8th Graders

How do you teach them to be self regulating? How many tests do you let them fail before you intervene? How do you take away privaleges when they don't have much to take away?

How do you make them care? A couple of mid-terms have been graded and are not passing grades. Who gets D's in 8th grade? The kid is a spaz and ditzy, but she is very capable. I think she just doesn't care. So, maybe next year she'll pass 8th grade?

Between the youtube, myspace, google, text messages and make up she probably manages 30% effciency.

Today she was sitting in front of the tv, and we asked about her tests tomorrow and how well she thinks she will do on them...her answer..."I'll probably fail the one". So vegetate in front of the tube for another hour....that'll help.

She then wanted to check her grades online..."8 minutes" Suki told her, "then study". 20 minutes and three verbal reminders to get off the computer later, I went up to find her still at the machine (grades on screen) with youtube running. Her excuse was the machine took 20 minutes to load her grades. Perhaps it had something to do with running youtube videos?

She makes her way back downstairs grabs her books and asks where her cell phone is. I told her she doesn't need it for studying. She insisted that she couldn't study before she found it.

I guarantee she'll be taking three 15 minute breaks within the next hour.

It sucks...but either she hates us for clamping down, or she hates taking 8th grade classes again.

She can decide.