Isn’t it strange when your parents are only curious to know your grades for exams rather than what you learned the entire year? You’re not alone! Parents care more about their child’s grades than the child itself. They expect their children to achieve big in life and believe that excellent grades are the only way to do it. Many children view their grades to quantify their intellect because their parents greatly emphasize the value of good grades. They frequently concentrate on “the disparity between their output, measured in grades, and their input, measured in the effort.” This blog will highlight the top three reasons why parents prefer good grades over quality education and, subsequently, the impact on children to produce promising results.
Why do Parents only Think About Good Grades?
Good Grades will make them Proud.
Parents believe that grades are everything, and the only motive of attending school is to achieve outstanding grades. This outdated mindset often compels parents to disregard the importance of academic learning and quality education. Parents are often oblivious about the new concepts learned at school, and all they expect are straight A’s on the report card. Unfortunately, when children fail to meet their expectations, they’re often punished or grounded. Expecting your child to excel at school is not wrong, but it should be well-noted that excellence does not only lie in good grades. Parents should let their children explore what they’re good at and help them focus on their areas of improvement rather than pressurizing them only to score better.
Only Good grades lead to scholarships.
Parents hope that consistently outstanding grades will help their children bag scholarships in renowned colleges with education becoming a liability. They want to provide their child with the highest education standards possible within their financial means, which is why they prioritize grades above education. Good grades indeed lead to scholarships, which cut the cost of college by 25, 50, or even 100%. However, grades aren’t the only criterion to win a scholarship. Basketball, baseball, soccer, and football are just a few sports that may lead to outstanding scholarships.
Grades are better than Extracurricular Activities.
Most parents feel that extracurricular activities make it harder for their children to focus on their studies, resulting in poor grades. They assume that studying 24 hours a day, seven days a week is the best option, which is not! They often blame the school’s administration and management for organizing co-curricular activities that may be unrelated to education throughout the year. Extracurricular activities are designed to develop a student’s character, build endurance and determination, and help them find their hidden talents, especially at a young age. On the other hand, parents are obsessed with grades and are willing to undercut other accomplishments until the academic progress meets their expectations.
Good Grades will lead to a Successful Future.
While good grades help children get into the most renowned colleges and universities, they might not always be the reason to have a successful life. A good academic profile is important, and so are the positive attitude and optimistic approach to learning. When success is quantified into grades and scores, children often miss out on what’s more important for success: determination, perseverance, modesty, and learning from one’s mistakes.
How does the pressure of good grades impact the child?
When kids are only focused on achieving good grades, they overlook the opportunities that may help in polishing their personalities. Children grow up without knowing where their true potential lies, and it eventually gets challenging for them to find a career path that syncs with their skill set. Both tutors and parents play an important role in the personality building of children at each stage of student life. While tutors may be fulfilling their responsibilities towards the development of their students, if parents aren’t as supportive, the child’s future can be at stake.
How should parents encourage children to achieve better?
Although there is nothing wrong with expecting children to do their best, the problem emerges when parents pressurize and criticize their children about winning. It sends a negative notion to children that they must win at all costs, creating an impression that their self-esteem is based on external validations such as awards or high grades. Here are some suggestions for how parents can assist their children in flourishing while also encouraging them more healthily and productively.
- Provide an environment that helps them grow.
- Let them make mistakes and teach them how to learn from them and come out stronger.
- Don’t criticize them, especially in front of others.
- Appreciate small achievements.
- Encourage healthy competition, and teach them how to face failure.
- Let them explore where their true potential lies.
- Be their role model and set examples for them by sharing your struggle stories.
- Celebrate their success.
To Conclude
To be concerned about your child’s academic performance is well-justified; however, your expectations should not exceed your child’s capabilities. Parents should give their children an open space to explore their abilities and focus on their child’s quality of education. You can support your child to perform better at school by identifying their academic needs. If your child needs assistance at learning or wants homework help, you can pursue tutoring help online. If you are a parent and have been looking for tutors with a result-oriented approach, who are committed to developing outstanding learning skills in your child, Access2Success can end your hunt. A2S provides one of the most affordable online tutoring services for students from Kindergarten to grade 8th. If you want to sign up for personalized tutoring sessions for your child, visit their website: https://access2successonline.com/ or call 202-897-5826.