These kids seem to be less academically engaged

Vivian is hanging out at school and after school with a different group, and you are notsure why. These kids seem to be less academically engaged, and it is having an impact onVivian’s attitudes toward schoolwork.This is frustrating because you can’t do much to change Vivian’s friends. All you can do isemphasize the value of schoolwork and provide alternative activities to keep Vivian busyafter school, but this is difficult because Vivian isn’t interested in some of the activitiesyou suggest and just shrugs when you ask what SHE would like to try. You hope thisphase passes soon!Vivian has some interesting Internet behavior. She has a huge buddy list and her own webpage, and tends to have several long-running conversations at the same time. Sometimesit seems the main function of the internet for girls of her age is to spread gossip at thespeed of light! Vivian did very well at learning the violin and now plays in the middleschool band. She sings and accompanies herself on the piano, having picked up that skillprimarily on her own.You enjoy listening to her perform and all you have to do is provide occasional remindersto practice!Vivian talks quite often about what is "fair" and "not fair", and you realize she isdeveloping some moral principles. Her concerns are focused on very specific thingspeople she knows say and do, rather than incidents in the news or aspects of society.Vivian’s oral reading, decoding and spelling skills are above grade level, and her readingcomprehension is about at grade level. She is a pretty good speller, but isn’t much of aninspired writer at this point.Vivian can type now, thanks to a 6th grade keyboarding class, so you help with writingassignments at home. You also look for an area of interest to her and suggest that Viviansubscribe to a magazine or check out books on the subject.Vivian began to argue with you and your partner more in 7th grade. She argues mostlyabout clothes, bedtime, and chores, but otherwise you get along pretty well.You renegotiate household rules more with Vivian than you used to, and make reasonableconcessions, such as a later bedtime in exchange for more chores.Vivian is in an advanced math class and does very well in science, but is only an averagestudent in English and social studies. When you try to help her on the homework for thesesubjects, she gets bored or angry.Vivian’s 7th grade report card early in the summer. Some highlights of the reportcard:Vivian consistently contributes to cooperative group activities and respects the rights andpossessions of others, and shows age-appropriate social interaction with peers.Her word reading, spelling and writing skills are strong.She got B’s in 7th grade English, Social Studies and Spanish. The teacher thought shecould do better with more studying.She got an A in the gifted and talented math class and in science. The math and scienceteachers both wrote notes indicating they thought Vivian should be given extraenrichment in these areas. They recommended 8th grade Honors math, which wasbasically high school geometry, and an after school science club in 8th grade. Vivianalready knows about these options and is interested.Vivian was in 7th grade chorus and in the band, and got an A grade and a note ofappreciation for her fine efforts from both the chorus teacher and the band director.She listens attentively, follows directions, and follows school rules.She is quite effective at time management, and highly consistent in workingindependently in the classroom and on homework. She has almost no problemscompleting assignments and turning them in on time.Q: Using the 7th grade report card and your own observations, summarize your child’sacademic skills at this point. What specific activities might promote some of these skills?Q: Talk about your parenting style: Authoritarian, Authoritative, Permissive, Uninvolved,a combination? How might your style of parenting, which may clash with that of theother parent or extended family, affect development of the child?(I think I am authoritative, so use it!)