No wonder the kids are having problems with school .

Hi Hope. This situation doesn't sound good at all. I know you said the time she has off is study periods and that your daughter is abusive. One of the other posters on here suggested seeing the guidance counsellor. I agree with this. With my children if they were home on a study period well that is what I used to make them do. Sit down and study. I would take away the mobile phone which is usually glued to the childs ear. Sit her down with her books and tell them I will be conducting a quiz in an hour about the work you are studying so hop to it. They soon learnt that study periods were just that, time for studying. You have to be firm with your daughter and stop letting her think that she is the adult. If asked the school will give you a copy of her study period times and for what subject it is meant to be for. This way you are helping your daughter pass school and setting boundaries for her behavior.

I have never ever ever heard of such a system. Plus I thought education in Australia is better. Now I feel its better in my country. Our children never get study periods even in year 12 or in the year they face Advanced Level Examination (year 13). But they will get study leave of about 2 weeks just before the exam. Those two weeks also, they can go to school if they wish and study and discuss with teachers.

Having been through it myself hope, I was amazed in the last 3 years of their schooling how much time was spent AT school and how much time was spent AT home, and when at home I don't think they were doing much schoolwork at all! And when you asked them they always had an answer of some sort that I did not understand anyway, just glad I guess they made it to the end and did not drop out!

That is very odd. I wouldn't like that at all. I live in Texas and the kids here are required to be in school so many days of the year. If they have too many bad weather days, the end of the school year gets extended to make those days up. A study period is just that, study period. They should be kept at school and let do homework, or read or study. I would have a huge issue with my kids not being in school and just let go home for that.

U need to talk to your child and explain the benefits of attending the classes and sessions in the school. Be cool with them.

that's ridiculous that's why a lot of kids don't like to learn because they are allowed to have so many days off that they can never enjoy learning. If they're going to allow so many days off they really should consider lowering the costs of schooling.

In the USA highschool students have to stay in school for there study periods. They offer so mant other extra classes that students always have a class to go to. The only time a student can leave early is if there study hall is at the end of the day and they are 18.

American public schools are completely guilty of this. If you want your children to learn anything, put them in private school or better yet, teach them things that the schools cannot teach them. Tell their teachers that you would like them to learn certain things. Honestly, if I were a teacher I would want to know what the parents have to say and what they want their children to learn. I am studying to become a teacher and I want to teach my students everything that will be beneficial to their success in college. I want to making learning fun as well, I want to make it a game. Here is a few teaching strategies that work or have worked for me. 1. Make learning a poem or a song. Ex.: Thirty days in September, April, June, and November, All the rest have thirty-one, except February, which has twenty-eight and in a leap year twenty-nine. 2. Flash Cards Ex.: Have the question on one side, answer on the other side. 3. Make charts. Ex.: Study charts in front of your bed or on the refrigerator work wonders. 4. Make it a game. Ex.: Use a sport like basketball and math together. 5. Turn reading a book, into acting. Ex.: Most great actors do this, get a book and turn it into a script, you can better understand the story when you act it out. 5. Write for fun. Ex.: Feeling emotional, get it out in a diary or a journal. 6. Have a word, quote, or phrase of the day. Ex.: Word of the Day (WOTD): Montana 7. Use different languages. Ex.: Say things in your native language (for me English), and another language (my second is Spanish/Espanol).

that is slightly weird, why would anyone think students would leave school to actually go study? we only got study periods in our final year of school (in NZ) and there were only for an hour at a time so you couldn't really go home, of course still not many people used them for study, except until the end of the year or if an assignment was due. I think we only got 2 a week as well

yes they have.but they have to go.that's life

My stepson is 17 and supposedly in his last year of high school here in Canada. He just doesn't go. The other day he did go, he stayed for one class and hitch hiked home. It's illegal for him to hitch hike on the road between the school and town. He doesn't care. He just doesn't care. There was a meeting between his father and the principal and the boy, and he promised to try harder. He hasn't been to school now at all in over a month. He claims he is still going to pass and graduate. He keeps saying he is going to go look for a job but...nothing doing, he sleeps and sits at the puter and parties with friends who are not in school either. It's very discouraging. He will be 18 in April, and they won't let him repeat this year again. Adult education is the next step, and he will need to get a job and pay for that. He doesn't care. I have also given up caring. It's his problem. I only care that he is eating us out of house and home and not paying his share. At his age I was working and paying my share of living expenses at home. You're not alone Hope.

I have noticed that here in South Africa. When it is exam time they go to school, write the exam and then come home for a couple days. It does seem wrong to me. You will know more than me with having 5 children and 3 are older than the 2 in school. Why don't you phone the school to see why this is happening.

School systems are horrible these days! Teachers feel that they are not paid enough so they simply don't teach.

Well I live in the United States where students are kept in school all day everyday, and that system does not work, either. My last year of high school, I had the typical, challenging, college-prep course list, and it was so rediculous. No one can learn for six hours straight, let alone do homework after that, and I had a lot of trouble keeping my grades up. Now that I'm in college, and I get breaks in between classes, I do much better, and I actually enjoy school. Students have to learn how to discipline themselves to do their work without someone constantly watching over them.

This doesn't sound right at all _hope_ and although our son was not educated in NSW when he had a study period, they had to stay at school. How did she go in her final exams I wonder because it seems to me that something is seriously wrong here if she is only attending school erratically? It seems that you must live within close proximity to the school or she has some way of getting home, other than on a school bus that is. Attendance at school is compulsory, unless of course they are allowing these study periods in preparation for their final exams. If you are seriously concerned, then go to the school, have a talk to the school counsellor, principal and also her teachers. Good luck and I hope you can sort it out because it is also a bad example for the younger one in Year 9.

This does sound unusual, I've never heard of such a situation in the schools here in Canada. The problem I had when I was in school was concentration. I found to very hard to concentrate in the school setting, so I took some courses online and my marks just sky rocketed; this also taught me self-discipline.

_hope_, I've just figured out that you belong to another site too. I posted in this subject this morning there. LOL Nice to see familiar people here.

i think your kid is taking disadvantage of the freedom the school has given to do study period at home, though most children who wants to study, will most probably utilising the time given by the school to study at home, i think you can better concetrate at home thats why they are allowed to study at home.

ya kids like that only and thats naturall.. we have to tell them in a good manner and let them go to school.. so we have to adjust.. and teach them.. ya even the school fees are increasing.. if the teacher doesnt teach and doesnt take them carefully .. so we have to make them.. feel good and send them to the schools...

I would be calling the school principal,the counselor and see whats up with that. How is she learning and passing her classes if she's not being taught anything. I would then notify the State schhol board and report this. Your paying for her to learn nothing.I would ask anyone and everyone involved with that school who is going to reimburse you for your daughter just sitting around and reading? Bet me!