I know they are tired. I should have reported back earlier with the news. I got Pepsi (not coffee) for the two boys and they liked that but it had little positive effect. I have watched them a few more weeks and concluded that the smaller one is just not as intelligent as the other children. His attention span is really short. I just accept that and seat him at the front (He is a sweet kid.). The other big boy is weak in English (He has disadvantaged himself) and clearly lazy. He always dives for the seat at the back and likes to show off. His grandmother phoned the school and asked that he not be punished when he disrupts the class. Granny must have had a talk with him because this past week he was an angel!
About Ritalin. This drug acts as a depressant in ADD children, just the opposite to other kids. Some children in North America are so easily distracted that they sit at their desk inside cardboard walls and see only the teacher, screened from other children. This is done with parent approval.
Both mint candy and coffee can sharpen attention in class, especially at the university level.