Parents' evening - Jeckyll and Hyde daughter!

[BigPantsRule]

Has anyone else come across this phenomenon - at our parents evening for our Y10 dd1 (usual mad scramble of 5-minute appointments but seems to work somehow) the opinions of her various teachers were polarized to the extent that we wondered if they were talking about the same child. For some subjects she is hardworking, reliable, can't put a foot wrong, ray of sunshine etc. etc. yet for others she is scatty, homework is late or missing altogether, doesn't contribute in class, and so on. We even had complaints from a teacher in the second category who was in the first this time last year - which, I think, added to her frustration with our dd1. It's not even as if dd1 doesn't like the subjects concerned, I think perhaps she focuses heavily on her favourites and the others have started to slip off the edge!

Anyway we found it a useful exercise - the positives fortunately outweighed the negatives and at least we know exactly where to focus our nagging gentle and constructive encouragement

[fizzbuzz]

Sounds like a normal Y10 to me. All my angels are awful in some one else's lesson and vice versa.

I'm sure some are all angelic all the time, but very very few and far between

[mumblechum]

Christ I was reduced almost to tears last night - saw 4 teachers who all said ds is very very capable but basically incredibly lazy, hasn't been putting hw in diary, so not getting done etc. this terms orders are all going to be Cs, which is Not Acceptable In A Grammar School, apparently.

Am torn between feeling sorry for v. dejected and depressed ds and furious at him for not even trying to reach his potential.

Will now have to take him in hand and hang over his shoulder to make sure all h/w is done to standard. >

[BigPantsRule]

I know what you mean, Mumblechum - at the last appointment we felt as though WE were the ones being given the b**cking! DD is at a grammar school too, - still, at least it's reassuring to know that the teachers are on her case and not letting her coast.

It's frustrating to have to keep watching them all the time when you would really rather adopt a hands-off approach - especially if you have other children to consider. In DD's case it's not so much laziness (well, not always ) as lack of organizational skills that's the problem. She has improved massively in this area but still has some way to go. I help her by providing colour-coded folders etc. for the plethora of handouts she is given for the various subjects (she can do her own "filing" ) and one of those big plastic storage boxes to keep her school books separate from the rest of the jumble she calls her bedroom. DD is also a bit of a dreamer and is often away with the fairies when homework is set, so there are still sometimes gaps but this is also improving. She has learned to ensure that there is always something written against the homework subject in her planner, even if it is just "none set". That way both she and I know whether she needs to phone a friend!

[bubblesbabe]

I really sympathise - my son is exactly like this. In the space of a month I have had a phone call from one teacher saying he is brilliant, getting on well and an asset to the class followed a few short weeks later by a phone call from a different teacher saying that he and two others are being excluded from a lesson for disruptive behaviour! What can you do???