Hey Brandon,
Report Card Catastrophe
The end of the school year is coming up and that means…REPORT CARDS!!! On my last math test, I got a 70%!!! I keep checking my grade online to see if it has dropped from an A to a C. So far it hasn’t, but I AM SO SCARED. If my parents get my report card and see a C or a B on it, they will TOTALLY FREAK OUT. They only want “A”s. What should I do?!
What’s Up Report Card Catastrophe,
Okay—first of all, take a deep breath. It sounds like you’re under a lot of pressure. It also sounds like you’re a really good student.
It actually depends how you did on a bunch of tests and assignments, not just one. If you got mostly “A”s on your other tests and assignments and just ONE lousy C on a test, it will most likely NOT lower your report card grade to a B or C, unless you were really close to a B or C already.
I think you should ask your teacher how the C on that test will affect your overall grade. And you can ask your teacher if there’s any extra credit work you can do to make up for that one test. Your teacher will definitely want to help you since you’ve been working hard all year. They might not be as thrilled to give extra credit assignments to someone who’s been slacking all year and is suddenly panicking when they realize it’s almost report card time. But that doesn’t sound like you.
Here are some questions to ask yourself:
- Have you studied for each test?
- Have you completed all the assignments?
- Do you pay attention in class?
- Have you been working hard and doing your best?
If the answer to all of those questions is yes, then you’re doing the best you can. In all honesty, a B is still a good grade. Your parents may want you to get “A”s, but as you get older, classes get more challenging, and you might not always get “A”s. The main thing is to be doing your best and learning. Your parents really can’t ask for more than that!
If the answer to some of those questions is no, that’s okay too. That just means, if your parents have such high expectations, it might be a good idea to sit them down before report cards and tell them that you feel like you maybe didn’t do your best this semester, and you should make a plan for how to improve in the next semester. Maybe you could plan on extra work in math or getting a tutor over the summer, but only if you have a C or lower.
So, please talk to your teacher. They’ll probably assure you things are going to be okay. If your parents are going to be unhappy about anything other than an A, talk to them before report cards. Discuss what happened with this one test and how you guys can move forward together.
Do your parents want you to get straight “A”s? How do they react if you come home with lower grades? Tell us in the comments!