Powerschool

Imagine our shock as parents when our middle school students who always claim to have no homework and need no help with school both ended up failing a few classes at midterm. Actually they have "I" in a few classes, which is the kinder, gentler way to say "F" these days. We often get robocalls from the school district informing us that our child was tardy or was failing one or more classes but the kids always assured us that they just needed to turn in an assignment or something. We actually believed them for a while. It was easier than investigating and intervening, which wouldn't be pleasant for anyone.

Fortunately there is this website called Powerschool and we can log on and see exactly what all of their scores on tests, quizzes and homework are. We settled on doing a little weekly intervention to check on their progress. Both Brita and Leah mysteriously haven't turned in some assignments and they can't tell us why. They seemed unaware of when tests are and the concept of actually studying for the test was completely foreign. How can they get to middle school and not know these things? In my day we couldn't turn stuff in late, or if we did it was for half credit. And we couldn't retake tests either. We knew we had to study because there would only be one chance to take the test. It's not like that anymore so kids don't have any sense of pressure or urgency.

It has been painful going over every missing assignment and bad score on a weekly basis and requiring them to ask their teachers how they can raise their scores or turn things in. Brita has adapted well to the new regime and is sporting straight A's but Leah seems to wander through her school day oblivious to what she is supposed to actually do. Then she gets defensive, like we are picking on her. It feels like a waste of time to send her to a school all day where all she seems to be getting is a social experience and then when she comes home we have to re-teach her everything. I wish we could skip school and just get her a private tutor because public school isn't really teaching her anything. Some kids just aren't cut out for traditional "factory" types of schools.

I have been teaching her some math the last few days. When we talk about it one on one I can tell when she isn't getting it and find another way to explain. Rachelle thought it was funny that when I was explaining the concept of dividing a number by itself to get one, I asked her "What's idiot divided by idiot?" I don't mind teaching math, there just isn't enough time in the night to re-teach everything that happened in school.