My son is bored in school...

Brittany - posted on 01/04/2009

Thank you all for your help! I will deffinetly be trying all of them to see what works best with him. He's my eldest, so this is all new to me. Again thank you!

Andrea - posted on 01/04/2009

I have the same problem. My son is in first grade and we moved into a school district that is not as challenging as the one we left--Sad. He is bored. So, I challenge him at home. He LOVES science so we go to the science museum and we do at home science projects. I remind him constantly that when he gets done with his school work he needs to respect his friends and find something quiet to do while they finish up their work. I ask him how would he feel if his friends were disruptive while he was trying to learn. I also ask him how he thinks his teacher feels when he does sloppy work or gets antsy. It helps him to realize that his actions don't just effect him. He loves to read and write so he keeps a spare book and notebook in his desk to use if he finishes his work before everyone else. I also remind him that I want him to do his best work--even if it means he is not the first done.

Lori - posted on 01/04/2009

I agree with Laurie. The younger grades are so much more than just academic. Sometimes, especially in boys, they need to mature in those areas. BUT he does need to have something to help him through transition. If he is just sitting there, being disruptive, that's not helpful to anyone. The teacher should be prepared with something to fill in the gap....something to challenge him or to get him involved with helping. If he finishes first all the time, he could be rewarded by allowing him to help set up for the next activity....or give him some fun activity sheets to work on. That might inspire others to stay on task, so they can do the "fun stuff". Don't get frustrated. My son's K5 was tough. We got through it and got a teacher in 1st grade that knew how to work with him. I know homeschool my two daughters, so I don't have these issues anymore. Good Luck!

Laurie - posted on 01/04/2009

I have 2 kids that have been through kindergarten & also sub in that grade. A couple thoughts are: 1. Kids need to learn to be bored. They aren't always going to be stimulated in the real world i.e. at work later in life & need to learn it's ok to not always be doing something. 2. Kindergarten - 1st grade are good grades to put in your frame of mind that the kids aren't learning a whole lot if they've been to pre-school & you work w/ them at home on basic learning tools. They're great grades for learning to share the teacher's attention with multiple other students, being patient & waiting their turn, learning about behavior expectations at school they'll carry all through their schooling (waiting in line, walking through hallways, lunchroom behavior, respecting authority besides mom & dad (teachers, librarians, p.e. & music instructors, principals, lunchroom monitors, classroom aides, etc...), figuring out whether they are leaders or followers in social situations, etc... It's not just about academics & it took me pretty much the entire kindergarten year & 1/2 of 1st grade and subbing in those grades to figure that all out. On a side note, it doesn't hurt to ask for a conference from the teacher 2-3 times throughout the year to communicate your concerns. Since he is so advanced, which mine both are too, she can delegate him to help other students who may have difficulty focusing or learning, to teach them. That empowers your son & helps build leadership strengths in him. The teacher is responsible for his behavior after he finishes his work. Unless she desires you to be there everyday in the classroom to correct his behavior (which I sincerely doubt she does), she needs to use trial-and-error to figure out different techniques she can use that will help him be successful.