Two Good Signs
The Girl got her “acceptance letter” to the same private high school that The Boy goes to last week. It’s not hard to get in, almost everyone who applies does. What was gratifying was how proud she was of the letter. It’s in her room still stuck in frame of her mirror which is where she puts all of her important stuff. I was just going to file it but she wanted to keep it. She’s starting to pay a lot more attention to her academics.
The Girl also got the results of her high school placement test. She scored at the 10th grade level for everything. But what was even better was the way that she called me to report the test results as soon as she got home from school. Not only did she do well but she liked doing well. And I know that she had been comparing scores with some of her friends. I don’t want her to be overly competitive; however, I like the fact that she is taking her grades more seriously as she approaches high school.
It seems she is finally starting to understand the importance of getting good grades. The Girl can really play soccer. And sometimes, it seemed that that was the only thing that mattered to her. Now, she seems to be interested in doing well in her schoolwork too. I’ve said to people on the past that “you’ll read about her in the newspaper if she can stay eligible”. I may need to amend that just to “you’ll read about her in the newspaper”.
Comments
Comment from Southern Sweetheart
Time February 28, 2006 at 12:36 am
Congrats to the girl. It IS nice to see that the youngsters of today do really care about their acedemic future. I did well in school but rarely studied. Now i wish I had applied myself more — there’s no telling what I could have done.
Comment from Jessica/redneck eskimo
Time February 28, 2006 at 12:50 am
I wish I had put more effort into school, I always did just enough to stay eligible so I could do my competative Drama and Debate. It wasn’t an issue of intelligence, I scored a 28 on my ACT’s, I was just purely lazy and didn’t have much parental support. The girl is lucky she’s got such wonderful parents, keep up the good work both ya’ll as the parents and her as the good student.
Comment from Kelly
Time February 28, 2006 at 8:14 am
That is so incredible! I wish I could get just a little bit of your parenting skills in the academic department..even just borrow them for a few weeks!
I make it a priority, oversee homework, and really talk about how important this time in their life is..but sometimes it falls on deaf ears 
Comment from Midwestern City Boy
Time February 28, 2006 at 8:30 pm
Rosie: It starts at 9th grade so the Girl actually tested well above her level. So despite her spotty record in elementary school, we will put her in some honors classes. She is proud of herself and she should be since she is doing well.
Southern Sweetheart: You probably don’t have anyone in your family like my brother. Sometimes, what we say as parents fall on deaf ears but other times, it sinks in even if it doesn’t seem to. I’m sure at least part of the kids’ motivation is not wanting to be like him. And they have had a first hand look of what life can be like without a good education (and other bad habits) and it isn’t pretty.
Jessica: Up until recently, that had been the Girl. She did the minimum necessary so I would let her play. It’s all a matter of application with her. She does well on standardized tests since she can’t go play if she finishes early. It’s things that she has to study for that are inconsistent. I’ll just be glad to not have to say anything.
Kelly: Our kids didn’t really figure it out until eighth grade. Up until then, it was a constant struggle. I think part of it is high school and the high school environment. And part of it is that they can see that there days of a kid where mom and dad take care of everything are coming to an end.
Since The Girl is so into soccer, not being able to play is a big motivator. Plus, she’s good and her team really relies on her so her teammates always encourage her not to “get in trouble with your dad” before big games. They can’t win without her so there is a lot of peer pressure on her to meet our grade standards which are relatively strict. I’ve held her out of enough games before so she knows I’m serious.
Comment from Rosie
Time February 28, 2006 at 12:18 am
I’ve forgotten - does the school start with 9th grade? So she is working beyond her grade level.
You GO GIRL!!!