Your child brings home a bad report card. Your first instinct may be to punish them in order to make them raise their marks. However, will that really solve the problem?
Hey, mom… just so you know, I’ve got a test on Friday I’m gonna fail.” My sixth-grader has barely stepped through the front door when he utters this. He is an excellent student so my head is spinning. “What do you mean fail? You’ve got three more days to study?” But he is already grinding his perfectly straight teeth, scowling as he announces, “I can’t do it.” Still calm, I unsuccessfully try to appeal to his reason. Within seconds, I am shouting, “Then I guess you’ll be grounded for a month!” Sound familiar?
As the mom of two sons, I know endless jumping, drumming and spinning leaves even the most serene parent gasping for oxygen. Holy Hyperactivity, I know it well.
All of us can recall moments we were beyond bored in school. Maybe it was when that long-winded science teacher with a monotone read directly from the textbook. Or during that math unit when associative, commutative and identity properties failed to thrill you. Remember? Exciting stuff! Of course you can relate. But if your child is whining, “I’m bored,” it’s possible the B-word may not be the real issue at all. Sometimes boredom actually masks disinterest, academic struggle, lack of challenge or conflict with a teacher. In turn, such obstacles to learning may trigger underachievement, low grades or a diminished self-image.
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