Maddie's teacher has been writing us notes this month regarding her "excessive talking" or "not paying attention to the lesson." It first started with one note per month, then once per week, then she'd go a couple of weeks with no incidents, and now, we're getting notes several times per week.
This is all too familiar. The second semester of Kinder, she also had similar problems.
I think the girl is BORED. Her grades are getting increasingly higher....98-100 in all subjects, and her level of distraction is getting increasingly worse. She loves all subjects in school, participates fully, exercises daily, and has a network of diverse friends. Am I missing something here?
When we seriously confronted Maddie about her behavior and asked why she wasn't paying attention, she said, "I am listening to my teacher. We listen with our EARS. Who cares if I'm doing something else while she's talking. I can HEAR her."
Apart from being a totally sassy response, I get it. She is logical in her reasoning. Perhaps because I also posses the same type of multi-tasking brain, I'm empathetic. I can do many things at once (but research says I won't be able to do anything very well) and unintentionally demonstrate this to Maddie on a daily basis.
Zak and I discussed respect and listening to your teacher with your whole body...eyes, ears, posture, and face. (She listened to me, but promptly broke eye contact and began to fiddle with her zipper!). When Maddie is very interested in the topic or telling a story, she is uber focused and has no eye contact issues.
Today's students are multi-taskers stuck in a traditional classroom. What should I do?
3 comments:
The one thing that sucks about school--conformity! Just because it's not her favorite way to listen doesn't mean she can't listen with her mouth closed. Since she is plenty stimulated, I say good old fashioned bribery. No notes home = a prize.
Oooh, I kind of like Michelle's idea of bribery! That always works with me!
And even though she is super smart and not being challenged, manners and respect are more important. I feel like that will get her farther in this world. People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.
Although that could be my opinion since my manners are better then my brains! :)
And I only gave my opinion because you asked!
Does Maddie's school have a "Gifted and Talented" class? There's more of a challenge in those classes and less emphasis on rigid conduct. Kids can move around while they learn.
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