My 11 Years Old Son Is Not Completing His Homeworks and He Is Bored in Class

Sounds like my 12 year old son :) My son can't remember formulas for math class but can tell you stats for basketball, baseball and football players/games too. Its crazy! It got so bad we had to change schools. I am my sons greatest advicate and I had to do what I thought was best for him and his little brother. By no means am I saying change schools. That's one of the decisions I made as a parent because my son was being labeled as lazy child. Now he is at OLP and he is doing better. Still struggling in Math class but goes to 7am math tutoring.

So my advise is be consistent. loving but firm. Oh, and your not alone!!!!Sometimes we tend to blame ourselves dont do that! :)

Keep up the good work

I always feel a little sad when I hear about kids who are expected to fit into one-size-fits-all classrooms and assignments. I was a bright kid but I really believed I was stupid. I almost flunked 3rd grade.

My school tested me (I don't know why, but I'm so glad they did) and enrolled me in a special summer school for gifted children. I got to stretch a bit to learn new and exciting and creative stuff. Study was suddenly not boring, and I did what little homework there was with great excitement. This opportunity also dramatically reinforced my inclination to follow my own interests at home, and taking my education into my own hands. I was enrolled in the more advanced classes at my school, and that helped, though I still hated homework and did as little as possible.

It sounds to me like your son has interests and talents that don't fit into the "box" that school tends to be. It's a tough situation for you as a working mother. Ask the guidance counselor if the school can ease off on homework requirements, and maybe even allow Jason to do some Independent Study for credit, as long as he gets passing grades and stays out of trouble.

It is a shame that not doing homework could bring his grades down if he already knows the concepts and the homework is only repetitive busywork for him, because that will both bore him and get him judged as "uncooperative" or "lazy" or "a troublemaker." Once kids get branded with those judgements, they tend to live up to them.

Hi, see if you can find some extracurricular activities like a tech camp that will match his interests. You need to advocate for your child constantly. It's a sad state of affairs that homeowork is worth so much. I hated homeowrk and found it boring myself. Tell him that he has to be true to himself and find what he likes to do and see if the school can help you, maybe he can go into a gifted class or a more technical track. Good luck!

I think that it's a stage, because my son's 11 and tried that too with the homework. He is extremely creative and artsy. We did wind up having our son tested. It turned out he is gifted. According to the test, he was 2 grades ahead, so they skipped him 1 grade. Now he's in 7th grade and it seems to be a perfect fit both academically and socially. Much more friends now and happier. We are in the process of teaching him how to study and get organized, since his religion grade just dipped a little. (We like to catch things early.) You might want to check on your son's organization skills. Another thing is to remind him that his brother will be graduating way ahead of him, so he has to get used to doing his own work....It's also good practice for college. You will need to keep tabs on it as much as you can. Ask the teacher if there is a way, such as a website, to check and see what homework your son has so you know if he completes it or not. Many kids view homework as busy work instead of practice. You also need to inform him that school can be very boring, but he has to pay attention so he doesn't miss anything. It really doesn't matter if he doesn't like the work or the teacher, we all have to go through school and the only way to get through it as quickly as possible is to get good grades, which includes doing homework so it doesn't bring your grade down. Make sure your son has a small pocket sided, spiral bound, note pad to write assignments in. Journals are too big and combersome for the artsy. (Trust me on this one....I'm artsy too....A daily journal didn't work for me or my son....We had to have a small note pad.) Have a school wall calendar for school only, which you mark down tests color coded by subject and projects.