Every parent wants the best for their child, and doing well in school is always very close to the top of their list. Having been one of those kids that did poorly in school, I have spent a lifetime trying to understand why. Fifty years of living and six kids of my own has given me the wisdom to know the answer to this question. The answer is - "my parents were lazy". It's as simple as that.
With exception for the mentally ill, no child in America should do poorly in school. What we are taught in school, (specifically Grade school through High School), is the basics that every person needs to know for survival in our society. The smartest of our children will cruse through these years with very little effort. The rest will need to work at it. In the worst cases, involving the least intelligent of our children, additional time and effort is all that is necessary to learn all there is to learn and achieve good grades.
So what can a parent do to make sure their child does not miss the boat. Here is my simple plan
Step 1 - Accept the fact that raising your child is your number one responsibility in life. It comes before all else.
Step 2 - Take charge of your child's life. You must set their priorities for them and doing well in school is priority number One. Look upon the work they do in school as their job, and make sure they do their job before they play.
Step 3 - Start each day reminding them that their job at school is to pay attention and learn the work. Then check their homework every day. If you don't understand what they are learning, make them teach you. If they can't teach you than they don't know the work and you need to get whatever help is necessary so that you both get it.
Step 4 - In bed by ten o'clock on school nights and back to step 1 the next morning.
It's as simple at that. Even a dummy like me can follow this plan.