How can I get my 7th grader to WORK FASTER? Long, sorry.

[TrixieB]

Her "leisurely" work speed is becoming a problem.

 

She spent the first TWO HOURS of her school day today doing one lesson of Saxon Algebra 1/2 plus one problem from the "extra" section in the back of the Singapore 6B textbook. She says the Saxon is easy, but "so tedious, and I have to copy down the problems..."

 

She spent the next HOUR diagramming five sentences from R&S 7 and writing three sentences for yesterday's SL Core 5 Eastern Hemisphere Explorer workbook -- and the assignment hasn't been completed yet! I had previously highlighted the information she needed to know in World Book Encyclopedia, so her searching time was minimal.

 

What she was supposed to also do today but didn't get done:

 

Review Latin

Daily assignment for LL7

Part of Core 5 reading

Core 5 EHE assignments -- finish yesterday's and do today's

Write 1-2 paragraphs regarding Core 5 reading

Practice piano

Read yesterday's science chapter (which she didn't do yesterday -- "no time")

 

Now I also need to know: am I asking for too much academically? Here is what she is doing:

 

Saxon Algebra 1/2 (1 lesson per day) plus one problem per day from the "extra" section at the end of SM6B textbook. She completed Singapore 6B last year.

Rod & Staff 7

Lightning Literature 7

Sonlight Core 5 (only the history, not the Bible, and we're not using some of the "evangelical" type books)

Second Form Latin (haven't started yet; she is reviewing from Latina Christiana II and will do a set of bridge lessons before beginning Second Form)

Science is a co-op class, plus part of SL Science 6 (haven't started yet) and reading through the Hakim History of Science books (currently 2 chapters per week)

Flute lessons

Piano lessons

Band (co-op class)

 

My assumption is I'm not asking for too much, academically. If that's the case, how do I light a fire under this kid?

[Tutu]

but I have (or had, to some extent) the same experience with my now 9th grader. The only thing that seemed to help was to have her do as much work as possible within view. I found that this particular child needed constant prodding, otherwise she'd start daydreaming and get distracted. Distraction was the major reason behind this in her particular case. Once I noted that she was doing a better job of keeping on task, I didn't worry so much about having her stay within view. I still find myself having to keep asking about her progress however. I'll be purchasing a student planner for her as well, as she seems to be having difficulty keeping track of her assignments and project/paper due dates.

 

ETA: FTR, I think your child's course load is very reasonable.

 

Again, not much advice, but I wish you luck at finding out what works!

 

Patty

Edited September 10, 2010 by Tutu

[Stacy in NJ]

First, I think your expectations are realistic. Her schedule looks challenging but not overwhelming.

 

You may need to set a more rigorous schedule, and I agree with the pp who suggested you keep her within eyesight as she's working.

 

When does she have free time? Are her evenings free?

 

I would suggest giving her a certain, realistic amount of time to complete each assignment (1 hour and 30 minutes for math), stop her when time is up (use a timer), whatever is left undone is assigned as "homework", work to be competed that night during her free time, move on to the next subject. Limit her access to all electronics (tv, video games, computer, phone), friends, and social activites until all work is completed.

 

You've got to make her want to use her time wisely by rewarding her with the activites she actually wants to do once the work is completed. If she has access to all the fun stuff before the work is done, well then you lose the motivator.

 

Basically, reward her when her work is completed by allowing any fun stuff she enjoys. "Punish" her when she isn't working in a timely way by withholding the fun stuff until all work is done. You need to figure out what her "fun stuff" is - that's her currency.

 

HTH, Stacy

[AngieW in Texas]

If I had to do Saxon, I'd be dragging myself along too and probably be completely confused also. I know there are plenty of people who love it, but I'm a very mathy person and Saxon makes NO sense to me at all. Have you considered switching math programs? I can't imagine anybody who has done well with Singapore would be happy with Saxon. My middle dd went from Singapore 6B to Algebra I with a just few things in-between over the summer just so I could hold her off a little since she was only 11.5yo when she finished 6B. Jacobs Algebra and Kinetic Books Algebra I are both solid programs. Kinetic Books even has a Pre-algebra program now if you don't want to move her into Algebra I yet.

 

My other thought is to have her work by time rather than amount of material. That works very well for my youngest.

[SBP]

I don't think your expectations are at all unreasonable. I do wonder what happened to the other hours in her day? You accounted for three of them, but that would leave four or five hours of school time around here, or longer if the schoolwork wasn't completed.

 

I don't know your DD, but I do have dc in the same age range, and one is an ADD kid (medicated, though) who requires tight scheduling to stay on task. What I do is:

 

1) I provide a checklist of each day's schoolwork. I don't add to it if they get finished early, but I also don't reschedule things unless there's some really good reason (e.g., a doctor's appointment that takes out a chunk of our day). They are expected to complete what's on that list that day. If they can't do it during our regular school time (8:00-3:30) then they have "homework" but it better be in my inbox before they go to bed that night.

 

2) I provide a schedule that serves as a framework for their day - which subjects are done at which times - and this year, I've scheduled an hour of "study hall" in the afternoons. Study hall is for completing any of that day's assignments that didn't get completed during the regularly scheduled time, for reading assignments, for composition assignments, or for studying for upcoming tests. They can use it however it's most needed that day, but it allows me to stop them in the mornings and say, "It's time to move on to the next subject now. You'll have to finish your math at study hall." That way, subjects don't get skipped completely, and the math still gets finished. It's actually worked very well.

 

3) I don't give in if they ask to re-schedule something. I can already tell you that one of my little darlings is going to be begging to use some weekend time to finish this week's Lightning Lit reading assignment. She's had all week to do it and has procrastinated, so today she has five chapters to read plus comprehension questions. She's not going to want to do that on Friday afternoon, but that's tough. Part of life is learning to manage her time, and I'm not doing her any favors if I let her get away with procrastination. She has a fun trip scheduled tomorrow with some friends, and she simply won't be going on it unless her schoolwork has been finished. I predict it will be ;).

 

I don't know if any of these suggestions will help you - they may be things you're already doing. I wish you luck in getting to the root of the problem.

 

Best,

 

SBP

[Harriet Vane]

I think your expectations are realistic.

 

Can you set a timer in front of her and remind her that she needs to pace herself to get the work done within that time?

 

I have a good friend whose dd really struggles with this as well. This young lady has ONE speed for all of life, whether it's getting dressed or walking or doing school work. It's a combination of her natural pace and the fact that she is perfectionistic. They had quite the awakening in 8th grade when they realized they HAD to get certain things accomplished. This kid also took a class that year from someone who refused to allow late assignments--that was a big wake-up call.

 

They spent the year doing whatever was necessary to get the work done, including losing sleep (sometimes those lessons cannot be learned without some pain and stress), losing social opportunities, and even turning in less-than-perfect work in order to meet the deadline. (Honestly, there are times in a person's life when it just has to be DONE, and it's a good skill to learn how to do enough to receive at least partial credit. No it's not ideal, but it is a common reality.)

[homeschoolally]

http://www.online-stopwatch.com/

 

Using these visual timers has been a HUGE help with speed here.

 

Hope they help your dd!

[johnandtinagilbert]

First, I think your expectations are realistic. Her schedule looks challenging but not overwhelming.

 

You may need to set a more rigorous schedule, and I agree with the pp who suggested you keep her within eyesight as she's working.

 

When does she have free time? Are her evenings free?

 

I would suggest giving her a certain, realistic amount of time to complete each assignment (1 hour and 30 minutes for math), stop her when time is up (use a timer), whatever is left undone is assigned as "homework", work to be competed that night during her free time, move on to the next subject. Limit her access to all electronics (tv, video games, computer, phone), friends, and social activites until all work is completed.

 

You've got to make her want to use her time wisely by rewarding her with the activites she actually wants to do once the work is completed. If she has access to all the fun stuff before the work is done, well then you lose the motivator.

 

Basically, reward her when her work is completed by allowing any fun stuff she enjoys. "Punish" her when she isn't working in a timely way by withholding the fun stuff until all work is done. You need to figure out what her "fun stuff" is - that's her currency.

 

HTH, Stacy

 

I don't think your expectations are at all unreasonable. I do wonder what happened to the other hours in her day? You accounted for three of them, but that would leave four or five hours of school time around here, or longer if the schoolwork wasn't completed.

 

I don't know your DD, but I do have dc in the same age range, and one is an ADD kid (medicated, though) who requires tight scheduling to stay on task. What I do is:

 

1) I provide a checklist of each day's schoolwork. I don't add to it if they get finished early, but I also don't reschedule things unless there's some really good reason (e.g., a doctor's appointment that takes out a chunk of our day). They are expected to complete what's on that list that day. If they can't do it during our regular school time (8:00-3:30) then they have "homework" but it better be in my inbox before they go to bed that night.

 

2) I provide a schedule that serves as a framework for their day - which subjects are done at which times - and this year, I've scheduled an hour of "study hall" in the afternoons. Study hall is for completing any of that day's assignments that didn't get completed during the regularly scheduled time, for reading assignments, for composition assignments, or for studying for upcoming tests. They can use it however it's most needed that day, but it allows me to stop them in the mornings and say, "It's time to move on to the next subject now. You'll have to finish your math at study hall." That way, subjects don't get skipped completely, and the math still gets finished. It's actually worked very well.

 

3) I don't give in if they ask to re-schedule something. I can already tell you that one of my little darlings is going to be begging to use some weekend time to finish this week's Lightning Lit reading assignment. She's had all week to do it and has procrastinated, so today she has five chapters to read plus comprehension questions. She's not going to want to do that on Friday afternoon, but that's tough. Part of life is learning to manage her time, and I'm not doing her any favors if I let her get away with procrastination. She has a fun trip scheduled tomorrow with some friends, and she simply won't be going on it unless her schoolwork has been finished. I predict it will be ;).

 

I don't know if any of these suggestions will help you - they may be things you're already doing. I wish you luck in getting to the root of the problem.

 

Best,

 

SBP

 

I think your expectations are realistic.

 

Can you set a timer in front of her and remind her that she needs to pace herself to get the work done within that time?

 

I have a good friend whose dd really struggles with this as well. This young lady has ONE speed for all of life, whether it's getting dressed or walking or doing school work. It's a combination of her natural pace and the fact that she is perfectionistic. They had quite the awakening in 8th grade when they realized they HAD to get certain things accomplished. This kid also took a class that year from someone who refused to allow late assignments--that was a big wake-up call.

 

They spent the year doing whatever was necessary to get the work done, including losing sleep (sometimes those lessons cannot be learned without some pain and stress), losing social opportunities, and even turning in less-than-perfect work in order to meet the deadline. (Honestly, there are times in a person's life when it just has to be DONE, and it's a good skill to learn how to do enough to receive at least partial credit. No it's not ideal, but it is a common reality.)

YUP. Yup. Yup.

[siloam]

My oldest is like this. This morning all my kids are done with their hs for the week, but she is sitting there finishing hers. I believe she is quite behind, despite it being a 3 day week, so she will probably be there all day.

 

During the week she isn't allowed any DS time till she gets her hs done. This resulted in dramatic changes, for about a week. :glare: She had her hs done by noon, then it started to slip and now she is back to taking all day till 9:30 at night, when she is allowed to play for 30 mins on her DS if she has at least put forth a good effort and attitude. If she has had a bad attitude or has been distracting her siblings then she doesn't even get that.

 

Today if she doesn't work hard she won't get video game turns this afternoon, so that is why she is already working hard this morning. As long as she is working at it and not messing around she will get her video game turns, but she will have to work on hs between those turns. She isn't allowed to play with her siblings on their turns till all hs is done.

 

I have come to the conclusion she really is going to have to learn on her own how to get her hind end in gear. It is her time, and while I would prefer to see her have more play time, if she chooses to mess around... it is her choice. I honestly had these issues as a child too, and I have gotten over them. Most of the time. ;) I can move it when needed.

 

Heather

[Heather in VA]

I don't think your expectations are at all unreasonable. I do wonder what happened to the other hours in her day? You accounted for three of them, but that would leave four or five hours of school time around here, or longer if the schoolwork wasn't completed.

 

I don't know your DD, but I do have dc in the same age range, and one is an ADD kid (medicated, though) who requires tight scheduling to stay on task. What I do is:

 

1) I provide a checklist of each day's schoolwork. I don't add to it if they get finished early, but I also don't reschedule things unless there's some really good reason (e.g., a doctor's appointment that takes out a chunk of our day). They are expected to complete what's on that list that day. If they can't do it during our regular school time (8:00-3:30) then they have "homework" but it better be in my inbox before they go to bed that night.

 

2) I provide a schedule that serves as a framework for their day - which subjects are done at which times - and this year, I've scheduled an hour of "study hall" in the afternoons. Study hall is for completing any of that day's assignments that didn't get completed during the regularly scheduled time, for reading assignments, for composition assignments, or for studying for upcoming tests. They can use it however it's most needed that day, but it allows me to stop them in the mornings and say, "It's time to move on to the next subject now. You'll have to finish your math at study hall." That way, subjects don't get skipped completely, and the math still gets finished. It's actually worked very well.

 

3) I don't give in if they ask to re-schedule something. I can already tell you that one of my little darlings is going to be begging to use some weekend time to finish this week's Lightning Lit reading assignment. She's had all week to do it and has procrastinated, so today she has five chapters to read plus comprehension questions. She's not going to want to do that on Friday afternoon, but that's tough. Part of life is learning to manage her time, and I'm not doing her any favors if I let her get away with procrastination. She has a fun trip scheduled tomorrow with some friends, and she simply won't be going on it unless her schoolwork has been finished. I predict it will be ;).

 

I don't know if any of these suggestions will help you - they may be things you're already doing. I wish you luck in getting to the root of the problem.

 

Best,

 

SBP

:iagree: I do all of this as well - right down to having one ADD child. For my older children I do not tell them when they have to do what subject during the day - with the exception of discussion times with me and their online classes. But if there becomes a problem with getting things done - I tell them what to do and when until they get their act together. My older girls are 10th and 6th and we rarely have issues anymore now that I have implemented the checklist and they know they aren't getting away with putting something off to another day.

 

Heather

[PollyOR]

We have a similar problem here. My 15yo would simply "forget" about her school work :confused:. Having a checklist didn't help. Now we do some subjects together such as science and history (take turns reading aloud to keep her alert). She has a checklist for easier things like handwriting and Latin flashcards, but I have to check with her several times a day to keep them foremost in her mind.

 

I really, really want her to work independently but....I also need her to get her work done. Last spring I had to threaten sending her to school (which she did not want to do). It seems to be a combination of her personality and sleep problems. She takes a class at 6:30am and is sleepy during the day. We have since worked with a sleep doctor, but I think I'll have to privately tutor my dd for awhile yet.

 

Good luck with finding a solution which works for both of you.

[Jen in DE]

I just implemented workboxes for my two ADHD, super-slow-at-getting-it-done kiddos, ages 11 and 13. The difference is amazing. I used magazine holders on a shelf instead of boxes on a cart. It's been a lot of work for me initially, but I'm learning to make it easier. They are more independent for the first time. Also, I know lots of people love Saxon, but we did Saxon 1/2 last year and found the assignments were REALLY long and tedious. Not hard, TEDIOUS. We've switched math this year and everyone is much happier. It's hard with Saxon, because if you skip problems, you really miss a lot.

Jen

[silliness7]

Her "leisurely" work speed is becoming a problem.

 

She spent the first TWO HOURS of her school day today doing one lesson of Saxon Algebra 1/2 plus one problem from the "extra" section in the back of the Singapore 6B textbook. She says the Saxon is easy, but "so tedious, and I have to copy down the problems..."

 

She spent the next HOUR diagramming five sentences from R&S 7 and writing three sentences for yesterday's SL Core 5 Eastern Hemisphere Explorer workbook -- and the assignment hasn't been completed yet! I had previously highlighted the information she needed to know in World Book Encyclopedia, so her searching time was minimal.

 

What she was supposed to also do today but didn't get done:

 

Review Latin

Daily assignment for LL7

Part of Core 5 reading

Core 5 EHE assignments -- finish yesterday's and do today's

Write 1-2 paragraphs regarding Core 5 reading

Practice piano

Read yesterday's science chapter (which she didn't do yesterday -- "no time")

 

Now I also need to know: am I asking for too much academically? Here is what she is doing:

 

Saxon Algebra 1/2 (1 lesson per day) plus one problem per day from the "extra" section at the end of SM6B textbook. She completed Singapore 6B last year.

Rod & Staff 7

Lightning Literature 7

Sonlight Core 5 (only the history, not the Bible, and we're not using some of the "evangelical" type books)

Second Form Latin (haven't started yet; she is reviewing from Latina Christiana II and will do a set of bridge lessons before beginning Second Form)

Science is a co-op class, plus part of SL Science 6 (haven't started yet) and reading through the Hakim History of Science books (currently 2 chapters per week)

Flute lessons

Piano lessons

Band (co-op class)

 

My assumption is I'm not asking for too much, academically. If that's the case, how do I light a fire under this kid?

 

My 7th grade ds sounds just like your dd. Work loads look similar as well

Saxon grammar, Saxon math, Lightning Lit, finishing First Form Latin, Apologia General Science,lapbooking George Washington's World for history, Trail Guides to US Geography, Wordly Wise, Art of Argument and some Bible reading/study. He also plays the trumpet in Homeschool band and has a paper route one day a week.

 

He struggles with dawdling which is so frustrating. I tell him that I cannot be done with school until he is done with school because I need to discuss it with him. Discussion is vital to his education and it frustrates me when we have to skip it because he's working right up til bedtime. I've broken down the time requirements for him. He could get finished by 3:30 including instrument practice if he would just apply himself.

 

My solution is to give him a timer and tell him to FOCUS on his work for 20 or 30 minutes...whatever we've determined is a good time for the work. If he doesn't get the work done when the timer goes off I have him put it aside and move to the next thing as he has a tendency to stall out if he stares at one thing too long. I think he has a problem buckling down and attending to the work in front of him. He likes to count how many pages he has left, what he's going to spend his b-day money on, flip through the books he'll read through the year. He's a dreamer and a planner and struggles with implementing. We're just getting started with the timer solution so I can't say how well it's working. But that's my plan...now to implement consistently! :001_smile:

[Renee in NC]

My 12yo can't do anything else at all until his schoolwork is done. If he wants to fish, or play with his friends, he has to have his work done.

 

Works wonders.

[cheryl h]

My 12yo can't do anything else at all until his schoolwork is done. If he wants to fish, or play with his friends, he has to have his work done.

 

Works wonders.

 

:iagree:It's good to hear most people are in the same line of thinking as myself, if the work is not done, no computer, no TV, no phone calls, no soccer practice, no youth group, no extra curricular reading(the ultimate punishment). Being it's the beginning of our school year I am trying to be a little gracious. It is hard to get a full load of work done when it's still summer outside, for me and them. I sympathize because we are right there with you with our dd12. Time management is a learned skill, I just hate teaching it because it takes so much of my time!:tongue_smilie: