Don't be afraid of introducing things he likes as a supplement to what he has to learn in school. But emphasize he has to find a way to like what he is reading, somehow, someway. It is not an option to opt out of doing the work. How about trying to understand his learning style? Maybe you can redo the lesson to suit how he thinks, feels. Does he like movement, action, as opposed to visual, listening? Take advantage of that by suggesting he make a "play" or express the meanings in, I don't know, karate movements! Sounds weird, but makes sense. Does he like drawing? How about drawing the plot or story in comic book frames? Talk to his teacher about why he finds everything so "boring" . Can he/she suggest alternatives? Maybe the material can be modified by the teacher to suit the boy. Maybe others in the class feel the same way, but are not struggling to the same degree. It can be painful for readers uncomfortable with reading to read out loud too. I am not a reading expert, but suggest that enthusiasm and motivation are key as other posters have commented. Help the boy to understand the point of view of "other" ways of thinking. Why would adults have students learn this stuff? If he starts to understand that (maybe at a later time when he is not so emotionally negative) he can start to enter the adult world, which is the point of school anyway. And what about his way of learning - does he like group learning/individual study, is he right brained/left brained, does he get overloaded with information easily, have trouble picking out meaning, understanding meaning by listening? THERE is lots of work to be done. Good luck!
