2girls,

Glad to see you back. I was concerned about your DD.

You need to understand that the one size fits all system of campus based education puts everyone through a ringer. The repetition and wasted time spent on worthless problems does not add to the educational value.

Khan Academy works on a "study each concept until it is mastered" system. This allows the later lessons to be completed because they build on the previous. Normal lessons push the student forward even though they have not mastered the previous skills.

If her school wants to wait until the last minute, I guarantee that she will not get the level of help she needs. Simply put, they expect her to not need any extraordinary accommodations, or they are not planning on offering much extra help.

She will need to learn to mastery to have any skills that she can take forward. Cramming for finals will not enable her to achieve the grades she needs or expects. This means she will need a slower and less stressful approach.

If you were to look at the long list of 'skills' they expect her to learn, you will find it is a very shallow level of understanding of many things. For the person who has strong thinking skills, this shallow understanding can almost be faked. The brain that is struggling will not have such abilities.

The biggest struggle many high achievers have is abstract thinking. It takes more brain power to link abstract issues so we struggle. We will do best at finite skill sets where there are no abstract relationships. Basically, the brain can fit the puzzle pieces together that fit solidly. Those that have weak 'fit' relationships are harder to connect. Ask her about this. She may have not realized it yet but will recognize this concept.

I know that I can master about anything that has a factual fit but it takes much longer with far more repetitions, even more if the relationships are more abstract.

I have all of my report cards since 3rd grade. I can chart my head injuries and relapses since then by my grades. Over time, some disciplines recovered even less. For example, my verbal processing never recovered to anything like my pre-injury levels.

So, please, don't let the school dump a big stress load on her. PCS is not like ADD/ADHD and other classroom struggles. Plus, the sensory overload of a classroom creates a huge burden on the struggling brain.

She may prove me wrong with these issues but I doubt it.

I know I sound extreme but I have see too many times when schools have not helped.

It is much easier for her to take it slow and learn without stress and catch up later. The failure of pushing too fast takes more effort to recover from than the effort needed to catch up later.

My best to you and DD.