Discussing School Progress With Your Child
by Tina Young
January 09, 2009
Trying to talk with our children about their school progress can be frustrating. We might ask, “How did things go?” or “What happened at school today?” and our child may simply answer, “Okay,” or “Nothing much,” leaving us in an awkward situation of having to pry information from them or give up on the conversation.
When you look at the situation from the child’s point of view, the child’s answers become much more understandable. The school day, like most of life, is not a neat series of successes and failures, so if our child wanted to talk about how the day went, it wouldn’t be easy. Second, after a long day at school, students want to take a break from thinking about their work day. Third, there can be emotional issues tied up with parent-child discussions about a child’s progress. It might be reassuring to know that in a resent study of what eighth graders worry about most, school grades came in number one. Here are some helpful hints to facilitate good discussions. First, try to wait for a good time. Don’t choose the car ride to a fun activity. You might even want to set up periodic check-in times on grades. Second, be understanding with out compromising standards. It’s okay to let the child know that while homework has to be done every night, you can understand the child’s difficulty with studies. Third, don’t lecture. Fourth, when the child wants to end the conversation, don’t press on to make a point, but instead offer support. Contact your child’s teacher for additional insight on your child’s progress.
