When Your Child Is Bored at School

2. The Overwhelmed Child

At the other extreme, the work may be too challenging for your child, leading her to tune school out because she feels incompetent. If your child does better on repetitive work, on homework and on simpler questions, but stumbles over projects and tests, it may be that she is having trouble grasping the big picture. By meeting with the teacher, you can determine if your child has been behind since the start of the class or if it is a recent development, and then together you can come up with strategies for closing the gap.

Generally, children who need to catch up can be supported within the normal class time and structure, but the teacher may recommend putting a child-study team together if she feels that she needs additional advice and perspective. The team usually consists of classroom teachers, school psychologists, a guidance counselor, resource specialist or any one else who can provide information about your child and come up with specific ways to help her succeed.

3. The Isolated Child

For some children, a personal connection with the teacher is of primary importance and if this is missing they may complain of boredom. If this is your child, he needs encouragement on a personal level, and he fares badly when it is missing.

This often happens with children who have done well in elementary school, but feel lost when they get to a large middle school where they have several different teachers, Rambo says. One option is to switch him to a smaller school. If that’s not possible, you can try to identify one special teacher or coach to be a mentor, someone who will take an interest in your child at school.

“It takes commitment for parent and teacher to work together, to meet the needs of the child,” says Chase, adding that while parents need to realize that it can seem very difficult to deal with these issues, they are usually resolvable when the adults in a child’s life work together.<

RESOURCE

I Know My Child Can Do Better! by Anne Rambo, Contemporary Books, 2002. Provides insights on primary warning signs that a child is struggling, bored or under- or over-challenged at school, as well as resources and solutions for school-related problems.

The New Public School Parent, by Bob Chase with Bob Katz, Penguin, 2002. Chase, a veteran teacher and two-term president of the National Education Association, provides parents with a detailed road-map for navigating the public school system.

The Survival Guide for Parents of Gifted Kids by Sally Yahnke Walker, Ph.D., Free Spirit Publishing, 2002. Gives parents encouraging, practical tips for living with a gifted child and handling the endless questions and high energy that often go along with giftedness.

Judy Molland is an education writer and author of Straight Talk About Schools Today: Understand the System and Help Your Child Succeed