost video games! Now hes a Sophomore, in AP classes and making straight As.

Middle DS I would never put that rule on. Different kid, different abilities. He is so unorganized though, so there are some short term punishments...like if he has a bunch of missing assignments he cant have a friend over for a sleepover.

 

[scrapquitler]

I was wondering how different parents do with punishment for bad grades, and also, would you consider a bad grade as a B or C?

Does it matter if the kid really tried and 'not get it" or they didn't try at all?

I was talking to a friend who said her kids aren't allowed to bring home anything less then a B or they get things taken away. She is also a teacher, so not sure if that kind of weighs in on things.

I don't care what the actual grade is, as long as I see consistent effort and good work ethic.

If she got a poor grade because she didn't try or give it the necessary effort, then I would be extremely unhappy. If a poor grade resulted from really trying and just not 'getting it'...I would offer extra help and tell her that I was proud of her for giving it her best effort.

Elementary and middle school (and to a lesser extent high school) are more about forming good work habits than getting excellent grades. When you apply for a job, nobody asks to see your third grade report card. Strong work ethic is more important than a subjective grade.

 

[Mermaid02]

We don't punish for bad grades- we look into reasons and come up with a game plan for improvement.

 

[golfgal]

It would depend on the reason for the grade-if they had a very hard teacher or the material was extremely challenging but they were working hard, no issues, if they are not turning in assignments, blowing off studying, etc. they would lose privileges, most likely tv, Ipods, texting, etc. DS16 has a VERY difficult Spanish teacher, 70% or less is failing and he is PICKY about every little thing. We think this is great, DS is learning a LOT more than DD16, but he also got his first B in that class. Considering most of the kids in the class were getting C's, we are ok with that B. For him, anything less than an A is a bad grade. For DS18, anything less than a B was not acceptable. For DD16, A's are what we accept for her, except in history and a B is ok there.

 

[Freyja]

I don't punish for bad grades that result from difficulty in a subject, but I do punish for laziness/poor work habits.

Not turning in assignments, waiting until the night before a project is due and then telling a parent you need posterboard or some other type of help, not studying for tests when they give you a full week's notice, slopping together a paper last minute (turning in what amounts to a rough draft): all are punishable offenses in our house.

It's not about the grade, it's about their work ethic.

Punishments might include a required "study time" each day or much closer parent supervision of homework completion. Normally, we do not check their school day timers or look over their homework. But, we will if they are getting sloppy. And, if we felt electronics were the cause of the distraction, they would have to earn that priveledge day to day by following through on their homework. We do not typically control how much time they spend on the computer/tv/game systems.

I don't feel our punishments are anything dramatic, just what we consider logical consequences for demonstrating poor time management and sloppy work.

If they want to be in charge of their schedule (study time vs. play time), then they need to "be in charge." Otherwise, we will step in and take charge.

Couldn´t have said it better!