My DS 12 is so unhappy this year in grade 7. Social things and school work. He has been home sick often - avoiding and perhaps physical manifestations of stress.
I'm concerned and the school is too. I try to have him explain what we could do in the school setting to make things better (as well as coaching him on how to deal with social issues). He can't explain what he wants/needs for learning. Perhaps that's age appropriate but when you mix that in with his desire to not stand out it leaves our hands tied in how to fix it.
The social issues don't seem severe (the comments other kids make aren't extreme) but he feels things deeper than the average kid so a sarcastic remark can really derail him. Also, his over reaction puzzles the other kids. He is miserable.
I am meeting with his teacher and the special needs counselor soon but don't know what to say/ask for or even if they can do anything. The Ministry of Education report/mandate for gifted kids is pretty wide open. Though I'm sure the reality of scarce resources makes it difficult for the teachers to actually do much of it.
An option is distributed learning - basically school at home with a teacher supervising - remotely. It works for me as I work at home. It might be perfect for him but I'm afraid it will be a comfy hiding spot and won't allow him to work through things. That said, perhaps we'd all be miserable if put back into grade 7 even with our current skills.
Also, high school starts next year for him (grade 8 here). Would like him to go as it might be a wonderful world for him. Afraid that allowing him to pull away will make it harder for him to go.
Thoughts? Can't figure out what he needs, afraid to pull him out of his social world and want him to get excited about learning again.
