I'm falling behind in class and it's only the second week of school.
Aug 30 '00
With the school year being in its second week of classes, we had our first school open house to meet the teachers. For many parents this would be no big deal, but I have a step son who suffers from Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder, better known as ADHD. Although I am proud of what he accomplishes, I know I am going to get the negative comments from his teachers.
Every year he has failed more classes then he passes, but it is not for lack of trying. Most of his teachers say he is eager to learn, he just can't stay on task and complete his assignments. This year we enrolled him in a class called Base.
Base is a class where a teacher helps you with what are considered the base classes. Math, English, History, and Science. Each student gets an assignment planner where all homework for the day is placed, and the main function of this class is to help you complete your homework. When the work for a class is done, the teacher signs off on it after checking to make sure the work was done correctly. Everyday the student must bring their assignment planner home to be signed by a parent. Now for the first time I know what his assignments are, and what we have to work on.
For a parent, this is great for a number of reasons. First of all I know that he is getting all of his work done. More important, a teacher who is up to date on teaching methods is helping him. I will be the first to admit that I am no good at Algebra, and would probably do him more harm then good by trying to teach him.
Every day, his math, Science, English, and History teacher meet and discuss how he is doing in his classes. If he is falling behind in one or two of his classes, the teacher in charge of his Base class knows about it, and can work harder with him in that subject.
What really amazed me was the fact that the teacher told me that my step son is the only one taking this class as of now. The class usually fills up only after progress reports come out and parents find out their children are failing a class. This really came as a surprise to me. If a class is offered to help our children learn, I would think that it would be full of students.
Another thing our school district has is a homework hotline. If for some reason a student misses school, or forgets to bring home their assignment book, all I have to do is call the number and a recording tells me what the homework assignments for the week are. No longer can he tell me he has no homework, and left his books at school. I know what he has to do each and every day.
What I think is important for parents to do is to take a proactive stance toward school work. Instead of waiting for them to get poor marks, or fail a class, get them the extra help they need from the beginning. I find my step son to be happier now because he is understanding his subjects in school, and is having more free time in the evening because most of his homework is completed at school.
I strongly recommend that any parent with a child who has a hard time in school, call your childs school and see if they offer a similar class.
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Member: Alan Wenberg
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