My son was a straight A student. Now that he started middle school his grade have dropped. Has anyone gone through this problem and how was it handled?
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My daughter goes to the middle school. The first thing she said was how "mean" kids were. All the kids are trying to figure out where they fit in. It is very difficult for some to adjust. Her first year there was extremely tough, though she maintained good grades. Besides talking to the counselor and teachers make sure your son participates in extracurricular activities with kids from that school. My daughter did choir last year and that was how she started to connect with kids. She is a tough and strong girl, not shy so that was an advantage. She has many friends and likes her school now. It’s her second year, and there are still mean kids, but they know who she is, and where she stands so they leave her alone.
Middle school can be very different from elementary school - most often in Middle School a student will have many teachers and as often those teachers do not coordinate their assignments. There can be more homework and less hands-on help from teachers. Much more is asked of students' in terms of organization.
You don't say how far his grades have dropped - if he's gone from straight As to solid Bs the counselor may not be very sympathetic and will likely say "give him time." Have his grades dropped across the board or just in some subjects? Grades are often an average of three things - homework, tests and projects. Which of those grades have dropped - homework grades, project grades or test grades? That can help to know.
Is he getting his homework done every night and handed back in on time the next day? That's the first question I'd ask of his teachers in those classes where he's having some trouble. Next I'd want to see his tests - what's going wrong there? You can see if he's making forgetful mistakes from looking at his tests or is he not understanding the concepts?
Good luck.
You don't say how far his grades have dropped - if he's gone from straight As to solid Bs the counselor may not be very sympathetic and will likely say "give him time." Have his grades dropped across the board or just in some subjects? Grades are often an average of three things - homework, tests and projects. Which of those grades have dropped - homework grades, project grades or test grades? That can help to know.
Is he getting his homework done every night and handed back in on time the next day? That's the first question I'd ask of his teachers in those classes where he's having some trouble. Next I'd want to see his tests - what's going wrong there? You can see if he's making forgetful mistakes from looking at his tests or is he not understanding the concepts?
Good luck.
My same thoughts. Thank you. I have schedule an appt with the councelor. It's so hard for me to see my son so depressed. he has always liked school, honor roll every semester, treasurer of his school, etc.. and now this. I will see what the councelor has to say. Thank you again
There are a variety of reasons your son's grades may have dropped. He could be struggling with organization now that he has a locker and a number of different teachers. He could be a victim of a bully. He could be having trouble adjusting if close friends went to a different middle school than he is. I would suggest you schedule a meeting with your son's councelor. If you are not able to get to the bottom of the problem at home, a school councelor should be able to help.
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