My son came home with his report card last week and brought home one C, two B’s and four A’s for his mid-term grades. I was shocked! I wanted to yell and blame him for playing that PS5 all the time and stop him from running track and playing football. Yet in a twinkling, a soft voice said to me, “Stay CALM and find out why.” I stopped in my tracks and had to sit down and really think about what I had just heard. I sat my son down and went through each class and found out what he needed in order to be MORE successful. He confessed that he is stressed out with three Dual Enrollment classes, one AP class, being captain of the football team and applying to colleges. The college application process is no joke; I don't remember doing that much when I went to school. In that moment I realized, I was putting too much pressure on him. He was stressed and did not feel like he was meeting my standards. WOW; what a revelation! As you continue looking at your Scholar's grades, think about staying C.A.L.M.: Stay in CONTROL, AFFIRM, LISTEN and MOTIVATE.
C- Control. If the report card was disappointing, your first instinct might be to get angry. If it was very good, you might want to gush. Neither response will be helpful. Overreacting about your scholar's grades will only demotivate her.
A Affirm. Separate the report card from your scholar. Even if the grades were bad, she’s not a bad kid. Start from the position, I love you always. Now let’s talk about this report card.”
L Listen. Your scholar may have a very good idea of why she got good (or poor) grades. Ask, “What did you do this marking period that worked so well?” Let her say that doing homework paid off by leading to a better math grade. Similarly, if the report card is disappointing, help your child figure out what he could do better.
M Motivate. Come up with a plan for the next report card. If things are working well, encourage your scholar to continue doing her best. If there are changes, help her make a plan so she can do better next time.
Needless to say, I’m still a “worry wart” when it comes to my son’s grades but I certainly stay CALM and don’t let him see my worrying. However, he knows the expectation and continues to smile even more each new day. Stay CALM…
We continue to sanitize our facility with hourly wipe downs and remind our scholars to wear their masks correctly, wash their hands, and use hand sanitizer. We spray the school with chlorinated guns in the evening and have air purifiers in every classroom and office. Please remember to use the health screener in Parent Square every day to report daily temperature checks and answer the COVID screening questions, Please monitor your scholar closely for signs of potential illness to include COVID-19. Should you or your scholar exhibit any COVID-19 symptoms or run a fever, please email the school nurse a acharite@ivyprepacademy.org We appreciate your support and cooperation, which allows us to serve your scholars in person this school year. Fall Break is in five days! Please enjoy!
