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Family Matters:  Junior High Woes  |
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highlandviewpantry
True Blue Farmgirl
214 Posts
WV
USA
214 Posts |
 Posted - Apr 26 2010 : 06:34:53 AM
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My son has always had good grades and high test scores. This is his first year in junior high and his grades have dropped dramatically. He tested into the gifted program but wasn't allowed to stay in it because his grades dropped. Background info - He goes to a private K-8 school and he has no social or stress problems. He has a difficult teacher who is known to knock kids down a notch with hard grading. My husband is calling the school today to get a meeting with the principal. We have grounded our son from TV, computer, video games - anything he could waste time with until the school year is over. My question is do kid's grades really drop when they are bored? I ask because I am thinking of sending him to a different school or homeschooling. He is so bright and regardles of why this is happening the bottom line is he isn't learning at his current school. Anyone have any ideas?
www.thehighlandviewpantry.blogspot.com |
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1badmamawolf
True Blue Farmgirl
2199 Posts
Teresa
"Bent Fence Farms"
Ca
USA
2199 Posts |
Posted - Apr 26 2010 : 07:39:50 AM
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My daughter is a Junior High teacher, so i read her your post, and she said YES, when kids are bored their grades do drop. If what they are being taught, is way too easy for them, there's no challenge, and without challenge, it becomes mundane and "boreing"!!! My daughter too was in the gifted programs at school, and she was constantly looking for new challenges, she held a 4.4 grade average from 4th grade, all the way thru high school. She loved school so much that she would not allow herself to get lazy and drop her grade average, and she was lucky that there were a couple of teachers in High School who would constantly challenge her, and she was always doing extra credit to keep busy. Try to find that perfect balence for him to stay busy and competative, cause when the boredom sets in, its hard to get back from it sometimes. Good Luck
"Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Apr 26 2010 : 07:49:29 AM
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I hate to ask, but are there maybe other problems besides school? Maybe he's worried about something or depressed. It could be a physical problem. Maybe there is something under the surface here. I hope you can get to the bottom of this soon. That would worry me. And teachers can be mean sometimes too. He might not be getting along with this particlar teacher.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
Edited by - kristin sherrill on Apr 27 2010 12:44:29 AM |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Apr 26 2010 : 08:24:20 AM
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I have 3 kids in middle school right now (and 4 others aleady through it) and from my experience..especially with my 5 boys...the first year of middle school they are overwhelmed and unorganized and it really makes a difference. Plus all the usual puberty stuff they are dealing with. I have had to really stay on top of their grades for the first time as they seem to really have a hard time in 6th and 7th grade....the good news is that for all of mine it got easier by 8th grade...and high school was much easier for the ones I have through it already. I really think middle school are the hardest years. Good luck! Knowing that you care enough to be on top of it will mean alot to him..even if he doesn't act like it.
Jenny in Utah
Proud Farmgirl sister #24
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Apr 26 2010 : 08:25:57 AM
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i had one extremely gifted son. he is now 42 and doing great. he was always bored and needed a positive challenge not neg. one. we helped him get into pre college classes when he was in 6 and 7th yr. of school. it helped. also what are his interests. we always allowed the boys to persue those. for reading the teacher allowed other reading material not just the regular stuff. we tried to incorporate the learning into everyday stuff. like bills car costs etc. for math. we did field trips for credits.i had to always keep the boys challenged in a fun way. it got us through the years. i have one son that is a free spirit. we allowed him to go to a special school and it helped a lot.i knew he would always be much like me. he is so creative now. he is a mentor for young kids.when he was in 6th grade his challenge was boredom and restless. i spoke with the school and he was aloud to leave class and run laps when he could not sit still. it helped. he was also ask to mentor kids in lower grades. it helped.we have arists in our family back to disney starting up. so some of the family is a bit different, me included. lol talking with him in a sincere way on a day you see he is open to talk helps. i had 4 boys and all their friends. i spoke openly to them. ask question most parents do not ask. they will open up if they feel safe. one son needed time with me at that age. we would go camp together and target practice. he talked out there by the fire. i learned. i listened ALL the time. something is a miss with your son. work at it excavate the whole thing before you decide.a different school means new friends. are the ones he has now good kids? they may not be at the other school. home schooling is wonderful. after public sometimes it works sometimes not. Big decision. i love kids. they are always in my ife. even now when mine are grown. i am nana to kids and i try to help them along. its a hard age you have now. they are also forming in their brain what their wife will be like. i learned this when i was trying to help my boys. just as we have the 2 yr. old behaviors. there are stages all through life. he is forming hie thoughts of girls now. i camped and biked and beach surfed with the boys and taught them to cook at his age really felt moved to help. love is so important now for him. we had a swimming pool and diving board and a mom home in the summer. i spent months with tons of boys. we bbqd. swam and i LISTENED. i love that time in my life. you can do this. he is stretching right now. you sound like a great loving mom. you are seeing his needs. you two can get through this together. i am rattling on so sorry. i was moved by this post. hope i can help a little sincerely sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farmgirl #1014
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Faransgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
895 Posts
Beth
Houston
Texas
USA
895 Posts |
Posted - Apr 26 2010 : 11:00:16 AM
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I have three daughters in college now. The one that had the most trouble in jr. high is the one that is now working on her masters degree and carrying a 3.9 grade point average in masters degree work. I found that how well the kids did varied with the teacher. My youngest nearly failed math 6 years running in Jr. High and High School. After she graduated High School we discovered that each and every one of the math teachers she had for those 6 years were either fired or it turned out had History or English degrees and were teaching math. Now in College math she is pulling a 3.5 grad point average. I think in most cases the teacher is 85 to 90 percent the problem. Not that they are not good teachers it is just that different kids learn differently. If the teacher is a verbal learner it is hard for her/him to teach visual learners, etc. Also, with my oldest who is gifted and very very head strong we had a lot of problems with teachers because she felt it her calling in life to let them know if they made a mistake. She would do research and present them with factual evidence if they made an error, not smart usually but she couldn't help herself. They seldom to it kindly and she got graded very stiffly by those teachers. The problems may also be pressure from other kids. There was a study recently about kids doing badly because it isn't considered "cool" to be smart and make good grades. So it could be alot of things going on. One of my kids would do her homework and then not bother to turn it in. I finally had to talk to the teacher (who was failing her) and we went through my daughters back pack and turned all the homework in. I went in every friday for a while and turned in her work. Finally the teacher would just sit her down and make her go through her back pack and pull everything out. It was a terrible year for her. Just try to talk to him and the teacher and see if you can get a handle on what is going on.
Farmgirl Sister 572
When manure happens just say "WOO HOO Fertilizer". |
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FebruaryViolet
True Blue Farmgirl
4810 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4810 Posts |
Posted - Apr 26 2010 : 11:10:46 AM
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Oh, I totally blocked out 7th and 8th grade in Junior High because it was so horrible...small fish in a big pond after primary school, "creative and intellectual interests" trumped sports, so I didn't fit in, and the teachers? The worst. They didn't care whether you made it or you didn't, so to someone who was already feeling bored, I learned to not care as well. My grades suffered, my psyche suffered. My mother ended up taking me from public school and put me in private school, where I was much happier, and the academics were challenging. Did just fine...I think Junior High is a really awful place, frankly, and so many of my "I hate school" feelings came from those 2 years...once I was in a place where I felt I belonged, it was so much more beneficial for all!
Musings from our family in the Bluegrass http://sweetvioletmae.blogspot.com/ |
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KanMogirl
True Blue Farmgirl
349 Posts
Katherine
Rock
Kansas
USA
349 Posts |
Posted - Apr 26 2010 : 3:57:20 PM
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I am a para-educator at a middle school (6-8). As you probably know, there could be many reasons for your son's drop in grades. Many of the previous replys have good suggestions. I, also, would consider bullying. Sometimes kids get bullied for being smart. Some kids will not try as hard if they feel they are picked on by other kids for being smart. .Or they don't want the responsibility. I hope you soon find out what the problem is. At this age they want to be so grown up but yet want to be little sometimes, again.
I would rather wear out than rust out.----Richard Cumberland |
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highlandviewpantry
True Blue Farmgirl
214 Posts
WV
USA
214 Posts |
Posted - Apr 27 2010 : 05:39:18 AM
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Well - I think we are getting to the bottom of things. He got in the car yesterday and cried - stating that he hated his teacher. He had given a power point presentation. The teacher gave him a B and stated it was because she felt he completed too much of it at home instead of in class. He didn't because we don't have power point. He is really frustrated with her and I think it has made him feel like it isn't worth trying. Other parents have complained about this teacher but some love her. She plays favorites but she also chooses kids to knock down a notch. He is not having any other school or social problems. He is very well liked by the kids in his class because he is generally kind. He's not ultra-popular but he isn't picked on either. I do however think the idea of being smart isn't cool may be playing a role in his lack of effort as well. I think he is also bored. he is grounded until school is out. In a day's time he read The Lightning Thief. Not a school assignment but something he is interested in. Our meeting with the principal is set up for Monday. We are leaning towards homeschooling everyone next year except our high school daughter. But, homeschooling has been in the back of our minds for awhile. we are going to go to some homeschooling conferences this summer to get a feel for things.
www.thehighlandviewpantry.blogspot.com |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Apr 27 2010 : 06:05:26 AM
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I am so glad he told you what was bothering him. And I hope you get some good info from the HS conference. I wish you lots of luck.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Apr 27 2010 : 1:55:07 PM
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good job mom, that is a fine thing. he obviously feels safe with you.i know it will all work out. schools are just not the same anymore. sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farmgirl #1014
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tea_lady_tammy
True Blue Farmgirl
1485 Posts
Tammy
NE
USA
1485 Posts |
Posted - Apr 27 2010 : 7:10:53 PM
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Schools are different but please remember there are lots of good teachers who work very hard to challenge their students and do really care about them. It is easy to make everything about the teachers and sometimes it is but most of them work their tails off because they do care for ones under their care. Just an opinion from a teacher.
blessings
Tammy
Tea is like being in the stars with God.
http://breathsoffaith.blogspot.com |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
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highlandviewpantry
True Blue Farmgirl
214 Posts
WV
USA
214 Posts |
Posted - Apr 28 2010 : 3:11:59 PM
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[quote]Originally posted by tea_lady_tammy
Schools are different but please remember there are lots of good teachers who work very hard to challenge their students and do really care about them. It is easy to make everything about the teachers and sometimes it is but most of them work their tails off because they do care for ones under their care. Just an opinion from a teacher.
blessings
Tammy
Tea is like being in the stars with God.
My kids have had lots of wonderful teachers but this one in particular has a history of poor teaching skills and grading hard. My husband has a doctorate in English and re-graded some papers that came home C's and should have been B's. Her knowledge of the content she is required to teach is weak. Many families have transferred their children because of her (private school). When my daughter had her there were problems but not to this extent. The teacher seems to dislike boys. That being said I really appreciate all the dedicated teachers my kids have had over the years. The frustration for me is when a year of learning is wasted because of a poor teacher. At one of our local high schools a teacher was taped with a student cell phone and uploaded to you tube because she showed up drunk and danced in front of the class. She was fired and the student got detention for using a cell phone during class. I can't imagine how horrible it was for the parents of those students to realize how much of their children's education was being squandered. My younger son has a great teacher this year and my two junior high kids have a great history teacher. Unfotunately quality of education can be hit or miss.
www.thehighlandviewpantry.blogspot.com |
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KanMogirl
True Blue Farmgirl
349 Posts
Katherine
Rock
Kansas
USA
349 Posts |
Posted - Apr 28 2010 : 6:34:23 PM
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I hope all those parents who transferred their children to another school told the school why they were leaving. Nothing will ever be accomplished about this teacher if no one is willing to step up. My oldest daughter had trouble with a coach her senior year. I would hear people talk in the bleachers about his playing favoritism to his daughter but none of them would complain to the board. We did and so did another parent. Something was done about it.
I would rather wear out than rust out.----Richard Cumberland |
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tea_lady_tammy
True Blue Farmgirl
1485 Posts
Tammy
NE
USA
1485 Posts |
Posted - Apr 28 2010 : 7:27:22 PM
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I sure hope the parents let the school board and principal know why they left. I totally see where you are coming from. It always breaks my heart when a teacher doesn't do their job and no one will step up for the children. Can't the other teachers see that she is not a good teacher? At our school where I work, if someone is not doing their job, someone will let you know. As a teacher I appreciate that. Cause it keeps me on my toes. I hope your son gets through the rest of the year ok. I am sorry for what he is going through. It is not fair to him.
blessings
Tammy
Tea is like being in the stars with God.
http://breathsoffaith.blogspot.com |
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knittinchick
True Blue Farmgirl
1854 Posts
Megan
Wisconsin
1854 Posts |
Posted - Apr 28 2010 : 7:33:06 PM
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I'm considered a gifted student, and when something in school is boring, I don't try as hard because I don't have to. I was fortunate enough to be part of a gifted student language arts class the second quarter of school, and I tried harder because it was harder. Like the ladies before me, I do think that there are teachers that try and cater to all learning levels. My teacher in sixth grade was like that. She had us divided into two different reading groups, one of a few more mature readers, and the other group was the group of kids who needed a little less of a challenge.
God's Blessings,
Megan aka Loretta Rae
At heart, I am both a sassy city girl and a down-home country gal. |
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countrymum
True Blue Farmgirl
97 Posts
Lorie
PA
USA
97 Posts |
Posted - Apr 30 2010 : 12:10:48 PM
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Wow! some of these responses are very interesting. I have an 8th grade son who is gifted(he is one of the top 5 with the highest iq's in our state.)
First, I am confused how your child can be dropped out of the gifted class. A child is gifted because they were tested on thier IQ not their grades. If a child is gifted, they stay gifted, good grades or bad. If their grades are dropping that should raise concerns with teachers,principals,counslers and parents. Most teachers love teaching gifted children because they are challenged to "up their game" to teach them. So for your child's grades to drop there is definitely something wrong whether they are bored, bullied etc. and it needs to be addressed through a meeting with everyone and your child's school file and gifted iep present.
Secondly, most teachers are there for the right reasons and are wonderful however as with most professions there are some to who it is just a job. I think it is good that this teacher is challenging your child however, her methods seem questionable. She may not even realize this because this is how she has always done it and nobody has ever questioned her. You need to be your child's advocate and stick to your instincts, you know what is best for your child and it is your tax dollars funding this teacher's paycheck, ultimately she works for you. Good Luck!
"Life is brief & very fragile. Do that which makes you happy."- Flavia |
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Family Matters: Junior High Woes |
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Junior High Woes
