Where is the bottom line? I have a 2019 who is on the bubble. I would hate to pull him from baseball because he loves it and is very good but he is not living up to his end of the deal. I'm curious how others have handled this. My son has put tremendous effort into baseball but we all know that in the end, baseball is a game. He needs the grades to play in college and right now he's lucky to scratch out a 2.0.
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I'd pull everything else before sports. Phone, video games, and TV, for starters. Computer except for homework, with homework done where parents are for verification. And tight limit on time hanging out with friends.
Freshman year can be a big adjustment for some kids, and colleges take that into account so long as there's an uptick in grades after that. Hang in there.
Thanks for the reply. The poor kid has all the tools except for the iron butt, which does take training.
It's really up to you. As a 2019 he is only a freshman. Personally I would give him one more year (through his sophomore year) and if no substantial improvement or he does not meet the goals you (and him) agree to, then consider pulling the plug. At the same time, I would look into tutoring to help him meet what ever goals you and he agree to.
Just keep in mind, if his GPA is borderline 2.0 then no D1/D2 school will even look at him - even if he's a five tool player. If he still wants to play college ball at that point, the only realistic option is JuCo and even then it will be touch and go.
Son's HS teammate was a 5 tool player getting lots of looks by D1 coaches and pro scouts (a 94 mph FB and electic arm will do that), but no offers from D1's since his GPA was below 2.0. This increased the odds of his signability to go pro which he eventually did - drafted in the 6th round in 2012.
That's a tough one, and a very personal decision. I'm with JCG- I'd try everything else first. It's the approach we've taken over the years with our three boys. I never wanted to take away sports, as my boys were passionate and committed. Never wanted to discourage that as our philosophy was that it keeps them away from all kinds of other negative influences. Taking the phone has worked well for us in the past. Good luck! This parenting thing isn't easy!
The math tutor has been lined up starting next week and every week thereafter. I have started limiting the phone as well. Verizon Family Base makes that easy. I wont give up on this kid.
pabaseballdad posted:That's a tough one, and a very personal decision. I'm with JCG- I'd try everything else first. It's the approach we've taken over the years with our three boys. I never wanted to take away sports, as my boys were passionate and committed. Never wanted to discourage that as our philosophy was that it keeps them away from all kinds of other negative influences. Taking the phone has worked well for us in the past. Good luck! This parenting thing isn't easy!
The negative influences aspect is very valid and one my wife and I are acutely aware of. He's a good kid but without baseball he could go off the rails even more. It's a tough balance for sure.
Really, if he is barely scratching out a 2.0 in high school, unless he is a top level stud there aren't going to be many colleges interested.
That's not just for baseball - that's just getting into a college at all. Whatever steps you have to take, you have to convince your son of the impact of the next few years on the rest of his life. While not being a top student doesn't necessarily limit you to a career in the fast food industry - it makes things much harder.
Some time back we really wanted 2017 to be able to play baseball in high school. He loved baseball and tolerated school. We figured baseball might be something that helps drive some level of school performance. It has worked out so far, but still lots of room for improvement (if he only worked half as hard in the classroom as he does on the field....). Also, it does help us better understand who he is spending lots of time with and getting to know these kids parents. Pulling baseball is sort of a one time choice - not like having him hand over the phone for a week or two and seeing improvement -at least you have the option to hand the phone back over. I guess I would have you ask yourself whether baseball will benefit him in the long run or whether it is a distraction that serves little purpose.
Poor grades from some inability to quickly grasp the information is one thing. Poor grades as a result of zero effort is another. The former really has nothing to do with baseball (tutoring activities and such become key). If you've run out of motivation and your kid really loves to compete, see if you can get the coach on your team - see if the coach will bench him or possibly have him sit out practices (while being benched) so he can go home and work on homework - with the ability to earn his way back onto the field if he puts in the class work.
It would take care of it self at our school... Pretty sure anything below 2.5 would make a player ineligible...
Too.Tall, not sure what state your in or what your schools policies are, but a low GPA may even keep him off the team in HS. I know here in IL the rules are pretty loose but a student must be passing 5 out of their 7 classes to be eligible for competition. Our HS ups the ante and you must be passing 6 of your 7 classes and you must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0. In addition, I believe if you fail to maintain eligibility for 3 consective weeks you are off the team. Grades are checked weekly during the season. In addition if you are not passing the proper (school standards, not IHSA) number of classes prior to the season you are not eligible to play the entire season. I believe freshman are exempt from some of these rules, under state rules, but our school enforces them on the freshman as well.
That said, I have had conversations with some of our coaches as well as other coaches in the area (my wife is in education and works with a lot of these folks) and many of them have told me that they have kept decent players off the teams as they are concerned about their eligibility. Kids that would make the team, are borderline eligible but most likely would loose a week or two of eligibility during the season. I also happen to know of one kid that I have coached in the past (little league, part time travel) that was kept off of his HS team because the coaches were not confident that he could remain eligible for the entire season. Heck of a player.
I guess what I am getting at in my long winded explanation, is this, check on your schools eligibility policies if your son is borderline he may not even get the chance to tryout in the future.
If his grades are hovering around a 2.0 that's not good. But I agree taking away a sport is probably counter-productive. Problem is he could become academically ineligible (as others have noted) all on his own. Might be time for some tough love.
Good luck.
Like Joe said, our HS has also up the ante. I think you are on the right track with tutoring. However, other things need to be done. For example, an established time for homework with a parent there. Do not accept that there is not homework. There is always homework if nothing more than review and read. Our school, but most others, are now putting homework and other info online. You need to have access to his information. When I post stuff for my students, which I do for every unit, I also click a button for parents to view the information. Email your son's teachers. I get them all the time and am thankful. I look at teaching as teamwork between the parents and myself. Make sure your son sits in the front row of every class. In college, most schools demand that of their athletes anyway. Finally, catch your son doing good. When he does improve his scores, surprise him in some positive way. I don't believe in making promises ahead of time. Instead, the surprise, imo, is more effective because it isn't a given.
We are in Virginia and all he has to do is pass 5 classes the prior semester. Ds are passing grades. The school's demands are less than mine which is unfortunate. It also appears that there is an exemption for 9th graders.
First make sure there isn't a learning issue like dyslexia or vision issues.
Then I would second getting rid of all other distractions besides baseball. What I have found is that darn phone is a killer. Throw in the computer and Xbox and you have a tripple play of distractions.
Third get involved in your kids schooling. If grades are important then make them important. Our school posts grades online in real time. So we always know where he stands. Unfortunately for him he'll get home and mom will be waiting for him with an interrogation on why he missed a few on the test. 
. As others have said contact teachers where necessary.
Good luck
Don't really want to cross over into the "telling you how to parent thing", but Coach posted something that is important. Does you HS have an online program that lets you check on his grades? I know our districts system text's my wife whenever a new "non homework" grade is added as well as when his grades fall below a certain threshold. I would hate to be a kid these days, no getting away with blowing off homework. If you are not taking advantage of this kind of system I would suggest you do.
Golfman25 posted:First make sure there isn't a learning issue like dyslexia or vision issues.
Or ADD/ADHD. My son sort of complained about this from elementary school on and we never did anything with it. Really struggled freshman and sophomore years. Part way thru junior year, we had him evaluated and his doctor had absolutely NO DOUBT he had ADD. He got on some medication and got all As and Bs the rest of his junior year and senior year. His GPA was still low enough that he had some interest from D1s, but when they heard his GPA, contact stopped. He did wind up playing for a very good D2.
And I agree with others. Baseball should be the last thing to take away. Try other things first.
Best of luck to you.
The school does have everything posted online for parents. His failure to do the work is his responsibility. I am in regular contact with his teachers and all are in agreement that he can do the work. His situation is not uncommon for 9th graders. I have been idealistic in thinking his love of baseball and fear of not playing would prompt him to do the work. The holiday break will give me a great opportunity to assign tasks (makeup work) and take appropriate measures. But I'm worried.
Completely agree with those who cite learning differences as a possible source. I work with hs kids who are great athletes, street savvy as all get out, and can't manage their classroom duties. These same kids get tested and it very often turns into a learning style issue, which many schools (not all, unfortunately) can help the kid manage. Ask the school counselor about getting him tested.
Also agree with the idea that the sport should be the LAST thing taken away. Lots of intermediate steps before that, but those may not work either if it's a learning style issue.
Having gone through something like this with my oldest son, I think a parent has got to do all they can to try an keep his interest in school and his sport(s). My son, The Rebel, as I often refer to him during these times, just refused to be influenced by whatever action we as parents took or those that tried to help at school. He was/is actually quite bright and intelligent and could easily have gotten a 4.0 GPA. But he just never had the inner drive to achieve anything and just liked to have fun on a day to day basis and was terribly board with school. We tried everything, but nothing seemed to work. Sometimes I blame his particular school for not keeping me more informed about his lack of progress and lack of attendance as there was much going on that I didn't find out until much, much later. By the end of his Jr. year of HS he was so far behind there was no way he could graduate under the public school's program. So, for his Senior year we pulled him out of the public school and put him in a controlled program to try and have him complete what was needed to obtain his HS diploma. The private schooling program kept strict oversight on him and used home teaching like materials that allowed him to go at his own pace. Going at his own pace seemed to be the key as he could study what he needed to study and not study what he felt he didn't need to study. He really liked that approach a lot and he would take the exams and pass them with flying colors. By the end of that Senior year he had passed ALL the required classes to graduate and did so with a straight A average for that year. WHEW!!! My wife and I were sooooo relieved and happy that he actually graduated. Sports were never again really part of his life, other than as an avid fan and he now often looks back with some regret knowing he could have had a similar path as his brother who's been very successful at college and beyond in baseball.
Finding that which really motivates a kid is really key, IMHO. Not all kids have a mind for academics or for the methods used at schools for teaching. So, I think it's hard in some cases to find that which really motivates a kid and as parents we need to not give up, but keep trying whatever it takes to get the child to move forward. And if there's one thing I wish I had done better concerning my son's issues in his public HS, it would be that I'd been more proactive in keeping much closer contact with the teachers and counselors to keep track of his progress. I was passive and depended on them to call me or let me know in some way if anything was going afoul. But I hardly every heard from them.
Today, he's working at a job he loves and doing exceptionally well at it. All's well that ends well, huh?
Too.Tall I can see that you really care for your son and your concern is coming through. Have you tried setting up meetings with the school to talk to them about the situation? There are many many programs out there to help kids who need it, but sometimes the parent needs to take the first step. In some cases (such as ADD, Autism, etc) the schools can not diagnose but can suggest you take your son in for testing. I can tell you a lot of times my wife is very frustrated as they know a kid has a diagnosis but the parents ignore and wont take the proper steps to fix the issue. 99.9999% of everyone who works in education wants whats best for your child.
As you mention your school should be part of your team. If you approach them and ask them for help in helping your son you may find they are more then receptive. I would start with your sons guidance counselor and ask if they can sit down with you, anyone else helping to raise your son, and possibly your son. Go into the meeting with a totally open mind and listen to what they have to say. Don't be defensive when they suggest something or refer to your son. Its natural to try to protect them, but if you work with the school instead of against it that is always welcomed.
Joes87 nailed it with a sledgehammer.
Some GREAT advice in this thread. Freshman year was a tough one for, I think two of my own three kids as well and seems to be a breaking point for many of the boys that come out to try and make the baseball team. While I think it is somewhat of a common "trouble" year, I also believe that immediate action is key and that the nature of the problem varies. Don't wait to see if it passes. Figure out what the issues are and hit them hard. I think "the issues" are different for each and you will have to drive the process on figuring that out.
I'm not sure I necessarily agree with taking away the sport last. It depends on what the issue turns out to be. For my youngest, sport was and continues to be (well into college) one of the primary drivers to keep him on task with school work. He works hard to stay eligible. But our HS standards, our own standards at home and the standards at the colleges he has attended are higher than what it sounds like you are dealing with. Telling him "all B's or better or no sport" was effective. But, for many others, they needed to be pulled away from sports to deal with the root of the problem.
A question that comes to mind for me is .. does the baseball program know about your son and where does he stand with them? I ask this to determine to what extent they may be part of the support team.
It is a difficult thing to navigate but I applaud you taking action!
Please don't just assume your boy is near failing because he just doesn't care. Until it is proven unequivocally that he is willfully not getting good grades then I wouldn't take away baseball.
I have heard of MANY kids hitting high school who's brains didn't click the way most kids did. This could be due to dyslexia, ADD, a mild case of Asperger's syndrome, or a whole list of other learning impediments. If you don't understand what you are reading you can study for 8 hours a day and still not do great on tests.
For those that think all of those things would be diagnosed earlier...I wasn't diagnosed with dyslexia until my first year in COLLEGE. Simple small adjustments in how tests were given to me made a world of difference. I didn't flip my letters or numbers and I read very well and very quickly, no one ever suspected dyslexia. I just adapted in every day life. I couldn't tell counter clockwise and clockwise, no problem, I got a digital watch. I couldn't spell above a 4th grade level, no problem, they had hand held pocket spell checkers (spellcheck is a godsend). I could just do math intuitively and not the way the teacher told me to do it, no problem...I just did the problem twice, once my way and once their way to make sure I got the right answer doing it their way. I adapted until one day my adaptations didn't work. The questions got harder to rearrange so I could tell what they were asking. I would think I did well, then get a 70%. My point is, even a kid who has been totally normal his whole life might run into a proverbial brick wall.
Find out of there is a brick wall. Contact the guidance counselor, and the school psychologist. Most schools provide a psych eval for free to determine learning disabilities for the child.
I really tended to err on the side of not taking the sport away. Part of that was because when I was in HS, my father took away football and if anything, it made things worse for me. It caused me to rebel even more. I will say every kid is different, so you need to take real stock in assessing your own child and how you think they will respond to what you dole out. Some may respond to that, some may not. I think my son would have said "screw it" if I took baseball away. I don't think the response would have been what I wanted it to be, so that option was not on the table for me.
Another thing we did at school, as a result of several meetings with his guidance counselor was to come up with a form that every one of his teachers had to sign at the end of each week. It was his responsibility to take it to each teacher and have them sign off on it. It stated whether or not he had completed all his homework and had a space for comments about his behavior in class. Then we checked it out every Friday and had a talk with him. This seemed to help as well.
Don't get me wrong, my son is a good, smart kid. He is just not a "school/book" kid. ADD was part of the problem. Immaturity was part of the problem. Fortunately, he is in his senior year of college and has remained academically eligible to play baseball all 4 years (BIG Whew!). He's still not a great student, but him wanting to play baseball has motivated him to keep his grades above the Mendoza line. He is far from a 4.0 student, but he has done what he needs to make it thru 4 years of college and keep playing baseball. I am grateful and proud of that...
First, you have to have an assessment done and you can go to the guidance dept for that. He he requires special help than they will provide.
Regardless of the outcome, you and your family need to make goals, not part time ones but real ones that you both agree is fair and keep them. Then you make a contract. You do not have to take away baseball or sports, but there has to be a compromise, that includes study time and school time as priority, and everything else second. it doesnt have to be too hard on him, at first, if you find he isnt living up to his part, then there will be trouble. Do not even limit game time and phone time, take that away until everything improves.
Remember that baseball is a game of failure and it mirrors life, sooner or later he will realize that.
Questions you may want to consider:
1. He's a freshman, and baseball season hasn't started yet. Why do I think baseball is the cause of low grades in the fall?
2. Are his poor grades primarily caused by a) inability to understand the subject matter and complete work in a reasonable about of time, b) study skills and organizational habits not keeping up with the responsibilities laid upon high school students, c) poor use of available time (video games, TV, hanging out with friends), d) a mismatch between his academic preparation and the courses he is taking, or e) some other cause?
3. Am I considering pulling him out of baseball as punishment, to get his attention, to show him I'm serious, or because I believe baseball is related to the primary cause of poor grades?
4. Will pulling him from baseball be sufficient to raise his grades or will other factors need to change? Can changing those other factors raise his grades without pulling him from baseball?
5. Knowing his temperament, is pulling him from baseball more likely to motivate him or de-motivate him?
6. If I pull him out of baseball before his freshman season, it may be very difficult for him to enter the high school baseball program next year. Would pulling him from baseball be a permanent solution to a temporary problem?
7. Did I give him fair notice that being pulled from baseball would be the consequence of a specific level of academic performance for a specific period of time, or will pulling him from baseball be a surprise to him?
8. If he managed his time well, would there be enough time to study properly, attend tutoring sessions, and play baseball? Can I help him learn to be a good student without giving up baseball?
9. If taking away baseball doesn't work, what will I do next?
10. What does he think the problem is? What does he think the solution is?
Swampboy posted:Questions you may want to consider:
1. He's a freshman, and baseball season hasn't started yet. Why do I think baseball is the cause of low grades in the fall?
2. Are his poor grades primarily caused by a) inability to understand the subject matter and complete work in a reasonable about of time, b) study skills and organizational habits not keeping up with the responsibilities laid upon high school students, c) poor use of available time (video games, TV, hanging out with friends), d) a mismatch between his academic preparation and the courses he is taking, or e) some other cause?
3. Am I considering pulling him out of baseball as punishment, to get his attention, to show him I'm serious, or because I believe baseball is related to the primary cause of poor grades?
4. Will pulling him from baseball be sufficient to raise his grades or will other factors need to change? Can changing those other factors raise his grades without pulling him from baseball?
5. Knowing his temperament, is pulling him from baseball more likely to motivate him or de-motivate him?
6. If I pull him out of baseball before his freshman season, it may be very difficult for him to enter the high school baseball program next year. Would pulling him from baseball be a permanent solution to a temporary problem?
7. Did I give him fair notice that being pulled from baseball would be the consequence of a specific level of academic performance for a specific period of time, or will pulling him from baseball be a surprise to him?
8. If he managed his time well, would there be enough time to study properly, attend tutoring sessions, and play baseball? Can I help him learn to be a good student without giving up baseball?
9. If taking away baseball doesn't work, what will I do next?
10. What does he think the problem is? What does he think the solution is?
wow! What a great answer.
I think it is a serious mistake to make a kid give up sports because of poor grades.
Sports are not supposed to be limited to the top half of the class. They are for everyone. In every class, someone is at the bottom. I think it's wrong to exclude them, whether it's done by rule or by parent intervention.
My wife and I have post-graduate degrees from highly regarded schools. Our three kids all did quite well in school. So it's not that I don't value a quality education. But folks, not everyone is blessed with a high IQ. I don't see how depriving them of an enjoyable outlet and stigmatizing them among their peers helps.
It has also been my experience that quality activities tend to crowd out worthless ones like TV and Facebook, and force the kid to do better with disciplining himself on a schedule. Conversely, don't be surprised if taking away sports leads to more time wasting by your son and thus, to even lower grades.
I would consider eliminating sports as punishment for drug or alcohol use, or for other unacceptable misbehavior. But I fear that the trend, as here in VA, towards putting higher and higher grade requirements on athletes is possibly just snobbery disguised as true concern.
And you know, no one ever suggests such a thing for show choir, school plays, Boy Scouts, or other non-sports activities. You can be a senior well on your way to not graduating at all, and still get the solo in your spring choir concert just a month before you miss the diploma walk. Someone needs to explain to me why we never even ask the question for other activities, but we all want to pile on if, heaven forbid, the low performing student's choice of activities is sports.
OK, so maybe your son is not destined to be among the 55% who move on to college. Maybe he's in the other 45%. (Yes, folks, 45% is the accurate number!) If that's so, perhaps he should consider vocational-technical courses instead of the college-bound curriculum. But I don't see how it argues for ending his love affair with baseball 4 years earlier than is necessary.
At some schools in Virginia, the split is not the average 55/45. Some places, it's more like 20/80. I'm totally opposed to eliminating large swaths of the student body from sports. We're talking about the high school's team, folks, not the NHS all stars.
My parents removed me from sports due to grades in high school. I had a D in a class and my parents made me quit in front of the team and explain it was due to school performance. It was all down hill from there.
I don't know what the answer is but forcing your will wont change a thing. As a parent of a 14yr old, I know the challenge. I truly think parents who are willing to let their kids fail will be ahead in the long run. At this point the best thing I can do is, lead by example, unconditional love, provide the tools, environment, and support needed to succeed. The rest is up to them.
No doubt the toughest part is leading by example. My shortcomings are magnified through my childrens eyes.
Midlo, while agree with you about not removing the bottom half from sports, or other activities I can tell you that there are schools out there that apply the academic eligibility rules to more then just sports. Our school district applies it to all extra circular activities. If you do not meet the grade standards for the athletes you can not participate in anything. No band, no DECA, no underwater basket weaving club, nothing.
We we are in a school where over 90 % of our kids go on to college. The school has made it clear that academics comes first.
My son is a 2017 who has gotten some D1 interest. Unfortunately he had a very rough frosh and soph years with his grades. He has always been a average student at best. However, I still thought he was capable of 2-As, 2-Bs and 2-Cs. (In other words a 3.0!!!!). He struggles with focus and handling the load. As some of you mentioned, that damn phone and PlayStation were just more distractions. Upon his education of college recruitment and exposure, his club team has stressed over and over in their meetings and correspondence that academics come first; they have seen so many of their former players lose out on opportunities because they fell so far behind early in HS, and then it was too late. One of the interested D1 coaches emailed and told him he was on their radar but has to "get his grades up". Couldn't get much more real than that. I think he finally realized things needed to change or he could be that kid. Then he asked us for help. Specifically if he could get evaluated and put on medication. We pursued this and it seems to have helped him. Actually this last semester he was able to get on high honor roll which just blew us away. Do I think it was all about the medication and that he has some ADD? Not entirely. I would say also some maturity issues. He still has a lot of catch up to do to get at the 3.0, but we are happy he's on the right track.
Midlo Dad posted:I think it is a serious mistake to make a kid give up sports because of poor grades.
Sports are not supposed to be limited to the top half of the class. They are for everyone. In every class, someone is at the bottom. I think it's wrong to exclude them, whether it's done by rule or by parent intervention.
My wife and I have post-graduate degrees from highly regarded schools. Our three kids all did quite well in school. So it's not that I don't value a quality education. But folks, not everyone is blessed with a high IQ. I don't see how depriving them of an enjoyable outlet and stigmatizing them among their peers helps....
Well, I certainly agree if we are talking about someone with challenges pertaining to IQ or a learning disability. But many coming into freshman year are simply discovering some of the new distractions of HS or taking their "test the limits" game up a notch or experiencing another significant age change. This was the case for two of our kids. They were more than capable of achieving a certain grade level but were not giving schoolwork the required attention and effort. We thought we had pretty good rules, guidelines and expectations in place but had to make some quick adjustments for each of their freshman years. Sometimes it can be as simple as reinforcing that a privilege is to be earned.
I haven't seen enough information to indicate what type of issue OP is dealing with.
too.tall posted:Where is the bottom line? I have a 2019 who is on the bubble. I would hate to pull him from baseball because he loves it and is very good but he is not living up to his end of the deal. I'm curious how others have handled this. My son has put tremendous effort into baseball but we all know that in the end, baseball is a game. He needs the grades to play in college and right now he's lucky to scratch out a 2.0.
The discipline to study and work hard starts at a young age. At this point your son needs to realize that without decent grades he won't make a college squad. There are plenty of talented kids that do make the grades. But I thought low grades automatically kept you out of UIL sports in high school?
Personally if he were my son I would have a "come to Jesus" meeting and tell him that he won't be living in my house after high school unless he is paying me rent or going to college.
Did the low grades begin in HS or did he have issues in Middle School? Don't mean to knock Virginia but D's as a passing grade is ridicules. That's why 20% of students nationwide who enter college have to take remedial classes-usu English/Math. If your failing HS chances are you'll fail college too. Good advice here about getting tested, and tutors, which you seem to be on board with.
To be honest, after looking through your past posts I doubt very seriously you would pull your son from baseball. You have posted that sons hitting coach told him you were throwing money at baseball. We never heard what he meant exactly. Your son is only 14 and you've had him attend several camps and showcases already, correct? You stated you spoil him, assuming that's baseball related.
So my ? is-Does he have a true passion for the sport, or do you? Seems if he really loved it he would put in the academic work in order to pass to play. He knows he won't get to play in college w those grades doesn't he?
If it were my son and he had a 2.0 he would skip Freshman baseball and concentrate on academics. He can still play travel ball in Summer, and try out soph yr for school team if grades come up. When the season starts they will be practicing/playing almost everyday. When will he have time to fit schoolwork in?
Hopefully your son gets grades up before Spring. What does coach say?
Sent you a PM. Just came through that same adventure with my 2019 over last year and a half....good luck to you!
2019Lefty21 posted:Sent you a PM. Just came through that same adventure with my 2019 over last year and a half....good luck to you!
Thanks for the pm and thanks everyone for taking the time to give me your opinions. I respect the journey so many have traveled and I appreciate being the beneficiary of the collective wisdom. I will continue to give maximum effort to my son's academics and baseball and hope for the best as he navigates this knucklehead phase in his life.
playball2011 posted:Did the low grades begin in HS or did he have issues in Middle School? Don't mean to knock Virginia but D's as a passing grade is ridicules. That's why 20% of students nationwide who enter college have to take remedial classes-usu English/Math. If your failing HS chances are you'll fail college too. Good advice here about getting tested, and tutors, which you seem to be on board with.
To be honest, after looking through your past posts I doubt very seriously you would pull your son from baseball. You have posted that sons hitting coach told him you were throwing money at baseball. We never heard what he meant exactly. Your son is only 14 and you've had him attend several camps and showcases already, correct? You stated you spoil him, assuming that's baseball related.
So my ? is-Does he have a true passion for the sport, or do you? Seems if he really loved it he would put in the academic work in order to pass to play. He knows he won't get to play in college w those grades doesn't he?
If it were my son and he had a 2.0 he would skip Freshman baseball and concentrate on academics. He can still play travel ball in Summer, and try out soph yr for school team if grades come up. When the season starts they will be practicing/playing almost everyday. When will he have time to fit schoolwork in?
Hopefully your son gets grades up before Spring. What does coach say?
Good observation. Nicely stated.
Maybe stop indulging in showcases and spend the time and money on schoolwork and there might be a better outcome next marking period.
JMO
Grades are important:
https://twitter.com/marlinscou...s/678288038070378497
Do begin by having his vision checked (by a developmental optometrist if you can find one) and his hearing checked. Then begin to rule out other issues (learning disabilities, dyslexia, adhd etc) that may be contributing. If he has a learning challenge in his neurology, baseball will help him. Movement helps. "Lost at School" by Ross Greene PhD may give you some great direction.
Raising kids is never easy. Unfortunately, they don't come with an owner's manual. There is always more than one way to peel an apple. In our case, we were very fortunate that son had Vanderbilt on his short dream list by HS. I used this to my full benefit. He didn't know any better at the time. I explained to him that schools like Vandy wouldn't even look at you if your GPA was below 3.5. Well son graduated with exactly a 3.5. I should have used 3.8 I guess. My son is certainly not a rhodes scholar, but he is very capable of a 3.5. He literally never opened a book for studying. He loved baseball, so he tolerated school. He just finished his first fall semester in college, and nothing has changed. He is doing what he has to as far as school goes. It drives my wife crazy, but like I explained to her, it's his life now and he will reap the benefits or consequences of all HIS decisions from here on.
