Almost every day, we hear from parents who are frustrated and unsure where to go for answers. Their typically happy, well-adjusted child has suddenly become Oscar the Grouch. They mope around, quieter than normal and seem discouraged, even a bit depressed. When asked about school they are noncommittal, even surly.
Concerned, these parents keep trying to reach their kids only to be tuned out or brushed off with mumbled assurances that “Everything is fine, really.” Because they are responsible, proactive parents, they set up a time to speak with their child’s teacher.
The meeting is upbeat and encouraging, the parents are assured that their child may have hit a bump in the road, but they can catch up. There is some discussion about an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), but this feels a bit too cookie cutter to do any real good. The teacher is sincere in his or her desire to help, but it is clear that, with a couple dozen other students also struggling, they realistically do not have the time to approach each student’s academic issues individually. Unsuccessfully placated, these parents walk away without any real solutions to a problem they know will just continue to get worse every day.
Does this scenario sound familiar? Are you and your child currently at some point in this endless cycle of increasing frustration?