Should a child be punished for a bad grade?

Parents and children may experience a range of emotions when a child brings home a subpar grade. One’s first instinct might be to consider using punishment to deal with the problem. But before drawing any quick conclusions, it’s important to take the wider picture into account. The way you respond to these situations can have a significant impact on how a child feels about learning.

Youngsters frequently encounter a variety of obstacles in their academic careers, and a single poor mark isn’t always indicative of their full aptitude or potential. It is imperative to investigate the causes of the subpar performance. Was it because of a lack of knowledge, outside influences, or something else entirely? Instead of concentrating only on punishment, a supportive strategy can assist in addressing the underlying cause of the issue.

This article will examine various viewpoints regarding the appropriateness of disciplining a child for receiving a poor grade. We’ll investigate different approaches that can promote development and help a child get better. The intention is to create a supportive learning atmosphere where kids are inspired to keep trying even in the face of failure.

Grade. Its essence, meaning and content

As adults who have grown up and swiftly forgotten our school years behind us, all we can recall are the feelings connected to a grade of "2." Since these encounters are typically negative, we get upset when our cherished child receives a low grade. We experience regret, worry, and rage. These are OUR old emotions, ingrained "in the heart" (actually, the brain’s subcortex). Therefore, some parents, not realizing this, grab the belt right away and end up making a big mistake—more on that later.

So, putting aside our own experiences, let"s think. A grade is an indicator of the child"s academic performance. This is an indicator of how the student has mastered a particular topic, a particular subject. Children do not think about this yet. For them, a grade is prestige, authority among classmates and parents. And whose authority prevails determines whether grades will be with the “+” or “-” indicator. In addition, a grade carries a psychological burden – for a child, this is a reward or a punishment. And what happens: the student gets a bad grade, then he is punished at home, and he ends up being punished twice. Where have you seen someone convicted twice for the same crime? This is only possible in relation to the child.

The teacher and the student are the two parties who labor in education, and this must be kept in mind. Learning is a two-way street. Additionally, the teacher and the student are evaluated for the grade "2."

However, we are aware of how it occurs: for whatever reason, the teacher includes his or her personal attitude in addition to the assessment criteria. Although it is disrespectful and cruel to children, this does, regrettably, occur.

But not all teachers are like that. There are also teachers from God, they generally oppose the assessment system. Among them is the Georgian teacher Sh. A. Amonashvili, domestic A. I. Savchenko, B. G. Ananyev, E. P. Ilyin, N. F. Talyzina and others. Now many modern schools are striving for a lesson-free and non-graded education system. These are the schools of the future. Their principle: the child should be motivated to learn, and not kept in emotional tension: "What grade will I get?". And put yourself in the child"s place: you would like to be assessed 5-6 times a day?

Reprimanding a child for a poor grade can have the opposite effect of what is intended, as it frequently results in more stress and lower self-esteem instead of better academic achievement. It is more advantageous to address the underlying causes of low grades through encouraging and productive dialogues rather than concentrating on punishment. Long-term performance can be enhanced and a more positive attitude toward learning can be fostered by acknowledging the child’s struggles and offering support and guidance.

Why does a child bring home bad grades

You should try to find out why a child wrote down a poor grade in his notebook or diary before you correct them.

I was an exemplary student at school, I only got “5” grades, and rarely “4” grades. But here’s the problem, Russian was not easy for me. Once, after I handed in my notebook for checking (and it was new, clean, there were only 4 assignments in it), I received it back all written in red ink, with marks “3” and “2”. I was so ashamed. Then I was terribly worried about what my grandmother would say (I grew up with her). The solution was this: I hid that “shameful” notebook, took a clean one, rewrote everything. Then I was more attentive, began to read more. This was the sixth grade. Eight years later, I took out “my sin” and showed it to my grandmother. We laughed. But at that moment, when I got my unsuccessful job back, I was scared, worried: what if grandma finds out? And the idea of ​​how she would scold me did not give me peace.

So, the first reason for a child"s poor performance is his lack of education: he didn"t exercise enough, didn"t finish reading, didn"t finish writing. All this is due to haste: children have so much to do! And play, and do creative work, and run to clubs/sections, and also do homework. Therefore, parents must correctly prioritize themselves and their child. Determine his abilities, inclinations, and then start from there: help somewhere, guide somewhere, and treat with understanding and turn a blind eye somewhere. A. S. Pushkin, for example, had a bad grade in mathematics, but this did not prevent him from becoming a great poet.

Second instance. The parents of a fifth-grader got in touch with me because their son started to study badly and essentially fell between a "3" and a "2," which had never happened before. It became clear while working with this family that the boy was overly obedient and self-conscious. He started to worry and withdraw even more when the kids sensed and saw him and started laughing at him. He was reluctant to respond in class because he knew he would be laughed at if he gave a wrong answer.

Good students are not very popular in the class. They are "huts" and "bores". This is a problem for those children who are not keeping up, but are emotionally stable – they begin to ridicule successful children, thus bringing them to their level. "Do not lean out" – this way out of such a way out my client. The class teacher also somehow paid much attention to this. Other teachers, without knowing the features of a particular child (“there are many students, do you know everyone?", – but they must find out), saw in the boy only a lazy, unsuccessful student. This is how pedagogically neglected children appear, among the unsuccessful they make up 60%.

Here"s another practice. Girl, eighth grade. Does not want to study at all. Parents are busy with work, and they constantly hire the tutors. The latter change every month, since "illiterate", "will not find an approach to the child" and t.p. In fact, with her poor performance, the girl sought authority among classmates, and the authority of the parents was not authority. The child simply lacked parental attention, understanding. And at some point she found him among friends. She moved away from her relatives, since they seemed indifferent to her. You need to understand and remember that no material benefits will replace living, emotional communication with a native person. This also leads to pedagogical neglect.

The child’s characteristics—such as his level of intellectual development, volitional sphere, emotional state, temperament, and health—are the cause of his subpar performance. As a result, children who are hyperactive struggle to focus their attention on a subject (they have attention deficit syndrome), children who have physical or psychological health issues find it difficult to relate to other kids emotionally, and children who struggle to understand and comprehend educational material.

It is common knowledge that children from low-income families also perform poorly academically; this is a social factor.

Watch the video to learn more about the reasons behind the changes that schools are going through.

Whether or not to discipline a child for receiving a low grade is a complex decision that needs serious consideration. The best course of action for addressing academic difficulties may not always involve punishment. Rather than emphasizing punishment, think about how to help and comprehend your child’s difficulties.

Maintaining open lines of communication with your child can help you understand their challenges and resolve any underlying problems. It may be more advantageous to provide support and promote a positive attitude toward learning than to use punitive methods. A better understanding of your child’s motivations and interests can help them perform better academically.

In the end, creating an environment that is understanding and encouraging can help your child grow and gain confidence. Together, you can transform obstacles in your academic career into chances for development and education.

Video on the topic

Is it possible to punish a child? – Dr. Komarovsky

HOW TO PUNISH CHILDREN CORRECTLY

Punishment for a deuce

✅ whether to punish for deuces? Council of a psychologist.

Is it possible to punish the child for two? How to punish children. Psychology of education with A. Ryazantsev