YOUR CHILDS REPORT CARD

As you read this article the school year is about half complete. I want to ask you " Do you know if your child in school has passed his/her classes for the fall semester?" I know that some of you are thinking this is a dumb question, but you would be surprised at how many people think their child is on track to graduate and they're not. How can this be you ask? Doesn't the school inform the students, the parents? Of course they do, but let me explain some things to you.

There are some parents who for the last few years have asked their children what they made on their report cards, and of course for the most part the children tell them what they want to hear--"I'm passing." Some students even make up grades that sound good to their parents (you've to to be kidding).

Schools give out grades in a number of different ways. The schools send the reports home with the students. As with everything else some of the reports never make it home. Sometimes the report is not given to the student because he/she owes a fine, you know they forgot to turn in a band uniform, lost the algebra textbook, ate all of the fund raiser cookies without paying and much more.

Then there are the schools that mail the reports out. Some have even gotten smart--they put the reports in nondescript brown envelopes. The reports sometimes never make it to the students' home because the school has the wrong address or the student may have moved within the last couple of days with no forwarding address. Of course even the reports that do get to the correct address may never get in the hands of the parents.

There are the schools that put them online and/or email them. This brings about another problem. Some parents do not have access to computers; some students know how to access their parents' email.

At this point in the game what is a parent suppose to do if they want to make sure their student is on the right track. The parent can do it the old fashioned way--make an appointment to see the student's teacher and/or counselor. It may be inconvenient, but face-to-face is always better. To make this meeting even better have the student in question present.

The school can only do so much. It is up to parents to make sure their student is on track and ready to take the first important step toward their future--graduation.