13 YO Cruises at 89-92

Nice Post

I have a similar type kid.

I remind myself that he is involved in so many other things besides academics that I wouldn't want it any other way. A truely well-rounded young man will have extra-curricular interests (sports for most of our guys), social skills, a sense of humor, and be able to think outside the box. He will have experienced relationships/dating, the independance of driving, the ability to know when to say no, and the ability to respect his elders and youngers.

I'd like to think that a student that is experiencing the other things in life, at the expense of perfection in academics will be better off in the long run.

Sounds like its time to find some role models. You should have access to some successful Juniors or Seniors who have done it the right way. Ours had to work hard for both grades and baseball. Had a few role models ahead of him in school on the team, and now is a role model for those behind him.

There are also other examples out there, kids who could have made it with grades, but took it too lightly and end up verballing, even signing the NLI, and then had to find other plans Senior season because grades were just not quite good enough for that school they dreamed of playing at.

I think you can find a lot of info right here and show it to the young man. We were lucky to find the HSBBweb at the right time – right before high school. 8th grade is the perfect time to start working on it, not after 3 years of high school. One thing we would have done differently is more SAT/ACT preparation.

He can do it all, be exceptional in academics and exceptional on the field – and have a well rounded extra curricular life. Your expectations will also be a key in his future. I like the way you are thinking.

quote:

Originally posted by cball:
Not MPH, but grades. KId with minimal effort making low mid A's, with any real effort and organization could be all high A's easy. Game also comes easy so he does not want to put in the extra work.
Any of you have a child like that? If so, did they ever snap and realize you have to work your tail off to truly excel?

8th grader. 13U playing up at 14U major (not a big kid)

Wish I was him.

You're describing my son through 9th grade. Then school got harder this year. He got a huge wake up call with midterm grades the first quarter. He had to scramble to get his grades up for the quarter. He got his first C. I told him when he was younger C stood for cat. Now it stands for mandatory study hall in the evening at home. The probation was lifted when I felt we had an understanding. He's in the most difficult classes and the gifted program. Next year he'll have several AP classes. I don't expect an unweighted 4.0 with all his activities. But he is expected to get an unweighted 3.5.

By the way. Once your son gets to 8th grade I wouldn't make a big deal about playing up. Once he's on the 60/90 he should be playing up to the level he can compete. Expecially with the move in the deadline date a few years ago. When he gets to high school, JV is 17U and varsity is 18/19U regardless of the age/grade of your son.

This is a hard situation to be in. Sure it sounds great he's a pretty good student it appears; gets the grades needed to be successful. Thing is, he is in for a rude awakening at some point. It might be in high school; it might be in college.

Through junior high, I never did homework really-- I always got it done at school because it was pretty easy for me. In high school, it became a little more difficult, but things didn't change a whole lot. The grades started to drop off some, but not terribly. Then, in college, a few of my classes have absolutely kicked my butt! Anatomy and Physiology and those types of classes are HARD. And you have to be able to work or you'll likely struggle.

I went through school not putting in a ton of effort. Now that I'm in college, I have bad habits and those bad habits can be killer on grades.

Not my kid. He always had to bust his tail to make good grades. Looking back when he started school and knowing what I know now,. I might've held him back a year because for the first few years in elementary school, we had to stay on top of him and get him the extra help in how to study, organizing skills and always seeming to try and play catch up. He never got bad grades because we saw to it that he didn't but he had to work at it while others coasted.

I guess at some point before middle school, it kicked in.

He was 5 yrs old when he went into 1st grade, most kids are usually 6 going on 7 so maybe the extra year might've helped but who knows. It's a moot point now since he was able to get good grades in high school, lettered in two sports and got accepted to his first choice of college.

He's doing fine in college and works hard to keep up his grades.

I've seen it work the other way where everything comes easy in elementary thru HS, then the kid gets to college then all of a sudden , it hits them that they have to work for the grades and for the first time in their life, the grades suffer and don't deal with it well and drop out of college.

quote:

I went through school not putting in a ton of effort. Now that I'm in college, I have bad habits and those bad habits can be killer on grades.

That's what conerns me. His little brother (2nd grade)has to work a lot harder for similar or lesser results in school and sports but spome times I think he may be the one who has the last laugh, as it were.
I can hear him at times out in the backyard banging away on the solo hitter, by himself, after hitting he'll get a glove and ball and just throw it up in the air and run catch it.

My son is like RJMs, freshman honors was ok but his honors Spanish has made him work. He is very mature for a newly (March 28) 15y.o. and a great kid. Never have to tell him to get homework done. He is very self motivated and does whatever it takes. Even wakes up in morning with a one time "Time to get up" always (kinda scary). Truly blessed to have such a great kid.

quote:

By the way. Once your son gets to 8th grade I wouldn't make a big deal about playing up. Once he's on the 60/90 he should be playing up to the level he can compete. Expecially with the move in the deadline date a few years ago. When he gets to high school, JV is 17U and varsity is 18/19U regardless of the age/grade of your son.

Not making a big deal. The only reasons we played up and skipped 13U was to get him with his grade group and to play on the 60-90 field. Here in Texas 13U is 54-80.
He's one of those youngest in class guys. (If only I could go back and red shirt him in kindergarten)
He'll graduate as a 17YO....if he does n't flunk a grade.

Junior was beginning senior year in HS playing a fall ball game. One of the Big 10 schools asked a local Pirates scout if he'd come out and give the kid a looksee for them.

After the game, the scout approaches Junior, hands him his card, and tells him, Kid, you got all the tools. You got size, a great arm, good control, two different pitches for strikes, and really light up the radar gun well. At this point Junior looks like he might bust a button on his shirt...

Then comes the hammer...

Scout- But I'd never draft you in a million years right now (watching Juniors deflation). You approach this game like a kid. You goof around when you're warming up, you don't look like you've ever been inside a weight room, and from the looks of things, you couldn't handle the daily grind of pro ball, it's a serious business and I don't think you're a serious player.

It all turned around for him from that day forward.

It's about timing and hearing it from somewhere it matters. For each kid, that's going to be different. He didn't hear that for the first time, I'd said it a hundred times, he just "heard it" for the first time.

This is a flashing red for you, dad! Caution!

My son was exactly the same way, all through high school. Graduated with a 3.8 from a respectable high school barely lifting a finger.

Was accepted into a top academic school, recruited for baseball ........ and has struggled BIGTIME with the grades. Totally unprepared for the rigor.

He has finally figured out that 'cruise control' will NOT suffice, and has basically had to learn how to study, research, note-take, etc etc. He's taken his academic beat-down and is now back on track.

Push your son NOW, don't wait.

quote:

Originally posted by Krakatoa:
This is a flashing red for you, dad! Caution!

He has finally figured out that 'cruise control' will NOT suffice, and has basically had to learn how to study, research, note-take, etc etc. He's taken his academic beat-down and is now back on track.

Push your son NOW, don't wait.

well said Krak

It took a torn UCL for my son to realize that there is life after baseball, when he did figure it out he also found out that studying was another form of competition and when he approached it with that same enthusiasm he found out he could play that game too.

quote:

Originally posted by cball:
Not MPH, but grades. KId with minimal effort making low mid A's, with any real effort and organization could be all high A's easy.

A 93 in our school system is a B.

quote:

Originally posted by OLDSLUGGER8:


A 93 in our school system is a B.

OS8,
That's very interesting. Why is that?

If one school gives a 90 for an A paper and another gives a 93 for an A paper, what's the difference? Even tests with specific points for sections or questions can be made easier or harder, or grades on a scale, based on the scoring system. Therefore, I don't find any relevance to one school using one scoring system and a second one using another.

quote:

A 93 in our school system is a B.

what's an "A" 123?

Sons school is also 94% for A. I don't care for it. On a 10 point quiz you miss 1 it is a B--25 point quiz you can only miss one question, pretty tough!

Hopefully your son will continue with the good grades. However the study habits he has now will be hard habits to break. When (hopefully) he goes to college more than likely, he will have to spend more time studying to succeed. Having him establish succesful studay habits now will help with current grades and it will help down the road.

quote:

Originally posted by GapFinder:
Hopefully your son will continue with the good grades. However the study habits he has now will be hard habits to break. When (hopefully) he goes to college more than likely, he will have to spend more time studying to succeed. Having him establish succesful studay habits now will help with current grades and it will help down the road.

I know, it's just an interesting discussion when he comes back with "dad I've got staight A's or dad I'm hitting 500 or whatever, I kinda see his point and but argue that it can always be better. I don't want to push too hard and be "one of those" parents.
I've always told him we're not striving for perfection...just excellence.

quote:

I kinda see his point and but argue that it can always be better. I don't want to push too hard and be "one of those" parents.

As a kid who's parent didn't insist on learning proper study habits, my advice, be one of those mean parents. He'll thank you later.

I remember me and my whole class flunking our engineering exams with F's across the board. The library and lab became our first home after that.

Same goes for baseball, your son wants success he'd better start practicing, cause his competition will eat him alive at the higher levels if he doesn't.