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Need Timing Help


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I know every child is different/our home environment will effect outcomes/flexibility is key/etc., etc. etc. I promise to account for my child's abilities and give her some grace time. 

 

BUT. I have a dawdler. Seriously, if given the opportunity, DD12 will spend the entire day completing one math worksheet (and probably not finish). She has NO sense of time. In the past, it hasn't been as much of an issue during school time, as I have been able to prompt her to move along as she works (because I sit with her ;), and we've mostly gotten through things (though we are down to bare bones this year-math first, then reading/discussion, science/history/Lively Art of Writing on rotation). But we have a new baby in the house, and I am finding that I am losing track of time, which in turn lets her lose track of time, lol. Its not as big a deal this year (I planned in extra time to finish the year/planned a simpler year than usual/we worked harder at the beginning of the year so we could have wiggle room at the end of the year).

 

Next year, though, I would like to start implementing some time limits for finishing things, so we can move on and she can do the rest as homework, after dinner (when she would typically be free to play on the computer/video games/etc. for a bit before shower/reading/bed time). This will probably go hand in hand with our first attempts at grading (want to get her used to the idea that effort and time are needed to get good grades before high school, when it will count and I might not be doing the grading). I'm tempted to just give her an hour for each subject each day, but I'm not sure what is reasonable to expect to be completed in that amount of time.

 

So, hive mind, what do you think is a reasonable amount of time for a 7th grader to complete:  

 

A chapter outline from a science text?

A sheet of math practice (we use MM)?

Reading a chapter from a history text?

Reading 2-4 chapters of a novel/chapter book?

Etc.

 

 

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I do the activity and then double my time. Then, I make sure said child can do the activity on his/her own - which usually requires a lot of scaffolding and hand-holding in the earlier years or in the early part of the year.

 

You might think about implementing a timer for both of you with what is left of this year. Set it for half the total time you want her to be done with the activity or no more than 30 minutes. Try to get your baby and house stuff done in that time. Then, sit with her and help her refocus and finish during the rest of the time (with timer). She gets a break with the time that is left before moving onto the next activity. This will be good practice, help you understand what she can do on her own, and you can still get some other things done.

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I am no help. I have one so much like this. I have found a very detailed schedule helps, but she doesn't stick to it well. But it helps. I usually do the time is up, put it up and move on to the next thing, finish later routine. She is expected to do one lesson of a subject in a given time. If it isn't done, it is considered homework. But she never finishes anything. And she truly can't do it all up in her room all night every night after the day's work is done for everyone else. So I am constantly adjusting workloads and checking on her, and choosing what is most important unfortunately. My other one self regulates pretty well. I mean I am involved, and she has better days and worse days, but in general, she knows what she needs to do, and works to the best of her ability in that time period. If consistently she isn't finishing something in her time period, it usually is because she can't, and we need to readjust expectations. With the other, that isn't the case. Even though in general she is a great student as far as what she does output, trying to get anything done is like pulling teeth, from getting out of bed to getting dressed to taking a shower. You can just pretty much quadruple the time it would take anybody else on the planet to do it for her average time. 

 

But the switching things up does help. If she has been staring at math for 3 hours, it isn't getting done even if I giver her another 3 hours. I put it up, and she usually adjusts her brain, gets going on the next things pretty well, then goes back to the math later. She just wastes a lot of time doing I don't know what.  

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Totally off-topic: Waahhh! RootAnn! I miss Medusa as your avatar!!  :crying:

 

This made me smile, Lori. DD#2 will appreciate your comment as Medusa is her favorite of her paintings. I had to show off her most recently finished oil painting some time as my avatar.  :coolgleamA:

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I will definitely try this. Makes a lot more sense than trying to guess and check, lol. 

 

Rather than try to use arbitrary numbers, maybe you can time her (surreptitiously) on a good day when you're helping her focus, and allow 10-20% more time than that.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I try not to leave her alone with things she still needs help with. We don't start our day until baby's morning nap (pretty early) so I can sit and work with her during math. I will definitely pull the timer back out, to remind myself to check in on her, and to give her a limit. Hopefully that will help. 

 

I do the activity and then double my time. Then, I make sure said child can do the activity on his/her own - which usually requires a lot of scaffolding and hand-holding in the earlier years or in the early part of the year.

You might think about implementing a timer for both of you with what is left of this year. Set it for half the total time you want her to be done with the activity or no more than 30 minutes. Try to get your baby and house stuff done in that time. Then, sit with her and help her refocus and finish during the rest of the time (with timer). She gets a break with the time that is left before moving onto the next activity. This will be good practice, help you understand what she can do on her own, and you can still get some other things done.

 

This is what I want to avoid! I feel like if I just make what's left homework, I'm just going to push the problem off to night time and we probably still won't get finished, lol. Thanks for the insight and commiseration, glad to hear moving on helps, even if just a bit. 

 

I am no help. I have one so much like this. I have found a very detailed schedule helps, but she doesn't stick to it well. But it helps. I usually do the time is up, put it up and move on to the next thing, finish later routine. She is expected to do one lesson of a subject in a given time. If it isn't done, it is considered homework. But she never finishes anything. And she truly can't do it all up in her room all night every night after the day's work is done for everyone else. So I am constantly adjusting workloads and checking on her, and choosing what is most important unfortunately. My other one self regulates pretty well. I mean I am involved, and she has better days and worse days, but in general, she knows what she needs to do, and works to the best of her ability in that time period. If consistently she isn't finishing something in her time period, it usually is because she can't, and we need to readjust expectations. With the other, that isn't the case. Even though in general she is a great student as far as what she does output, trying to get anything done is like pulling teeth, from getting out of bed to getting dressed to taking a shower. You can just pretty much quadruple the time it would take anybody else on the planet to do it for her average time. 

 

But the switching things up does help. If she has been staring at math for 3 hours, it isn't getting done even if I giver her another 3 hours. I put it up, and she usually adjusts her brain, gets going on the next things pretty well, then goes back to the math later. She just wastes a lot of time doing I don't know what.  

 

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