4/8/20

This week I have mainly been helping my little brother (7) with his school assignments. He has about 20 tasks each day that range from math problems to social studies assignments to art (etc.). While some of these tasks are optional, like “wellness checks”, most of them are required and due at the end of the day (3pm). I have noticed that he is having a very hard time staying focused and needs to have an adult either helping him with his work or monitoring him to make sure he’s doing his work at all times. As a second grader, he cannot complete all of his work independently as he needs help with spelling, understanding instructions, and needs someone to ask him questions that can guide him towards the right answer when he gets stuck. This assumes that 1) each kid will have a parent that has the time to help their kids with their schoolwork all day and 2) that the parents will be able to fufill the role of the teacher, which most parents don’t have experience doing. Asking the right questions to guide a child to the right answer is a skill that many parents may not have. This isn’t a problem for my family since my project includes helping him with his work/figuring out the best way to help him, and because my step mom doesn’t work so she is able to help as well, however, I have been wondering how other kids–whose parents are working and are not available to help their children with their work all day–are able to get their work done on time. It seems as if my little brother’s teachers are giving him a full school day’s worth of work. My 10 year old sister, who is in 5th grade (which is middle school at LREI), has less work! I believe that his teachers should cut down the amount of assignments they give to the second graders each day. It is very difficult for a 7 year old to sit down and put effort into assignment after assignment, he doesn’t have the attention span for it. I have to repeatedly remind him to stay on track. He has an especially hard time completing assignments he deems “unnecessary” like gymnastics and art assignments. He often refuses to do them saying “it’s just gymnastics” or “it’s just art”, usually resulting in an argument. I can understand that for some kids, art and gymnastics assignments may serve as a useful creative outlet, however, for kids (like my brother) who would rather do math, social studies, or reading assignments than spend his time drawing something he doesn’t want to draw, this task generates a lot of resentment. I think tasks like gymnastics and art should be optional. I do not, however, have a solution for making their work more independent, but I will continue to think about that as I observe his remote schooling.