Strategies to Improve Teen Grades and Accountability

What kind of student were you? Did you diligently finish assignments and pay attention to all of the details during class? Or did you occasionally daydream or forget? You may have been labeled as lazy. You may have had mental health struggles, such as ADHD. If your teen has been struggling with getting his grades up and has even been accused of being a lazy student, you may be able to empathize with some of what he’s going through. Whether you were a terrific student or one who struggled, you and your teen need to find a way to get his grades up and hold him accountable for his education struggles. Developing workable strategies can help you and your teen figure out the best way to focus on the schoolwork, improve grades, and hold him accountable as he learns how to work through things the right way.

Addressing mental wellness concerns first

No matter how perfect the strategies you develop are, your teen won’t be able to get onto the right education track unless he addresses any mental health concerns he’s struggling with. Begin with a thorough evaluation, perhaps starting with his family doctor and a therapist, to get the right diagnosis for the issues he is struggling with. Once your teen has a diagnosis in hand, he’ll be able to access the resources he needs. Some of these resources may also help him develop the effective strategies he needs to improve his performance at school.

Setting and sticking to boundaries

Your teen needs to learn accountability. He can’t rely on you to constantly tell him what to do and when to do it. This is where an effective strategy of boundaries and consequences can come into play.

• Establish clear hours for him to focus on his schoolwork.
• He should also have a distraction-free area to work on his schoolwork and other projects.
• Place restrictions on how much time he uses his gadgets, such as gaming consoles or tablets.
• Make things very clear for him, so there is no room for confusion.

As an example, use language that explains things well to him.

• “You can get more time gaming after you complete your history assignments for the week.”
• “You will get your phone back after your daily homework has been done.”

Remember that clarity is everything when working on boundaries with your teen. By learning to follow these established boundaries and understanding the consequences of not following them, your teen will learn to hold himself accountable.

More tips to help him succeed

There are several other steps that you can take to help your teen form effective strategies to help him get his grades up.

• Ensure your teen is getting a full night of good rest. Sleep is an important part of keeping him bright and alert. Keep his bedtime structured and minimize distractions as bedtime approaches.
• Set aside plenty of time for studying. After school hours may be filled up with extracurricular activities. This can leave so little time for your teen to focus and study once he finally gets home and eats dinner. You could suggest that your teen reduce his extracurricular activities to have more time to focus on his education.
• Offer assistance but don’t do the work for him. Your teen may get frustrated and ask you for help. There’s nothing wrong with offering him a bit of help when he needs it. Just don’t take over and do the work for him. He won’t learn anything from this.

If your teen has a part-time job, you may also need to consider the number of hours he is working. While it’s admirable that he is working hard, his studies should come first. Sit down with your teen to develop a schedule that allows him to get in a few hours of work with plenty of time scheduled for studying. You may also need to suggest that he stop working for a while, at least until he can pull his grades up and better manage his time. It’s not going to be something that produces results overnight. You and your teen will likely butt heads and get frustrated with one another. Working hard together will help you get him back on track. Remember to pull back and take a break if you start to argue with him. Focus on results and keep his spirits up, so he stays engaged and interested.