When you feel that your child has not been performing well academically as of late, it’s crucial that they get the help they need as soon as possible. This is because learning can become more difficult as the school year progresses. Some signs that distance learning is not working for your child can appear in the way they refuse to discuss anything school-related, make excuses to skip classes, and the most apparent — get low grades.
Understanding how your child is performing at school may not be easy in the beginning. It may be typical for all children to avoid discussions about school in general unless prodded by the parent. As much as you want to help, you won’t really be able to do anything unless you understand your child’s situation. Read on to learn more about the different signs to watch out for and what you can do as a parent.
Refusal to Talk About School
Every parent ought to ask their child about how they are doing in school once in a while. In fact, you might have come up with a routine with your child where you spend a few minutes after school having a conversation about how their day went.
But if you find that your child suddenly refuses to talk about school, then this is one telling sign that something might be wrong. In this situation, you don’t want to pry information out of your child or get them to talk immediately. The key is patience and taking time to allow your child to process how they feel.
Some words of encouragement you can give are “I’m here for you and I’m always willing to listen to what you have to say.” or “Take your time. I’ll be here when you’re ready”. In the meantime, try to have casual conversations with your child. Ask them about their current favorite hobbies, their favorites — anything you can think of. This might help them ease into more serious topics such as their school performance.
Makes Excuses Not to Attend Classes
Children will inevitably miss a few classes for a number of reasons. For example, they may be physically ill and may need to take a few days off for rest. Other reasons may fall under essential errands outside of school, or scheduled medical appointments with doctors. Whatever the reason is, missing a few days of school isn’t something to worry about, but if your child constantly makes excuses to skip their classes, then there might be something that they’re struggling with.
Teenagers, for example, may refuse to attend classes or call in sick during days where an assignment is due or when an exam is scheduled. They may generally lack any motivation to go to class because they’ll feel like they won’t be able to learn anything anyway. Other times, they might skip classes to catch up with their neglected subjects.
In this case, it’s important that you find the root cause of the issue. Sometimes a child may fall behind due to negative experiences, such as bullying or behavioral issues. You might feel helpless, but you have to be patient in talking to them. Don’t try to blame them for missed classes or chide them for “pretending” to be sick. Offer mental health support or even aid them in finding counseling and other resources that will help.
Receives Low Marks in Classes
Once you’ve ruled out all other issues — bullying, learning difficulties, anxiety, and the like — sometimes, your child may fall behind simply because they don’t have a good grasp of their subjects. While the occasional low grade may happen, consistently receiving poor marks in classes may point to signs that they have difficulty understanding the lessons.
You can help your child by talking directly to their teachers or instructors. This allows you to gain a better understanding of what subjects they’re struggling with. Some teachers may even make suggestions, like tutoring your child, allowing them to take extra/remedial classes and the like.
Key Takeaway
The signs that distance learning is not working for your child may not necessarily manifest immediately. Oftentimes, poor school performance happens gradually and may be caused by a number of factors.
In any case, see to it that you don’t blame your child for how they react to the situation. Instead, be a pillar of support. Be proactive in really understanding their problem, talking to their teachers, and generally providing them resources to study better. An improvement in academic performance may take time, but as long as you’re making the right choices to help them get through it, they can easily get back on track.
