But this isn't a lifer situation. This is a kid (according to the thread title) that is new this year who passed all their screeners and now is being asked to leave instead of being helped with the transition to the new school. |
Did OP ever say that? Reading through, there are a few similar situations posts, but nothing from OP |
"Counsel out their mistakes" Lovely |
You tell me. What does the thread title say |
it's in the tread title, doofus. "child getting Cs and Ds as new student in MS, asked to seek better fit for HS?" |
| Switching to a new school would just be running from the problem and kicking the cam down the road. My 7th grader at a top 5 school (where 7th is an entry year) said the new kids from public get a’s on anything that involved memorization or graded homework but are really struggling with long term projects and presentations and writing. They have a lot of group projects and it’s noticeable. Thankfully their school provides lots of support and I know from my older kid that by the time these kids entered 9th they are caught up. I’d approach the school and am surprised that your child has not and that the school is not already working with him. If they are not then that’s a poor reflection on the school and you’re in a tough spot bc it will be hard to apply out w/ those grades. |
| Unless your kid has strong feelings about staying, I would look around for a better fit. No one WANTS to get all Cs and Ds. Test for learning differences to ensure you aren’t missing anything and find somewhere your child can succeed academically and socially. Find an environment that actually can provide some support, rather than just counseling out. Kid doesn’t have to be an academic superstar, but needs to perform at least at the average level to ensure mastery of the material. |
| OP, has your child been at the school and is new to middle school this year or is your child brand new to the school starting this past September and is already been asked to leave? Either way, I think sometimes when schools do this is because they don’t see the family doing a lot to remedy the situation. I’m not saying you’re not trying, but I have seen lots of families new to private assume that once they cut the check, school will take care of the rest. In my experience if the child is struggling, but the parents are trying to work with school, get their own outside support, etc. the school will work with you. Again, not saying this is your situation, but it’s odd anyone would be counseled out in just a few months unless there was big behavior issues accompanying the bad grades and the parents weren’t acknowledging the situation. |
+1 This! Every child cannot be top of class or an academic superstar but every child can find an appropriate academic fit, based on their abilities. This school appears not to be it, and that's ok! Explore options for the remainder of this application season and simultaneously, take the steps to identify their areas of growth and sources of performance challenges. Figure out precisely what is going wrong, devise an academic support plan to fix it, and then move on to a more suitable school. Best of luck along the way; I can only imagine that this is stressful for both child and parent. Hang in there! |
Or they can stay and be really popular. High achievers should thank the kid who helps the curve for everyone else |
| My tough high school let the flailing students stick around. It was very stressful for the kid for many years. I wish they’d been counseled out. |
| Is your child asking to leave the school? Or is the school asking you to leave? It’s not clear from your post. Either way, I would seriously consider leaving a school that either my child was that unhappy at or the school was pushing us out. Either way it’s a bad situation for your child. I’m sorry that you are going through this, and I hope you find the right place for your child. People tend to flourish when they are are happy so I would take my child’s unhappiness very seriously at this age. He is old enough to know himself. |
| My oldest DS started at a Big 3 in middle school and got mostly Bs, with some Cs. We asked him if he wanted to leave for another school or public, but he wanted to stay. His grades improved significantly in high school and he ended up at an Ivy for college and law school. All's well that ends well? Maybe, but the middle school teachers and administrators were useless and the upper school not much better. Basically, our kid clawed his way out of the academic hole without any support. We sent our younger child to a non-Big 3, which was a totally different experience -- teachers were kind, encouraging and had lots of strategies to offer when our child needed support. College placement was also excellent and DC is now a thriving college sophomore. Bottom line for us: Big 3, schmig 3. |
Lol |
Good idea! |