"Chris" wrote in message
ups.com...
Just had our parent teacher conference for our 6th grade son. The
story is pretty much the same as every year--bright kid but he can't
sit still in class. Of course each year teachers are less tolerant of
his fidgeting, twirling the eraser, pencil tapping, etc. But, like
each year, the teachers seem unable to come up with any concrete
strategies for dealing with the issue. The kid is bored, everyone
agrees, but the level of fidgetiness seems beyond that which can be
explained by boredom alone. He doesn't sit still often--he eats
standing up most meals, he plays video games jumping up and down, etc.
So, the question becomes what to do in school? Has anyone dealt
successfully with this problem?

It sounds like he has two problems: 1) He is bored in class. You should talk
to his assistant principal or guidence counselor as well as his teachers.
His teachers should be giving him work that keeps from being bored. Or he
should be going to an advanced class.

2) Your son is not able to sit still. He should learn to join the family and
eat with the family sitting down. He should be recreational activities like
reading, listening to music and using the computer sitting down. His
recreational use of computers, TV watching and video games should be limited
to two hours a day (or even less). He should also be outside, playing with
his friends, riding his bike, etc., during daylight hours rather than be in
the house.

It sounds to me that you need to bring the school and teachers in on this
one. You probably want to set up a behavioral plan with the help of the
school's guidance counseler or AP, his teachers and himself. This plan
should have specific rewards as well as expectations.

Solving problem #1 should help problem #2, but there seperate problems.

Plus, if you live near a major university with a medical school, you might
make an appoint with some educational psychologists or pediatric
pyschologists for some additional ideas.

Jeff





Chris