What are your punishments, if any for bad grades?

[cassandrap83]

My parents demanded As & Bs.

If I ever got a C, my dad would make me do a book report on whatever subject I got the C in. I can still remember reading books & writing reports on Ulysses, the Greek Gods, Lewis & Clark, Photosynthesis....etc.

 

[Rora]

Not a parent, but a teacher:

If my child was receiving anything lower than a high C, I'd contact the teacher. I'd ask what I can do to help, if it appears that my child is sincerly trying, if there are any other issues I should be aware of (does he start to misbehave during math?, etc), etc.

If my child was putting in a sincere effort and still was not doing well in an area, I would never punish him. I'd try to get him some extra help and spend more time doing his homework with him, or at least make myself more available while he's doing HW if he has questions.

Now, if he was doing poorly because he wasn't doing his homework, slacking off, etc. I wouldn't be happy. He'd probably have something taken away for a short period of time and we'd have a talk.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Mainly, I get into their business and find out why they are bombing and then help them back to normal.
While it may not seem like punishment, it is for both of us.

 

[luvmy3]

Depends if they are slacking off then yes they would be punished for anything C and under. I would just take away some priveledges like video games, cell phone, etc.
If they were truly having trouble undertsanding the material, then there would be no punishment at all.

 

[happygirl]

No, I wouldn't punish for bad grades if they were trying there hardest. If they are slacking off then yes I would punish

 

[buzzrelly]

My DS is currently banned from all video games until I see a major improvement on his report card. All of his grades dropped significantly on his last report card, not because he couldn't do the work but because he would rush through everything to get to play his DS or Wii, etc...I needed to just take that out of the equation and I can tell his grades are improving already. He also knows that if his grades don't come up he is not going to get his video games back. I tell him that they are a privilege and he needs to earn them back by doing what he needs to do first.

 

[FredinFL]

I've been lucky so far, haven't had to punish for bad grades. If the don't do decently they just buckle down and do better next time.

 

[Poohforyou]

My daughter is in 6th grade which is the 1st year of middle school here. I'm able to view her grades online so I can see if there's a downward trend starting. If that's the case I would intervene and help her get back on track.

Fortunately a bad grade doesn't happen often and really doesn't impact her report card by any measureable amount. Most of the time I don't say anything about it. If she does exceptionally well or not her best on something I'll ask about it otherwise I give her space to manage her grades.

I have no need to punish for a bad grade. DD beats herself up enough for both of us. I will make sure she understands the material and it was just the case of having a bad day.

 

[MademoiselleKel]

I was paid for good grades, A and B, C was the awkward middle where I didn't get anything and it would be negative dollars if it was a D or a F.

$5 for each A
$3 for each B
$0 for each C
I would owe them $3 for each D
$5 for each F

I was a relaxed system. I loved to go shopping (and still do!) then and needed money so if there was something I really wanted I had to do well in school to earn enough money.

 

[OceanAnnie]

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

Same here. We do reward the kids for good grades though.

 

[smb6]

I don't give punishments for grades. If I feel they didn't try on something I talk to them about it or if I feel they tried but still didn't do well, I encourage them to talk to their teacher about not understanding it and asking for help next time.
Three of my kids are always on honor roll, one all A's- if they started bringing home C's, it would be alarming and I would be concerned. One of my kids has mostly B's on report cards with usually atleast one C. She gets frustrated at times and I remind her there is nothing wrong with a C- it is average, not bad.

 

[PrincessKsMom]

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.

Exactly!

What irritates me more than anything is that school is relatively easy for my DD and she doesn't spend too much time on school work. If she did, her grades would be upper 90's. As it stands now, she has some 90's and some mid-upper 80's. There's usually one subject that she doesn't do as well in and she doesn't want to spend the time studying. She gets the "I can't do this, I'm stupid" attitude and gives up. In the past I've "punished" her by making her spend the extra time on that subject and removing all distractions. This year she was having a rough time with Honors Biology. I let her do it her way for the first 2 marking periods. Then we did it my way. Studying a minimum of 45 minutes each night for that subject, no cell phone or FB once I get home from work, no chatting with friends on the phone. I felt she wasn't putting in the effort and these things were just a distraction. Guess what? Her grades improved slightly, but nothing to get too excited over. She's just not "getting it" this year. So I've decided she is doing the best she can and that has to be enough for me. They will not place her in Honors Chem next year, she's being dropped to College Prep level Chem and that's okay. Took me almost 3 marking periods to get her, but here I am. For me, it's all about the effort and working to the best of your ability, not the grades.

 

[smb6]

...like if he has a bunch of missing assignments he cant have a friend over for a sleepover.

As I already stated, I don't punish for bad grades. However a zero is a different story- I have zero tolerance for zero's as that means they didn't even try. My kids know this and they don't seem to test me on it

 

[KadysMom]

I try not to put any emphasis on grades with DD9. She is high anxiety, and if I push too hard she will literally break down. She was averaging 42 in Math. I worked with the teacher and we discovered she only does bad with timed quizzes. So we have all been working with her and are putting a 504 in place for test anxiety. She is now averaging a 97 So I think if you just watch what your child gets for grades and work with the teacher to see how they can get help if they need it, no punishing needed.

If they dont hand in homework or are lazy, then they dont deserve any electronics or distractions until they correct that.

 

[Kathi OD]

First of all, a C is not a BAD grade. A C is "average." It's what the normal student should get. If a large percentage of the students in a class are getting grades above a C, then the rubrics for the class are not stringent enough.

Students who are working at the ability level, regardless of the grade they receive, should not be punished. If a student is routinely failing, that is an indicator of something else that needs to be addressed.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Depends on the kid, whats going on, did they need or ask for help. I don't think all kids should get punished for grades because not everyone is into it or up to it. Suppose there is something really hard going on in their family, with friends ect or the kid gets a terrible teacher (it happens) or even if the subject took the kid off guard, then room should be made.

When you have a smart son who has 100's on all his tests and that kid thinks homework is un-necessary and brings home a B then shrugs because a B is still good and homework really isn't that big a deal, THAT kid gets his game system taken away.

When you have a smart daughter who also gets straight A's but who thinks that being smart and cool are mutually exclusive ideas so she doesn't read her book on time because she didn't want friends to see her read in school because it doesn't look 'cool' so she gets a B on a book report THAT kid can gets her phone taken away.

I reward good grades here too. Each A gets $5 but if that kid gets ALL A's on the report card they get $15 per A... cheaper than a tutor and if they get scholarships then it's money saving in the end.

 

[fun4me]

I take away ipods, phones, games and computer time if my boys bring home anything lower than a C on the report card. I think those things are privileges that need to be earned and if they aren't making A's, B's and C's they don't get that privilege. They can earn it back by bringing their grade back up and bringing me a note from their teacher telling me what their grade is.

I also pay for grades on report cards based on if they made all A's they get 100, A and Bs get 25 and A, B and C get 10. I don't pay for individual grades because my boys could care less if they get one low grade but still get to pocket cash.

 

[Liberty Belle]

I'm happy with As and Bs. If I see a C, we talk about what was going on and what he can do to improve. Ds or Fs - talk to the teacher time and serious restrictions on other activities until they're raised.

 

[ccgirl]

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 punish for bad grades, exclusively. I always look at the comments first. If there is ever any homework incomplete or missing or bad conduct comments I wouldn't hesitate to "punish" even if it was an A or B - thankfully we have never had to.

I think putting so much emphasis on the letter grade itself without taking into account whether or not the child is working to capacity can be a very bad thing. I tried my darndest in Chemistry in school....stayed after etc. I got a C- and the comment was, "Shows sincere effort." I did not get in trouble. I think parents forget that a "C" is average and being average isn't always a bad thing.

I will add that none of her grades have been a surprise. I review her homework each night. We get all graded work home. I review each and every paper. My in laws paid her for each A and B. Glad I didn't as I would go broke. I'm lucky that my DD absolutely loves school and loves learning. She apologized for the B's and I felt bad. I told her that as longs as she was trying her best, we liked the B's as much as the A+'s.

 

[locolala]

I was paid for good grades, A and B, C was the awkward middle where I didn't get anything and it would be negative dollars if it was a D or a F.

$5 for each A
$3 for each B
$0 for each C
I would owe them $3 for each D
$5 for each F

I was a relaxed system. I loved to go shopping (and still do!) then and needed money so if there was something I really wanted I had to do well in school to earn enough money.

This is what I had as well. I was expected to get A's and B's, except in math where my parents knew I struggled. I could bring home a C+ there and not get into trouble. Otherwise, I needed to keep my grades high. Not only would I have to pay them for bad grades, I'd have more chores on the weekends on top of everything else I had to get done with my horses.