Mom: he won't get that new truck if he doesn't get his grades up.
Me: Why do you think he does so badly in class?
Mom: Because he doesn't care. He's never cared about school.
Me: But he likes science, why won't he make the grade in that class?
Mom: I just don't know, we've tried everything. We can't get through to him.
Later that day, my brother is driving me to the store.
Me: So, how's school going?
Jake: Good.
Me: Mom says you aren't doing well in school. Your grades are bad, are you just not doing your work or what?
Jake: Yeah, I am, I forget work sometimes.
Me: How are you liking trade school?
Jake: (more upbeat) I like it.
Me: Why do you like it so much?
Jake: Because I get to work on stuff.
Me: So you like doing things hands on?
Jake: Yeah, I like working on things and feeling them.
Me: Do your teachers at the high school not do activities with you guys?
Jake: No, but I wish they did.
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My conclusion:
While it is very frustrating for my parents, Jake's lack of motivation is caused by both internal and external issues. There is no doubt that my brother has learning disabilities, and has been diagnosed with them for years. Also, he's a little developmentally slow for being 17 years old. However, if Jake's teachers were more sensitive to their students' needs, they would be able to see that there are many students in the trade school track that are more kinesthetic learners. If they had more hands on activities like they do at the trade school in their other classes, it could be argued that not only would my brother's grades be improved, but many of his classmates would benefit as well.
I went to the same high school as my little brother, and I can say from witnessing it first hand that the teacher who teach the trade school track diploma do not give as much effort into their lessons for those students. They believe that the students are lazy and not going to college, so they don't need to know everything that the advanced students do. However, this is a detriment to the occupational diploma students because they lose motivation after a while. They know that they are treated differently, and eventually lose the will to finish their work.
While it is very frustrating for my parents, Jake's lack of motivation is caused by both internal and external issues. There is no doubt that my brother has learning disabilities, and has been diagnosed with them for years. Also, he's a little developmentally slow for being 17 years old. However, if Jake's teachers were more sensitive to their students' needs, they would be able to see that there are many students in the trade school track that are more kinesthetic learners. If they had more hands on activities like they do at the trade school in their other classes, it could be argued that not only would my brother's grades be improved, but many of his classmates would benefit as well.
I went to the same high school as my little brother, and I can say from witnessing it first hand that the teacher who teach the trade school track diploma do not give as much effort into their lessons for those students. They believe that the students are lazy and not going to college, so they don't need to know everything that the advanced students do. However, this is a detriment to the occupational diploma students because they lose motivation after a while. They know that they are treated differently, and eventually lose the will to finish their work.
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