Don?t Panic!!! ? Your Active Role in Helping Your Teen/Child with Dropping Grades

No, you are not alone! Now, is the time of year between February and April when students struggle the most in school. As a teacher, I think there are two main contributors:

• Class material is becoming more challenging and more complex
• Students are starting to feel physical and mental burn out
• Students can become overwhelmed and not able to manage their time efficiently with many after school activities.

So what should you do if your child/teen?s grades suddenly start to drop? Instead of yelling or accusing them of not studying, spending too much time with friends, social media, etc, the best approach can involve having a calm discussion to get your child to open up and for you to learn what may be the cause of the drop in grades.

Some areas to focus on might be :

• Are you having a hard time concentrating?
• Are you taking notes?
• What part of the class is most difficult for you? (homework, listening to the teacher, working in groups, etc.
• Are you having issues with the way the class is taught?
• Where did things change? Did something get harder for you?
• Are they having issues with friends or with a specific teacher?

The next step is to talk to the teacher regardless of the age of your child/teen. You might want to find out about:

• Child’s weakest area(s)?
• Copy of Distribution of grades
• Suggestions to help improve their grade
• Was there a noticeable change at a certain date/time frame?

Once you know more about the causes of your child?s academic struggles you can take action to either help him/her yourself or call in a private tutor. Beach Cities Tutoring also has tutors who specialize in study skills to help your child learn to study, stay organized, and prepare for tests.