I took my quiz Tuesday and got it back today. I got a 50%. I need to get it signed (so does the rest of my class) but if I go to either of my parents, they will be upset and angry. So what can I do??
"Mom, Dad, I have a quiz I need you to sign because I failed it. I think the reason I failed it is _____, and in the future I am going to _____ to try to prevent it from happening again."
The first _____ and the second _____ need to be connected. If you think you failed the quiz because you didn't have time to study the material, for example, maybe you should be studying on the bus on the way to school so that you have more study time. If you think you failed the quiz because you didn't really understand the material even though you tried, maybe you should be asking questions in class -- and maybe you should read the part of the textbook that deal with the topics you are *about to* cover in class rather than the ones you *recently* covered. That way, you can make a list of questions you have, see which ones the teacher answers in class, and then ask the rest. If you think you failed the quiz because you were too tired to focus, then maybe you should either go to bed at a reasonable time even if there are still things you want or need to do (I've found that it's better to go to bed when I'm tired, because I will be able to do the work much better after I've rested; staying up late to finish work just results in badly-done work and me being tired the next day) or talk to your boss about needing to get off work by a certain time.
The second _____ not only needs to be something you believe will work to fix the problem, but it also needs to be something you're willing to do. If you are going to shoot hoops with your friends after school for a couple of hours before starting your homework, then don't say you'll do your homework as soon as you get home; that will just result in angry parents later on.
But if you have thought through what went wrong and how to try to fix it, you will show your parents that you are taking responsibility for your academic performance (even if something to do with your performance is not your *fault* it is still your *responsibility*), and as long as you follow through, that's something that most parents respect.