Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Gifted Underachiever?

Is that what you would call this?

Here are DS's 3rd grade teacher's comments on his progress report. DS "is still presenting minimal effort in his schoolwork. Many times he is up and 'walking' when there are tasks to be done. He is still not getting along with peers. Cooperation and appropriate behaviors are sometimes lacking."

If so (or even if not) I'd love your thoughts on how to address it? Nothing the teacher has done has significantly changed his behavior and I honestly think she just doesn't get him. But I am so worried that he is losing interest in learning in that class. He also has some SPD issues that I thought he was growing out of, but perhaps they are still impacting his classroom experience.

His accelerated math and gifted teachers do not report this behavior when he is with them. His grades range from Bs to A+s, except for the participation grades which are lower (and are based on her perception of the above issues).

I am just not sure how to address this issues. It seems the popular line at school is that we need to figure out how to get him to buckle down and just do it. Which, of course, has some merit. But I also feel that perhaps a different, more positive, approach with him would be more effective. His second grade teacher was great in that way. But I feel like I don't get taken seriously by the school when I suggest that he would work better with a certain kind of teacher (parents have no say in these decisions).

I guess I'm worried because I see middle school around the corner now and it would be so easy for him to just shut down and I really don't want him to lose the amazing love of learning he has.

I can understand what you're saying . Because i am experiencing the same thing . Except my DS is still in 2nd grade , and it has been a nightmare . He gets in trouble almost in daily basis because of that what your DS'teacher said " walking when there are tasks to be done " DS got it done alright , but walking or playing with anything else to keep his mind busy would be considered breaking rule number 11 # USING TIME AND MATERIAL WISELY

DS would argue with his teacher , i think this past few months DS lost respect to his teacher , hence the arguing , which is of course considered breaking rules #1 BEING RESPECTFUL

So , the past few months we had few conferences with the teachers , the principals , etc .. our school won't budge when i mention maybe he needs a different teacher . The school was 100% sure , homeroom teacher ( which is supposed to be gifted teacher ) is the right teacher for DS . Although this school year has turned out to be a nightmare and turned DS to be someone that lost his self esteem , his sparkle , his love of school ..

School can't even be consistent to what we've discussed . The school just wants us to like you said " buckle him down and just do it "

I am sorry that i cannot help you with a better suggestion , as i am experiencing the same thing with you . I hope things gets better for you and your DS . I know how stressful things can be for the whole family .

It doesn't sound quite to gifted underachiever, but the school sounds intent on getting him there. If he is willing and able to apply himself for material at the correct level of challenge, then he hasn't lost it yet.

What does minimal effort mean? How would the rest of his teacher's class behave if they had to sit in a kindergarten class 5 of 6 hours every day? How much effort would they put in? Would they be cooperative? Which party here (teacher vs. student) is putting in the least appropriate effort?

I'm of the school of thought of calling shenanigans on the whole needs to learn how to put in effort stuff. In my opinion our kids will do it naturally when properly challenged. If that is a real skill to teach, then make it a class and teach "putting up with inanity" as a one hour a week class.

Well, that's just it. He has a love of LEARNING.

His behavior sounds pretty darned normal and healthy to me, in fact.

One tactic that you might try (and it's not without risk, believe me) is to have Ms. Negativity, there, "talk to Mr./Ms. GiftedTeacher" about his/her motivational strategies with your son...
since THEY don't seem to have all these "problems" with your child.

Heh. Fair warning, you should probably ask the teachers in question and offer a head's up about the impending request so that the unhappy teacher doesn't go in an blindside you by presenting a laundry list of inappropriate/disruptive behaviors from your DS. (BTDT, let's just say...Grrr)

It might not actually solve much, particularly this late in the year-- but then again, it at least has a chance to do so.

In either case, your son's behavior is more rewarding to him than whatever is on offer for being compliant and participatory. I don't see how YOU have any way of changing that, and he may not either at 7-8yo.

You might suggest a meeting or e-mail between his second grade teacher and current teacher or between the Gifted Teacher and his current teacher. You're correct in the possibility that his current teacher might not "get him" as often teachers who didn't grow up gifted or around someone who is gifted don't. I know I likely wouldn't if I didn't have a couple kids of my own who are gifted or I didn't organizes gaming events for kids who are. Gifted children are the exception after all, not the rule....and public education is pretty much focused on "normal" and bringing up the bottom.

It's important for any teacher who has a gifted student to understand that keeping that child engaged and challenged with appropriate pace, depth, and breadth is paramount to that child's success and mental health. Simply "Buckling down" and doing what is assigned regardless of it's content won't cut it for long, though as you said, it also has merit and is something anyone needs to learn as the world won't always conform to them.

Most teachers without training in gifted education also don't understand that an accelerated learner is always an accelerated learner. They grasp concepts in often 25% of the time it takes someone like me to do so and once they've grasped the concept their mind moves to whatever entertains it. That's often why such students seem to "Lose focus" or fail to be on task. Most GT teachers understand that, teachers without specialized training rarely do.

Thank you all for your comments! I always appreciate coming to this site and hearing from people who actually get what I am talking about.

Zen, I did actually do something along the lines of your suggestion and definitely got a somewhat defensive response.

However, I had a really good hour long talk with the gifted teacher this afternoon and I do feel like she gets him and understands my concerns. She agreed, in more diplomatic terms, that the classroom environment was not good for him and that it isn't just something "wrong" with him, which is how the homeroom teacher seems to present things to me. That's the good news. The bad news is that we have no idea who the 4th grade teachers will be at our school next year do to some staff shifting between schools in the district. While she usually has some say about where her kids are placed, she literally doesn't know the teachers who are coming in so it's basically a crap shoot. So unfortunately that doesn't reduce my concern for next year at all.

Sigh... I'm an almost unschooler, so feel free to take this witha grain of salt since you know where it is coming from. Thomas Szasz wrote this brilliant article called "The Sane Slave." Apparently, psychiatrists in the 1850's noticed a clinical syndrome among slaves that produced certain symptoms. The slaves afflicted with this pathology were the ones most likely to run away since their mental illness made it difficult for them to adjust appropriately to being slaves. Szasz went on to liken Runaway Slave Syndrome to depression. He noted that when placed in cubicles to perform meaningless work for many hours per day in potentially demeaning circumstances, people exhibit symptoms, which are then diagnosed as depression, for which they are given a pill.

I'll extend the argument. When bright, active, curious, kinesthetic, creative boys are placed in a classroom and expected to sit still for hours at a time and do boring work, the symptoms that they exhibit are clearly part of their pathology, right? (Sarcasm alert.)

We are in a very similar situation with DS (in 2nd grade). Except his "walking around" eventually led to more disruption and trips to the principal's office. He has done less and less homework/schoolwork as the year has progressed, and now pretty much refuses to do anything related to the school unless he's in a good mood and it seems interesting. It has gotten to the point where he is angry at having to be at school much of the time, and transfers that anger to me for bringing him there.

The result? We're on the verge of pulling him out of school, because it seems to be doing more damage than good. DS has some SPD issues that have gotten worse in the last couple of months, and I do wonder if this is in part to him being so frustrated with school.

I would be wary of the school's stance of buckling down and doing it. My kid can buckle down and do something boring once in awhile, but asking him to do more or less meaningless work day in and day out has been hurtful.

KnittingMama ,

The same with us , also in 2nd grade , with the walking around or making noises .. and eventually detentions due to those .

And altough he's been straight A's student , lately he's coming home with works and tests from school with a not so good grades .

Simple easy thing .. for example , the question was , what time is the clock showing .. the long hand is closer to ... and the short hand is closer to ...

He already knows what time the clock is showing .. it's 1.15 .. but he's just making mistakes on the other questions , the long and short hands . He knows how to read clocks ever since he's in kindergarten .. i guess this is considered as a boring job .
And he makes a silly and careless mistakes