Rose2014

How important is "working to potential" in jr. High? What happens if the child is bored, finds the work redundant and doesn't do all the problems or doesn't turn in the work. However SSAT test, written essays, etc clearly show the child is intelligent?

Do schools understand boredom?

GMTplus7

There's a big difference between a child who is:
--- working-to-potential and getting B's,

vs. a kid who is:
--- NOT working-to-potential and getting B's. Standardized test scores & IQ tests may highlight the mis-match between intellectual potential vs. academic performance.


In the first situation, an ultra-competitive academic environment may not be the best fit, if finishing high school with a high class rank is a priority-- everyone has different priorities.

In the second case, the kid has the potential to excel in an ultra-competitive academic environment, but may need to find a school that has support for developing study skills and time management skills. Some schools may not be impressed w academic slackers like this, so the teachers recs are doubly important to present the slacker student in a favorable light.

Periwinkle

Rose2014, the schools understand boredom, but they're wary of underachievement.

I've been touring colleges with my eldest. If information sessions cover the application process, the admissions officials stress that the transcript's the most important part of a student's application. Sky high scores and low grades are not a compelling combination.

Every school can tell tales of kids who struggled despite high test scores. Accepting such a kid is a gamble. Sometimes, there are undiagnosed learning disabilities, which have been camouflaged by high intelligence. At other times, the student just does not like school (any school).

Admissions officers know many schools quite well, particularly the schools which regularly send kids to their schools. They know how the students from school X usually do. Some schools grade harshly, other schools don't prepare students well for demanding high schools. The admissions officers are very good at calibrating the transcript and recommendations to their school's experience with School X's graduates.

Now, having said that, the school year's just begun. A missing homework in the first week of September isn't the end of the world. If your child wants to attend a boarding school, it's appropriate to clue him or her into the fact that grades matter. However, some kids just shut down when they feel too much parental pressure, so it's probably counterproductive to emulate the Tiger Mother.

(I'll add, there are schools which are very good at teaching bright but disorganized kids how to excel in the classroom. They probably aren't the academic pressure cookers. If your child shows signs of stress in handing in homework without your constant supervision, you might want to check out boarding schools which do teach such skills. It can make a world of difference in college.)

SevenDad

I'll take the hard (and possibly unpopular) line on this and say that kids/families from all walks of life somehow manage to overcome student boredom every day. There's Khan Academy, CTY, tutoring, parents working on enrichment themselves, libraries, afterschool programs, etc.

In my opinion, and I am NOT an AO, a kid with high test scores but low grades is less likely to be admitted to a selective BS than a kid with high grades but lower test scores.

Of course I'm generalizing, but IMO the kid who makes the most of what little his/her school/area offers in terms of educational opportunities is probably going to end up doing amazing things when presented with the resources many BS offer. The kid who finds a way to stay engaged is the kid you want...not the kid who has "given up" on his local school.

In our experience, schools seemed to be very interested in kids who had an innate drive, a built-in nearly insatiable curiosity...all the stuff that's the opposite of "boredom".

I'll further caution that a sense of "boredom" may come across poorly in interviews.

Momof7thgrader

I agree with SevenDad but also add that some low grades in 6th and 7th grade can be forgiven if there is a visible trend to improvement. If a kid who is applying to BS doesn't get their act together and really push it once they know they are on that path, you can't expect the schools to assume anything will change in the BS environment.

MBVLoveless

Eh, the ironic thing is many people at BS don't really work to their full potential. There's a lot of lazing off.

taben1112

Jr. High/ Middle School is a time of great transition for kids. While parents understand the importance of course placement, labels (such as 'gifted'), how kids 'track students' and how a poor term can ruin your GPA...many kids do not understand these things. Prep Schools know this.

I think, as another parent said, steady improvement is important. It shows not only academic ability in play, but also a level of maturity. Many kids, and this tends to be seen greatly in boys, are notorious for failing to turn in homework...because they lose it, forget to hand it in, or just don't bother to do it! As the year progresses, they should start to turn around this bad habit. Whether the motivator to do so is a desire to play sports, fear of a parent's punishment or internal drive is not at that age as important as the fact that they start getting their act together!

So yes, schools will consider whether a student is working to his or her potential. But they also know that it takes a little longer for some than others to get there. In the end, they need to know that the student can handle the work and will be willing to put in some effort to do so. That is the point you have to get across.

T

classicalmama

I agree with 7Dad, assuming we're talking here about acceptance to the most selective schools. I guess I don't see why a school with an admit rate under 20 percent would accept a kid who wasn't working up to potential when there are so many applicants with high test scores AND high grades (in all subjects, including, as was asked in another thread, art and music). If a student has some other outstanding hook or is applying to a much less selective school, I'd say odds are much better that the school would accept less than stellar grades.

ExieMITAlum

Right - schools are looking for self-motivated students, not those who "might" be motivated once they matriculate. It's life - and please understand the admissions office has the hard job of turning down well qualified students who are demonstrating their potential at very high levels.

They do understand boredom. But without an advocate for that child, they're likely not to override their process to accommodate that student.