Gifted Bulletin Board

Welcome to the Gifted Issues Discussion Forum.

We invite you to share your experiences and to post information about advocacy, research and other gifted education issues on this free public discussion forum.
CLICK HERE to Log In. Click here for the Board Rules.

Links


Learn about Davidson Academy Online - for profoundly gifted students living anywhere in the U.S. & Canada.

The Davidson Institute is a national nonprofit dedicated to supporting profoundly gifted students through the following programs:

  • Fellows Scholarship
  • Young Scholars
  • Davidson Academy
  • THINK Summer Institute

  • Subscribe to the Davidson Institute's eNews-Update Newsletter >

    Free Gifted Resources & Guides >

    Who's Online Now
    0 members (), 433 guests, and 25 robots.
    Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
    Newest Members
    Emerson Wong, Markas, HarryKevin91, Gingtto, SusanRoth
    11,429 Registered Users
    May
    S M T W T F S
    1 2 3 4
    5 6 7 8 9 10 11
    12 13 14 15 16 17 18
    19 20 21 22 23 24 25
    26 27 28 29 30 31
    Previous Thread
    Next Thread
    Print Thread
    Page 1 of 2 1 2
    #204869 11/04/14 10:10 PM
    Joined: Aug 2012
    Posts: 219
    C
    Cola Offline OP
    Member
    OP Offline
    Member
    C
    Joined: Aug 2012
    Posts: 219
    My dd is 9...in a gifted 4th grade class which only teaches 1school year ahead and is officially failing math because he doesn't show his work. If I fight for him and try to explain he's bored with common core math and reading about the Rats of NiMH I become the annoying parent who thinks her child can do no wrong thus resulting in him never amounting to anything. But if I don't fight for him then instead i teach him its best to conform with society and please them while numbing your mind. Either way i feel like a failure and cant seem to help hom...or stop the anxiety. Anyone ever had this issue?

    Joined: Mar 2013
    Posts: 1,489
    B
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    B
    Joined: Mar 2013
    Posts: 1,489
    Yup, I've felt that way at times. My DS is a sophmore in H.S. and there I times I've felt this way. Depends on the teacher and administrator I'm stuck with at the time. 8th grade science was one of the classes that had me feeling this way.

    Curious what math books/program you son is using? There are some really dreadful books out there right now. Your son is going to have to learn to "show his work" but some of these are insisting on showing your work when none is really necessary. One way to explain this to your son is once he has finished the work, he should go back and explain how he got his answer as if he was teaching a struggling student.

    Joined: Apr 2009
    Posts: 1,032
    N
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    N
    Joined: Apr 2009
    Posts: 1,032
    The "show your work" thing is a constant bugaboo around here. It's difficult for kids who don't actually do any work to get the answers to learn to show the parts that the teacher is looking for. I have been fighting this battle for years.

    It's necessary to explain (repeatedly) that if he doesn't show how he got the answer, the teacher doesn't know whether he knows how to do it or he looked in the back of the book or on his neighbor's paper or online. And also that if he doesn't show the teacher that he can do the work, he won't get to do anything more interesting and will have to keep doing the same boring thing over and over. It's much more motivating when phrased in terms of self-interest rather than conformity.

    It's definitely hard enough to fight the battle with the kid to get him to learn to show something useful in the way of work, so I don't recommend adding a (losing) battle with the teacher to try and convince her that he shouldn't have to show his work. Even if "show your work" is useless when the question is "9x5=?", it will eventually become a necessary thing to do in order to keep track of his place in algebra or geometry.

    But rest assured, it's a perfectly normal problem that you have.

    And err...what's wrong with the Rats of NIMH? That was a good book. smile

    Joined: Aug 2012
    Posts: 219
    C
    Cola Offline OP
    Member
    OP Offline
    Member
    C
    Joined: Aug 2012
    Posts: 219
    Thank you for the responses! I will definitely be applying them!

    And nothing wrong with NiMH I loved it too. He would prefer historical fiction or car manuals lol whereas I love a wonderful classic.

    Joined: Sep 2011
    Posts: 3,363
    P
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    P
    Joined: Sep 2011
    Posts: 3,363
    Originally Posted by Cola
    If I fight for him and try to explain he's bored with common core math and reading about the Rats of NiMH I become the annoying parent who thinks her child can do no wrong

    While you *might* look like that to the teacher, my take on this is housing on your ds, his needs, and what *he* sees. When you stand up and advocate for your child you are teaching your child a valuable lesson (stand up for yourself, think for yourself, and don't just follow along because that's what is expected).. and more importantly, you are showing your child that he matters to you, that you will stand up for him, and that's a really powerful message smile

    polarbear

    Joined: Aug 2012
    Posts: 219
    C
    Cola Offline OP
    Member
    OP Offline
    Member
    C
    Joined: Aug 2012
    Posts: 219
    The only testing he did was the CogAt. From what I can tell according to his scores is that he does well on tests unless he has to show his work. He can read books about science and history no problem but struggles with fantasy books and the creative aspect of school like writing a story or art. I just don't know what else to do.

    Joined: Oct 2011
    Posts: 2,856
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    Joined: Oct 2011
    Posts: 2,856
    I have embraced the fact that I'm going to screw up my job as a parent in some rather spectacular ways, because I'm not going to know all the facts, I'm often going to misunderstand things, I can't possibly see the future, and I'm going to run into problems that I lack the power to solve.

    So, anything I get right, accidentally or otherwise, is a big win. Woohoo! Yay me!

    Joined: Feb 2011
    Posts: 5,181
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    Joined: Feb 2011
    Posts: 5,181
    In related news, hindsight is 20/20, so I'd (at this point) be a FABULOUS parent relative to the parenting situation that my parents faced.

    I can definitely make my OWN large errors in parenting. Yay, agency! Hurray for full ownership! grin My mistakes as a parent are mine-mine-mine!


    Schrödinger's cat walks into a bar. And doesn't.
    Joined: Nov 2014
    Posts: 107
    A
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    A
    Joined: Nov 2014
    Posts: 107
    Kids aren't always going to like what they have to read for school. He'll have to learn to read stuff that isn't that interesting to him personally. As long as he is given opportunity to read things that he likes in his free time, I wouldn't worry about it.

    The math part would annoy me though, as long as a child can arrive at the correct answer, it shouldn't matter how they get there.

    Last edited by Appleton; 11/05/14 10:29 AM.
    Joined: Apr 2009
    Posts: 1,032
    N
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    N
    Joined: Apr 2009
    Posts: 1,032
    Originally Posted by Cola
    And nothing wrong with NiMH I loved it too. He would prefer historical fiction or car manuals lol whereas I love a wonderful classic.

    Ahh, yes. My son told me several years ago that he wasn't "a fiction kind of guy". laugh

    Page 1 of 2 1 2

    Moderated by  M-Moderator, Mark D. 

    Link Copied to Clipboard
    Recent Posts
    Beyond IQ: The consequences of ignoring talent
    by Eagle Mum - 05/03/24 07:21 PM
    Technology may replace 40% of jobs in 15 years
    by brilliantcp - 05/02/24 05:17 PM
    NAGC Tip Sheets
    by indigo - 04/29/24 08:36 AM
    Employers less likely to hire from IVYs
    by Wren - 04/29/24 03:43 AM
    Testing with accommodations
    by blackcat - 04/17/24 08:15 AM
    Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5