If it’s a specific test score or project mark that you’re trying to hide, don’t bring the graded document home. If you have an upcoming test or project that you’re worried about, avoid telling your parents about it beforehand. Otherwise, they will expect you to tell them about how you did once you get your grade back.
Cutting it up Throwing it into a fire Shredding it Burying it Soaking it in water Throwing it into the recycling or garbage right before collection
Check the mail every day so that you can grab the report card from the box before your parents do. Make sure to take in all the mail every day. To avoid suspicion, begin checking the mail a couple weeks before you’re expecting the report card, and continue checking daily for a couple weeks after the grade has arrived.
If your school sends report cards or grades to parents via email, you will need your parents’ email addresses and passwords so that you can login to their accounts to intercept and delete the email before they have a chance to see it. [5] X Research source
Forging the signature of a parent without their consent is often considered fraud and is usually illegal. [6] X Research source You can also try signing your own name in a creative way and hope that your teachers don’t catch on.
Log on to the portal. Copy the format of your grades into an editing program. Manually alter the grades and print off the changed report. Show it to your parents.
Keep in mind that it may not be practical to always be available for the phone. If you are not sure when the call will come, your best bet is to block the school’s number.
Lying to people you love can make you feel guilty, isolated, and it can destroy the trust you and your parents share. [9] X Research source If you are feeling bad about covering up your grade, consider telling your parents the truth. If you’ve got a bad grade and haven’t yet hidden it from your parents, you may be worrying more than you need to, and your parents may not be as mad as you think! Telling them the truth may be scary, but it’s better than lying and then feeling guilty. [10] X Research source Talk back to your negative and anxious self-talk so you feel less nervous about the upcoming conversation. Instead of thinking catastrophic thoughts like “I’m a failure” or “I’m never going to pass this class,” think something like “I’ve learned from my mistakes and I know what to do differently next time. " It’ll be easier to talk to your parents when you’re in a kinder and gentler headspace.
The kinds of questions your parents will ask you so that you can be prepared with some good answers. Why you did what you did or why you got the grade you did so that you can explain yourself clearly. How you feel about what you’ve done and how your parents might react. Remember—your parents want you to feel good about yourself, and that comes with a much more important goal for them than any single bad grade.
If you schedule a family meeting, make sure you set the date soon so everything is still fresh in your mind. If you’d rather approach your parents, pick a time when they aren’t busy or stressed out, or they may not give you their full attention, and may not react calmly.
Tell them you got your report card and that you weren’t happy with the mark. If you tried to hide the report card first, tell them that you’ve known for a while and didn’t tell them right away, and that you know it was wrong. Let them ask questions, and answer them honestly.
If you did hide the truth from your parents in the beginning, be ready for larger consequences. Your parents may not even care about the grade, but they will care that you lied to them. [11] X Research source But remember if you do get punished, you’re being punished for the lie you told, not for telling the truth about it. If you hid a bad grade and haven’t told your parents, be prepared for them to find out, and be ready for even larger consequences. Your parents could find out from a friend, colleague, teacher, or someone else, and they will be very displeased when they find out that you’ve lied to them and didn’t come clean. [12] X Research source
You might say, “I didn’t do well on this test, but I learned from it. I know that it’s not the end of the world, and there’s lots of other opportunities for me to do well in school. "
