Just when I thought things had calmed down and were going on the right track. OK, do you remember when Gregory brought home a letter at midterm saying that he was in danger of failing four classes due to not doing his homework? Well, it appears that even after a month’s worth of grounding, he still managed to fail one of them. And not only fail it, but go from an A- in the first quarter to an F in the second?? HOW in the world does one manage that?? Seems like an awful lot of work involved. Or non-work, as the case may be. I am absolutely dumbfounded. And the rest of the report card just doesn’t make any sense. An A, a B, two C-‘s, and the F. No consistency, no rhyme or reason. No juxtaposition between the homework I was checking EVERY day and the grades brought home.
I really haven’t the faintest idea what to do. I never got an F, so I have no parental frame of reference to deal with this. More grounding? Apparently it will have to be something pretty harsh, because the first one did next to nothing. And in any case I have decided to wait to do something until the end of the week, because of course the same day that they handed out report cards was the day right before winter vacation week started. 😡
Of course this also comes right before the results of the exam school (Boston Latin) entrance test are going to be given. So even IF he got in based on his test scores, he will most likely be passed over due to his current grades. Nice.
Anyone have any suggestions?
Categories: Miscellany
6 Comments
Master Foley · February 22, 2005 at 12:02 pm
I was a straight A student in HS and when I got to Senior English I just didnt care. I hated the teacher and I was tired of school. even tired of my parents getting onto me about my grades. but i realized an F wasnt gonna fly period and i realized that I could do better than that.
im not sure how to disipline someone but that is some insight into the motivation behind getting an F at midterm
duane/pixel · February 22, 2005 at 1:53 pm
It seems a little odd that he did relatively well in the other classes and flunked the one so horribly. You even checked his homework to make sure it was being done. To me, it looks like there is something more going on with that one class – more than another grounding can fix. Maybe it is the teacher causing him problems? Maybe it is other pupils? Maybe it is the subject material? Call me crazy…but the result of the work he has done should be more than an F, correct? Be a detective and bail your son out of “F” jail.
Bitchitude · February 22, 2005 at 2:13 pm
Tricia, I think Duane nailed it–there’s the liklihood something ‘else’ is happeneing with that particular class, and it could be any number of things that caused it..time to break out the spyglass, the conference with the teacher, and a good heart to heart with your son.
As for solutions-he’s too young for this, but when you hold getting a driver’s license over a 16 year old’s head–the grade increases are amazing! However, I don’t think that applies in this case 🙂
Hang in there and do some investigating.
Synthia · February 22, 2005 at 3:29 pm
I have to agree with Duane and Master Foley. If he’s done reasonably well with all of his other classes and you’ve constantly checked that his work was done and he still got an “f”, Then something more is going on! I wasn’t a straight A student in high school – I certainly have my math teacher to thank for that one! I have spent 4 years working in the New York City education system, I can in all honesty say that these teachers no longer teach for the sake of the students learning- They teach for statewide exams and that is it. So when a child has a problem grasping a concept , In the schools eyes that’s just too bad. I had the greatest problems in highschool level math and without excessive tutoring I would not have made it. I want you to know that I went on to college and stayed on the Dean’s honor’s list holding a 4.0 gpa. Do some investigating,it’ll be woth you and your sons while! Be Blessed!
moon · February 22, 2005 at 4:30 pm
HI Tricia, I wish I could offer you some good advice but I am going through something similar with my 14 yr old daughter. Still trying to iron things out and getting a study schedule established in both her dad’s home and mine and same basic ground rules before things get worse. I thing the most frustrating thing for parents is when we know they are capable of way more when they make an effort. Oh well..hopefully we can figure it out along the way.
I initially stopped by to thank you for taking the time to comment on my blog. I am glad I did…I have enjoyed reading yours and plan to return. Have a great day …till next time….
Rachelle · February 22, 2005 at 4:42 pm
I was pretty much an “A” student in high school – but Freshman year Algebra saw a great big fat “F” on my report card.
I had trouble grasping the subject right of the bat, and that teacher just didn’t care about the students who couldn’t do the work.
I eventually just gave up and started sleeping through class… You should definitely look into what might be up in that one class. There’s a “reason” there. You just have to find it.
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