Attention during school? (Bookworm you always help me)

Hmm.  11 is quite old enough to begin talking to him about self-motivation.  What is it  that he wants to do with his life?  Does he have any idea?  I wonder if dad could spend some time with him this summer, talking about having and supporting a family–give him the big picture.  Then work down to how important it is for him to be building skills now.  I’m not suggesting this as a fast cure–it won’t be.  He isn’t going to decide tomorrow what he wants to do and then suddenly focus on schoolwork.  But it is definitely time to begin conversations about this with him.  What kind of young man does he want to be?  Are there men in his life (dad, relatives, men at church) whom he admires?  Could they talk to him about things like character and schoolwork and working hard and all that?  If he were 7 I wouldn’t suggest all this yet, perhaps, but 11–he’s on the verge of being a  young man.  Perhaps he needs some inspiration, some responsibility, for who he can be, who God wants him to be.  Perhaps some reading about young men/boys who did not love school but who learned to apply themselves in some way?  I remember John Adams went through a spell where he did not like school, wanted to quit and farm, so his dad worked him really hard for a few days, and he ended up deciding to go back to school.  Or stories like Little Britches where a young boy needs to work hard to help his family . . . or the Boys of Grit series of stories from Lamplighter . . . Just some thinking out loud.  At 11 he needs to consider taking some responsibility for himself, and then have you be his “helper” or “reminder” to do what he has decided to do, even when he gets distracted.  My thoughts so far.  What does your dh think?