packrat
Super_Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2008
- Messages
- 10,614
So..ok, I admit I'm a bit of a worry wart when it comes to my kids and their smarts. I did well in school. When I went to school they didn't have the TAG programs, but they separated you out when it came to some things, like Reading, into the advanced, the regular and the needing help groups. I was always in the advanced groups.
When London brings her homework home, sometimes, most times, it's a challenge. Tonight was especially trying. I thought I was feeling better after my tonsillectomy, but talking London thru her homework almost had me in tears. There was like 7 problems and the very first one I had to repeat, I'm not kidding about 10 times one way, then I tried it a few times another way, then a few times a completely different way. By then my voice was barely a croak and it felt like I was being stabbed-so of course I was frustrated and so was she. Just on ONE problem. It's like she's not even trying half the time and that *really* frustrates me. She makes a big production of thinking, tapping her pencil, counting, and half the time, what she's counting has absolutely no bearing on the problem at all.
When she has a paper that is a mix of addition and subtraction, it's hit or miss if she's going to add or subtract on a particular problem. Or if the sum she puts down has any relevance to the problem at all-meaning, it's not even that she added when she should have subtracted, the problem might be 8+1= and she'll write 16 and I'm like HUH???
The last thing I want to do is make her think she can't do it. Or to get mad and yell or call names but wow, I was at my wits end this afternoon. It's like there's some sort of block there and I don't know what to do. I finally took her face in my hands and made her look at me and said "LON-DON LIST-EN to what I'm SAY-ING" and she started to cry and I felt horrible.
The problem in question: What number is between 46 and 53 when you count by 1's. 41, 57, 45, 52, 44. I tried counting from 46 to 53 and asking what number I said was in that line up. I had her count from 46 to 53. I finally had to walk away. We can easily spend 30 minutes on one sheet of homework w/7 problems on it. Sometimes she has 3 sheets of homework. Not counting nightly reading for tests every morning and spelling.
She seems to do ok in school. Not super great, but ok. Teacher hasn't said anything other than she has troubles sometimes with d/b, and that a lot of kids her age turn them around. She has friends, gets along w/the kids near as I can tell. There's a few little boys that fawn over her. No girls that I can tell that are outwardly mean to her or anything. I just don't get it.
Is it just that she wants to play when she gets home? She does have problems doing things wrong and by that I mean, she doesn't like to make a mistake so sometimes she doesn't volunteer to answer questions in school b/c she thinks she's going to be wrong, and she'll usually ask for help for everything she possibly can to make sure she gets it right. She's always been that way. Her preschool and Kindergarten teachers commented on it. She's always wanting approval and will do anything to make you happy.
So, I don't know. Am I pushing too hard and expecting too much? I don't want to be one of those parents that expects excellence from day one and puts so much pressure on her kid that they pull away and end up hating school. She loves school and I want to keep it that way.
Am I just overreacting? She's 7.
When London brings her homework home, sometimes, most times, it's a challenge. Tonight was especially trying. I thought I was feeling better after my tonsillectomy, but talking London thru her homework almost had me in tears. There was like 7 problems and the very first one I had to repeat, I'm not kidding about 10 times one way, then I tried it a few times another way, then a few times a completely different way. By then my voice was barely a croak and it felt like I was being stabbed-so of course I was frustrated and so was she. Just on ONE problem. It's like she's not even trying half the time and that *really* frustrates me. She makes a big production of thinking, tapping her pencil, counting, and half the time, what she's counting has absolutely no bearing on the problem at all.
When she has a paper that is a mix of addition and subtraction, it's hit or miss if she's going to add or subtract on a particular problem. Or if the sum she puts down has any relevance to the problem at all-meaning, it's not even that she added when she should have subtracted, the problem might be 8+1= and she'll write 16 and I'm like HUH???
The last thing I want to do is make her think she can't do it. Or to get mad and yell or call names but wow, I was at my wits end this afternoon. It's like there's some sort of block there and I don't know what to do. I finally took her face in my hands and made her look at me and said "LON-DON LIST-EN to what I'm SAY-ING" and she started to cry and I felt horrible.
The problem in question: What number is between 46 and 53 when you count by 1's. 41, 57, 45, 52, 44. I tried counting from 46 to 53 and asking what number I said was in that line up. I had her count from 46 to 53. I finally had to walk away. We can easily spend 30 minutes on one sheet of homework w/7 problems on it. Sometimes she has 3 sheets of homework. Not counting nightly reading for tests every morning and spelling.
She seems to do ok in school. Not super great, but ok. Teacher hasn't said anything other than she has troubles sometimes with d/b, and that a lot of kids her age turn them around. She has friends, gets along w/the kids near as I can tell. There's a few little boys that fawn over her. No girls that I can tell that are outwardly mean to her or anything. I just don't get it.
Is it just that she wants to play when she gets home? She does have problems doing things wrong and by that I mean, she doesn't like to make a mistake so sometimes she doesn't volunteer to answer questions in school b/c she thinks she's going to be wrong, and she'll usually ask for help for everything she possibly can to make sure she gets it right. She's always been that way. Her preschool and Kindergarten teachers commented on it. She's always wanting approval and will do anything to make you happy.
So, I don't know. Am I pushing too hard and expecting too much? I don't want to be one of those parents that expects excellence from day one and puts so much pressure on her kid that they pull away and end up hating school. She loves school and I want to keep it that way.
Am I just overreacting? She's 7.