Coursework

[duckie71]

Can anyone give me advise on how to get your child to do their coursework, my son is 15 and has wanted to go into the RAF for as long as I can remember, his teacher say he is on target to get the grades he needs but needs to get his coursework in on time. When i ask him if he has any he says no then I end up getting letters and calls from the school. Im at my wits end with him, help!

[ganesh]

I have the same problem with my 16yr-old and Maths coursework, but it all goes in on time in the end,because the teachers make sure it does. There's not much you can do if he's lying about it,other than get the due dates from the school (easier said than done I know) and remind him a few days before each one is due.
As coursework counts for quite a bit I always stress to my daughter that the final exams will be much more easy to cope with if she can get As for her coursework,and can go into the exam knowing that she has to do very little then just to pass!

[sam100]

It wouldnt be a bad idea to go to the school and get a list of dates for coursework or ask at your next parent and teacher meeting.
Also quite lot of schools do coursework sessions at lunchtime or after school.

Also i found when i was at school that setting up a timetable for coursework/revision is helpful....the problem with the above is that when you sit down to do whatever it is, is that it looks like a mountain to climb and sometimes you dont know where to start (also are you sure he hasnt got probs understanding the coursework he has therefore not too keen to do?).

Draw up a table where you do chunks of work in half hour or hour breaks and then you get a break or do something cool to reward you for doing it!!!

Also you need a night off one a week for going out or whatever...

Maybe sitting down and talking to him would be a good idea and explaining in a non-patrionising way how important it is for thim to do it...

if all else fails get him down to your nearest RAF base and ask if someone there would have a five min chat to him about their career in the RAF and how they got into it and how much they enjoy it...that way it will re-ignite his enthusiasm and give him a kick up the backside.

He's done what most of us have done one time or another and got bogged down i think...

let us know the result.x

[ganesh]

I always think how lucky they are, when I did O levels everything depended on a 2 hour exam at the end of the 5th year and if you were unlucky with the questions or didn't feel well,it was too bad.
Still,they don't agree do they?They just see it as more work.

[duckie71]

My son would actually prefer to do exams only, he knows he doesn't have the self motivation to do his coursework!!

[joko]

tell him if he fails and cannot go into the raf, he will end up in macdonalds or on the bins or sweeping the streets

[bookermel]

Harsh as it may seem Joko is right! You have an advantage over many parents in the same situation in so much as your son has a goal to aim for in the RAF. As well as nag push and bribe him into doing the work it will help him if you can help him to timetable work and support his efforts to focus. Sam's suggestions are good re getting lists of outstanding work from the school actually all Sams suggestions are good! Always double check whether he has outstanding work.
Also I have known situations where rewards for work completed on time and with good effort has worked well. The rewards would have to be agreed between you and your son, could be extra money or a trip with a mate or two.
My son likes a few hours ski-ing or paintballing. But he needs to realise that the work is being done for him, not just to keep you and the teachers off his back. Good luck!!

[WendyS]

I'd start to cut out job adverts in your local paper for labourers, supermarket shelf stackers, and cleaning staff.

Suggest to him that he'd better abandon his dream of getting into the RAF because he's just not going to make the grade on his current performance and that it would be better for him now to develop a more realistic idea of what his future working life will be like. Tell him that if he can't discipline himself he really doesn't have what it takes to get into RAF. Then maybe just to be contrary as teenagers often are, he might pull up his socks and buckle down.

[duckie71]

Thanks for that advise, it might just work!!