How to support when ds is too compacent

[Mum2017]

Ds did reasonably well on his mock test. He thinks most of the subjects are too easy doesnt make effort. I dont want want to interfere too much, but am concerned about his attitude might affect his performance. Please advise what to do

[kenyancowgirl]

I have replied to this on the thread you started in the 6th form section. Probably best to stick to one thread.

[Mum2017]

Thank you posted by mistake on 6th form. Ds will be taking GCSE this year. Thanks for replying he did well in sceinces, and maths ok in other sibjects. He thinks specially in the subjects he did well on mock he kept saying too easy and doesnt even complete the test papers the teachers give him. Am concerned this attitude might affect his performance on the real thing. Any advise appreciated

[Guest55]

This is a difficult one - that's why doing well in a mock can be a problem. I would not nag him as it will be counter-productive and more likely to get him digging his heels in.

Have you got a final report due or could you contact the teachers? They are more likely to put the right 'pressure' on by giving him something he will find challenging.

[Mum2017]

Yes you right nagging is not helping at all,am thinking of contacting his teachers, with out him knowing possibly? as he doen't agree. He had report in January after his mock reflecting his mock result. Would they get another one as he is my first not sure.
Thanks again for your advise

[solimum]

I suspect DS is a teenage boy and therefore knows everything and is impervious to nagging.

Either:

he will get a nasty shock in the first actual GCSEs and start working at the last minute, or

he will sail through them and get a nasty shock when he starts A Levels and suddenly finds he has to think/work or:

he will sail through 6th form and get a nasty shock when he doesn't get into Oxford or;

he will sail into Oxford and get a nasty shock when he arrives and everyone else seems to be cleverer than him or;

he will scrape into another university despite having not worked desperately hard at A level and then suddenly find himself with a ferociously hard-working girlfriend who miraculously gets him to start making and effort - and finally he starts to enjoy working; or

he is the next Stephen Hawking and will not really have to struggle until he starts looking at the fundamental structure of the universe



Edited: sorry to be a bit flippant. (I have had sons who fitted into some of my scenarios!) But there does come a point when DC need to start taking responsibility for their own learning. For some it comes sooner than others, but despite our fears and the teachers' dire warnings, there is usually a way to catch up again , so try not to let your own anxieties become too overwhelming

[Guest55]

The timings of reports should be somewhere on the website. Did the report give advice on how to revise or what to work on in the remaining months?

I would e-mail the teachers and ask if there anything specific he needs to work on; tell them your concerns and ask them not to say anything. If he's not handing in work then I would have thought you would have heard from them.

[mystery]

You don't feel he is working enough across the board, but is he working hard enough to get the grades he needs in the subjects he wants to do at A level? Degree level? etc. Then maybe it's enough? If not, would more knowledge of future possibilities give him something to aim at?

If he's hoping to go on studying to A level and beyond then maybe it's the study skills and interest levels that matter rather than the total amount of time put in? Do you think he has the study skills and interest?

[piggys]

I teach the English language and literature GCSEs and I have not yet come across a single person who finds the new English Language paper 'easy' - and that includes students from the super selectives. . FYI I am teaching the current AQA, EDEXCEL and OCR specs as well as the IGCSE and CIE papers. What did your ds get in his mock English papers?

[Mum2017]

Thank you all just e-mailed his teachers. to answer some of your quetions I couldnt find the final report but from memort generally good commenting on few topics to work on & exam practice to help his exam technique reminding him might help.
Piggy to answer yours' most of the subjects' sceince & maths 9. Thanks to this forum (specially Guest 55) interms of literature Mr Bruff has been life saver. He didnt do well in English Language but he has justified it with using wrong source and scoring 0/12 paper 2. Mock English language 5 he says could have been 7 if he didnt use wrong source . His teacher has been very helpful did the same paper again got 9. FYI he does go to superselective school, naturally clever but too laid back.

Thank you all for your kind words and advice I will let you know how we get on.