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Is Your Child Struggling In School?

3 Warning Signs Your Child Is Struggling In A Traditional Classroom

As a parent, it’s natural to want to swoop in to help and protect your child from any struggles or issues. You want your child to be happy and successful and you’ll do anything you can to make that happen. But what happens when your child is struggling in school and no matter what you do, you can’t seem to help them?

When a child is struggling in school, it’s critical to their academic and social success to get them the help they need. But how do you know your child’s issues might be signs of a greater struggle? Read on for 3 warning signs that your child is struggling in a traditional classroom.

1. Untapped Potential

One of the biggest warning signs that your child isn’t thriving in their current school is when you’re able to recognize potential in them that isn’t coming across in their performance, submitted work, assessments, or report cards.

You know your child is capable of doing an assignment yet they often struggle with how to begin, they forget to write down the due date, and even misplace the finished assignment and forget to turn it in. Your child’s teacher frequently mentions they are not paying attention and are extremely disorganized. They’ll forget to write down the homework for the night or, if they do remember, they’re unable to complete it because they’ve lost their textbook.

Oftentimes, this kind of behavior is seen as a lack of effort but you know that’s not the case. You know your child has greater potential, but it’s just not evident at school.

2. Struggles Socially

Seeing your child struggling in school can be difficult, but seeing your child struggling to make friends can be heartbreaking. When your child has trouble making friends it can come out in many ways from not being invited to a birthday party to social anxiety in the cafeteria.

You might notice that your child seems more socially immature when compared to their peers and they struggle to connect with them. Perhaps they don’t understand social cues or often interrupt, have trouble sharing or freeze in social settings. Your child might gravitate towards, and even have more in common, with younger peers instead of friends their own age.

Oftentimes if your child is frequently pulled out of the classroom for therapeutic services, they might struggle to feel a part of the classroom and school community. This can lead to feelings of isolation and low self-esteem.

You know your child is desperate for connection and friends, yet they don’t seem to be able to forge those connections with their school peers.

3. Frequent phone calls and meetings

Do you get filled with dread every time the phone rings? Assuming it’s your child’s school calling again because of another meltdown, another discipline problem, or another issue?

When a child is struggling in school, it can feel like every communication from the school is bad news. Every transition from recess to math class leads to a meltdown. Every pop quiz leads to an anxiety-inducing stomach ache. Every designated study hall is filled with your child blurting out seemingly every thought in their head. It can feel like your child just can’t seem to do anything right when it comes to school no matter how hard they try.

You know your child isn’t a bad kid and you know they are capable and want to do well and succeed. But seemingly no matter how hard they (or you!) try – it feels like your child’s current school just doesn’t “get” them.

What To Do?

If these struggles sound familiar, it might be time to check out a new school that caters to students just like your child. Oftentimes, if your child is a Complex Learner with high cognitive ability and multiple learning differences, they may struggle in a traditional classroom. To truly thrive, they need a school as unique as they are!

Schools like The Wolf School specialize in Complex Learners and provide a unique, safe, and nurturing learning environment that helps them unlock their true potential. From frequent movement breaks, to social lessons in the classroom, to therapeutic support built into each and every lesson – at Wolf, we understand that every child learns differently, but every child has the ability to learn.  

Interested in learning more about our innovative learning model? Sign up now to attend our Virtual Open House on February 10th. See a virtual tour of our school and hear from Wolf parents and staff! We hope to see you there!

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