I have 4 kids with ages ranging from 16-8. Of course not one of them is similar when it comes to their education. 2 with ADHD, an artist and a kid that just flat out hates school. Keeping up on the school work and making sure they are doing well in school is difficult. If you are not organized or on top of it, things can slip very quickly. I learned my lesson the hard way. I wasn’t paying attention to the signs and assumed they everything was alright. But maybe if I had kept an eye out some of my kids would not be struggling right now.
There are a few unconventional signs you should keep an eye out that might show your kids are struggling, for example changing of their behavior. They can be more shy, acting out or not wanting to go to school. One reason could be there are not feeling confident in themselves. My daughter struggled a lot last year with her confidence. When she saw her peers excelling she got intimidation and stopped trying. If you are seeing signs of not wanting to go to school, maybe have a meeting with the teacher and see what is taking place in the classroom. My child is so different at home than at school!
There were several things I stopped doing as a parent without realizing how vital they were to our family. What has helped our family in keeping in the know when it comes to my child’s education is
Check Synergy every Friday to discuss missing assignments and test scores. Synergy is the system that EGUSD teachers use for grades and assignments. If I see something that is lower we discuss it and see what we need to do differently in the future.
Most schools in Elk Grove get out later in the afternoon. Once you do the hour long pick up, snack time, after school activities… homework is the last thing everyone wants to do. But if you can set just 15 minutes of time every night to sit down and discuss homework or school with your child it makes a huge difference. When the work is put in front of a parent they can physically see if their child is struggling. Our elementary school only send work home when its not finished. So it was hard for me to see if they were struggling. Once I requested some work every day I could see if it was difficult or not for my daughter.
Keeping that line of communication open with your child and teacher is important. Let your student know you’re there to support them, not judge them. I always tell my kids too, school is for learning and if everyone knew all the answers there would be no reason to be there.
Elk Grove Families 