Youngest has gone from an Honor Roll student to failing 2 of his classes. Failing as in, a 53 and 46 kind of failing. To think I used to take this child to the grocery store at five to be my human calculator. He has a knack for numbers, ratios, problem solving... my own little Einstein. When the school made an error and neglected to put him in the honors class, I let it go. I figured it could be his gimmie class, the one class he wouldn't need to worry about. And yet, he's failing Math. Math! It's all in the details folks, details like homework assignments and computerized tests taken online that he forgets all about. Details he never forgot when he stayed after school with his specialized teacher twice a week. Details he never neglected before he become addicted.
He races home to get to it, waits until I go to bed, and sneaks it into his room. He stays up all night and lies to me about it.
He forgets to eat.
He chases it all over town, shipping it from location to location, scheduling personalized pick ups. He's coerced a team of adults to custom order it for him so he can spend all weekend long in his boxers, hardly leaving his room. He's completely lost to it, as if nothing else exists. Most kids just pop in their ear buds and drown out their parents with unholy music and inappropriate lyrics, but not this kid. Nope. He's found a fix with an intensity all his own. He's even taken it online, into the underground, finding others like him. Snow days, Holidays, weekends, doesn't matter, he's got it waiting for him... a steady supply ready to soothe his weariness of the mundane everyday world he lives in.
He's become... a reader.
Thousands of pages in a weekend. It's all he does. And while most parents would love this new found addiction, I am not. He has an intensity for things that is not like most kids. He throws himself in with such exuberance that he often loses sight of everyone, and everything around him. He's conning the librarian into buying multiple book series for him, and allowing him to check out more than the allowed amount of books. "Meet James Patterson" was number 2 on his Christmas list. He's using my computer to check release dates from his favorite authors, and he transfers books to our library via the internet. He even made Tony get a library card so he could check out books for him while I am at work.
And the irony of it all?
The other class he's failing?
Strategic Reading.
*sigh*
I have NO idea of how to solve your problem!!
ReplyDeleteI know, right? Honestly... I don't want him to stop reading, just balance it out with the real world, friends, activities... and stop sneaking books into his room at night. As for the grades, we've discussed him staying after again, I've sent an email off it his specialized teacher, and hopefully we can nip this in the bud. In truth, between snow days and other issues, he's only been to class 3 days since the term started, so there is time to bring the grades up, but still... it's frustrating. I am however, counting my blessings that he's getting lost in a good book rather than so many other things he could be "lost" to.
DeleteI don't know. I worship words. When I had reading class in elementary school, the teacher would ask me to read aloud so everyone could hear what a good reader sounded like. But I always got a B or C in reading because of the stupid workbook. In Composition I in high school, the teacher said I was a good writer, but she suspected I didn't know why I was a good writer (she meant I didn't know grammatical terms). In college, I told a professor I didn't know grammar and wanted to make my writing better. He said, Don't tinker too much.
ReplyDeleteThe professor who taught my writing tutor accreditation class said she had never diagrammed a sentence. She didn't think it mattered. She said, Learn to write by reading and writing.
I didn't diagram a sentence until I was well into college. I know a bunch of crap now that I didn't know before. I like the crap I know, but I didn't know any of it when I was Youngest's age. My mom and dad pretty much ignored me. I guess I'm telling you all this because I don't know what works. I just know I love words.
Love,
Janie
Well, my opinion of grades and what passes for education probably doesn't match what most people think.
ReplyDeleteI'll just say that being able to read and having a passion for it is a really good thing, and I hope you guys can find some balance that suits you both and keeps harmony in the family.
Could be worse, I thought you were going to say video games so I am glad he is a reader,hope he can figure out a way to make it all work so he can also pass math.
ReplyDeleteBetty
Nope. That would be Oldest. Although, as addicted to the gaming as he is, he also designs his own servers and intros... whatever the heck that means. Oldest actually just made high honors this term, so apparently he has found the balance. Which is good, because he's starting HS in the blink of an eye.
DeleteMy one question, how old is he? I know my reader was the same from about 5th to 8th grade. Nothing school related was important. Eventually, we got it through his head (with outside help) that he needed to make school a priority. Yes, reading is important; but so is homework. He's doing fine now in college - and still makes time to read.
ReplyDeleteHe's in 7th grade. We're working to find a balance between puberty, boredom, and wise-assery.
Delete*sigh*
Such fun times, really.
Had me scared... is being out of the honors class (lack of challenge) the problem?
ReplyDeleteIn Math, yes. He's just not interested enough in homework that takes him all of 10 minutes to do, which is why he's failing. It's something we'll look at for next year, upping him to the next level, but this year we left it as is because there was such a transition we thought it would be good for him to have one thing he didn't have to worry about.
DeleteWe had to make a rule at our house that no Minecraft is allowed before the homework is done. That meant Dad, too, lol.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, your son may need accommodation by his teachers in those classes. Maybe setting a specific time at school for him to take those tests, or reminders of some sort. Ask about it. Maybe his math teacher can email you daily/weekly?