Do you get upset when your kids get Bs?

[Anonymous]

Is this - a thing? I was just out to lunch with some women I'm volunteering with through my kid's (public) high school, and two of the moms said they make their kids ask for a re-take if their kids get Bs on an assignment.
Um....

[Anonymous]

If they are working their tails off, no. Otherwise, yeah, so most of the time, yeah.

[Anonymous]

I would never have my kids ask for a retake, but if one was offered (as they usually are) and they didn’t take advantage of it, I would be annoyed with my kid.

[Anonymous]

Yes, because when my kid gets a B, it's for issues that we are trying to improve before college, like not checking their work, or rushing through an assignment.

[Anonymous]

Nope.

[Anonymous]

So sadly Bs can derail college chances. It’s not just admissions but merit aid too. With the economy in the dumpster and the price of college so high, competition for in state is crazy. Along with competition for scholarships and merit aid.

If retakes are allowed, many of the other kids with Bs are doing a retake. Your kid would end up being toward the bottom for not taking advantage of the retake option.

It’s a horrible environment for kids and very different than when we were in high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So sadly Bs can derail college chances. It’s not just admissions but merit aid too. With the economy in the dumpster and the price of college so high, competition for in state is crazy. Along with competition for scholarships and merit aid.

If retakes are allowed, many of the other kids with Bs are doing a retake. Your kid would end up being toward the bottom for not taking advantage of the retake option.

It’s a horrible environment for kids and very different than when we were in high school.

That is depressing.

[Anonymous]

Where is this? In APS and I think FCPS too, they can only retake to an 80.

If my kid gets well below an 80, probably 75 or below, yes I encourage a re-take.

I am not upset about a B but no option to re-take for a B anyway in APS.

[Anonymous]

A B in one assignment, no; a B in the class - better pull it up next quarter so the final grade is a 90 or higher.

[Anonymous]

No, but THEY get mad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is this - a thing? I was just out to lunch with some women I'm volunteering with through my kid's (public) high school, and two of the moms said they make their kids ask for a re-take if their kids get Bs on an assignment.
Um....

Yes, very much so it's a thing. We expect nothing but excellence. No slacking in school.

[Anonymous]

No. If there's an issue that can be addressed (effort is lacking or they need to work more to understand something) we address that. If they're doing their best though, I don't care about grades.

[Anonymous]

Not upset, because I know my kids always try to do their best.

But concerned, definitely, especially in high school.

We chose to be part of the college admissions rat race. If you choose that too, then every grade matters. It's the first criteria colleges look at, because in their minds a high GPA shows stamina and dedication. Test scores are very important, and show applied knowledge (with some native intelligence thrown in): but they're a snapshot in time. Colleges are looking for the ability to work diligently for many years, since that's what's required to graduate from college, and also to be successful in one's career.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So sadly Bs can derail college chances. It’s not just admissions but merit aid too. With the economy in the dumpster and the price of college so high, competition for in state is crazy. Along with competition for scholarships and merit aid.

If retakes are allowed, many of the other kids with Bs are doing a retake. Your kid would end up being toward the bottom for not taking advantage of the retake option.

It’s a horrible environment for kids and very different than when we were in high school.

That is depressing.

It's also wrong because my kid with B's got way more merit aid than my kid with A's. It depends on the school and student. B student also took 2 more AP than A student.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not upset, because I know my kids always try to do their best.

But concerned, definitely, especially in high school.

We chose to be part of the college admissions rat race. If you choose that too, then every grade matters. It's the first criteria colleges look at, because in their minds a high GPA shows stamina and dedication. Test scores are very important, and show applied knowledge (with some native intelligence thrown in): but they're a snapshot in time. Colleges are looking for the ability to work diligently for many years, since that's what's required to graduate from college, and also to be successful in one's career.

Me again. Perhaps you don't know this, OP, but being the best student your kid can be reaps financial benefit. Most kids, despite their best efforts, aren't cut out to be Ivy League material, and even if they were, they won't be picked. So parents who push for academic rigor in high school aren't necessarily parents gunning for the Ivy League. What a lot of them are looking for is relief from high college costs. Having a great GPA and solid test scores can attract merit aid that otherwise would not be forthcoming, and this can make the difference between attending a preferred school vs only having in-state choices. Even in-state colleges give out merit aid to kids who they think are a flight risk to "better" institutions.

So maybe you're wealthy and don't care where your kids attend college. Maybe your kids have other plans and college is not one of them. But for a large chunk of the middle class who won't get a lot of financial aid and can't swing sticker price at privates... good grades are important.