How to react when he has a bad mark?

Whether he collects bad grades at school or it happens punctually, it is difficult not to worry for his child. Finding the right balance between authority and encouragement can help him improve and maintain his self-confidence.

Understand what happened

The first question to ask when faced with a bad grade is whether your child has not worked hard enough or is having real difficulty. In the first case, it is important to be firm enough to teach him the importance of making an effort.

In the second, you have to wonder about difficulties in understanding, a lack of self-confidence, stress or even difficulties at school with other students or with your teacher.

In any case, collecting bad grades can send a message to the parents and testify to a malaise that is difficult for the child to express and which is important to research with him.

How to react and what are the solutions?

When it comes to a lack of work, it is necessary to seek with the child if there is a lack of global motivation or interest only for the subject. Maybe he needs to be accompanied by his parents, or a private teacher, and above all to organize himself differently, thanks to a schedule for example.

If, on the other hand, the bad grades occur when he seems to be working regularly, scolding him, punishing him or putting pressure on him does not seem to be the solution. On the contrary, it is important to accompany him and to value him by insisting that he learns from his mistakes.

Overwhelm him is actually counterproductive and can be seen as a personal devaluation that will make him lose all self-confidence. It is therefore advisable never to equate the child with his mark but always to value him in the areas where he succeeds better, including outside of school.

Find out more: “C’est la vie Lulu! – I’m afraid of bad grades”, by Marylise Morel and Florence Dutruc-Rosset, Bayard editions.