"Progress" reports released from school. AN F!
 

Well, as you can see from the title, I recieved my prgress report because the term is half over. The teacher handed it to me, and I immediately noticed that I currently have an F! I have NEVER (capitalization for extreme emphasis) gotten an F in my entire life! I am normally an A-B range student, but the first term of my freshman year consists of:

Latin- B

Band- A

PE- C (it turns out that if you are absent from school, they take off points in gym...)

English- C

History- F!!! (I think the actually score is 39.7-something...I literally went to the bathroom and puked when I got this one...)

Geometry- C-
(we have only had one test so far...)

Integrated Science- B



This is the worst I have ever done in my life....and I am usually considered one of the smart kids...I know what I need to buckle down on (tests and homework) but I need to know how to do that! Any help is appreciated...

By the way, all of these classes are Honors, except for geometry...

Please help! (my dad will go berserk, he got irate when I brought home a "C" once.) I feel completely devastated, because I thought that I was doing well. My history teacher is the strereotypical portrait that we all percieve when we tthink of a 13 year old girl...(for example, she repeatedly says "Oh, My, God", and "like"...she also has blonde moments...I honestly think that all she does is send home work, and we're supposed to fend for ourselves. I was out absent for a week, and she gave me ONE day when I came back to make-up all of the work from that week....there was a lot. I'm basically saying that I need to increase all of my grades to a B- or better (regular B and better would be preferred.) Help!

God I wish you were MY kid.

MY kid couldn't care less about her grades. You obviously care, and I think it's due to more than just fear of the 'rents, but real, genuine desire to earn good marks.

Yes...but my parents use "I don't care about other kids!" when I try to break any type of bad news to them....I take pride in my work, but something is just wrong this year...it started out so right!

My advice is to approach them with the problem.

"I have an F in History, and I don't know what's causing me to not understand the subject."

If the same techniques that get you good grades in other classes aren't working in History, tell them that, and ask for advice.

If they see that you're concerned about this grade because you're wanting to do better and not just because you are trying to please them, it should be a more positive conversation.

Don't hide it, don't put it off and don't make excuses. Own it and recognize it as a hurdle to overcome instead of something that's going to cause permanent ruin.

Thanks, I'll try that...but trust me; going up to my parents and saying that is NOT a good idea for me....

I don't WANT to put down my parents, but my dad is extremely arrogant. He never admits when he is wrong, and flips out when I am wrong...

Whenever I use the excuse "At least I'm getting better grades than all of these kids." hes says that he does not care about other kids; but he always wants me to perfect everything I do, so in the back of his mind, he does care about how well I do compared to other kids, but nl when I am doing well.

When did you start making sense, ej? :wtf:

I kind of understand. I got a bad grade or two in my day, too. My parents finding out was the worst part of it.

Now that I'm on the other side of that equation, seeing my kid take responsibility for the problem and try to overcome it would make me more proud than a card full of all As and Bs.

But then again, if that same kid spends the next three days on the couch watching tv, then that pride would turn sour real fast.

When did you start making sense, ej? :wtf:[/quote]

I've always made sense... you just haven't been listening. Want to see my Loopy dance? Loo-py loo-py loo-py.

It's not your dad's job to care about other kids - he doesn't have to worry about their future.

When I went to school, I was the classic under achiever. I scored poorly because I was bored and because the teachers sucked. When I had a teacher I liked, I scored very well.

At the end of My senior year I scored 99% on the core skills test. (Equivalent os SATs in america.) I also had to take an aptitiude test for college and scored about 98%. I finished both tests in less than half the time of the other students.

Is it possible you're bored or distracted? Intelligent kids need the proper stimulation, ore their mind wanders, daydreaming and causing trouble and what not.

Not that any of that helps with your Dad, but it may explain the recent decline in grades. You do need to tackle the problem head on though or, believe me; you'll end up living the life you're Dad worries about.

I don't mean rock and roll dreams either. Plenty of talented people end up in a warehouse or a factory; scraping money together from their minimum wage.

I made some poor choices in my time and went from a high profile executive job down under to scrounging a meager living in an industrial plant in the states - crappy hours and crappier pay.

You simply can't give up and it doesn't sound like you will. Weather the storm and improve your grades. If it's necessary, choose a different class.

I worry about getting good marks...

I don't like Cs...

except in gym. I hate gym, and am not very athletic

Yes, my dreams are very ambitious. My goal is to make it into MIT, but I know that this will probably never happen. In history, I think the problem is that we are going throught the industrial revolution, and it is so gruelingly specific, that I can barely look at the teacher....never mind the book. I love my english class (my teacher is hilarious) but I think I missed an essay the week I was out....(it is my dad's fault that I was out...he said that we were going on a family vacatio, and I knew that it wasn't going to be a good idea from the start....in fact, that was EXACTLY when my grades started declining.)

NEVER try and hide it from them. I learned this the hard way; They're parents. They will find out. Guaranteed. And when they find out that you tried to hide it, they'll be a hell of a lot more angrier with you than in the first place.


I never got outstanding grades, and F's weren't exactly frequent (about as frequent as an "A;" i was an average student. Graduated high school with a 2.6 GPA). Yes, my parents were upset, but we all got over it. I wasn't allowed to do anything after school on days i had homework until said homework was done, and my mom had to see that i finished my homework.