C.N.
K.,
Having been a teacher of 7th and 8th graders for nine years I can relate and can maybe offer some perspective from the school's point of view. Often the tone of the classroom has a lot to do with a child's behavior and I feel that most behaviors are the result of poor classroom managment on the teacher's part. Are the subjects he's misbehaving in ones that he doesn't like, or just the ones where the classroom has a more relaxed atmosphere? I would suggest that you ask to go in and observe in the rooms where he is having trouble, obviously, he may behave better while you are there, but you can get a sense of how things are done in the room (remember that the teacher is probally behaving better also). It can also go a long way with the teacher, showing how committed you are to solving this problem. Others have said to have him evaluated academically, the school can do this, however, any types of learning disabilities are usually detected long before the age of 13. I would also suggest that the teacher set up some sort of consequence, if he doesn't complete his school work for that day, then he stays after school with her/him to complete it, I have employed this method many times with great success. Seeing a therapist can help, but it is also important that he has a consequence to his behavior at home as well as school. If he chooses to act out in class, then he chooses to not attend baseball practice. It has to be important to him to work. The most important thing to do is to establish a good working relationship between you and the school to help your son be the most sucessful that he can. I hope this helps.