My children and learning

They say a lot has changed since I was a student in school.  But has it really.

I have 2 very smart and Intelligent girls.  They both love school are very social and very sweet. Yet they do not excel in school.

When I was a child, my mom focused on my grades (which went up and down).  I was very good at math (which is strange as now it is my one weakness), but common comments on my report cards were.....

She needs to pay more attention in class
She needs to take more care in her work
She needs to be more organized
She is very capable but doesn't apply herself

Today I would say people who now me could not believe any of this.  They find me organized, great at time management, and I pay great attention to detail.  Though now I am doing things I enjoy.

My children get some of the same comments.  The difference is my one daughter has Tourettes, severe anxiety and ADHD, the other is dyslexic and has a processing issue.  So they both have IEP's.    Their journey to get these was difficult, but I will save that for another day.

Even with these IEP's my girls float at the bottom of the class, but not far enough for them to be supported by the school (You have to be grade levels below to have them notice).

My children are fortunate to have supportive parents.  We don't stress about marks, in fact my kids have no idea what their marks are.  We celebrate accomplishments.  My 10 year old memorized her first poem in French.  It took us 5 days and many hours but she did it.  They share with us what excites them in school while learning.  My 10 year old LOVES LOVES math, always has and always has just gotten it.  My 11 year old likes science, she finds some things very fascinating.  Both are strong in the arts.  My 11 year old has trouble writing, but she can draw with amazing skill and sing.  My 10 year old loves the arts too.  They both have amazing memories too.

So why are these two students not at least sitting at grade level in class?   The answer is really complicated, but a factor is the way students are taught and marked. 

My 10 year old has her presentation of her poem today.  She has it memorized and is ready to recite it, however there are other bits of criteria that will lower her mark.  Every word she mispronounces or skips her mark will drop, she is suppose to have gestures with the poem, something we didn't have time to add as the memorizing and working on pronunciations was our priority.  Then there is the eye contact with the audience, which she will do fine in parts, but her processing speeds of her brain, she looks up when she is working on pulling the information out.  In my world she has already succeeded.  She for the first time in her life was able to memorize something in French.    We will celebrate here, and I can only hope she still doesn't understand the numbers 1 to 4 marking system when it comes out.  Even with her IEP and her dyslexia she will be marked the same as the child who can read the words to memorize them, where we had to say them to her first and then she could read them. 

Every year I talk to the teachers, trying to find ways my girls can work better in classes and try to find things that help them technology wise.  Every year we get the answer yes we will look into it and still we have nothing.

There is just something wrong with the system when you have parents who are willing to get the resources, yet nothing is suggested. 

There are great teachers out there, wonderful, kind caring teachers.  I don't believe they are the issue.  I don't know what the solution is, I just know that nothing has really changed except they no longer have time to teach how to print or write (but that again is again another blog)