His grades have gone down significantly in some areas. We have been forewarned by parents of students who have had this particular teacher that she raises her voice, that students are able to do things in the classroom with permission from the teacher only (talk, for example), and their children have exhibited varying forms of anxiety. One student had stomach problems; another parent chose antidepressants as a way to cope. My son has said that she shouts, does not allow questions and expects perfection on all of his assignments. For example, he wrote a thank you note and spelled "remember" with a d instead of a b. Rather than erase the incorrect letter, he was asked to do the entire note over. The children are allowed one piece of paper for an assignment. The children were threatened with a poor grade on report cards if an objective was not completed to her satisfaction. This evening, my son shouted, "Homework is stupid, school is stupid, and my teacher is stupid."

Sunday evenings are always more difficult, I imagine, due to the end of the weekend, and the thought of school the following morning. This has disrupted our family life; at times it can be most unpleasant. We have reiterated staying home from school is never a choice; allowed time for activities he enjoys; encouraged verbalization of feelings; introduced time management for those assignments that take more than one evening; at night, gently remind him that we expect his cooperation in the morning; have considered removing privileges for noncompliance; and have considered earning privileges for cooperation. We are not making much progress. I realize consistency is of the utmost importance. We want our son to take the initiative to get ready in the morning and to do homework in the evening.

We can not make him enjoy school, although we'd like to see him empowered to meet the challenges he faces in this particular classroom. We would like to provide him with a means to cope. We'd like our home life to improve. Any suggestions?