What can I do?

Question

My 9 y/o has made straight A's since kindergarten. She brought her progress report home yesterday and had a B in mathand a C in English. The school started a new academic program this year and alot of the kids are having trouble. She was really liking school and is even in the gifted and talented club .Now she is starting to not like it. Some of the stuff she is doing is what i did in high school. Some I have never seen. This is not GT stuff this is what all the 4th graders are doing. She is in 4 th. HELP!

Answer 1

Your kid got letter grades in kindergarten??? I didn't get actual grades until middle school! But aside from that, try talking to her. If kids are stressed or unhappy, a lot of times their grades will slip. Find out if anything's bothering her. Maybe she doesn't like her teacher, and would do better in another classroom, or maybe there's something you could change at home that would help her be more relaxed. Also talk to her teacher and find out what's going on.

If all the fourth graders are struggling, maybe the school needs to rethink their new curriculum. If it's a private school, you can always pull her out and send her somewhere else. If it's a public school, your only option there would be to get the school to change. Talk to the other parents. If they all report that their kids are having problems, go to the school board, start a petition to change things, and do whatever it takes to get things fixed. The highest preforming schools are the ones where the parents take an active role and shaping their child's education. However, if she's in a public school, you have to realize how unbelievably lucky you are to have a public school that's able to actually challenge your gifted child. The majority of public schools are crappy overall, but are particularly bad for gifted kids as they tend to teach to the bottom of the class.

For what it's worth, though, if I'm getting an A in a class it's almost always because the class is too easy. She'll learn a lot more if she's having to work harder. It may just be that her previous classes have been to easy for her, and when it doesn't come easily she doesn't know what to do. Better she learn to deal with it now than when she hits high school. And if she can't learn to deal with taking a class she's not getting an A in, it'll catch up with her sooner or later and she'll have a problem.

Answer 2

Petition Or Write A letter To The School Board Or Both

Answer 3

ask her why she doesn't enjoy it. it's possible the regimen is too radical, or the teaching method isn't "bridged" enough to give the kids enough chance to adjust. it's possible the teacher knows the new regimen but can't quite "translate" the lessons in a language or method the kids can enjoy, much less understand. you think you could "complement" things at home, in a language and in a study atmosphere she used to enjoy? otherwise, raise it with the PTA. i'm sure the other parents are just as concerned as you are, and rightly so. good luck!