What am I gonna do with this kid?

[SteveDallas]

Well it usually goes back to organization. Why did she get a bad grade? They had done in-class review etc. but ultimately she didn't have her book at home to review the material the night before. One of her teachers had offered to sit down with her for 5 minutes after school each day and make sure she had all her homework assignemtns down etc. but this particular day the teacher was out. Of course she can't rely on that kind of help forever, and I'd like to think if she has really learned the material she will do slightly better than a 55 even without studying the night before.

[lookout123]

you may have a different view of education but my $.02 is that you should encourage her about the grade. bad grades happen. that isn't a good thing, but it is expected. encourage her to strive for better, blah, blah, blah. but i wouldn't make a big deal out of the grade otherwise it will only reinforce her instinct to hide them from you. i would be extremely hard on her for the REAL mistake - she lied and tried to hide something from her parents. make it very very clear that you would hav been mildly annoyed and dissatisfied with a poor grade, but you are extremely hurt and disappointed that she sacrificed your trust with deceit.

that is just me though.

[dar512]

Yeah, you have to do something about the lying. For the grade thing you need to work on the underlying issue. Poor time/work management skills? Make sure she is clear on how to keep track of tests and assignments and how to prepare.

One of the good things about the gradeschool my kids go/went to is that they do train them in study management skills. Every year they received a daily planner and were taught how to fill it out and keep track of it. They also send a work packet home every week and the parent is required to sign it. You never wonder how your kid is doing.