How do I tell my Mom about a BAD grade?

Sit your mother down and say that you want to talk to her about something serious. Then tell her about the teacher. That she is a bad teacher, and you would like to transfer out of her class. Then tell her about your grade.

You should try communicating with your teachers (not just your English one) as well as your school’s student counselors first if you think you’ll have a hard time talking to your parents on your own.

If you’d like an opinion, I’d like to point out that life simply isn’t fair, and that applies for school, too. Teaching is actually a very complicated skill, and there is no single method for getting knowledge into your head. I’m going to assume you are a middle/jr. high school student, and if you are, you’d better be ready for a surprise come high school.

I can explain more if you’d give me a little more detail on why this class is harder now because of the new teacher.

Ask the teacher how to improve: A teacher that cares will give some thoughtful suggestions, and also the teacher might think twice before giving you a bad grade in the future.

After you have done this: come up with a study plan that will, in your mind, ensure improvement in the class. Show this plan to your teacher and your mom and then properly execute the plan. This will show them a strong commitment on your part and a desire to truly learn a lesson from your bad grade. Planning is the key!

just say “Mom I messed up and got a bad grade, but don’t worry I’m doing everything I can to rectify this”

Well, the first thing you need to do is stop blaming the teacher and take some responsibility for yourself. I don’t see a shred of personal responsibility for the situation in your response. Hopefully, when you tell your parents, you can state “I got a bad grade because I did X. Next semester, I will do Y instead. ”

What is an “E” grade anyway? I have only seen A ,B, C, D and F.

Is it just on one assignment, or is this your average so far? If it’s your average so far, be prepared to have to answer the question of “Why haven’t you told me you’re having problems before?”

It doesn’t sound necessarily that it’s a “bad” teacher, it sounds like the teacher is harder and has different expectations than your other teachers. And perhaps that makes her a great teacher, but you just don’t realize it yet ( my clue to this is this statement in your question – you can’t study with her in the classroom) It sounds like she expects you to study on your own time, and that she lectures, and expects you to pay attention to the lecture.

That being said, you tell your mother that your teacher is much more like a college instructor and that you are having a hard time learning to adjust to her teaching style. Your grade is awful because you haven’t adjusted to more rigorous requirements, and that you are planning on meeting with the teacher to figure out what you need to do differently to be successful in the class.

And then you do just that. Don’t blame the teacher; her job isn’t to give you an A. Your job is to figure out what you need to do to be successful with different teaching styles. Sometimes that means learning to take notes differently, and putting in more time studying at home.

Boy, I can’t agree with @crisw more.

“IT’S THE NEW TEACHER!!!”

when the student is ready the teacher will appear

Just say you messed up and that you’ll try everything to try to bring it up.

Tell her that you have some serious news. Then explain about the grade, and tell her that you plan to make up for it. Be specific. Promise to study more and possibly get some tutoring. Your mother is more likely to believe in your sincerity (and be less angry) if you suggest specific ways to fix the problem.

Tell her you got into a fistfight and the other child’s parents are threatening to sue. Then tell her you’re just kidding and then tell her you got a bad grade. She’ll be so relieved that there is no lawsuit she won’t care about the bad grade anymore.

I’m actually just kidding. If you’re going to do it, honesty and promptness is the best policy. If you think she might go off, either tell her in public where she’s less likely to get as emotional as she might behind closed doors or tell her while you’re not physically there: over the phone. That way if she over-reacts then you can just end the conversation until she’s calm enough to talk rationally.