Three signs that your child is in the wrong class!

The new school year is coming and you need to know that your child will be in the type of  class that will help him or her learn.  You might not have much say about what type of class your child goes to, but when you know the signs that tell you that your child is in the wrong type of class you can do something about it.

Here are three signs that your child is struggling to adapt the way he or she learns with the way the teacher is teaching.

1.  Boredom

When a child likes to learn in a non-linear way (as many visual learners do), and he or she is placed in a class where the teacher uses a traditional, step-by-step approach to teaching, he is going to be bored.  This kind of learner likes to learn in many different ways and if he is expected to learn in a structured way he will feel limited and may even begin to feel that his way of learning is wrong.

Similarly, a child who needs a structured teaching approach will feel lost and confused if he or she is in a class where the teacher allows children to learn in an unstructured way.  This child will feel bored because he will not know what he is supposed to do, he will be ‘at a loose end’.

2.  Homework

Homework is always an issue but if you feel that your child has either too much or too little homework it could be a sign that your child’s learning style does not match the teacher’s teaching style.  First, check with your child’s teacher to make sure how much homework your child should be doing.  Some teachers do not give much homework, they like students to have time for other learning opportunities.  Some teachers give lots of homework, they want students to practice what they have learned in class.  Either way, you need to make sure that your child is not stressed by having too much homework or being ‘let off the hook’ by not doing enough.

3.  Avoidance

This is a hard one, but students who are not happy in class will avoid talking about what they do in school.  They are not deliberately avoiding telling you about the problems, they probably are not really aware of what they are.  Your child may not tell you about his school day either because everything is perfect and he sees no need to share OR because he has issues but cannot verbalize them.  You have to decide which it is and what action, if any, you should be taking as a result.

Watch out for these signs.  If they continue after the first two weeks of being in a new class you need to provide your child with the support he needs to manage the situation.

The first two weeks of school are always full of new experiences for a child.  Just make sure that they are good ones!