How Do I Tell My Strict Mother That I Failed My Algebra Class?

Ask her for help. Let her know what happened and that you need some tutoring. The truth is always the way. And don't try to make excuses or sugarcoat anything...if you slacked off because you were struggling, tell her so. It's easy to procrastinate in a class when you're having a hard time. Now it's time to ask for help so you don't struggle next time.

Did your friend recently get in trouble because of a ketchup mishap with his brother?

The best thing to do is take ownership of your circumstance which you have done here. It sounds like you realize you could have worked much harder, so do that next time. Slacking off and then trying to make up for a quarter/semester worth of work in three days will get you nowhere. Seek out a tutor or other resources that can help you. Your mom will most likely be pleased with solid effort on your part, not lip service and excuses after you have failed. Algebra classes come and go, but the work ethic you put into them (and all other classes) is what will set you apart in life in regards to future success. Good luck!
HTH,
A.

Just be honest, and take responsibility. Your teacher didn't "fail you", YOU did not pass. You didn't pass because you didn't do the work at the level you needed to in order to pass. She'll be disappointed, but still love you. I would talk to the teacher and ask how you can bring up your grade next time around. That way, you can tell your mom what you're doing to make things right. Good luck!

Man up and tell her. Also, if you need help, you should ask for it. You need to take responsibility for this grade. This F isn't "partially" your fault - it's all your fault. Whether you didn't do all the work required or you should have asked for help, this F is all yours, buddy. And only you have the power to change it.

Just go tell her before the report comes home or she will be doubly mad.
Also, be prepared with what you are going to do differently and to get a better grade this time. Lastly show her your average for the year can still be ___ if you get a B this time.

Well, she is going to find out sooner or later right? Or does she not read your report cards? Or meet with your teachers?

I understand you don't want to disappoint her, but you need to get better grades for yourself, not for her. If you have any hope of going to college, you need to learn better study habits now. Take responsibility for your actions and the choices you make - how can you say it is "partly" your fault for not getting the work done? Who or what else is to blame? If you keep up with the homework on a daily basis, you will get practice solving algebra problems and will be better prepared for tests because you will have mastered the material and fully understand it. If you are having trouble, it is up to you to go the teacher, stay after school if you have to, and have him/her explain it and go over it and give you extra help until you got it down. In college, nobody comes to you when you are failing a class and warns you and starts giving you chances to get your grade up - you just fail and that's it. You cannot expect to fall behind and then think you can catch up a few days before the test - understanding concepts later on depends on building on what is taught first.

Be honest with your mom and then tell her what you plan to do about this so you can end up with a passing final grade and not have something like this happen again. I am assuming you are in high school, so grades now do count toward grade point average, which colleges look at when it is application time. Stay after school if necessary, go to the teacher for help, and spend more time on your homework and studies so you get it down. Your friend may have passed doing the same amount of work, but either he understands it better, or he's better at keeping up with it. Your mother may be upset, but it also doesn't sound like you really tried your best. I didn't always get great grades either in school, but if my parents knew and could see that I had made my best effort, they were never disappointed.

It sounds like the communication should have happened earlier in the semester. We are on top of our kids grades like white on rice and they are only in elementary schooll. I expect to see a check or a check plus on all of their papers. They come to us when they are struggling and we work with them and the teacher to solve the problem. This should even work in high school.

I am in the homestretch of taking my MBA online, and I am taking accounting. I am horrible at accounting. I communicate with my professor quite often, both through the general questions area and email. He has been more than supportive in helping me keep my A.

If your teacher told you that you were doing fine, and now you failed, there is a problem. I would also think you would have interim grades (at least the schools in my district do) which tell you and the parents how you are doing half way through.

Trying to get your grade up in the last few days is wasted effort. There is no way to fix a semester's worth of issues in a week.

Be honest with your mom and expect her to be upset. I'd be very upset if my kids came home with anything less than a B and they didn't try their best. Math is tough for a lot of people though and maybe you need a tutor, a different teacher, help from mom, something. Just be honest. Lieing is worse. And tell her before the report card comes home. That's not the first time she should find out.

Good luck.

C. - I see this is your first post (well, second really - you asked the same question twice).

I gather from your post that you are a child, in high school. Not a parent, correct?

If you were my son - I would want you to tell me the truth. Don't whine. Don't give me excuses. Just let me know the truth. You thought you were doing well and found out you didn't.

Tell me what you need from me (a tutor maybe?) to help you succeed. Don't hide it from me.
Don't let me be surprised with the report card.
It doesn't matter that you and a friend do the same amount of work. Some people "test" better than others. Or it could be you are not "getting it" like you thought you were. Ask your teacher questions.

Just tell your mom the truth that you didn't step up till the last minute and show her 100% commitment to algebra for the rest of the school year to bring that grade up. I don't have kids in high school yet but as long as I see my kids giving me all their effort in school work, I don't care if they get bad grades. I failed geometry in high school because I didn't understand it and I honestly had a bad teacher. But the next year I was in advanced algebra/trig and got straight As because I understood the material.

As far as partners go..........my daughter had a science fair parent that put in 5% effort while my daughter did 95 and my daughter got an A on the project while the other girl didn't get a good grade at all. Teachers know who is putting in the effort in the classroom and they can tell by looking at your homework if you are understanding the work.

The thing with math is that you have to keep up with the homework. You can't expect to get a good grade or even a decent grade by studying really hard the night before.
I think you need to tell your mother sooner rather than later and have a plan in place so this does not happen again.

C.,
Who does what work is not really relevant. I think its better if you be upfront and tell her, yes, she will be mad, but no matter how bad things are, one must always be truthful. Work really hard and bring your grades up, because, that's what's going to give you a future, don't do it for your mom, do it for yourself, because in the end, that's what she wants from you. She wants you to be honest, and hardworking, and that is going to get you success, nothing else will, no matter what anybody says. Picture yourself way ahead in the future, what car are you driving? is that a Mercedes? what house do you live in? is is a big house in a nice neighborhood? The only way to get that is through work and effort, I am sure your mom will see a more mature you if you come forward with the truth and a plan to solve it, a study schedule and a couple extra assignments that you can request to your teacher, Get to work!!, Good Luck

Be honest about it. Tell her you tried. But you are also at fault because you didn't study each night. Algebra is one of those classes that you must do every day in order to pass. I know I went back to school two years ago (no math for 40 years) and I flunked it. I took it over again and passed with a B. I went on to the next level and flunked and took it over and passed with a C. My C in that class was like an A.

You have to get tutor(s) to help you and you have to find a way to learn the rules. Once you learn the rules it is easier to pass. But you still have to do the work. Once you get through all of your math classes you will feel like you are on top of the world.

Just be like the Nike commerical -- just do it!. Focus focus focus and it will happen. Never give up because that is the time that it happens. Find the poem "Never Quit" and post it on your wall to look at when you get down.

Good luck to you. You can do it I have a lot of faith in you. You just have to find it in yourself and it will work.

The other S.

PS You have not let anyone down, you just need more time to get it just like I did. Your mom should understand that and know that you are doing your best to get it.

C., I did horrible in Algebra. My son flunked it twice. He finally got it right in summer school, but still did not soar. So, you dust yourself off, tell mom and start over. Just try to keep up with it, and on the plus side, now you have the basics!

Talk to yor Mom. Tell her you are struggling in algebra and you are willing to do the work but may need a tutor. Start doing some research on line. The local technical college here offers classes called GOAL classes. They are free and help students get up to speed in areas they need help in. They offer math, reading, English (not ESL), spelling ect. Your Mom may be able to go to school with you and talk to your teacher and/or counselor and get some ideas on how you can pass this class.

Don't feel bad about this. It happens. My IQ is at a near genius level but I am dyslexic in math and algebric formulas could be written in sanskrit and they might make more sense to me. However you need to have algebra to graduate both high school and college. Start now and get with a tutor and work as hard as you can. The fact that you asked for help is a great sign that you want the help.

Just tell her. I hope she understand that you already put hard work on it. Algebra bad grades doesn't mean tge end of the world. If I wefe your mom, I will be proud because you care about my feeking, you already work hard for this and you are not cheating. Characters are better than just merely grades on report card. I apso don't like algebra, I never work hard on it. But you are better than me, at least you tried. Sorry with this stupid spellings, it is the tablets error.

I'd blame it on the teacher. I mean you did try those LAST FEW DAYS! Did your teacher not recognize that effort?

It is totally not your fault that you didn't do the work up until then - I'm sure your mom will understand.

Have you posted this on algebrateachers.com? I'm sure those guys could help you even more.

I think that you should tell her. You have learned a pretty valuable lesson here. Procrastination will get you nowhere. Take that with you in life, if you wait around and do everything last second in a job, you will find yourself being fired.

I would tell your mom that you know that you messed up and that you are sorry. Then prove to her that you are willing to make up for that mistake by working hard and passing the class the second time around.

Lastly, if you need help, ask for it. I was horrible in algebra too, and it's no fun. But, if you just buckle down and get through it, then you can put it behind you and not worry about it anymore.

First, above all, be honest and don't try to hide it.

Second, don't compare yourself to your friends or classmates.

Third, know that your mom will probably ask "How did this happen?" so have a real answer for her. "I didn't study for exams often enough." "I sort of skimmed the books and only half-assed on the homework even though I technically finished it."

Fourth, go in with solutions on how you're already working to do better and how you plan to continue to do better. "Since I skipped out on studying, I'm going to make sure that I boost my study time back up." "I'm going to concentrate harder on my homework since it counts so much and helps me study for exams better." "I'm going to start keeping a planner/mark assignments on a big calendar. See? And this online calendar will send text reminders too."

Fifth, let your mom know that you're communicating with your teachers in the classes/class you're having trouble with. If you think you need help and tutoring, let her know that you're getting it set up already or would like help setting it up.

She'll want to see that you're serious and being proactive. You sound like a great kid.