My kid is bored...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah your kid was home all of last year and could distract/entertain themselves while in class which is real hard to in the classroom.

Learning how to sit still and pay attention is a skill a really smart 7th grader should have.

And as said before really smart kids figure out how to self teach/entertain deal.

I’m hearing this all the time (even from kids in privates).

+1

Your kid needs to deal with not always being entertained. Have some independent thought and initiative and would not be bored.

[Anonymous]

Basis sounds pretty boring. Maybe move him to a different school where he can challenge himself with music, drama, other stuff? Or project-based learning where he has more freedom to go deeper into a subject instead of just doing more problem sets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS is a 7th grader at basis and is just plain old bored. Says classes are too easy. Already plays a sport several days a week and takes advanced math at mathnasium. He is just over the poorly behaved kids in class and the inability to go faster than they are, because they have to be sure they arent leaving anyone behind.
Anyone in a similar boat? Have suggested to enrich otherwise?
When he is bored in class and asks for more work, he gets word searches.
Cannot afford private.
Its just going to be a long year.

Tell him to volunteer in a soup kitchen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hmm. I mean, I don't think you will get a more advanced curriculum than at Basis unless you go private ... my kid is also in 7th there and is killing it (99% GPA for GP1) - but certainly doesn't complain about it being too easy (probably puts in 1-1.5 hours of homework a night). Have you looked at the materials and think they are easy? From what I have observed they are pretty hard core/legit - e.g., the physics problems are no joke.

My kid is pretty happy this year - but acknowledges that s/he is in a great element with very few/no rowdy/misbehaving kids (s/he notes that the language class is not as good/fun b/c indeed some of the rowdier/poor performers happen to have chosen that language). Your son must have gotten a bad element draw - bummer (that was my greatest fear before the year began - my kid had a terrible element in 5th and really dreaded class b/c of the disruptive kids).

You sound insufferable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is your kid maybe depressed?

no, just too smart for his own good

I love when people roll their eyes at things like this. Yes, there are kids who are bored senseless in school because they are smart and advanced. Truly, there are, whether or not your kid is one of them.

NP, who has multiple kids and only one of them fits this description.

[Anonymous]

The personal project suggestion is a good one. I’d just clear it with the dean and teachers first so he doesn’t get in trouble for it. As a teacher I can assure you they will be happy he’s occupied. It’s really really touch to differentiate in that way, especially towards the advance led end of the bell curve.

[Anonymous]

Kids are supposed to be bored. Ideas and insight come from boredom.

Why is this a problem?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kids are supposed to be bored. Ideas and insight come from boredom.

Why is this a problem?

Says someone whose child is nothing like OP’s.

Children benefit from ‘boredom’ when they also have the freedom to do something about it — build fairy houses in the back yard, make an obstacle course on the kitchen table for the Lego guy, etc.

Boredom sitting in a desk, prohibited from going anywhere else and with nothing to play and experiment with, does not inspire creativity. It’s just painful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kids are supposed to be bored. Ideas and insight come from boredom.

Why is this a problem?

Says someone whose child is nothing like OP’s.

Children benefit from ‘boredom’ when they also have the freedom to do something about it — build fairy houses in the back yard, make an obstacle course on the kitchen table for the Lego guy, etc.

Boredom sitting in a desk, prohibited from going anywhere else and with nothing to play and experiment with, does not inspire creativity. It’s just painful.

It’s also life and a skill. Children don’t need to be entertained in school.

And saying this after a year of a pandemic I call foul. Was this kid bored in 5th grade?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kids are supposed to be bored. Ideas and insight come from boredom.

Why is this a problem?

Says someone whose child is nothing like OP’s.

Children benefit from ‘boredom’ when they also have the freedom to do something about it — build fairy houses in the back yard, make an obstacle course on the kitchen table for the Lego guy, etc.

Boredom sitting in a desk, prohibited from going anywhere else and with nothing to play and experiment with, does not inspire creativity. It’s just painful.

maybe she shouldn’t have enrolled her child ina school where rigid drill-and-kill is the only focus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is your kid maybe depressed?

no, just too smart for his own good

I love when people roll their eyes at things like this. Yes, there are kids who are bored senseless in school because they are smart and advanced. Truly, there are, whether or not your kid is one of them.

NP, who has multiple kids and only one of them fits this description.

It only sounds spoiled and entitled. The child can go ahead, ask for special assignments, tutor other students, etc.

My child happens to be great at math for some reason and tutors kids, her teacher came up with the idea and now she is loving math class more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is your kid maybe depressed?

no, just too smart for his own good

I love when people roll their eyes at things like this. Yes, there are kids who are bored senseless in school because they are smart and advanced. Truly, there are, whether or not your kid is one of them.

NP, who has multiple kids and only one of them fits this description.

I taught for ten years and literally NEVER encountered this. Super smart kids are the least likely to be bored because they generally are really easy to task with extensions and/or they are very creative at coming up with their own things.

99% likely parents who say this sort of stuff are parents of totally average kids who just aren't that into school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As someone who was that kid: do homework for other classes, read a book, write a novel, design theatrical sets in class. Most of these weren't exactly teacher approved but basically finding non-disruptive personal projects to work on when bored can be a solution. (Also school got more interesting in high school; he just has to survive the next couple years.)

I think I was that kid and spent most of 7th grade passing notes and whispering. Tell him to try that!



But seriously, sometimes I think we're expecting way too much out of middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Basis sounds pretty boring. Maybe move him to a different school where he can challenge himself with music, drama, other stuff? Or project-based learning where he has more freedom to go deeper into a subject instead of just doing more problem sets.

THIS. We moved from DC to Arlington in search of both more challenge and more enrichment. Kid plays in the school band, taught as a class. He's come a long way this year playing a wind instrument, which he loves.

[Anonymous]

OP, you sent your kid to a MS with weak facilities, enrichment and extra curriculars and teachers and staff who aren't paid well enough to stick around for many years.

If he were at a MS in Fairfax or maybe MoCo or Arlington, he'd have a good library and computer lab to haunt in search of inspiration. He's probably have access to a robotics lab, band and orchestra sessions during class time, a serious chess club, debate club, a range of languages to choose from, school musicals to get involved with etc. His teachers and school counselor would probably be more experienced than at BASIS.

BASIS was too short on fun, staff cohesion and inspiration for us. I'm an MIT grad who works in STEM.