ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL CHALLENGES
Class Struggle When a child’s academic difficulties or social challenges linger, how do you help them?
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WORDS ALEXIS PATTERSON
HE TRADITIONAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT works well for a lot of kids. But a lot of others are struggling. Perhaps there are academic difficulties. Or maybe your child can complete the work but at a different pace (faster or slower) than their peers. It could be that your child is unable to find a solid group of friends. The reasons a child may not thrive in a typical classroom—or a virtual one—are many, and so are the resulting questions for parents. What’s a normal challenge for a kid to overcome? What requires intervention? How do you make sure your child is getting the support they need?
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2021 / guide to education
gling, or—especially among littler ones—they just don’t know how to self-advocate at school. That was an issue for Bridget Robinson’s son Micah. Robinson, a teacher in Dallas ISD, set about encouraging her son to find his voice. “I tell him, ‘If you’re stuck, you need to ask. Don’t sit there for 20 minutes not doing anything,’” Robinson says, adding that “we teach kids to be quiet and listen, but kids also need to be able to speak up.’” Dallas ISD Chief Academic Officer Shannon Trejo agrees. “They don’t want to raise their hand and say they don’t understand. It’s an ongoing issue, but it can be even harder or affect more kids in a virtual environment.” THE ACADEMIC APPROACH It’s easy to understand that children who are behind academically can struggle in the classroom, but so can above-average kids. A Dallas mom we’ll call Ana Garcia says her son sat bored at the computer much of last year as his fourth-grade teacher worked to oversee both oncampus and remote students on varying levels.
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SPEAK UP Children can be masters at hiding troubles, which can delay getting them help. A mom we’ll call Kathryn Johnston, who lives in Tarrant County, had no idea anything was amiss with her middle schooler—until the emails and calls from teachers informing Johnston that her daughter wasn’t turning in work, or writing “IDK” (tween shorthand for I don’t know) as a response. “She broke down and talked about emotional challenges she was having at school,” says Johnston. “She’s a sensitive soul, a sweet girl. She’s tried sports and activities and hasn’t found her thing or her group. She says she doesn’t fit in, and those emotional issues are driving the academic issues. “When she does the schoolwork, she does well,” Johnston continues. “She just gets so distracted in the school environment. She feels that if she asks any questions or asks for help, she’ll be embarrassed.” That’s a common theme among kids who are having trouble in school. They don’t want their classmates or even their teachers to know they’re strug-
