Parents are assumed to care for their children’s future the most, influencing them to attain progress and success in every sphere of life. Thus, academic accomplishments become the first step of the subsequent career and life achievements. Good grades in school are cherished and appreciated, whereas poor performance tends to be met with disdain and judgment. Some parents choose to restrain themselves from punishing their offspring; however, others employ a more radical approach. Overall, both parental techniques aim to encourage children to flourish, but it is vital to ensure the methods used are genuinely efficient. Therefore, parents feel responsible for providing appropriate guidance during one of the most crucial periods of children’s development. Overall, punishment is not a valuable tool for parents during their children’s education, as it makes students’ experiences meaningless and does not have a lasting positive effect.
First, punishing children for grades makes their educational experiences meaningless, as students choose to study because of external pressures instead of their desire to learn and explore. The article written by Mary Sherry claims that reinforcing the idea of failure is essential because it motivates students from all backgrounds to study. The author suggests that “a healthy fear of failure” (Sherry) is vital to encourage children to succeed academically. She mentions her son’s example, who was able to earn an excellent grade after he was warned about the feasibility of failing (Sherry). The article presents a beneficial parenting technique for specific individuals; however, it has the potential dangers of making students’ educational paths insignificant. While getting into university or having a successful career are worthy goals, these are long-term intentions that do not fully explain the process of studying. Consequently, punishment and the threat of failure become the sole motivators for a particular child, without bringing meaning to the student on a short-term basis. Instead of punishing, parents should teach their children to love the process of learning and self-development because being enthusiastic about various tasks is incredibly beneficial.
Furthermore, parents’ reaction to their children’s perceived failure does have a lasting effect on the children’s attitude towards learning. Punishing a child over a single bad grade introduces stress regarding academics where the parent should instead focus on teaching development. Children are capable of understanding that they can improve, and if the parent emphasizes this, they are likely to do better in the future (Haelle). Punishment shifts too much of the child’s focus on their grade performance and away from learning and growing. Thus, punishment can lead to frustration and anger, which the child might direct on the learning process in general, impending future academic development (Haelle). Overall, the parents should not use punishment as the primary form of limiting poor academic performance; instead, they should focus on developing the child’s belief in improvement.
In conclusion, while parents should be concerned about the children’s performance, it is crucial to understand punishment’s adverse effects. Fear of punishment can become the primary motivator for the child’s academic career, limiting learning in the long run. Furthermore, fear of punishment can lead to frustration and anger, removing positive associations the child may have towards education. It is essential to emphasize the child’s ability to perceive an individual capability to change. Punishment may limit this skill and lead to diminishing academic returns. As a result, children should not be punished for poor grades; alternatively, parents should seek to develop a child’s understanding that they can expand their learning abilities.
Works Cited
Haelle, Tara. “How to Teach Children that Failure is the Secret to Success.” NPR, 016, Web.
Sherry, Mary. “In Praise of the F Word.” Newsweek, 1991, Web.