This is a great post!! I see this so many times. I suggest Mr. White have local business owners come to the class to talk with the students about their success and how it may not matter now, but that striving to do your best and earning something is very rewarding. If you have any personal stories to tell, I would suggest sharing them with the students. If you have someone that would come in who still tends to struggle as an adult because they didn't take education seriously, I would do that also. I talk with my students one on one who show this attitude and try to encourage them as best I can to realize the rewards of earning something and doing their best. I even put them in an employer's scenario. I ask them if they were looking for someone to hire, what qualities would they look for and then I have them self-assess themselves in regards to their expectations of someone else.

Technology is such a hot button issue right now. Students are connected to technology in some way almost the entire day, and there are so many interesting jobs that involve technology. Mr. White needs to find ways to connect these interests into his lessons. There are hundreds of free apps that allow students to make movies, blogs, and websites. Teaching their students through these resources and then requiring projects with these programs may help his students to show more of an interest in his lessons.

It seems as though Mr. White probably cares a lot about bringing students into the content. I would suggest Mr. White seek other ways to build meaningful connections between the students and the content through specialized professional development. Students may respond more positively when they feel a sense of ownership over their learning.