Hello all,
Background: DS 12 is in 7th grade in accelerated math and honors core. Tested into district GT program when he was 6 and tested on the WISC when he was 8 at 144 FSIQ/151 GAI.
He had poor EF function in elementary school. It improved in 6th grade when he entered MS likely due to the crushing load of homework they had. Much of the work was really "how pretty can you make this look?" which for a kid with horrible handwriting who was more interested in thinking about the subjects he was learning than showing the teachers what they wanted to see in exactly the way they wanted to see it, it was a problem. Still received all As. Note that his highly ranked public school with many gifties and/or high performers that places 39 kids in the accelerated classes so they can reduce the numbers in nonaccelerated classes.
Anyhoo, 7th grade now. He's worked harder and has made a conscientious effort to a better job on everything including doing it "the way they want to see it". But it's like the bar is higher to do pretty work and the grading opportunities are fewer and far between. Example: in science (in which there is no accelerated or honors track), he missed two points out of five on a chart of notes on the elements. I agree it was not beautiful but the information was there. This occurred on another project that was worth 5 points and missed one. Those three points are the difference, I kid you not, between an A and a B+ in the class. Because of this, my very science loving kid cannot qualify for Science Olympiad because at this point in time, despite As on the actual tests, he has a B+.
Nonetheless, we are trying to use it as a teachable moment that you have to always do the best you can possibly do because sometimes those three points will come back to bite you. Sometimes it's easier for others to do pretty and neat work but he needs to work harder to achieve that result because he will not get the benefit of the doubt. So this kid, who has done two summers of Pre Med work at a local gifted academy and who is headed off to CTY's Intensive Studies course in Intro to Biomedical Science is feeling miserable because he's not even getting the opportunity to interview for Science Olympiad.
This is slightly different from math. He's not a super-mathy kid. He vacillates between an A and high B+ through the year for dumb mistakes. He will inevitably get the answer right but fail to show all the work so he misses points. But since it's Algebra, that's the whole point, right? He's working harder there, too.
This is a long way of asking this: since he's learning better work habits along the way and learning the material, isn't that the whole point? If getting a B+ in a class teaches him he can't coast or slack, won't that ultimately be a good thing that will help him have better success in class in high school and college?
Or should I be worried that he might start do worse as the expectations grow?
Anyone BTDT? Suggestions? Perspectives? Or is there really nothing to see here?
Thank you kindly for any advice/insight.
