Another Zero? – How to Get the School Work Turned in On Time
ByIf you are watching your child or teen struggle with getting assignments turned in on time there are some very concrete things you can do. You want to start with some big crayon general strategies and then add more detailed and case specific elements as needed. We recomend starting with the broad and general techniques first because this allows you to see how many problems are solved by the initial actions and any remaining challenges will reveal needs that may be more specific to your child. If you need to add more custom tailored strategies to supplement you will be addressing the nuances of your child’s personal and specific needs.
An example would be:
The student sits down to do Math homework but is not sure which problems to do. She knows they were assigned to every 4th problem but she is not sure which ones exactly she is supposed to do. Is her uncertainty likely to cause her to delay or avoid doing the assignment or to complete all the problems on the page to be sure she has included all the required problems? (If your child jumps at the chance to do 4 times the required amount of work for the same assignment grade you may have a different kind of problem from the usual!)
A possible solution for the Math assignment “which problems were assigned” concern, a nice general starting point strategy would be to set your child up with a “study buddy” who is very good at correctly writing down all assignments and any accompanying instructions. If you do not have someone you know in mind for this role it is very likely you could contact the teacher and get her assistance in locating an appropriate fellow student of your child to fill the role of “study buddy.”
This is an example of a general strategy which could be a good starting point to deal with the particular challenge of supporting your child’s certainty that she is working on the correct Math problems for that night’s homework. That certainty will go a long way toward helping her get the assignments completed and turned in on time.
If a general strategy such as the setting up a “study buddy” to solve the ”which problems to do” question does not completely solve the problem of getting the Math homework turned on on time…
Tune in tomorrow when the teacher calls and says …
