Question
A couple of months ago I wrote to you regarding my 12 year-old son who has never done great at school and started out this year doing particularly bad (2 D's, the rest ok). I was not anticipating having a bad year this year because he had an awesome year last year, earning participation in the schools scholastic reward program by earing a 3.3 and 3.2 GPA, his highest ever. This year has been completely different. I wrote that I am determined to get him taking responsibility for his school work this year and I put him on weekly reports 4 weeks ago at the beginning of the second semester, 7th grade. Well I am just so frustrated, he has been telling me how he has been working harder and I have seen him doing his work but his teachers sent home grades today and he has a D in science and an F in math. He tells me he has been trying but insists that the class he is in is awful and full of cut ups. Both my husband and I sat in on a full day of class and saw this first hand. He is in a class full of clowns and kids who are disruptive. He says it is too noisy, the kids talk all the time and the teachers are going to fast through the material. He is begging me to get him out of this class. I am not sure what to do. On one hand I know that class situation is not ideal and is probably a contributing factor and on the other hand I do not want him blaming the situation for his low test scores and missing asssignments. I have never asked to have him moved from a class, never even requested as some parents do a certain teacher. I am really worried about him getting behind. When if ever do you recommend the parents getting involved and stepping in and asking for a different class for their child? I am so worried because I do not see the same excitement or drive that I saw in him last year, he is unmotivated and I do feel that some of it is the students he is with. I really thought that complete restriction as he has been on for the last 3 weeks would work. He is extremely social and misses his neighborhood friends terribly. Keeping him in every day and restricting him is not producing the results I thought it wouldd. Your thought are deeply appreciated.
