What Causes GOOD Kids to Make BAD Grades?

I

 don't understand.

Ryan and Chaz waiting to play ball

When my kids started out in school, they were honor roll students. I had homeschooled the year prior and they were doing great.  In fact, they were ahead of their class when they went back in.  I don't always homeschool every year. This was my year to take a break, organize my home, spend some times with my two little babies and get ready for homeschooling next year.

I'm not trying to blast their school by any means. They are a good school.  I love the teachers.  This next part I had to come to terms with.

The guilt that comes with a child not passing in their classes.  I had to look at myself and see why.  Why that all these years my son(s) has been an honor roll student(s) and now is failing?  Someone said, "Well, are they playing too many games at home?"  My response is no way.

They come home at 4pm. Immediately work on their homework and snack till 5pm.  Sometimes they don't even have homework or they finish it on the bus ride home.  From 5-6pm they finally have some play time.  That could be playing outside, playing video games.  From 6-7pm is our dinner time and family time just talking around the dinner table. 7pm is chores.  Then another half hour of play. Then book reading time and then bedtime at 8:30pm.  Where in that schedule am I being irresponsible as a parent?  My boys play video games a total of whole hour a day.  If they have homework they are getting it done.  They are going to bed early and getting their rest.



Why is it that I feel guilty when the teacher sends home the report card and I have to sign it?  I mean, of course they want the parent to acknowledge the have seen their grades but there is still that guilty feeling.  I'm not the one that is teaching my boys for 7 hours a day.  When I had them at home, we used SOS which automatically grades their work and they were very successful. They did extremely well.  They only had to work at the MAX, 4 hours a day. Usually 3 hours.  I'm not trying to be rude but I had to put my foot down and say, "No, it's NOT because of me."  I'm doing my part to make sure his work at home is done (I'm not fond even of homework when they've already been working all day), making sure they get their nutrition, and to bed on time.

 What Does Cause Good Kids to Make Bad Grades?

Does it make me seem rude to think that maybe I should write a paper asking for the teachers explanation of the grades and have to sign it?  I know the budget was cut and many assistants were laid off.  That happens with Charter schools.  But could I have been given a notice of the rapidly falling grades before this?  I could have done something much sooner.

I looked into bullying.  No.  He says absolutely no bullying is going on.  Although, because of his failing grades he is getting taunted now.  This child I am speaking of is a very good kid.  I have noticed when I've walked into this classroom several times, the kids had no respect for their teacher and things got really out of control.  I have noticed a behavior change in my son when he comes home from school now.

(Note:  A year after writing this I thought I might add that these teachers were fired the same year after I pulled my kids out.  My son's teacher was fired as was my daughter's.  I guess I wasn't the only parent concerned... February 20, 2012)

Obama Proposes Longer School Day, Shorter Summer Vacation

It's interesting that when they homeschool they have much more respect towards us and other adults.  When they are in school, the daily battles I have bringing them back down from the attitudes can be discouraging.  It's like undoing the disrespect every day and then starting again the next day.  I HATE that my boys are gone from 7am-4pm.  Gosh..... time flies and their time is spent elsewhere.  I truly hate it.

So once again, my husband and I discussed the upcoming homeschool year. We decided which kids will be in  which program.  A couple of the kids will be in a Compass Learning program and the other two in Switched on Schoolhouse.  I've had great success in these programs and they don't overwhelm the kids like a really popular program used commonly around here.  I wish I didn't neat a program to homeschool but these tools have been beneficial for people like me that haven't gone to college to teach children academically.  That was an understatement. I'm extremely GRATEFUL for all the homeschooling tools being offered.  Because of it so many more parents are given the option to be able to homeschool that might otherwise feel overwhelmed or intimated by the idea of it.

Here is the hard part and the TRUTHFUL part.

I'm not supermommyClean's mother lives here.  I played hide and seek with my kids and talked to them at their bed till they fell asleep.  So what if sometimes my pile of laundry is growing faster than I can attack it?  If it's because I took my kids to the library one night and then church the next, well, my laundry can wait till Thursday.  I won't quit.  Maybe by the time my kids move out I'll have a system that works perfectly. But I want to know that I gave my best to my kids and didn't replace them with having to have things perfect around the house.

Success is not final

Failure is not fatal

It's the courage to continue

that counts

-Winston Churchill


Check out my other blog about "Homeschooling, Schooling at home, or Public School?"