My class this year is full of dreamers. Dreamers that constantly need to be reminded to do their work and pay attention. I'm constantly calling students names to bring them back to attention. One student was so lost in his thoughts the other day it took him 25 min. to write a 5 word sentence at his desk and then 20 more minutes to add 2 more sentences, while he was sitting right in front of me and I was helping other students out.
At that point I was done with him and asked what his parents would think if I told them, that day at conferences that it took him that long to do his work. He informed me his dad had to work and wouldn't be coming, so I asked, what his mom would think when he called her after school (which is part of a plan we already have set up for him.) He just shrugged his shoulders. I then proceeded to tell him, if he was my kid and this was how much work he was getting done, that he would have nothing, until his work was getting done. I would take away his tv, phone, gameboy, xbox, all of it and he would only have his bedroom, a bed and, a book (although he's pretty good at not reading too,) Yet again a shrug of his shoulders. Then I also told him, which he's already been told, that if he isn't doing his work he would be with me again next year. All his 4th grade friends would move on and he would have to be with 3d graders and what did he think about that. He then stated he didn't care.
Funny thing was, that after meeting with his brother after school that day and telling him all this, the student came back the next day and cared. He put up tons of effort and actually did some reading, math, and writing!
Guess he really doesn't want to do 4th grade again.
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