Tell Your Teens That Grades Are Not the Only Measure of Success

When my daughter entered kindergarten, she was a great reader. During her parent-teacher conference, her teacher praised her and told us she was doing “first grade stuff.” I was proud of her, and given the way she sat up straighter and tightened her two sweet hands that were folded together I could tell she was proud too.

She continued to be a great reader and get good marks in school until she entered second grade: her grades started slipping and her teacher became concerned that she was che...