Punishments for poor grades?

[Sharilynn29]

I'd like to get a feel for how you handle poor grades. Do you punish them?

 

I ask this because my ds does not study. I remind him to study before tests, but then he does poorly. Also, he makes silly arithmetic errors constantly. He knows his facts. He doesn't have a LD.

 

How would you handle it?

How do you handle it in your home?

[regentrude]

No punishments, just consequences.

Poor grades are a sign that the student has not mastered the material. The consequence is that he will have to go back and study the same stuff until an acceptable level of mastery is demonstrated. This may mean spending extra time in evenings, on weekends, and over the summer to finish the course, i.e. a loss of free time.

 

If work ethic is a problem, I usually do not just discover that prior to the test, but in daily work habits. The consequence for poor work ethic is that the student loses the privilege of working independently according to his own schedule; he would be required to work according to my schedule under my direct supervision. He would need to demonstrate that he mended his ways before being allowed to work out of my sight again.

(I have had to do this occasionally for poor daily work; we don't wait until the exam.)

 

My opinion is that they are still high schoolers and that it is my responsibility to make sure studying happens. Unless I am sure my student is mature and motivated enough to do it without prompting, I see it as my job to make sure he does. If it requires tomato staking, then I need to do this. Most teens do need some help with organization.

 

ETA: I do very few tests. In order to be allowed to take their math final (the only math test I give and on which their entire grade is based), my kids have to demonstrate that they have studied by taking a pretest. If they do not do well on the pretest, I send them back with extra review. For science tests, I give a test review homework which has to be completed before they are allowed to take the monthly test.

Edited September 4, 2012 by regentrude

[Jane in NC]

Your son may not have an LD but he may need help with his organizational skills.

 

Do you expect your son to do his work independently? Many high school students will do better in math, for example, if a parent sits at the table to serve as an immediate resource for answering questions.

 

How often do you have accountability meetings? High school involves a good deal of independent work but teenage minds do wander. If your kid is pursuing interesting rabbit trails, that is one thing. But something as simple as weekly assignment sheets and daily discussions (even during meals) can help students stay on task.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I'd like to get a feel for how you handle poor grades. Do you punish them?

 

I ask this because my ds does not study. I remind him to study before tests, but then he does poorly. Also, he makes silly arithmetic errors constantly. He knows his facts. He doesn't have a LD.

 

How would you handle it?

How do you handle it in your home?

 

I've found that it isn't enough to remind my son to study. I either have to model it for him, give him specific steps or quiz him myself before quizes and tests that are recorded for grades.

 

Students aren't born knowing how to study. And it's easy (I find) to fall into the pattern of just being the teacher, forgetting that under other circumstances I would be the parent, HELPING my kid study and prepare for the tests and quizes he'd have at school.

[Brenda in MA]

My opinion is that they are still high schoolers and that it is my responsibility to make sure studying happens. Unless I am sure my student is mature and motivated enough to do it without prompting, I see it as my job to make sure he does. If it requires tomato staking, then I need to do this. Most teens do need some help with organization.

 

I've found that it isn't enough to remind my son to study. I either have to model it for him, give him specific steps or quiz him myself before quizes and tests that are recorded for grades.

 

Students aren't born knowing how to study. And it's easy (I find) to fall into the pattern of just being the teacher, forgetting that under other circumstances I would be the parent, HELPING my kid study and prepare for the tests and quizes he'd have at school.

:iagree:

 

How old/what grade is your student? I find that in early high school (9th/10th grade) the typical kid needs a lot of hand-holding when it comes to studying. I often have to study with them and/or show them exactly how I want them to review the material.

 

I look for a move towards more independence in 11th grade, and close to full independence in 12th grade where studying is concerned.

 

You may have to sit with him and study. If he's making careless errors, you may also need to model how to check one's work.

 

I've also found that using some on-line/outside classes can be helpful for some high school kids. Some of mine have been more willing to work harder for an outside teacher than they will for me. I always start with one on-line/outside class in 9th or 10th and then do a couple per year in later high school.

 

HTH,

Brenda

[Mom22ns]

When my kids were in middle school, I made flash cards for them for each test (content courses like history or science). I also gave them study guides covering what would be on the test (i.e. you should be able to label the organs in the circulatory system and explain the path that blood travels). In math, they do assignments daily and those are checked and they redo any problems they miss. My kids have never gotten any bad grades. It just wasn't possible.

 

Now in high school, I do less studying with them. If ds wants flash cards, he makes them. Dh and I will quiz him on anything he asks us to. They have learned to study and are now prepared to do it on their own, or at least take control of it.

 

If you haven't done the first part, I agree with the others, you need to teach him how to study. If you have, but he isn't following through, I would go back to taking charge of his studying and making sure it happens. As Regentrude said, if he is making bad choices and getting poor grades, material must be redone on his own time and he must prove he has it mastered (retesting). Loss of free time is a powerful motivator here. My kids are busy and if school isn't done they can't participate in the activities they normally do. They don't like doing school 16 hrs/day either. I'm mean enough to require either or both if they aren't putting forth their best effort during the required school time.

[readinmom]

One suggestion would be to give him a small problem set (10 questions) and see if he can complete those correctly in a timely manner. Oldest ds never felt the need to prove he knew something once he had mastered it. 10 problems vs. 50 made no sense to him.

[MerryAtHope]

Studying isn't optional--I come up with a plan or ask him to come up with a specific plan and then tell me what it is. I've also walked through how to do notes and highlighting--they do it and then I go back and discuss how to do it more thoroughly, walking them through step by step, writing notes in next to their's, and so on.

 

The consequence for a bad grade would be having to redo the chapter or the test. Things like TV or time with friends wouldn't happen if a student was getting behind in a subject due to having to redo too much. They have to have their work done daily and weekly for extra privileges. But I agree with the posts that say kids need a lot of help learning how to study, and learning to develop good habits.

 

Merry :-)

[ladykayaker]

I wouldn't have punishment or consequences for poor grades.

 

I do let ds14 (9th grade) know that if certain material is not completed by a specific date that he will miss out on a weekend taekwondo event that he really enjoys.

For example he enjoys Biology, but is lax about doing the labs and writing up the report. I have let him know that his lab reports are to be complete by the end of the week - if not then he will have to do it Saturday morning and miss out on his taekwondo class.

 

I do not do this for my younger children, and this is the first year that I am doing it with my eldest.