<p>I understood he was not failing, just not doing as well as he could and possibly not well enough to get into the elite schools he may be aiming for. It was my understanding that this was because he wasn’t focusing on all of his classes. Given how bright he seems to be, it is my guess he is not doing homework or papers, not doing poorly on tests. At many competitive high schools, even a few Bs will put a kid out of the top 10 or even top 15%. If the mom can get him to improve on that a little, he may have a better shot at college. For some kids, mom making them put down the math book and pick up the history paper may have the desired impact. You are right that if he has decided that a particular class is not worth his time, mom’s nagging may have no impact. However, a little negotiation can sometime provide good results.</p>