Teaching a smart kid to study

[Anonymous]

OP, I would push yourself to identify what "study" means to you. Making outlines and going over them? Writing answers to practice questions? What is it you're afraid that your kid can't do? Is it possible that they do it in some form but you don't see them do it?

I would say that if your kid is really absorbing the material at a challenging school without doing what you identify as studying, and you're afraid that at some point, they're going to struggle and get a bad grade, it may be that they have to learn their lesson the hard way. I think HS kids can be bright and stubborn enough that they won't want to do something you think they should do unless they see a benefit, which is, in a way, evidence of maturity. (I don't spend energy convincing my 11-year-old son not to eat a ton of sugar when he eats his veggies and protein. He's naturally very skinny and burns a ton of energy running around. If he's going to get chubby one day, it's not going to help if I tell him to lay off the Sprite at birthday parties now. It's just going to create resentment.)

It's okay for our kids -- for all people -- to fail. The pain is how we create lasting memories. We build feelings of competence when we get past hard things. You can make a last attempt, "I see you doing X and it's hard for me to understand why you don't do Y--can you explain it to me? Do you think it MIGHT be useful if you try Y with my support, knowing that one day you might need to do it without my support?" And then just let them go for it.

[Anonymous]

I would talk to someone at the school regarding your concerns. They might arrange for an independent study class or suggest a college where he could take some classes (not online).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is *he* interested in learning study skills that he doesn’t need right now? It’s hard to force that. If he recognizes that he may eventually get material that doesn’t come as easily and wants to prepare now for how to study it, you’ve got a laudably mature kid.

That said, there are a wide variety of study skills that vary based on subject matter and personal preference. If you’re looking for widely-applicable foundational guidance, maybe ask your school’s academic center for some resources to get you started.

Ha ha ha. No, not at all. No one would describe him as "laudably mature."

In that case, I think you may have trouble trying to convince him that this is an area he needs to work on. If he’s resistant to the idea, you’ve aren’t going to get far. He’s going to have to figure it out in his own time.

+1. Most colleges have a study skills class because kids like yours are so common in HS. He can figure it out then.

[Anonymous]

In public you have magnet school options. In private you don’t so you are kind of stuck

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In public you have magnet school options. In private you don’t so you are kind of stuck

At private we have already surpassed the public magnets. It is really not relevant.

[Anonymous]

I was like this in HS too, and then got to college and faltered a bit for the first year before I figured out how to study productively. I read "Outsmart Your Brain" by Dan Willingham last year and really wish I had read it decades ago, before I went off to college. It's essentially a manual on what kind of studying/note-taking actually works and helps a student (hint: not highlighting endlessly). I think it should be required reading for incoming college freshmen, honestly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid just finished 9th grade at a school that dcum considers to be rigorous. He got straight As without studying for finals and minimal studying during the year. How can he learn how to study when he clearly doesn't need to?

In 9th grade, he took honors math, the only honors class available to 9th graders. In 10th grade, he will take honors math and science, the only honors classes available to 10th graders.

Do you mean all A+ or all A or a mix if A+ A A- There's a difference....

I think you may be at our school and there's a difference in those outcomes. Our DC didn't study hard this year but they didn't get all A+ . They got a variety of A/A-. We are not trying to pressure them - but they don't seem to "get" that there IS a difference in these shades of A. But hey - they'll discover later (or maybe not depending) if those differences affect their college choices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid just finished 9th grade at a school that dcum considers to be rigorous. He got straight As without studying for finals and minimal studying during the year. How can he learn how to study when he clearly doesn't need to?

In 9th grade, he took honors math, the only honors class available to 9th graders. In 10th grade, he will take honors math and science, the only honors classes available to 10th graders.

Do you mean all A+ or all A or a mix if A+ A A- There's a difference....

I think you may be at our school and there's a difference in those outcomes. Our DC didn't study hard this year but they didn't get all A+ . They got a variety of A/A-. We are not trying to pressure them - but they don't seem to "get" that there IS a difference in these shades of A. But hey - they'll discover later (or maybe not depending) if those differences affect their college choices.

Brother, none of serious private schools give A+s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid just finished 9th grade at a school that dcum considers to be rigorous. He got straight As without studying for finals and minimal studying during the year. How can he learn how to study when he clearly doesn't need to?

In 9th grade, he took honors math, the only honors class available to 9th graders. In 10th grade, he will take honors math and science, the only honors classes available to 10th graders.

Do you mean all A+ or all A or a mix if A+ A A- There's a difference....

I think you may be at our school and there's a difference in those outcomes. Our DC didn't study hard this year but they didn't get all A+ . They got a variety of A/A-. We are not trying to pressure them - but they don't seem to "get" that there IS a difference in these shades of A. But hey - they'll discover later (or maybe not depending) if those differences affect their college choices.

Brother, none of serious private schools give A+s.

q

As a parent of two STA boys who received quite a few A+’s, I have to disabuse you of that notion. It requires being both intellectually gifted and having an exceptional work ethic but it’s possible.

One STA valedictorian we know graduated with almost all A+s. There was a reason he was valedictorian. Not only was he extremely gifted, he had an extraordinary ability to focus combined with super processing speed. Probably had an eidetic memory to boot. Truly a unicorn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid just finished 9th grade at a school that dcum considers to be rigorous. He got straight As without studying for finals and minimal studying during the year. How can he learn how to study when he clearly doesn't need to?

In 9th grade, he took honors math, the only honors class available to 9th graders. In 10th grade, he will take honors math and science, the only honors classes available to 10th graders.

Do you mean all A+ or all A or a mix if A+ A A- There's a difference....

I think you may be at our school and there's a difference in those outcomes. Our DC didn't study hard this year but they didn't get all A+ . They got a variety of A/A-. We are not trying to pressure them - but they don't seem to "get" that there IS a difference in these shades of A. But hey - they'll discover later (or maybe not depending) if those differences affect their college choices.

Brother, none of serious private schools give A+s.

q

As a parent of two STA boys who received quite a few A+’s, I have to disabuse you of that notion. It requires being both intellectually gifted and having an exceptional work ethic but it’s possible.

One STA valedictorian we know graduated with almost all A+s. There was a reason he was valedictorian. Not only was he extremely gifted, he had an extraordinary ability to focus combined with super processing speed. Probably had an eidetic memory to boot. Truly a unicorn.

STA doesn't have letter grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid just finished 9th grade at a school that dcum considers to be rigorous. He got straight As without studying for finals and minimal studying during the year. How can he learn how to study when he clearly doesn't need to?

In 9th grade, he took honors math, the only honors class available to 9th graders. In 10th grade, he will take honors math and science, the only honors classes available to 10th graders.

Do you mean all A+ or all A or a mix if A+ A A- There's a difference....

I think you may be at our school and there's a difference in those outcomes. Our DC didn't study hard this year but they didn't get all A+ . They got a variety of A/A-. We are not trying to pressure them - but they don't seem to "get" that there IS a difference in these shades of A. But hey - they'll discover later (or maybe not depending) if those differences affect their college choices.

Brother, none of serious private schools give A+s.

q

As a parent of two STA boys who received quite a few A+’s, I have to disabuse you of that notion. It requires being both intellectually gifted and having an exceptional work ethic but it’s possible.

One STA valedictorian we know graduated with almost all A+s. There was a reason he was valedictorian. Not only was he extremely gifted, he had an extraordinary ability to focus combined with super processing speed. Probably had an eidetic memory to boot. Truly a unicorn.

STA doesn't have letter grades.

yes they do. Why are you posting about something that you know nothing about?

[Anonymous]

OP you should get a study tutor. We did that when ours switched from 8 years of Montessori to Big 3. Struggled in middle school before grades counted for college from HS grades. Went on to graduate with Honors from HYP. Self made millionaire by age 28. You can " kill 2 birds with one stone" by having your kid do PSAT prep with tutor this summer. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid just finished 9th grade at a school that dcum considers to be rigorous. He got straight As without studying for finals and minimal studying during the year. How can he learn how to study when he clearly doesn't need to?

In 9th grade, he took honors math, the only honors class available to 9th graders. In 10th grade, he will take honors math and science, the only honors classes available to 10th graders.

Do you mean all A+ or all A or a mix if A+ A A- There's a difference....

I think you may be at our school and there's a difference in those outcomes. Our DC didn't study hard this year but they didn't get all A+ . They got a variety of A/A-. We are not trying to pressure them - but they don't seem to "get" that there IS a difference in these shades of A. But hey - they'll discover later (or maybe not depending) if those differences affect their college choices.

Brother, none of serious private schools give A+s.

q

As a parent of two STA boys who received quite a few A+’s, I have to disabuse you of that notion. It requires being both intellectually gifted and having an exceptional work ethic but it’s possible.

One STA valedictorian we know graduated with almost all A+s. There was a reason he was valedictorian. Not only was he extremely gifted, he had an extraordinary ability to focus combined with super processing speed. Probably had an eidetic memory to boot. Truly a unicorn.

STA doesn't have letter grades.

yes they do. Why are you posting about something that you know nothing about?

STA uses 100 point scale. Now, you can convert that into letter grades if you want, but the purpose of 100 point scale is exactly to avoid the use of letter grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid just finished 9th grade at a school that dcum considers to be rigorous. He got straight As without studying for finals and minimal studying during the year. How can he learn how to study when he clearly doesn't need to?

In 9th grade, he took honors math, the only honors class available to 9th graders. In 10th grade, he will take honors math and science, the only honors classes available to 10th graders.

Do you mean all A+ or all A or a mix if A+ A A- There's a difference....

I think you may be at our school and there's a difference in those outcomes. Our DC didn't study hard this year but they didn't get all A+ . They got a variety of A/A-. We are not trying to pressure them - but they don't seem to "get" that there IS a difference in these shades of A. But hey - they'll discover later (or maybe not depending) if those differences affect their college choices.

Brother, none of serious private schools give A+s.

q

As a parent of two STA boys who received quite a few A+’s, I have to disabuse you of that notion. It requires being both intellectually gifted and having an exceptional work ethic but it’s possible.

One STA valedictorian we know graduated with almost all A+s. There was a reason he was valedictorian. Not only was he extremely gifted, he had an extraordinary ability to focus combined with super processing speed. Probably had an eidetic memory to boot. Truly a unicorn.

STA doesn't have letter grades.

yes they do. Why are you posting about something that you know nothing about?

STA uses 100 point scale. Now, you can convert that into letter grades if you want, but the purpose of 100 point scale is exactly to avoid the use of letter grades.

They use a 100-point scale for GPA. They still give out letter grades. Their conversion scale is even on the school profile they send to colleges. 95-100 is an A+ (which I find interesting, since my DC’s much-dumped-on-by-DCUM school requires a 97 for an A+).
https://stalbansschool.myschoolapp.com/ftpimages/744/download/download_2514345.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid just finished 9th grade at a school that dcum considers to be rigorous. He got straight As without studying for finals and minimal studying during the year. How can he learn how to study when he clearly doesn't need to?

In 9th grade, he took honors math, the only honors class available to 9th graders. In 10th grade, he will take honors math and science, the only honors classes available to 10th graders.

OP - if your kid is finding his courseload too easy, I would check to confirm that he is in the most advanced track the school offers. I'm not aware of any rigorous school in DC that only offers one honors-track class to 9th graders and two honors-track classes to 10th graders. And in addition to offering honors classes in virtually every subject, all of the Big 3 schools offer advanced students the option to be taking AP (or the equivalent) science, AP (or equivalent) history, and AP (or equivalent) language by 10th grade, in addition to adding an AP/honors extracurricular (computer science, art history) in lieu of study hall.