It was weird for me. When I was young I did super poory in school up to probably grade 6 or 7 (I got 60's and 70's). All my parents cared was that I tried my best. In grade 8+, I started to do quite well. I don't know what happened. And in University, I'm still doing well (3.90 GPA). My parents always credit that to private catholic schools 'beating' (figuratively) study habits into you. Which I guess is kinda true but I wouldn't say that's why I improved.
It's better to compliment your child's work ethic than to call them smart. For example, when I was a kid, my parents always called me smart so I always believed that I was smart. However, whenever I wasn't getting whatever my teachers taught me, I always got frustrated and gave up on my work because I didn't feel smart. Your parents probably acknowledged how hard you worked, so you'd always strive to keep trying whether you got the answers wrong or right because that's what pleased them in your eyes.
I don't know your life so I could be completely wrong but that's just my guess.
My dad was telling me that when I was younger I used to get super frustrated over work and get upset because I wanted to do things perfectly and understand them and I couldn't. That's when they started to tell me just do your best and it doesn't matter. It really must have helped and let me motivate myself over the years.
Highschool and college don't just test how smart you are, they also test how hard you work.
For all of you relating to this post, don't give up! School is a safe space to make mistakes and learn about yourself before you go into the real world. These skills can be worked on and they don't happen overnight :)
I think this happens to a lot of new college students...you do have to learn how to study. What worked for me was taking my own notes in own words as I read the textbook. Study from these then refer back to the book as needed. Form study groups, these are invaluable...have a mix of abilities so you can learn from others but also teach others. It does get easier as the classes get more focused on individual topics.
I don't know your life so I could be completely wrong but that's just my guess.
For all of you relating to this post, don't give up! School is a safe space to make mistakes and learn about yourself before you go into the real world. These skills can be worked on and they don't happen overnight :)