<p>“And yes, he is inconsistent, but that’s not limited to this class. Another teacher’s comment read “Capable when motivated”.”</p>
<p>Sounds like the teachers comments reflect the truth, and it’s likely that any teacher who writes a recommendation for your S will be writing similar things. It may even be that the teachers who took the time to include comments on his report card like him and care about him more than do teachers who didn’t bother to include such comments. Consequently, it may be that the teachers who wrote the comments will write more detailed recommendations that also reflect your son’s positive qualities. Colleges know that h.s. males may need some maturing, and there may be lots of growth in college and during senior year in h.s. You also should let your S know that having inconsistent effort may cause him to not gain entrance to colleges that otherwise would accept him. Having had myself sons who performed inconsistently and under their potential, I imagine you’ve long been encouraging your S to be a more consistent performer. Your S is old enough to motivate himself, so his inconsistency isn’t your fault. The only additional thing you can do now is let him know that teacher recommendations are supposed to accurately reflect a student’s performance, and he shouldn’t expect that if a teacher likes him, the teacher will write an unrealistically glowing recommendation.</p>