Need help with school work
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Need help with school work
| Thu, 12-08-2005 - 11:39am |
Hi I am new here. I have a 14 y/o DS who is very smart if he would just apply himself. He started out the new school year by not doing homework after losing the TV and playstation for two weeeks he started doing it Now today I got another call from his teacher he didn't do last nights homework because he was doing his sceince homework But I know for a fact he helped DH string christmas lights out side and he was playing the playstation he wants to get in to VO-Tech next years but he isn't going to have the grades How can I get him to do his work without always yelling st hin He doesn't know it yet but he lost his TV and Playstation for another two weeks Please Help I am at the end of my rope.
TTFN
Dana
TTFN
Dana

Hi Dana - I have one ds that has always been very good about homework, self-motivated, etc. and I have one that tends to be more like your ds.
Hi,
I can only tell you what I did when I faced this situation with DD when she was 15. First of all, I told her the school may let her play sports wtih a C but I wouldn't unless I thought she was truly giving her schoolwork 100%. Second, I called her teachers every Fri for a weekly report. If she hadn't completed an assignment or made a poor grade on it she wasn't allowed to go out on the weekend until that assignment was completed to my satisfaction. It didn't matter if the teacher would accept the assignment late or not - it was about her learning the material. She quickly learned that she was giving up hanging our with her friends to do work she could have/should have done during the week and she might not even be getting a grade on it. She also learned how much easier school became when she actually read the material and did the work b/c she had the prior week's knowledge to build on. Third, I had her checked for learning disabilities. DD is ADD and it was beginning to affect her ability to concentrate in class. She is now on medication. Between those three things, she is now a straight A student in her senior year. She was a very low C student when we started doing this things.
Good Luck!
You've already gotten some good advice. I would only add - see if there's a way you can set small, reasonable steps for your DS and then reward him for meeting them. In other words, not just 'you lost your playstation', but also 'if you complete your homework (based on teacher report) for 5 days, we'll get a new game for PS'. The reward doesn't have to be a 'thing' - it could be something fun with you or DH - going somewhere he likes to go, picking the movie you rent on Saturday - whatever works in your family. The negative consequences can help in getting a teenager's attention, and the positive consequences can help by telling the teen exactly what you want him to do and what good things will happen.
Sue
p.s. I love Tigger too - an eternal optimist and a tremendous friend!