How can I help my 15 year old pass his classes in school?

Question

My 15 year old son failed all of his 9th grade classes, after going to live with his father a year ago. He did no homework and played and joked his way through the whole school year in each and every class according to his teachers. This year he is being sent to a school with more discipline that will allow him to make up some of his 9th grade classes during the school year. What can I do to monitor his progress? What should his Dad be doing? I can visit him at his Dad's twice a week and he comes to my house every Friday through Sunday night. We normally comunicate through phone calls, text messaging, and e-mail.

Answer 1

Make sure does his homework when he is at your house. Have his dad sit down with him and have the go thru his homework.

Answer 2

Talk with your son about the kind of future and career he wants. Find out what he is struggling with, what he's feeling, if he was joking around because the work is hard and he's embarrassed to fail, or he wants attention, or wants to be a comedian. Try to get him to want to work. Passing classes should be his goal, not just yours. You're doing everything you can.

Get his father to work with you if possible. He has your son most of the time and should help him more. What should he be doing? Help w/homework, monitor assignments, and communicate regularly w/teachers. Many teachers communicate with parents via email, some schools have a homework hot line. His dad should be aware of these kinds of things and if there is an after-school program to help kids catch up,get him into it. He could also do fun things with your son and reward him for follow through.

If you get a tutor, find a male tutor he can relate to. By this I mean maybe a college or older h.s. student, a role model who is not too nerdy &understands what it's like to goof off and later take care of business.

Give him reinforcement for any progress he shows, even a small amount. Let him know you're proud of him for improving.

Answer 3

Try to show him that he'll have a much better life if he graduates high school.

Take away the cell phone, TV, don't let him leave home, until he does his homework. Offer to check his homework and help him with it, reward him when he does well in school. Being 15, it will be difficult, but if you make the incentive great enough, he will respond.

If you're extremely desperate, you could always embarrass him into doing his work and doing well in school... Whenever he gets in trouble for messing around in school make him walk around the mall holding your hand or something like that... Or mock him for not being very smart, which, if he has a lot of pride and stubbornness, will motivate him to work harder to show you up. However, if he's neither, I wouldn't do that...

I've worked with kids/teens with behavioral issues, and almost always the problems exist because the parents are apathetic and do nothing. It is good that you are making an effort to help

When it gets right down to it, GET INVOLVED. If the Dad doesn't help out and encourages his bad behavior, he's being detrimental to the boy and you could get more custody.

Answer 4

The dad by not stopping his son from committing to school work is showing lack of respect for his own family (seperate or not). He needs to show his son how some people with care free and fun loving personalities end up dead or homeless......it ain't a joke! He needs to let him know he loves him very much and that life is a struggle.....and through struggling you have life, not through playing.....when your done struggling than play. I know because i use to be just like your son and i regret it alot. Your son wants respect and love and attention .....he may not feel he deserves any of those and may be angry also. I would take him out to a special place to eat to show the importance of the matter and also he will feel loved and (without anyone else just you two) and tell him casually but also kinda scear him about how horrible life can be when you ' slip between the cracks' that's what he's doing. He is failing lifes challanges let him know that. Maybe than when he connects his "man integrity" to his failure he will relaize his manliness does not lie in being a rebelious individual but, suceeding and conquering not only other students intellectually but, also his weaknesses within. You may want to let him know also what life is like in other places in the world where people are treated unequally and life is veery hard......India for example or Africa or South America. My family is from eastern europe ; because they refused to support political beliefs thier kids ' for life' where band from all college education....forever. They had to struggle for 10 yrs to recieve permission to go to greece at age 30 and that is only because some men in the family could provide construction work. He needs to see reality.

Answer 5

If I were you I would give his dad this information that I am going to give you,When your son gets home from school if he has any home work or any thing to do for school tell him to get started working on that work if he don't tell him that he is not going outside to play or see his friends and none of his friends can come in either until all of his work is done for school. That should do the trick because it worked on me.

Answer 6

talk with you husband and cut out all benefits until he settles down talk with teachers have them send you reports daily tell him home work first or nothing else if dads house is to free dad need to set rules school first then play

Answer 7

pay attention dude.. Dont be so senti... in simple terms collect some braveness and approach that female. in simple terms try to ask her for friendship.. in simple terms be honest and don't rigidity her for something and in case your emotions are genuine then it won't in any respect pass no longer noted and she or he would be able to understand and are available to you. First grow to be acquaintances and then pass forward. each and all the main suitable.

Answer 8

Give incentives. We can go (fill in the blank) if you (fill in the blank). Then give all his teachers your email address and tell them to feel free to email you anytime. Tell them that if he does not do his homework to let you know and when you see him make him do it. May I ask.. Why is his father not making sure he is doing his work?

Answer 9

Get rid of your tv. Have going out on the weekend depend upon results at school. No going out on school nights, this is study time.
Guaranteed he will pass.

Answer 10

Maybe hiring a tutor will help, also stricter study times at home. If his study time was right after school it would still be fresh in his mind. Maybe grounding him, he will learn that you are serious.