Summer School Blues

The fleas are vanquished. We discovered that Off is an effective deterrent while one is waiting for all the poisons and powders and sprays to take effect.

Kid 2 is in summer school until the 31st. This is a specialized class for smart kids who can't learn effectively in a traditional classroom. I have come to believe that labeling whatever deficit is causing the short circuits between the teacher, the brain, and the output mechanism is useless.

Structure, no nonsense--in other words, not allowing him to skate along on wit and charm--and the breaking down of tasks into tiny steps seems to be making an impression. I was going to say that it seems to be "working" but I have come to the conclusion that there is no solution or method that will work unless he believes in it.

Is he embracing this approach? Well, he doesn't get in the car with a snarl and bark "get me the hell out of this place!" as he hurls his backpack on the floor like he does during the school year. He complains mildly about the number of note cards he has to create for his research skills class but that's because they take time...and thought. "I have to think about what I put down!" he groused one day. I've seen his note cards for assignments during the school year and they leave me stunned. I can't imagine them being the slightest bit useful. Left to his own devices, his note cards say things like "king was bad tax on beer".

The very high quality school system in this town with its mostly outstanding teachers doesn't include tjime to backtrack and spend a few days or a week even, teaching my son how to take effective notes. The "normal" kids would riot and they'd ridicule him after class-more than usual.  Once the "other normal kids" figure out that he can't do the stuff that they learned intuitively years ago, social status is gone.

They think "He must be dumb or maybe not but "he's not like us." They see that he's not striving for good grades like they do and they think that's weird. All those years, the smart set who enjoyed his wit and humor realize that he's not one of them after all. He doesn't seem to get that grades are how they keep score, that good grades are how you get into a good college so you can have a successful career. He doesn't have what it takes to compete.

They want to grow up to be rich and successful like their parents. Meanwhile he battles the demons of self-esteem, confidence and most of all--depression. The daily battle to fend off those feelings and to summon the energy to try to keep up with his schoolwork overwhelms him each spring. At that point he crumbles.

This year, it was anger instead of depression that won out. He was re-tested and the results were basically "smart kid but he's not motivated." I hope.that this summer session in some way renews some self-confidence, some understanding that he can learn in the right setting