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We are only a few weeks into the new school year and I can already see the wheels falling off the cart for some of my students.  I know the transition to the start of the year can be slow as kids shake off the cobwebs in their brains after a summer of sleeping late and playing video games.  Some kids are able to get the cart rolling along by themselves and get back up to speed quickly.  For others, they need a jack that is cranked up by their teachers and parents to get things moving forward again.

So it is with Quentin, one of my sixth graders.  Quentin’s role in our school is what I term as “the mayor.”  He goes around glad-handing everyone, smiling and cutting jokes to bring the attention to himself.  He is small in stature with big brown eyes and bright blonde hair. 

He’s cute!  He’s funny!  He is super distracting in the classroom.  And, he can’t keep track of anything.

Today, he failed to turn in his homework in language arts and science classes.  Generally, that would mean that he would suffer the consequence of receiving a zero for both assignments.  This time, however, I gave him a “get out of jail free” card.  You see, I think that Quentin is suffering from a touch of pre-adolescence.  He is spanning that bridge between young childhood and his teenage years and seems to be swinging out of control.

Quentin’s disorganization and distraction are common for kids his age.  For one thing, he is desperately trying to be cool with the older students in seventh and eighth grade.  In his role as the mayor, he feels he needs to be close friends with everyone and to make sure he is well liked by all.  This is a tough act to keep up all day long.

Secondly, he is discovering girls.  He doesn’t let his small stature deter him from going after girls older and taller than him.  All girls are potential sweethearts for Quentin as he looks for someone special to hang out with.

He is also experiencing how to behave as a middle school student – one who must pick up and move from class to class, teacher to teacher, and keep track of what he needs to bring with him.  Forgotten notebooks, textbooks, homework papers, and pencils top the list of items often left in his homeroom. 

So what’s a boy to do with all of these distractions going on?  It’s no wonder he can’t sit still in class and focus on the lesson at hand.  He is so busy trying to process all the changes in his body and brain that sitting still and listening quietly are not options.

While I am sympathetic to what Quentin is going through, I can not sit back and wait patiently for him to get back on track in his own time. 

I met with Quentin and his father after school to discuss an action plan.  My suggestion was that the family comes up with a behavior modification plan that is spearheaded by Quentin and supported by me and his other teachers.  He is charged with writing the plan this weekend and presenting it to me next week.  I told him to include how he will be recording his assignments, keeping track of school papers, and being prepared for each class. 

While I am realistic in knowing that this will not be a quick fix, I hope this will help to steer him back on course.  Of course, the sooner he gets moving forward, the less frustrated both of us will be. 

Margaret Andersen is the mother of three teenagers and is a middle school teacher somewhere in the Midwest.  She is a regular ShareWIK.com columnist. For more Margaret Anderson articles, click here. 

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