“My son is a gifted student who is failing.”
(continued)
Dear Annie,
I have talked to his teacher and she was unaware that he was so young, he should be in 5th grade but is in 6th and taking 7th grade Algebra. I think he'll always have issues with organization and maturity. She has repeatedly asked him to show his work on homework and tests for which he hasn't done. He's gifted in this area and most of it he does in his head. I think what maybe the problem is the teacher thinks he's cheating with a calculator and he is very sensitive to the teacher's attitude towards him and is mortified that anyone would accuse him of this, especially coming from a small school where his teachers trusted him implicitly.I think the larger classroom size is overwhelming for him but, he insists that he wants to stay at this school and he'll start talking to his teachers more, which he did and I did, and that he thinks he'll be more engaged with some new areas of study they are introducing this month. I guess a lot of what they were learning before, he already had at his last school. So I don't think he's being bullied but, I'll ask him to make sure.
Troubled Parent
Dear Troubled Parent,
It sounds like your son has had a lot of changes to deal with at this new school. Hearing about it, I'm not surprised that he may be having some adjustment issues. I'm proud of you for being on top of it. You did the right thing by talking to the teacher. I'd say that you should continue to monitor how he's feeling and how willing he is to talk to you about what's going on in school. The fact that he "insists that he wants to stay at this school" is a very positive sign. He may see the new environment as a challenge, but he feels good about his ability to deal with. That's a good thing.
Good luck and write back any time.
In friendship,
Annie
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