Conferences were today and it was pretty much as I expected. DS15 is generally acknowledged as one who catches on very quickly and likes to explore. Good, right? No. Because he spends AP chem class trying to figure out new calculations to work the lab, but then doesn't finish the lab. This is probably why his lab write-ups started out so sketchy, consisting mainly of the calculations. They are improving, but he needs to provide more observations. He is also missing a lab write-up.
In pre-calc/calc he engages the teacher in math discussions, then goes off on his own to prove his point, and doesn't work on the topic everyone else is doing. The teachers love that he has this attitude and joy, but at the same time he needs to focus on the task at hand.
In both classes, when it comes to the tests, he is FINALLY, under strict orders from home, NOT experimenting with the math ON THE TEST (much) but saving his research for later. The math teacher agrees that if DS joins the math team, it will help with his speed which will improve his test performance. The teacher tells the class and me that his tests are designed to prepare them for the AP Calc exam they will take in 2016. Yikes!
Suggestions for practicing pre-calc problems to work on speed?
In English class, DS' issues are lack of confidence and still not turning things in. We are not talking about grunt-work grammar worksheets, we are talking about analysis, reflection, etc essays in a high school honors Englsh course. And I believe he is lying about it to me, and in a way to himself. This is bad. He'd have an A if he only consistently turned things in; as it is, he has a C+. Part of the problem is this: he thinks they have high expectations of him, and he's afraid his writing won't meet them. He does participate in a very meaningful way to class discussions; the teacher says he shows great insight and knowledge. He's actually a good writer, but he says "it's HONORS, my paper has to be better" when his paper is FINE. I tell him it's honors because it meets his level as he is, they aren't expecting a dissertation. But he truly believes they are. He also has a problem writing reflection-type essays (wait till he tries to write his college apps!) because he is an introvert; the teacher suggests that he take a step back and write such things from another perspective, and that would be fine. Part of the problem from my end is that the teacher doesn't update the online grade book frequently, so I may not see the missing assignments until a few weeks later. I am going to start asking the teacher to confirm when assignments have been turned in.
(I actually started writing this last week as a vent to myself. An update: he has spent the last week working on 7 missing assignments, and every day I tape a note to his lunch to remind him to turn something in. Apparently this ridiculous practice will have to continue because I just got an email from the English teacher, bless her heart, that he did not hand her the paper he was supposed to today and the version he saved to GoogleDocs was not in the class folder.)
Football band might be over (depends on this weekend's playoff game), but jazz and holiday bands have started up. He spends his half-a-free period eating lunch and composing on Sibelius with his friends.
They took the ACT at school for "practice". In a nutshell: 99th %ile (like his NUMATS ACT scores), D in classes.
What words of advice and comfort can I give my son to boost his confidence in writing, and to get him to turn his work in? We watched "the impact of a 0" video, but this kid is not motivated by grades...Perhaps embarrassment? I could go viral as the "bad parent" who walks their kid to class to hand in work.
DS is enjoying sophomore year, feels challenged and has fun and is learning, but I am about to tear my hair out.
