[QUOTE=eleanorigby]
Do you know what is seriously saving me at this point? The fact that TDS is a rerun all week…
I have a parent/teacher conference soon, and I need to flatiron my hair. I am worried about the P/T thing. See, I have always been in the (now recognized by me and appreciated, but not at the time) of having kids that teachers raved about. And I mean raved-to the point where I would be all like, look, he’s 6, ok? My two older ones liked school, read early, did well, do the whole gifted, AP thing now. Academics has never been a real issue for them (ocassional math woes, but overall, bupkus).
#2 son, whom I adore, school is not so much. I think he’s smart, but it’s like he doesn’t care. He (unknown to me, but now that I know-this WILL change) hasn’t been bothering to turn his work in. Ummm..not good. He is not as “advanced” as the other two, but I wouldn’t care about that, IF he were actually, you know-doing the work. We got him a tutor, whom he likes a great deal, and I work with him every day on his spelling.
How can you get an A in science, but a C in language arts? I don’t get it-science demands inference, comprehension, proper grammar and the like. How does this not translate? (all of this is at the 3rd grade level, mind). So, I am confused and concerned. His math is ok-a solid C, which, given the witch he had last year, I’m proud of.
My problem is this: after 3rd grade, kids are tracked. And his grades are tracking him into the Misfits (euphemism for every behavior nightmare out there). He is not an independent sort-and if you spend all day with Trouble…
Gah-sorry to spout all this at you guys. I DID write a whole page of my paper-most of it shite, but it’s a Process.
Here is what I need:
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we are doing our part. What is teacher doing? (dunno as yet).
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Anyone getting in the way of him turning in his homework (ie intimidation etc-it sounds crazy, but a kid was SUSPENDED from 3rd grade this year. How do you get suspended in 3rd grade? I’ll tell you how-you jump onto the teacher’s desk and yell FUCK, alot. That’s how. This kid is in #2 son’s class).
3.what else can we do? He doesn’t qualify for testing (and I doubt he needs it-what I need is how to motivate a kid who doesn’t seem to mind coasting along-IF I can do so…).
- how not to cry about this in the conference? I am PMSing hugely and even commercials are getting to me today…
** just so you don’t think we’re crazed yuppie parents, we have always said to the kids that a B is a good grade, that they don’t have to succeed to please us. But there is a difference between doing well because you are capable of it, and doing well because your love and acceptance depends upon it, if you follow me…I’ll shut up now.
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I get your last thought completely. This is always what we have told our kids.
My son went through a period of time when, although he was doing well, he was basically coasting. He was BORED. I told the teacher this, so she found more challenging work for him to do. That nipped the problem right in the bud.