I really don't know what I'm needing but I thought I'd ask for help. My situation is a bit unusual. I've graduated one student this spring. She is in her second year of college (took one year simultaneously with her senior year.) She struggled with a few of her classes last year because she has trouble testing. As far as info goes, she can quote to you a lot of what she has read or taken notes on. She is a smart girl, although because she tests poorly, she thinks she is dumb. She is now in another semester of college and struggling again. I just don't know how to help her learn differently to be able to test better. I've checked as best I can to make sure she is not dyslexic, she doesn't have learning problems and is not slow at all. I want to be able to help her. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm considering running over to her college to talk with someone about the problem. I didn't know if anyone knew of any ways to help her learn better so she can test better? I think she is more an auditory learner? We can talk about something and she gets it. She reads things and gets it. But when she has to answer questions on tests is where she fails. She doesn't freeze up or anything, it just jumbles up in her brain, to quote her, and takes longer. Is there a place to take her to test how she learns and what can help her? I didn't know of a place like Sylvan would help a college student? She is 17 and graduated a year early. I am just at my wits end and worried for her. I hate to see her go further down a path of thinking she is dumb. She aces art and sociology classes by the way but although English was her best subject in homeschool (very smart with vocab/spelling/grammar and writing) she did terrible in writing at college and now in speech writing. Help! Can you tell I'm worried? lol
Wow that's weird. Sylvan may still be able to help her because she is technically still high school age. It's not like she's an 'adult'. Obviously she is not dumb or handicapped, just has a test-taking problem. Good luck finding answers though, because that would be horrible to lose her self-esteem just because of testing.
Check with the college. It's very likely that they have programs (often free) to help students learn test taking skills.
Actually, it's not weird at all. Lots of kids are just poor test takers. They can spout off the material, etc., but can't take tests. Sometimes it's anxiety over the tests that freak them out. I'm not sure the college will talk with YOU. She's over 18, and most colleges won't deal with parents due to privacy issues. (Doesn't matter who's footing the bill; I know, stupid, but that's life!). I would suggest she talk with someone. Perhaps start with one of her professors if she really likes that person, or perhaps a couselor of some kind. I would guess there's people whose job is to sit down with students to work out problems such as this.
Given privacy rules, the college may not talk with you. Your daughter is the one who must approach them. This makes sense anyway: She needs to come across as a responsible student who is trying to deal with a problem.
My dd is 12 and she is smart but a poor test taker...as far as standardized tests. I know the feeling. I do NOT think you should talk to the college. I think your daughter should. This is something she needs to deal with on her own as she reaches adulthood. I am not saying that you should not help her or seek out information. However, she should be the one making contacts at her college.
Last year she took a writing course. She did everything the teacher told her and received not so good grades. We asked the teacher what to do to improve and she said to take the papers to the writing lab and have them help her and she would regrade them. She did this, they deemed her papers exemplary but the teacher did not agree. And this teacher was the head of the department who HIRED the helpers in the lab. It was a fiasco. My dd felt like the teacher didn't like her because she was homeschooled. She made references to her because of it and telling her not to slack, like she thought all homeschoolers would do so. I never saw my teen hustle as much as she did for that class. Also, the class had a reentry to college part of it to help with test taking, note taking, etc... but there was really no real instructions on this, they just brought in speakers about the college and about writing. It was a terrible class. I even helped her go over her papers and I got an A in all my writing courses. It didn't matter. She received a C. I asked her last night about going to the writing lab to get help for her speeches but since the teacher from her last writing class is there as the head, she doesn't feel comfortable she'll get the help she needs. We talked to the dean last year but we couldn't work out a solution. The head of the department wouldn't budge and wouldn't help. I feel like I should help her in some way. Due to the fact that she already feels stupid because she can't test, she is hesitant to talk to someone about her problem. I think I will see if I can schedule an appointment with a counselor at the school and I'll take her. SHE can do the talking though. She is still 17 but you're right, they still might not talk to me without her.
If she's still 17, they might talk with you. The two of you going together might help. It's too bad that one teacher can really mess things up!!!
The sad part is, she isn't just a teacher. She's the head of the english department. Terrible people skills, belittling, not willing to help. If it were my student I would offer to help with extra time, extra instruction, etc... Isn't that the whole point of college? To learn something? Not to feel like a failure...
Unfortunately, it's not the whole point for professors. With the profs, so much of THEIR purpose is to do research so to make more money/prestige for the college. It's the responsibility of the Grad Assistants to deal with undergrads. that's why I'd rather my kids go to a small school, even with Ohio State close enough they wouldn't have to live on campus.
My first suggestion is to tough it out and just move forward - especially if she's not an English major or will need to take more than the 2 required writing classes for graduation. The professor seems to be the problem in this case. And yes - some people are good test takers and some are not. It has nothing to do with how smart you are. My second suggestion is to take the class somewhere else or even switch schools if you have other options in your area. It sounds extreme, and maybe it is if she's at a 4-year university - but if she's at a CC it's not that big of a deal. Although I didn't do it often - if I knew in the first few weeks that a certain professor was not going to work for me I drop the class and take someone else. But writing is just a general ed class unless, like I said, she doesn't want to major in English or some other major which requires her to be around this lady after this semester, then she should try to hang in there. Just give her support and tell her it isn't her - it is the professor.
Sometimes teachers just don't mesh well with some students. I wouldn't hesitate to take her in and talk to an advisor. Go with her for moral support, but let her do the talking. You might see if she can retake the class with a different instructor. She can also drop back to part time college if full time is overwhelming. Let her get a job and go through college more slowly. There is no shame in that, and you said she's already ahead from her senior year! Good luck! Edie
