I've been reading (loads) and came across something in Sylvia Rimms book that has me confused. She suggested to a parent that had a child that was acting out in class probably due to being underchallenged that you 1)make it clear their is no excuse for bad behavior 2)may need to learn that the world doesn't revolve around him 3)a little boredom is simply part of life. Then she suggested going to see a psychologist to see what the child's needs really were. Not the way I'm handling our situation which is similar to this. My ds is acheiving well but sullen because he wants more. The teacher feels if he doesn't want to be here he doesn't have to be. My question is, if I take him out of school to homeschool him , does he benefit in college and work where he has to adjust to the rest of the world. Do kids adjust with maturity?
I think you are misreading Rimm's suggestion.
For Rimm the key thing is that the child IS ACTING OUT. Your child is not ACTING OUT. Being sullen hardly qualifies as acting out.
Let's look at the odds. Out of all the kids in the U.S. who are 'underchallenged' (probably 20 to 30% of each classroom) how many have as severe a need as kids in the top half a percent? It becomes like comparing apples to oranges. So Rimm's advice is good for the vast majority of kids WHO ARE ACTING OUT. Not the majority of kids 'here' in this part of cyberspace.
So yes, for kids in the top 30% of the classroom, who ARE ACTING OUT, a very good first step is to go to a psychologist to see what the child's needs really are. My guess is that one way or another, you have done this step, and the advice in the above paragraph doesn't apply to you on 2 counts, yes?
As I see it, in this world of mind-blowing electronic stimulation, there probably are a good many kids who do need to learn to have some more inner strength when facing time spent on the 'easy side' of their readiness level. That is a totally separate issue from kids who are in such a poor fit classroom that the work is no where near their readiness level. Apples and Oranges.
Love and More Love,
Grinity
