Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Flip

Original poster

Is my DS just bored, or becoming a horror?

16 replies

helyg · 20/05/2010 14:46

DS1 will be 7 in September, so is one of the eldest in Year 2. He is in a mixed Yr1/2 class, as the school is quite small and only has 4 classes. As we are in Wales Year 2 is still within the Foundation Phase, so the emphasis is on Learning through Play.

He has always been fairly bright, he is top in his class at reading (he has had to go to the yr3/4 class to get his reading books since Christmas as he has run out of the ones in their class, and is the only child in the class who does this). According to his teacher his written work is above average and so is his maths. He is good at sport and is one of the youngest players in the village under 11 team. He plays the piano and is the youngest member of the school choir. So far so wonderful...

Up until recently he has also been very well behaved, and I have never had to worry about him at all. However, today for the first time ever, I was called in by his teacher as he had been misbehaving yesterday. It was nothing enormous, but he was being quite disruptive.

I will obviously be speaking to him about it when he gets home from school, but I can't help wondering what has caused him to suddenly start misbehaving. I have noticed that his behaviour at home is getting worse just recently too. Is it just his age? Is it because he is ready to go up to the next class and is bored? Or is he just starting to rebel against his goody two shoes image?

Has anyone experienced similar? Any words of wisdom?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

DreamTeamGirl · 20/05/2010 14:57

My DS is much MUCH younger as he just started reception
However he mirrored yours last summer at the ned of nursery. He was ready to start school and was completely disruptive. Our solution was easy (well easy to think of but harder to implemment) enough to do as we just dropped him to 2 days a week nursery and covered the rest with my mum, my sister and me taking some annual leave
Any chance they would let him spend some time in the year 3/4 rooms at all?

DreamTeamGirl · 20/05/2010 14:58

Oh and meant to sya it did work and did him the absolute power of good.

Original poster

helyg · 20/05/2010 15:05

DS1 was actually very similar (at least at home, this is the first time he has started misbehaving at school too) when he was ready to move from nursery to reception, and again when he was ready to move from reception to year 1. So I am hoping that this is all it is.

He can't really go up to the 3/4 class until the last week of term before they break up for the summer hols. That week they spend their afternoons in their new class. DS1 has already told me how many weeks and days it is until then, so I think he is rather eager...

I just don't want to miss there actually being a problem by putting it down to him "just" being ready to move up IYSWIM?

OP posts:

DreamTeamGirl · 20/05/2010 15:09

I know what you mean- my DS is currently horrid and I am struggling to decide how much is him being naughty and how much is his grief reaction to my dad dying ... I want to be understanding but not 'ok' his bad behavior...

Its great that your boy is so keen to move up. Hopefull he will be able to tell you if he feels unchallenged or bored too? It also sounds like he has followed this pattern before

Original poster

helyg · 20/05/2010 15:15

Well in his words it's boring, we do the same work over and over again, I've always finished my work first and then I have to sit there and wait for everyone else to finish before I can do anything else. So you can kind of see his point... It probably doesn't help that DS2 is in Year 1 and so in the same class as him. they are getting a teensy bit competitive with each other at the moment.

But, at the same time, it doesn't matter how bored he is he can't go round disrupting the rest of the class!

Sorry to hear about your dad BTW x

OP posts:

Original poster

helyg · 20/05/2010 15:16

But, at the same time, it doesn't matter how bored he is he can't go round disrupting the rest of the class!

Sorry to hear about your dad BTW x

OP posts:

Original poster

helyg · 20/05/2010 15:16

Sorry, I don't know how I managed to post that twice!

OP posts:

DreamTeamGirl · 20/05/2010 15:53

Aww thanks

And no you are right, he shouldnt go round disrupting them, but god it must be nearly killing him being in with some kids who are still 4 and taking weeks and weeks to do things

It muyst be worth talking to the teacher and having an (quiet non disruptive) activity your DS can go onto when he finishes, its beyond the pale to expect a 6 year old to sit quietly and wait over and over again everyday for 4 year olds to catch up.

EddieIzzardismyhero · 20/05/2010 15:57

I agree with DreamTeam - I would never let my bright kids sit and do nothing if they had finished. I always had 'stand by activities' that they could pick up and carry on with whenever they had finished (and no, I don't just mean colouring in either!).

Original poster

helyg · 20/05/2010 16:12

His teacher last year always had a little stash of what she called "extended" work for if children were ready for a bigger challenge. They would be on the same theme, but a little bit harder IYSWIM. However she left last summer and the new teacher doesn't seem to do this. The class also has 30 pupils in, so it is hectic at the best of times.

Currently, if he gets too bored, he gets sent to do the photocopying!

OP posts:

DreamTeamGirl · 20/05/2010 16:13

Oh now that doesnt seem right Helyg

Are you able to talk to her?

Original poster

helyg · 20/05/2010 16:23

I get on quite well with his teacher actually, and have had to go in to see her a lot regarding DS2 who is in Year 1 (he has been having strange seizures in school and was being tested for epilepsy etc). But I'm really concious of not sounding super pushy, I know she knows that he's quite bright as she often remarks on it but when I say it it seems to come out all wrong and I sound like I think he's Einstein! I also don't want her to think that I'm condoning or making excuses for his behaviour. I did mention this morning that I thought he was probably ready to move up, but she doesn't seem to make the equation that quite bright + oldest in class + ready to move up to the next class = playing up!

OP posts:

Original poster

helyg · 20/05/2010 16:24

Also have just re-read my OP and realised that I can't count how old my DC are... He will be 8 in September, not 7!

OP posts:

sunnydelight · 21/05/2010 03:56

Isn't this the stage where boys get a hormonal surge too? (thinks back to when DSs were younger). I remember both boys, who are normally very well behaved, being pretty horrible at times but it really helped me in dealing with them to know it was "normal" and would get better.

mummytime · 21/05/2010 05:37

I would go back to the teacher. She should be offering him "extension" material, as part of her "differentiation". You need to tell her what your son says. Ask her if she could make the task a bit more stretching for him. Maybe if its writing she can ask him to go further with it, or to learn to review his own work. If its maths maybe get him puzzles to solve (7 is not too young for Sudoko).
Ask her if you can work together to discover when he is disruptive, and what triggers it.

As a trainee teacher I am expected to think about extension, and differentiation in every lesson. I would have thought it would be even more crucial in a mixed age class.

Original poster

helyg · 21/05/2010 08:19

Yes sunny I think hormonal surges are at work, or at least according to Stephen Biddulph! Which is hours of fun with 2 boys only 20 months apart...

mummytime: I work within the Foundation Phase myself, just with a younger age range, and a big part of it is adapting the curriculum to meet the needs of the individual child, whether they are "ahead" or "behind" (for want of a better word). I'm not confident that this is happening at the moment

OP posts:

Flip