How Are Your Kids Doing in School in 2023?

[ThePenIsMightier]

It's been exactly 3 years since our children were yanked out of school for CoVid. March 15, 2020. I think virtually everyone lost the rest of the 2020 school year and I recall 2021 had its interruptions.

So, how are your kids "performing" today?

If they're doing really well, do you think it's bullshit and that the system has been dumbed down to account for the lack of learning that many suffered through?

If your kids are struggling, are you concerned that you accidentally (had no choice but to) let them flounder during their non-structured time without proper schooling? Or are you concerned that the system should be adjusted a bit to acknowledge the new average and instead they have the same expectations even though kids missed months of school?

What can we do, as parents to try and fix some of this? Because, either way, I think the system is not functioning as well as it once did.


*No flexing.
*No thinly veiled brags.
*No shame.
Take your fuckin "my spawn is an honor student at Edison" talk and shove it completely in your rotten pussy.

[mr2mike]

Your kids doin' pop? Know the signs.

[vengie]

Pop jokes on the second post.
Beyond never lets me down!

[ThePenIsMightier]

Getting loaded up on PM's instead of responses. Most of them are asking why their wives can give such good BJ's without having blown so many previous dudes, but the rest are about their kid having a tough time adjusting to the new school system or that their kids are lighting it up when they still spell spoon as "spuun".

Maybe I need to break the ice. I feel my kids are getting artificially high grades. Yes, they're very lucky to have some skills that are maybe above average and that's all fine and dandy but when you see numbers like 98 and 100, you've got to think, "are they really that smart?" Or, do their classes have 3 Ralph Wiggums that are eating glue sticks and that makes them look like they walk on water?

100 is getting into inconceivable territory. Nobody is perfect.

Then there's the subjectivity factor. I couldn't crack an 83 in English in 4 years of high school and I'm pretty smart and I worked quite hard. Then I took University English (the scariest thing they taught us was scary) and I couldn't get lower than 96 if I submitted my cum rag. So what's the deal with that?! And that's NOT recently.

So, who is worried about their kids in this system? Whether they get pumped up or whether they are barely scraping by because they can't deal with loud noises and they need headphones to help them cope with the stress, I don't feel all that confident that this system is setting any of them up for independent problem solving skills and success and I'm convinced that the CoVid year has set them back in a major way.

What can we do to supplement our childrens' learning to more adequately prepare them?

[spike98]

Oldest 15

First semester he did poorly. Failed social 10 and just barely passed science 10. The balance of the grades where high 50's low 60's. Even mechanics, christ. He was playing football and on his off time wanted to chase skirt rather than hit the books. It was partially our fault for not keeping tabs. Now second semester he is doing much better. All grades 70 and up with all but one in the 80s. He was facing summer school prior to the semester. So that, some words of encouragement, and the threat of being pulled from football, he turned it around. He's a smart kid but lacks major problem solving and critical thinking. I think this is a big gap today with the educational system. Another huge problem is after the 1st semester was over, the teachers were all scrambling to get him to do make up assignments ect. They did this with many kids apparently. I respectfully declined this opportunity for him as the grades are reflective of the effort he provided. Natural consequences.

To address your point TPiM, i agree that grades were DEFINATELY artificially high during covid and up until this year (for us anyways). For my oldest, it may have been a shift in difficulty going for jr to high school but he was in the honor the two prior years and did minimal effort. Hence i think some of our problems now. For his 2020/2021 year there were MORE kids on the honor role than not. That says enough right there in my opnion.

Youngest 4.5

He's in preschool. His development is going strong and is highly intelligent for his age. Because of this, he gets board and wants to do other things which is "disruptive" to the class. I have ADHD so there may be some of this sprinkled in there that we are keeping an eye on. Not a lot of concern with his learning so far but its early. Kindergarten next year.

What i am concerned about is the kids that are coming through that place his age. They are all covid kids and have no social skills, no self-regulation, and are dumber than a sack of hammers. The parents are also sticking their head in the sand because "Never would my little timmy..." This group of kids are going to be real interesting once they wave into junior high ect. I feel like its going to be disastrous.

[mr2mike]

Yeah you make great points and I don't know what to say.
Kids don't get failing grades, expectations are everyone can do good within their own abilities.

There's curriculum stuff on the Alberta website on what is taught.
Biggest thing I hear about is teach your kids to respect your teacher and authority figures at school so they don't turn into entitled ducks that can do no wrong. The Carson Briere's of the world.

Have you had an honest conversation with the teacher? I don't know if they're going to help or give ideas or not.

Education side: It's a mess with less success with everyone told they are a succees. This is why Chinese school on Saturday or Sunday. Get the real education.

Can you even bag skate the kid's hockey team anymore if they're not listening or doing poorly? Doubt it.

I'll leave this here:

[killramos]

Do the teachers actually go to work yet or does the lunch lady just take care of the kids all day?

[ExtraSlow]

The enforced and legislated culture of fear in our schools has been terrible for kids mental health. My kids are not doing well.

[killramos]

What’s culture fear?

[ExtraSlow]

Meant to say culture OF fear.

[max_boost]

So should have kept schools open then

[Tik-Tok]

My kid is doing great, but she was only in kindergarten for the initial stages of Covid shut-downs. I think the type of school she's in also helps immensely though.

[killramos]

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My kid is doing great, but she was only in kindergarten for the initial stages of Covid shut-downs. I think the type of school she's in also helps immensely though.

So not a CBE public school then

[rage2]

My kids drink pop. And they’re doing good in school.

[ExtraSlow]

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So should have kept schools open then

I think the most damaging stuff happened after the schools were re-opened.

[suntan]

My kids are doing well. But they're the type that do well for the most part. Based on the PT interviews last week a lot of the kids in my younger kid's classes are doing very poorly. There is no in between - either the students do well or they do terribly.

The grading system in middle/junior high school is terrible. Still with 1-4 numbering. So dumb.

Whole swaths of the curriculum were glossed over when kids were online. So there's been a lot of review, and more review, and yet more review, and then assessments for past material.

My oldest in Westmount Charter was concerned about grade inflation, but she got 100% on the Bio 30 Diploma exam.

[riander5]

My kids are not school age, thank Christ. I feel for you parents going through this.

I have noticed several of my friends kids who are in the 3-6 age range having all sorts of issues. Delayed speech, poor writing abilities, etc. But this is all mostly anecdotal

[suntan]

My friend has a child with delayed speech issues and boy did he get fucked over hard. Lots of intensive catchup for him.

[sexualbanana]

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Oldest 15

First semester he did poorly. Failed social 10 and just barely passed science 10. The balance of the grades where high 50's low 60's. Even mechanics, christ. He was playing football and on his off time wanted to chase skirt rather than hit the books. It was partially our fault for not keeping tabs. Now second semester he is doing much better. All grades 70 and up with all but one in the 80s. He was facing summer school prior to the semester. So that, some words of encouragement, and the threat of being pulled from football, he turned it around. He's a smart kid but lacks major problem solving and critical thinking. I think this is a big gap today with the educational system. Another huge problem is after the 1st semester was over, the teachers were all scrambling to get him to do make up assignments ect. They did this with many kids apparently. I respectfully declined this opportunity for him as the grades are reflective of the effort he provided. Natural consequences.

To address your point TPiM, i agree that grades were DEFINATELY artificially high during covid and up until this year (for us anyways). For my oldest, it may have been a shift in difficulty going for jr to high school but he was in the honor the two prior years and did minimal effort. Hence i think some of our problems now. For his 2020/2021 year there were MORE kids on the honor role than not. That says enough right there in my opnion.

Youngest 4.5

He's in preschool. His development is going strong and is highly intelligent for his age. Because of this, he gets board and wants to do other things which is "disruptive" to the class. I have ADHD so there may be some of this sprinkled in there that we are keeping an eye on. Not a lot of concern with his learning so far but its early. Kindergarten next year.

What i am concerned about is the kids that are coming through that place his age. They are all covid kids and have no social skills, no self-regulation, and are dumber than a sack of hammers. The parents are also sticking their head in the sand because "Never would my little timmy..." This group of kids are going to be real interesting once they wave into junior high ect. I feel like its going to be disastrous.

When I coached (pre-pandemic) I would often hear about how they do no work during the semester and then scramble to get them all in at the end of the semester. Letting them do fuck all the entire year and then catch up is a new-ish thing (wasn't around when I was in school 20+ years ago). I'm not sure what brought about the change or why it was thought to be necessary to implement. Maybe a Canadian off-shoot of No Child Left Behind.

The shift in schools can be really difficult (at least it was for me), I imagine COVID made it more so. I went from getting good grades and doing little homework (mostly because we weren't assigned or that I finished it early) in elementary to having mountains of homework (which never happened) in jr high, which still never fully carried over until university.

Anecdotally, some of my friends have said their kids are more bored at school now because their home schooling was farther ahead. But that is all dependent on circumstance.

[masoncgy]

My girls (grade 9 & 6 this year) are doing pretty good academically... my oldest switched from the Catholic to the public system this year to get away from a group of girls she was once very close with, but had a dramatic falling out over stupid grade 8 type crap, unfortunately she found it all to be a distraction, even though she was an honor roll student all last year... so we agreed to let her move over to the public system and a new school (high school at that) and while she is still working on making new friends there, she is doing quite well with the actual schoolwork itself. My youngest is moved to middle school now (was elementary last year) and is in the Catholic system. She is having the typical 'social' struggles as well in the new school which has been expected, but overall she is doing pretty good.