Anonymous wrote:Here’s the answer that you need to hear but no one else will give you: Let him be. Supports won’t work. Your kid either won’t grow enough to take advantage of them, or he’ll become dependent on them and relapse the second they are taken away. And motivation won’t work. Sure, he may put in the extra effort for a special reward, but the day-to-day work isn’t going to get any better.
The reality is that your kid will become successful and motivated when he wants to be that way. Do your best to expose him to everything, and some day sparks will fly. Once he finds out what he’s interested in, he’ll begin to explore things he may be passionate about. It may not be this year or next (in fact it probably won’t happen until he’s closer to high school or beyond), but it will happen. I promise you.
Bottom line is love the kid you have, don’t get hung up on quiz scores or homework neatness, and let him find his path. He’ll be okay, I promise.
I completely disagree. To some kids, organization and school behavior come naturally. And some need to be taught. Two of mine were in the latter category. I had to teach them how to pack a backpack. I had to teach them to finish the assignments and everything else that went into being a good student. And once they learned, they were able to follow through. But good students r behavior was definitely a skill they weren’t born with and hadn’t mastered by fifth grade. I distinctly remember the light going on for me that we had to help them figure it out and it was almost midway through fifth grade.