Help! SS is struggling in school!

[kaylene99]

Hello,

I know it's been a while since I've posted but I need your help once again.

My SS started 6th grade this year. Last year, we were already aware that he has problems with doing his homework and projects on time. Most of the time, he would end up not doing his work anyway because he argues that he missed the deadline and it won't count anyway.
My husband has tried his best talking with and working with him. But there's only so much we can do when we live 6 hours away and ex-wife's not willing to meet us halfway whatsoever (even though she's the one who kept moving them further and further away!). We cannot afford to put the kids on the plane every other weekend or do the 20 hours of driving because where's the quality time spent with the children on that?

Through my husband's email communication with his 6th grade teachers, we found out that, once again, he's not been doing his homework and projects. He has 3 Ds on his 1st progress report. His teachers acknowledge that he's a smart kid but he needs to complete his work and practice lessons at home. This is something that we all know too well but I don't know if the ex-wife really gets it.

I am soliciting your ideas on how could we help my SS more. My husband tried to talk with him yesterday over the phone and he just flat out said that he didn't want to talk about it.  That's an unacceptable behavior and a disrespectul thing for a child to say to his father!  

Anyway, thank you for whatever suggestion or idea you can provide.  Please pray for us all, too.

[Forthelittleones]

Kaylene,

I have no advice for you.  The situation you are is the same one that we were in with SS.  Mom said he was an adult and therefore was responsibale for his grades and his work.  The child was in 5th grade! 10 years old!

We talked with his teachers, got assignments that we did with him when he was here and tried to talk with his mom.  Some of this worked but talking with his mom never did.

Child passed as D's are considered passing in OH.  We filed for custody for this reason and a host of others.  GAL report was in our favor and SS is here now.  

He has been here 3 weeks and his doing okay.  School work was a battle at first but now it is easier.  At his midterms, he has 3 A's, 1 B, and 1 C.  Interesting that his grades are doing better with a little monitoring and interaction with him and his teachers.

Good luck!  My prayers are with you!

[msme]

My Grandaughter had a bad year last year in sixth grade. She was told that if she failed she would go to summer school. We did not know that her mother had told her that if she was really bad & failing in school, her dad would get mad & throw her out. Then she could live with mom.

Her grades kept going down, she cussed out teachers & hit kids. She was a mess. Her therapist finally got it out of her & told her that she would be institutionalized before she would live with her mother.

She didn't quite believe it & had to go to summer school. Her mother played with her head again & she wound up in the hospital with another breakdown before summer school was over so she failed it.

Now she is repeating 6th grade. Recently, she has said that she knows that this is the right thing. So, I guess there is always hope.

You never get a second chance to make a first impression!