I have an 8 yr old son who is very intelligent, but doesn't test extremely well. I have tried to work with his teacher all year to try to find the best approach to ensure that we provide the best environment for him to excel....she at one point mentioned 'some parents like to go treat these behaviours medically... and others behaviourally'. UGH!
He's been doing great (A's and B's) so far this year, until on Friday I received 4 papers with D's on them...when I talked to her at open house last night to ask her if those papers were just recently graded, she said that they were over a two week span of time, but that she'd just sent them home last week. Am I crazy to be perturbed that she never thought to give me a heads up before I received everything at once?
As a side note, I just don't feel very "accepted" here in the JC school systems for events that take place, and I'm wondering if there might be a better outlet that challenges my son, w/o trying to label him and encourages him to excel.
Re: Charter school recommendations in Raleigh ??
Maybe try a personal tutor? Or Sylvan Learning Centers? Hopefully one of the boards teachers will get online and see this - they may be able to help a little more.
I will say I was the same as a kid - I NEVER tested well, but did pretty good elsewhere. I had great teachers though - when teachers didn't just pass kids to get them out of their class. Good luck finding a better outlet for your son.
What about the Neuse Charter School in Selma?
http://neusecharterschool.weebly.com/
If you don't mind my asking, which JC school is your son in?
Also, have you had him tested for learning disabilities such as dyslexia? I ask from experience -- my brother is dyslexic and was terrible when it came to paper/pencil exams (in his words, "words and numbers just slide off the page"). Once he figured out the problem and was allowed to take his exams orally, things improved for him 1000%.
Catching up on sports news...
I think I'd also be annoyed that the teacher didn't make you aware of such a sudden contrast in his work, but maybe she didn't have time to grade them all until a this past weekend and she wasn't aware either? What does she mean by treating "these behaviors", is she implying that he's ADD or something? All the more reason I'd want an official diagnosis on him, so you don't have to deal with bogus theories from a teacher who isn't qualified to be making any sort of diagnosis.
My best friend went to Raleigh Charter HS and really loved it. Obviously not what you're looking for for your 8 yr old but she told me that a lot of her classmates came there from Magellan Charter School which is 3rd - 8th so it might be worth looking into.
http://magellancharter.org/