r/highschool Sophomore (10th) 2d ago

Rant my parents think anything below a B is failing

for some reason, my parents think anything below a B is failing, when it's not, I literally try to get a C or better and my parents think a C is failing and if I get anything below that grade I'm definitely going to get my ass whooped by my dad. it's like one D, I can bring that up in like a week or two, and if I try to convince either of them that a C or higher can be passing, they'll say a B is passing. I'm genuinely trying to pass my classes with a C and my parents think it's failing. what can I do about this?

85 Upvotes

107 comments sorted by

28

u/OceanAmethyst 2d ago

As an asian, 3 B's to my parents mean that I'm not trying hard enough and thus meaning I should be grounded immediately.

I'm pretty sure a C and above is passing.

32

u/cel_medicul 2d ago

At my school, C is the minimum for passing any class, so anything below A- is failing for my parents.

5

u/MrPenguin143 Freshman (9th) 1d ago

Anything below A for me 😭

1

u/Budget_Relief7464 19h ago

yall are cooked

41

u/F0WR Sophomore (10th) 2d ago

i mean just cause a C is passing doesnt mean it is a good score

6

u/Radiant-North-8519 Sophomore (10th) 2d ago

yea but why are they so obsessed with me getting a B when I mostly just have B's and C's?

35

u/F0WR Sophomore (10th) 2d ago

probably because they care about you and your future

18

u/Few_Guess9706 Senior (12th) 2d ago

no ones future is ruined because they have a couple c’s i promise you

9

u/Revolutionary_Bit437 2d ago

can confirm but this sub is so obsessed with grades bro

9

u/OceanAmethyst 1d ago

It's almost like we're in a subreddit called r/highschool

4

u/goodguyScratch1 1d ago

I just commented this but I’ll tell you as well, Cs make your gpa low so when you are trying to join a waitlist for a degree (if you choose to go that route of course) they may email you back and require you to bump up a few grades. For me I had to bump one of my C, up to a B in order to be accepted into a health program (did ruin my life of course but I had to take a whole another semester for one grade)

1

u/Few_Guess9706 Senior (12th) 19h ago

maybe thats because you’re going into a health program and most ppl arent doing that, either way ur life isnt ruined .. there are a million ways to get into the health field with C’s and B’s

1

u/Peecem 7h ago

Ehhhhhhh thats a dangerous mindset to have though. A few can be fine, but I let my grades slip in highschool and ended up losing THOUSANDS of dollars in university because of it. I had the opportunity to get an 80% scholarship but ended up barely making the mark with a 30%. All because of "a few c's" over covid and the following year.

Sure your not ruining your future, but you are definetly making it harder for yourself, and limiting your options

3

u/Bindiezone 1d ago

They're literally talking about getting beaten by their parents over it. Their parents arent good people.

1

u/Nova-Ecologist 1d ago

It’s not the end all be all though, ideally you should get as high as you can, but for some it can be very tasking, more for some than it is others.

1

u/Budget_Relief7464 19h ago

how is having your parents treat you like a failure because you dont understand the material that well caring for your future

6

u/Noidsss 1d ago

Highschool is literally brain dead easy man. Just turn in all the work and you’re bound to get an A at most schools

2

u/Tracerr3 1d ago

Fuckin seriously. Almost nobody in high school is getting C's because they're stupid or a bad test taker. In high school, literally just doing the work and turning it in is more than enough to get a B or higher in most cases. So many ppl are so fuckin lazy.

2

u/T_Rey1799 1d ago

As a fully grown adult, I can tell you, your grades are not you. Try your best in school, but a few C’s are not going to ruin your life. Unless you’re trying to be a doctor or lawyer or something. Do your work, graduate, continue on your life…

1

u/PS1PS2PS3enthusiast 1d ago

Because high school is much easier than college and if you're getting B's and C's in high school, you're not going to do well in college. Plus you'll regret getting lower grades and not trying at all in high school when you're applying to colleges and none of the colleges you want to go to accepts you on account of your GPA. Why not try to get good grades and open up future doors for yourself? Bs and Cs are passing grades, but those are also the lowest possible grades before failing.

To get Bs and Cs in high school, it means you are barely even doing the bare minimum. It sounds like you are pretty much just showing up, and not much else. I took all AP classes my entire time in high school and graduated with a 4.60 GPA. I didn't even try. I barely did assignments, I almost never showed up on time. That's how easy high school is. When I got to college it was a HUGE rude awakening.

Your parents have your best interests in mind here, you're just too young to know it.

0

u/NoAppearance9091 1d ago

do you not want to perform better?

4

u/Electronic-Cry-1254 1d ago

To be getting less than a B you have to be not turning in your assignments and/or getting lower scores on tests

Turning in all your work helps with knowing material for tests so my advice is always just never leave anything unsubmitted

30

u/VardisFisher 2d ago

As a former teacher, if you can’t get a B in today’s public schools………you are either lazy, or have a learning disability.

17

u/BrinsleySchwartze Junior (11th) 2d ago

I have a learning disability and I still manage to get A's.

3

u/s5uzkzjsyaiqoafagau Sophomore (10th) 2d ago

Same.

-3

u/VardisFisher 2d ago

Are you on an IEP?

-8

u/VardisFisher 2d ago

You’ve proven my point about the difficulty of public schools. Are you on an IEP?

5

u/BrinsleySchwartze Junior (11th) 1d ago

No.

Took a while to develop a study habit that worked for me/a lot of self-discipline but here I am.

-1

u/VardisFisher 1d ago

So not lazy then? And still reinforcing my point.

2

u/Illustrious-Lab-2934 23h ago

They aren't trying to refute your point.

15

u/Anynymous475839292 2d ago

Or maybe the teacher is shit idk

-1

u/Wonderful-Cut7684 1d ago

If you care enough about your grades the teacher shouldn’t matter you’d learn the class material in your time

3

u/Anynymous475839292 1d ago

I shouldn't have to learn that shit on my own time that's what the teacher is for goofy ahh

-3

u/Wonderful-Cut7684 1d ago

You’re saying you expect a teacher to magically help you memorize one hour of biology material in one hour? The whole point of classes is for the teacher to go through the lesson to make sure you understand everything and you review it to understand it in your own way.

6

u/Anynymous475839292 1d ago

Yes I expect the teacher to teach in a way that i memorize and understand the material, if they can't do that they are a shit teacher

1

u/Cynical_Kittens Sophomore (10th) 8h ago

It is literally a teacher's job to be in charge of a student's grades and, well, teach. It absolutely matters. If you have a crappy teacher, then you'll have a harder time understanding the material. And obviously, the way each teacher grades varies as well.

10

u/Accomplished-Plum631 Sophomore (10th) 2d ago

Ah, former teacher?

2

u/DespicablePen-4414 1d ago

I’ve gotten 1 B and 1 C (only for a quarter though, not a class) and both were because of complete laziness. The B was an easy class that I just skipped a test in and never retook and the C was from not studying for 2 quizzes.

It’s genuinely not hard to at least get a 90%

1

u/OceanAmethyst 1d ago

What grade are you in, and what classes do you take?

1

u/The_BowTie_Man_ 1d ago

I mean, it kind of depends. Some public schools, if in good areas are pretty difficult. I go to a public HS in a richer area of SoCal, and it’s very challenging and academically. Competitive.

1

u/PhantomIllusions 1d ago

I was both, heh.

1

u/Dangerous-Advisor-31 20h ago

This is so not true. Some public schools have insane competition and very harsh grading curves. Plus, grading curves play a role. Take for example a big rich public hs in Oregon. Some of them have insanely harsh grading curves. Stuy, Brooklyn tech, thomas jerfferson, BASIS, etc are some hyper competitive public highschools

2

u/VardisFisher 19h ago

Would you say that those schools represent the average public school, or have you cherry picked top ranked outliers? You did mention “rich” schools in OR. I was speaking about public schools as a whole. Like all of them averaged together. How long have you been teaching? Did you teach at one of the schools you mentioned. I’d like to read more about these schools grading on curves. Can you provide a link to that?

0

u/Artistic_Dalek Senior (12th) 2d ago

100% this. I feel like we’re given grades gift wrapped

3

u/OceanAmethyst 1d ago

I was so confused until I realized that I'm in the Honors classes 💀

-5

u/Comfortable_Cut_7334 2d ago

I mean, if C is passing why bother going for anything else?

6

u/Artistic_Dalek Senior (12th) 2d ago

To learn more than the minimum amount?

5

u/OceanAmethyst 1d ago edited 1d ago

Okay, are you actually serious right now.

History is constantly being repeated. Literacy rates are at an all time low. People still deny climate change.

There is a reason that people have fought so hard for the right to education - to not be taken advantage of. Have you ever realized the trend of civil rights activists being educated? Do you know why slave owners made sure that their slaves could never learn to read?

You may be one of the stupidest people online, and that's saying something.

-6

u/Every_Ad8904 1d ago

Getting a good grade and being educated is not the same thing at all

0

u/OceanAmethyst 1d ago

I'm not talking about math. I'm talking about Science and History.

I'm talking about knowing what led up to the Holocaust. I'm talking about knowing how lead poisoning was constantly being denied, like how climate change is now.

4

u/Mar_ketable 1d ago

I see what you’re getting at, but good grades don’t reflect how aware you are of the world around you. You can have straight As and still be ignorant, just as you can be failing and politically adept.

1

u/Wonderful_Audience60 1d ago

so you can go to a better college? have a better job?

-4

u/VardisFisher 2d ago

This line of thinking is what separates bosses from employees. Can you guess which side you’ll be standing on in 10 years.

9

u/Comfortable_Cut_7334 2d ago

Employee. 100%. Still don't see much of a reason for going past just 'pass'. Especially since being a boss is pretty stressful all things considered. More stressful than an employee at least. And there's also ways to be successful even as just an employee.

1

u/Kayoshiwan 1d ago

Perks of being a boss or a/the person running the operation 1. Probably more pay 2. More duties and responsibilities People overestimate the value of #2. Everyone wants their life to be overall working towards something whether thats raising kids, helping patients, seeing the company do well. I’m not advocating for 100 hour workweeks here but doing nothing all the time is pretty unfulfilling for most people.

1

u/Arcalgalkiagiratina Senior (12th) 1d ago

Real mature way of stating your point for someone who is in adulthood

8

u/mydaisy3283 Sophomore (10th) 2d ago

are they literally hitting you or just giving you a hard time? cause they shouldn’t hit you no matter what. but they’re right to be upset about Ds, sure it’s not LITERALLY failing, but all that means is you get credit for taking the class. youre not gonna get into anywhere besides maybe community college. if you’re fine with that then explain to them your life plan, but if you want to go to a state school or above, then even Cs are pushing it

1

u/ForestOranges 14h ago

Teacher here. I had a student get a D+ in my class, a C in Algebra II, and As and Bs in their other classes and they still got into the state university. A couple of Cs and a D won’t necessarily stop you as long as everything else on your application is good.

3

u/King_Archon 1d ago

My general rule of thumb is getting a high enough score to exempt high school finals, which at my school is 85(Depends on the school, of course, and if the option is even available). Having a minimum that requires at least doing your assignments properly and not succumbing to laziness. But if you're able to go above this, then it's simply a bonus for your grade, since just doing work and studying a bit usually gets you at least a B during daily and major grades. Unless you have a crappy teacher, a difficult subject, or a difficult lesson to comprehend, then you shouldn't ever get C's.

7

u/DastardlyPB 2d ago

Is it weird that’s not as tough as the standards I give myself 😭😭😭

2

u/TheBepsiBoy 1d ago

Honestly grades vary between schools and states. For me, homework was a majority of my grades which to me was questionable but once I brought it up they thought I had autism? Bunch of fucking weirdos they were. I graduated 2016 with mostly low Bs and Cs. I’m now in college for cyber security with a 4.0.

I skipped homework because I had a life outside school and could care less. I passed all my tests and in school work so my grades pretty much balanced.

Self teaching is a common thing, teachers just refuse to mention it because once students out smart a teacher, they lose their mind. American school system sucks compared to when I was in Germany for middle school, beginning highschool.

1

u/Radiant-North-8519 Sophomore (10th) 1d ago

same experience happened to me; some people thought I was sped. unironically, I technically am, because of my IEP

2

u/Adorable-Event-2752 9h ago

That is because it IS, I hate to break it to you, but a C when I started teaching in the 1980's is now a very high A.

Grade inflation is insideous.

2

u/aromenos Moderator | Junior ✔ 2d ago

they are wrong, in high school passing is either D or C. but it’s really not hard to maintain all A’s and B’s, so everyone should at least aim for that.

1

u/Radiant-North-8519 Sophomore (10th) 2d ago

a D is technically passing it but in my school it doesn't count through A-G

-1

u/Revolutionary_Bit437 1d ago

how about we don’t say how difficult or easy something is because you don’t know what kinds of schools others are going to nor what they’re going through. others should aim for what’s possible for them, not what people think is an attainable goal

2

u/SterlingVesper 1d ago

Where I currently study, below an 80%(C) constitutes a failing grade. Consistent C’s lead to dis-enrolment. It’s completely reasonable.

If you can’t score at least an 80 on graded material, you either have very unfortunate life circumstances or are just lazy. Considering your parents actually care about your education and don’t just expect the bare minimum, I’m assuming it’s the latter.

1

u/Strange_Mirror6992 Senior (12th) 1d ago

If you think that’s bad, how about a parent who freaks out if I get anything less than 94%?

1

u/Mustang_3821 1d ago

I remember I had a 3.4 and my mom got mad. So I was worried and tried to fix it and then it dropped to 3.0 and she’s even more mad

1

u/LuckyDA13 1d ago

My dad thought B was failing, so I had to live like that but having 7 classes was really stressful so I always had a C or B in something. Idk if it's just me but asian dad vibe (he's 50% Korean, I'm 25%)

1

u/cyber-rl 1d ago

lowkey if anyone tries hard enough they can get a B, it just shows you don’t put in enough effort 

1

u/Alternative-Web-5787 1d ago

Because a c is a shit grade it’s the bare minimum you could get a c by not even coming to class

1

u/DietDrBleach 1d ago

They’re correct. College is wildly competitive these days, and you need top grades to get into a good school. C grades do not look good.

1

u/Rockhound2012 1d ago

The fact that the biggest emphasis is put on grades and not the actual learning is why the american public education system is failing.

1

u/Wonderful-Cut7684 1d ago

My parents can’t care less about my grades yet I still have the self awareness to get at least 95 or above bro All my friends consider below 90 a flunked test Thinking B is failing is perfectly normal. B is average.

1

u/NiaNitro 1d ago

My mom: “How did you get a 98? What happened to those other two points?”

There’s nothing you can do besides promise to do better next time. They don’t understand what school is like anymore. The course-loads and state standards are more than they ever had to deal with.

I’m a teacher and I wish I could make it better. It makes me so sad when students are beating themselves up over grades. Only in academia does your GPA matter, anywhere else in life it’s all about character.

1

u/FudgeyleFirst 1d ago

Anything below 90 is failing

1

u/Radiant-North-8519 Sophomore (10th) 1d ago

how? a: 90 - passing 80 - passing 70 - passing 60 - technically passing 50 and below - failing

1

u/stuffedpotato_ 1d ago

for me a 70% is failing

1

u/No_Studio_2443 7h ago

To pass a class only means that the school won't make you retake it. That's not the goal. You should be trying to thrive in your schoolwork, taking rigorous classes and getting as high of marks as you can within them. If you can do that well, you will be rewarded with the ability to go to a nice college or university, and study something specialized to exactly what you want to learn, and with a much higher standard of education quality. Your taking higher level classes and paying more attention within them will also allow you to see what you're talented at and what excites you, so you will be more equipped to go into a career for which you are well suited.

1

u/epic58s 1d ago

Do better in school because Cs are essentially failing

1

u/goodguyScratch1 1d ago

Yes a C is passing but when you are in college and you would like to join waitlists for programs for your degree Cs make your gpa pretty low (I had to bump a C of mine up to a B so I could be accepted on a health program)

1

u/TheMuffler42069 1d ago

They’ve clearly never heard the saying “Cs get degrees”

1

u/foooder 1d ago

I lived by this in college, but in high school, C’s may get degrees, but they won’t get u into a good college. The issue is OP words the post like all he’s doing is aiming to get C’s. Like not putting in any effort to get a higher grade bc he thinks a C is fine just bc it’s considered passing. That’s not okay. If a kid is genuinely struggling in school and reaches out for academic help, but still gets C’s, I fully appreciate and admire their effort in trying. But if a kid like this is just doing the bare minimum to scrape by and can’t understand the whole concept of why they should strive for better grades than the bare minimum for their future, then, well, they actually probably aren’t cut out for college so I guess their grades don’t matter after all.

1

u/TheMuffler42069 1d ago

Oh damn my bad I messed up. Lemme talk to OP real quick. OP, I was wrong, foooder is correct. You should be aiming higher in high school and in fact in college as well.

1

u/Square-Ask-6967 1d ago

damn free you i’m calling your principal and tell him to set a meeting with your parent/parents about how a D is passing is some states and a c is defiantly passigg by

1

u/Nervous-Leopard1007 1d ago

Honestly you should stop trying to pass your classes with a 'C' and start trying to pass them with a 'A' (which ik isn't easy for most)

1

u/Additional-Pie-8821 21h ago

It’s the difference between just “not failing” and succeeding. Your parents want you to succeed.

C’s get degrees. And very few employers will check your GPA, so you can simply “not fail” by getting C’s. But if you get C’s in school, then you are probably going to get the equivalent of a C on your performance report from your future manager. In a professional context, that absolutely is failing.

Getting good grades isn’t a sign of intelligence, it’s a sign of hard work, so this lesson applies even if you don’t plan on going to college.

1

u/Radiant-North-8519 Sophomore (10th) 20h ago

yeah, I'm definitely not planning on going to college

1

u/Reddittoxin 14h ago

Also the C's get degrees thing doesn't apply to all majors. There's a lot that will make you retake the course if you get a C. My major (education) wouldn't accept anything less than a 3.0 overall for graduation, and any of the core education courses could only be passed with an A/B. You could get a C in your Gen Ed's, but not the education courses.

1

u/Theddoctor 20h ago

B+ in AP mandarin as a son of Latino immigrants got me semi grounded for a whole ass semester. Parents forget that their generation is illiterate as fuck bc their schools were so dogshit and easier than today’s. Also, unless ur aiming for a fancy uni, who tf cares about a C.

1

u/willin_489 Rising Freshman (9th) 19h ago

You're cooked if you think your parents seeing C's as failing marks is unreasonable.

1

u/tsubasa__williams 17h ago

you got nice parents a anything below an a is failing

1

u/Annual-Shift9786 11h ago

My kids are grounded with cs. It’s not that I want to be mean I just want them to succeed because I know they can.

-7

u/My-Last-Hope 2d ago

Unpopular opinion, but I think anything below an A is failing.

See, you're competing with so many other people for this right? There will definitely be an excess of people with As and A*s. If you can't even earn an A, you're likely going to be left behind and not grt into a good college

6

u/Nova_Voltaris 2d ago

Sounds like someone’s school had grade inflation

1

u/My-Last-Hope 1d ago

Our school's average grade for any of our subjects is A, or it's equivalent lol

4

u/Radiant-North-8519 Sophomore (10th) 2d ago

my guy since when 😭

1

u/My-Last-Hope 1d ago

since starting last few years ago iirc, it got rlly competitive mannn

4

u/cavs2024champs College Student 2d ago

and even if they don’t they’ll be ight, most schools are very easy to transfer into. most people don’t go to top schools and they’re still fine

1

u/OceanAmethyst 2d ago

What classes do you take?

Because if you take Honors/AP/College classes, you may have some merit to say this, but if you're not in any of these, please be quiet.

And heaven forbid you're in middle school.

I say this as someone who's about to take college classes in their Junior year, so don't claim I'm too gentle.

1

u/My-Last-Hope 1d ago

Why do you think my classes matter in how valid my opinion is?

2

u/S_xyjihad Freshman (9th) 1d ago

Because if you are taking all basic courses with no advanced then there's far less effort required for an A. I have a friend who had a low A with studying in Adv Alg 2, and he dropped to regular for personal reasons, and is now sitting at over 100% without paying attention or studying.