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avatarParent of 3
# of Thumbs Up Received (4)
Top 5 in: Health and Wellness, Learning Disabilities and Special NeedsTop 5 in 2 Topics

How to help a high school junior with a low gpa and very high test scores?

My son is a junior in high school. He has been tested as "profoundly gifted" but has not been doing very well in high school at all. He gets straight A's on all of his tests but rarely does any homework. We have tried punishments as well as rewards and nothing seems to work. I realize now that he is bored and completely unmotivated by grades. He has scored in the 99% range on all of the the standardized tests he has taken and has been receiving alot of mail from colleges. I have explained to him that if he does not get his grades up he may not be able to attend them. He is interested in college but I think he has lost his confidence in his ability to do well in school. Unfortunately, many of his classes at school involve a lot of busy work and therefore his grades have suffered. He does well with papers or projects that allow him to be creative, but those assignments aren't very frequent. He is active in school activities and is well liked by his classmates and teachers. We usually get the "pleasure to have in class" comment right next to the "missing assignments" or "not working to potential" comments on the report cards. I know nothing about homeschooling or dual enrollment but I need some advice on other alternatives to what he is doing now. The other problem is he is doing well socially at school (captain of quiz bowl team, etc...) so I'm not sure it would be good to pull him out now. He is a good kid. and I just want to help him make the most of the time he has left and still have good opportunities for college. I know in order to do that he will need to find away to bring his gpa up. Does anyone have any ideas or advice?

Question applies to ages: 17

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avatarKathy
# of Thumbs Up Received (12)
Top 5 in: Depression and Mental Health, Home Learning and Field Trips, Learning Disabilities and Special NeedsTop 5 in 3 Topics		 As a parent of 1 high school child, 1 fresh in collage, 1 senior in collage and 1 adult married with kids, I believe very strongly that work ethic, good organizational skills and good study skills are the most important attributes in achieving success in school, especially collage. It sounds to me like your son may have a problem with organizing and developing a process. I think this is pretty common for teens especially males. It's compounded by his extreme intelligence. His natural abilities allow him to get by relatively well at least, up until high school, and so he hasn't been forced to learn better habits. I would suggest that you develop a contract with him, that would outline study times and benchmarks. For instance, we expect you to study everyday from 4:00- 6:00. We want you to study at the kitchen table. No cell phone, no music, no tv. We expect you to turn in every assignment on time on a weekly basis. In return, you will have access to the car. You can make social plans for the weekend and we will continue to pay for your cell phone. Then outline the penalty for not fulfilling his requirements.
In addition, I would do what you can to help him be successful in the initial few weeks. I have found with my son that a weekly meeting looking over the coming week is valuable. Then we discuss a study plan. We can put this plan in written form and place it somewhere where he can refer to it. If he really has a difficult time, you could check his progress during the week again with the idea in mind that you are helping him to be successful.
The hard part is that you must follow through on whatever you two agree to. If he does not meet his requirements then you must enforce the penalties. On the other hand if he is successful then you must allow him his rewards. For instance, if you make the stipulation turning in all assignments then you reward regardless of the grade. And for now I would suggest just focusing on getting him to get the work done and handed in.
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avatarJenny.eduguide
# of Thumbs Up Received (77)
Top 5 in: Discipline, Families and Relationships, Family Activities, Financial Aid for College, Growth and Development, Health and Wellness, Parenting Support, Parents and Schools, School Policy and Education Issues, Study Skills and Academics, Transitions and Readiness, Study Skills and Academic StrategiesTop 5 in 12 Topics		 When your children are this age, it is very hard to "make" them do anything. I'm sure you have only your child's best interest at heart, but he has to want that higher GPA too. If he isn't failing, chances are it hasn't really hit home with him yet that just getting by in life isn't always good enough.

Try talking with him about his future, not just whether he wants to attend college or not. Ask him what he wants to do with his life. Talk about what kind of occupations he is interested in and how without a college degree those kinds of things are not possible. Then explain again that without a higher GPA and better work ethic, college isn't possible.

We all have to learn the lesson that in life there are many things that aren't fun, but just a means to an end. He has to do the "boring" stuff (homework assignments) to get to the "fun" stuff (a cool job that he really loves). Just keep letting him know what's best for him and hopefully it will start to sink in.
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