All good points. As they say the best defense is a good “offense”. This seems to be the child’s MO.
The issue with the school is concerning to me. It is again an issue of accountability and responsibility. The children themselves “chose” this school and yet didn’t take it seriously. It is their responsibility alone to fight for another opportunity to be admitted. Sleeping all day will not get them what they want. That will NOT prove to the administration that they are serious about a second chance. Giving up on the opportunity, will only cause them to blame the “school” for throwing them out and not accept responsibility on their own part for getting themselves thrown out. So the question is how to approach your son and/or his friends by association on how their campaign is coming along and what exactly is their campaign for getting themselves re-admitted? If they truly want something they should have enough determination to go after it. They should be encouraged to pursue it and request from the administration what they need to do in order to get a second chance and then do it.
How could you or should you approach your son on this subject? Again, if you don’t get the opportunity to speak to him one on one, write him a note telling him that you are concerned about him and his friends and the opportunity that they have missed here. Let them know that anything worth having is worth fighting for, and since they themselves researched and chose this school for themselves they should NOT give up the opportunity of going there. They should do whatever is in their power to fight for a second chance. Everyone deserves a second chance if they are serious enough about fulfilling the opportunity offered. It is up to them to find out what they need to do to get that second chance and then do it. No one can do it for them, they are the only ones that have the power to make this happen. If they don’t pursue it they will blame others for this lost opportunity when in truth they will have no one to blame but themselves.
WOW, this is a lesson that you can teach them, all of them, without scolding them or speaking down to them. If they fight their way back in and realize that it is actually an opportunity for them and do take it seriously from here on it, they can possibly gain a positive experience to some small degree from the administration and teachers there.