Why Does My Child Dislike School?

5 Reasons School-Aged Children Struggle with Solutions

By Rob Wise Director of Enrollment Management

As a parent, watching your child struggle in school is distressing. Understanding how different types of struggles impact children can help you provide the proper support. This guide explores common reasons for academic struggles among children from kindergarten to eighth grade and offers practical advice on addressing them.

 

1. Learning Disabilities and Disorders

Learning disabilities, including dyslexia, dyscalculia, and ADHD, can significantly impact a child’s ability to learn. These conditions are often not immediately apparent but manifest as persistent difficulties in reading, writing, math, maintaining attention, and staying on task. Learning differences are best supported by early intervention and reasonable and appropriate educational accommodations. Schools often provide one-size-fits-all modifications and accommodations before applying the proper and targeted interventions. While some targeted accommodations are helpful, they do not address the specific underlying cause of learning struggles. Intervention must precede accommodation, and accommodation must be individualized. Interventions target the specific learning challenge at play and provide the skills children need to be successful. Early intervention is the most effective tool for long-range success in students with learning differences and disabilities.

What to do:

• Seek a formal evaluation from a psychologist or educational specialist.

• Consider schools and support services that will address specific needs.

• Ask Questions! Does your child’s school provide the necessary academic interventions and/or accommodations?

• Contact the Admissions Team at The Joy School for more information about how to better support your child.

 

 

2. Emotional and Behavioral Challenges

Emotional distress, anxiety, depression, or behavioral issues can severely impact a child's academic performance. While The Joy School does not offer a therapeutic environment for emotional and behavioral disorders, some behaviors are symptoms of learning differences that can be addressed. These problems could be related to undiagnosed learning differences (particularly true for anxiety). When children fail in the classroom, they often display avoidance behaviors, impulsivity, or inattention. Because each child is different, their behavior will look different even when caused by the same struggle.

What to do:

• Learn more from your child and their teachers about what behavior looks like in the classroom and consider how it changes in different settings. If certain behaviors exist only in academic settings, they are more likely to be related to learning differences.

• Consult with a school counselor or a child psychologist for further testing. 

• Seek support from schools, tutors, learning specialists, and therapists who can help directly address your child’s needs.

• Your child may need additional therapeutic support before addressing specific academic needs.

• In cases of emotional disturbances or distress, children will often need therapeutic services before they are ready for a traditional classroom environment.

 

 

3. Lack of Motivation or Interest

Sometimes, children struggle simply because they are not engaged or interested in what is being taught. This can be due to a mismatch between their learning style and the teaching methods or a lack of relevance of the material to their interests. Children are often motivated when their learning needs are addressed intentionally. Because of the small class sizes at The Joy School, we notice the subtle behaviors children display when they lose focus, as teachers have the time, training, and ability to work with those students and their parents to find out what's going on. When is it a learning difference, learning style preference, or teaching method that needs adjustment?

What to do:

• Talk with your child’s teacher and investigate what types of behavior they are displaying.

• Ask if they are struggling with core concepts that may affect their ability to work on and complete more complex tasks.

• Identify your child’s interests and find ways to relate them to school subjects.

• Work with your child to see where their disconnect occurs within a complex assignment.

You may be able to determine if their struggle is connected to motivation or uncover a more profound challenge or learning difference.

 

 

4. Educational Gaps

Transitions between different schools, curriculums, or countries can leave gaps in a child’s knowledge, making it challenging to keep up with their current grade level. Educational gaps are not the same thing as learning differences, and with direct intensive instruction, these struggles often will quickly resolve. Educational gaps can, however, reveal or highlight the presence of undiagnosed learning differences. We saw an increase in students struggling academically and socially from using an online curriculum during their formative years in Pre-kindergarten through third grade.

What to do:

• Identify specific areas where your child is struggling and seek supplemental educational resources.

• Collaborate with teachers to provide additional support in these areas.

• Consider after-school programs or tutoring to help fill in educational gaps.

• Determine whether their learning difficulties stem from a gap in learning or an undiagnosed learning difference.

 

 

5. High Expectations and Pressure

Excessive pressure to perform well academically can lead to stress and burnout. Children may feel overwhelmed by high expectations from parents, teachers, or themselves, which can hinder their performance. More and more, parental anxiety about their child’s success is transmitted to their children. 

What to do:

• Learn more about your child’s learning profile.

Do they have any significant struggles in school that need to be addressed for their success?

• Set realistic and attainable goals for your child.

Find schools that are the “right fit” for your child. Consider class size, support programs, athletic programs, fine art opportunities, and school culture.

• Emphasize the importance of effort and learning from mistakes over perfection.

 

 

Next Steps

For more information, schedule a free consultation with The Joy School to learn more about our tutoring and summer programs and how we can set your child up for success in school and beyond. The Joy School prepares students with learning differences to return to traditional classroom settings by enabling them to reach their academic and social potential in a safe, supportive environment.