Question:
What makes a middle school child, who does not have any learning disabilities or issues, is well liked by his peers and has the ability to be a very good student, continually not do his homework assignments? Teachers will contact the parents every couple of weeks to tell us our child is not handing in his homework. When we discuss this with our child, he will improve and then the cycle will start again. We've tried to take away the distractions (TV, Nintendo, etc) Any suggestions?Thanks!
Answer:
ParentingTeensOnline expert John Blaber, M.A. is an English teacher, Alameda High School, CA. He answers:
Most students who fit this profile would benefit from a structured, set time at home each day where they are scheduled to complete their homework and then required to show proof of such to a parent. Set a time: say 4:00, or right after dinner--but not too late; whatever works for the family's weekday routine. Have the student work at the kitchen table or at a desk in a common area, such as the living room, so the parent can be sure the student is on task. Once the work is completed, then and only then should the boy be given the green light to indulge in other activities. Most often this type of situation occurs when a teen is allowed to shut to bedroom door under the pretense that he or she needs privacy to do homework. What happens behind that door is anyone's guess, but in the case of the teen who is the subject of this letter it is clearly not homework getting done in there. Usually the teen is online or on the phone with friends. So the solution is to set a regular, fixed time where the work is done somewhere the parent can observe it being done and then confirm it is completed.