Unmotivated 17 year olds

[Mother Sanity (JackieRodzinski)]

What becomes of these kids. They have a 1.7 gpa in High School and want to graduate early.(Thinking they'll get into MIT).  Life is a party. What's a good wake up call. Say we get a group together and.....

Sure. Many have family problems, many have emotional problems...but in a year, they get their walking papers and what are they going to? Here in beautiful NJ (12 Ode to New Jersey.m4a ), not everyone can work at Walmart. The community College is filled. They have no plans and no initiative to develop any. Do you have any suggestions? Lots of these kids are so fed up with this school they want to get out as soon as they can. Some have to, because remaining suspended for 3 years is not a viable option. For them I'm thinking of starting a GED study group. We need to do something about the ones that want to go to college (but the high school has deemed 'unqualified') to take theis PSATS and their   SAT's. Then ofcourse theres the money (though I think many of these parents might wake up themselves when they see that their kid is giving some thought to his future. Please: Mother Sanity need suggestions. Summers coming and instead of sitting around smoking pot, it'd be good to help these kids save their lives. Thanks again, Mother Sanity

[CWO3ROBBIE]

Pru, I think this is another one of those areas where everyone agrees with you for the school that their child attends. Or its a teacher requirement for a subject that the parents are enthused about.
I am always amazed when I still hear people talk about how overpaid teachers are. Yes, I do still hear that. I also still hear a lot of people say that the social sciences are a waste of time. And it is not unusual to hear well educated people deride physical education and many say that they can't see why their kids need higher mathmatics. They were forced to take Algebra and they have never used it since they got out of school. As technology development increases and population desity grows these things become more and more difficult. That is why you see the increase in number of "magnet" schools and charter schools. I fear that one of the worst developments to ever come along is "Homeschooling". The home schooled kids are going to come out of that experience with the same attitude about knowledge and the world as the parents. I know a lot of people will disagree with me but I think that is very dangerious. If the parents outlook on life is screwed up, what chance do the kids have of becoming a well rounded adult? Most people are a product of what they are exposed to.

OK, thats enough.

[Mother Sanity (JackieRodzinski)]

We have the same problem with teachers, but our administrators are way overpaid and corrupt. A midschool principal should not be parking her BMW with tinted windows into a reserved spot everyday.

[Joe Horizon]

I have two of these things. Two more on the way. They'll either figure it out, or they won't. I have to age and die.
I tell them, good luck with that.... Let me know how all this works out for you. I'll give a hand up, but never a hand out.
I have two that are the epitome of sloths. Sloths seem more active. What to do? I don't know. I don't have the answers.
Youth is not hungry for advice or guidence. I live by a few quotes I read years ago. "By the time a man realizes that his father was right, he has a son that thinks he is wrong" .
So goes the great circle.
My eldest son is making strides and I am quite proud. He is ingesting all of my Steven Covey and Dale Carnegie material I have in my library. He quit college and is in search of a job to begin paying down loans. These materials can only help.
I wish not to guide him, he'll never listen to me and he'll listen less to his mother. He's gotta find out for himself, like I did and still am. At least he had some college. I've never set foot in one due to being poor, not being able to afford even clothes.
I'll continue to let all of the kids know that a formal education will earn one a living. Self education can earn one a fortune. Self education never ends, but is an end in itself. Maybe even my daughter will figure some things out. I have complete faith that they will. It just never seems to happen when I want it to, like five years ago.

[funesthememorious]

Tell them that getting into MIT with a 1.7 GPA is a pipe dream.

Kids should be required to go to school year round with a 2 week vacation in the summer. Summer classes could be less demanding or fun subjects - music appreciation, history of baseball, political science.

Motivation is not the problem - it is more the lack of opportunity in the current workplace environment.

[Mother Sanity (JackieRodzinski)]

Yup.

[CWO3ROBBIE]

Funes, Once again, we disagree. Motivation is often the problem. You usually are not motivated to do something that you are not aware of or have never seen. If you grow up in the mountains of WV, your motivation is usually to go to work in the coal mines. In this case lack of oportunity may be a good thing. If you have a teacher, or parent, who has seen the outside world and has the ability to transfer the knowledge about what possibilities exist in other places, would that be considered opportunity or motivation? Think about the movie "Rocket Boys".

[funesthememorious]

I suppose. You can be motivated enough to join the Bloods or Crips or become an Aryan Nation member.