This is the eighth and last article in a series by Susan Kruger of SOAR® Learning, LLC covering her ‘Homework Problems Inventory’.  We hope you find this series helpful as the school year progresses.

Issue #8- “My Child is Simply not Motivated…”

“He’s just not motivated!” 

What’s the Problem?

As we have discussed in each of the previous issues, problems related to school and homework have many different dimensions.  Depending on the problems you are seeing at home, your child may: simply lack confidence in him/herself, want some control, or need to be empowered with more responsibilities.  Like most school-aged children and young adults, your child may simply be lacking a few key strategies to help them learn how to plan ahead, get organized, and learn more efficiently.  Each of these aspects are like links in a chain that, when hooked together, create motivation.  However, as we know, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.  If students are struggling with only one of these “links,” their overall level of motivation is in jeopardy.

Why is this happening?

School and homework represent so much more than a few pages of a math book.  Both are reflections of a student’s level of confidence, a lever for them to establish their place and voice within the family, and an opportunity to learn skills that reach far beyond the content of their textbooks and tests.  Also, due to demands of national and state curriculum, strains on teachers’ time and resources, and a lack of education/training for addressing more strategic learning skills, children (and parents) are often not adequately prepared in school for dealing with the real challenges that school presents.

 What can be done about it?

If your child is not motivated in school, it is a sign that at least one –and maybe more- links in the chain are broken or weak.  Most school-related problems can be addressed with a bit of insight, some communication, a small investment of time, and a couple of good strategies.   Use the Homework Inventory for Parents to identify the most common areas of struggle for children and parents and get the Homework Help! for Parents CDs and e-book to learn a comprehensive system of communication, organization, and strategic learning skills that will benefit every member of the family!

“By Susan Kruger of SOAR® Study Skills. Please visit
Susan’s web site at http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=L8ell&m=1axauS4Vd6QrBb&b=inirOt6PA2ET2wE2Uw3IlA for additional articles and resources to make managing homework easier.”

This is the seventh article in a series by Susan Kruger of SOAR® Learning, LLC covering her ‘Homework Problems Inventory’.  We hope you find this series helpful as the school year progresses.

Issue #7- Shifting OUT of “Low-Gear” Learning

My child…

 “does not remember what he reads in a textbook.”
 “does not pay attention well in class.”
 “does not take good notes.”
 “does not know how to study for tests.”

What’s the Problem?

All of these situations are problems with learning…learning in a conventional school setting, at least.  Most students find each of these tasks boring and laborious…and they will find few adults who could honestly argue with them!  There is not much that we can do to change a students’ interest level towards any given topic, but with a little bit of strategy and an efficient plan for tackling these learning tasks, students will find them much less laborious and, as a result, will find learning a little less boring.

There are two underlying causes for these problems.  The first is that students tend to view each task in isolation and make the process of completing each assignment or preparing for each quiz and test into a time-consuming and dreadful procedure.   Very few students really understand that paying attention in class during the day may actually save them a lot of time on their homework later that night.  Or that paying attention while doing their homework may actually help them study for their quiz at the end of the week.  Or finally, that studying for that quiz is actually another step towards studying for the chapter test.  Instead, they “reinvent the wheel” with each task.

A second and more significant cause for these learning problems is that students lack *strategy.* Most students have no understanding that learning can be strategic.  National and state-mandated curriculum focuses almost exclusively on content; students are loaded down with tons of content, but they are not taught how to access it, organize it, and make sense of it.  Teachers are typically not taught or trained on how to teach strategic learning skills and they are so bogged down with mandated curriculum that they typically don’t have time to think twice about it.  Consequently, most of our students just assume that there is no other way to tackle homework or studying than the traditional approach to rehearsing, rereading, and boring themselves to death!

Why is this happening?

Students are stuck in “low-gear learning.”

There is a famous “learning pyramid” that is taught in most basic education and psychology classes.  It is called “Bloom’s Taxonomy of Thinking” and is pictured here:
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=L8ell&m=1l6hWQDA1sQrBb&b=2UU_xXCgg4xjQpq5BkQN2w

This taxonomy is an illustration of the different levels of thinking in which the human brain can function.  The most basic level is listed on the bottom, the most complex on top.  The more we can engage our brains in higher levels of thinking, the more we can learn…in a shorter amount of time.  Think about two cars…one driving 20 miles down a side-street.  The other driving 20 miles down a freeway.  Which car will reach its destination faster?  Which car is working more efficiently?

The car on the freeway is obviously going to drive the 20 miles faster than the car on the side-street because it can travel at a faster rate of speed and will likely have far fewer stops and interruptions along the way.  The car on the freeway will be able to drive in a higher gear, brake less, work more efficiently, and burn less fuel than the car that is slowly trudging along on a side-street.  Our brains work the same way.

Unfortunately, however, students are rarely taught how to access the high levels of thinking (those highlighted in red on the chart to the right) and engage in a higher gear.  They spend all of their time on school work stuck on those painfully slow side-streets…in “low-gear learning.”

What can be done about it?

The first thing we can do is challenge students to start viewing each learning task as one piece of a much larger puzzle.  If students simply adopted the awareness that every lecture, activity, assignment, and quiz was a building block towards the next step, they would immediately save hours of time.

Secondly, students need to learn strategies for “high-gear learning.”  One way they can access higher levels of thinking is to learn how to strategically ask questions.  Questioning helps students dramatically improve their reading comprehension, which enables them to pay better attention in class, which then enables them to complete homework more quickly, which then allows them to be successful on quizzes and tests.  Every step along the way can be completed with significantly less effort, because they’ve been learning all along…in “high gear.”

This progression does not require hours and hours of training.  It only requires a small amount of time to learn how to use questions when reading, sitting in class, doing homework, or studying.  When students learn how to approach all of these tasks in a “higher gear,” they will learn so much more…in so much less time!

“By Susan Kruger of SOAR® Study Skills. Please visit
Susan’s web site at http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=L8ell&m=1axauS4Vd6QrBb&b=inirOt6PA2ET2wE2Uw3IlA for additional articles and resources to make managing homework easier.”

This is the sixth article in a series by Susan Kruger of SOAR® Learning, LLC covering her ‘Homework Problems Inventory’.  We hope you find this series helpful as the school year progresses.

Issue #6- Curing Disorganization!

This issue is in response to item #s 8, 9, 10, & 11 of the Homework Problems Inventory.

 “School papers never make it home.” 
 “She often brings the wrong folders home for homework.”
 “His book bag is a mess!”
 “I saw him do his homework but his teacher says he did not turn it in.”

What’s the Problem?

Disorganization is the greatest complaint we hear from teachers and ranks as a very close second complaint from parents (rivaling fights and arguments over homework).  Teachers frequently tell us stories about students who are failing classes because they lack the organizational skills to keep track of their assignments.  School counselors and psychologists tell us about the huge caseloads of students that are referred to them for suspected learning disabilities, only to discover that a large percentage of these students simply lack organizational skills.  It is a growing epidemic.

Why is this happening?

Each of the four homework problems listed above can be tied directly to the two root causes of disorganization: too much “stuff” and no routine or system for managing the things students really need.

Let’s first address the issue of too much “stuff” by considering the number of folders and notebooks that students are required to maintain for school.  In most cases, teachers require a student to have one folder and one notebook for each class.  Students typically have 6-8 classes at one time; this can mean 12-16 different folders and notebooks to organize, maintain, and juggle around between home, their locker, and class.  Not only do they have to carry 12-18 different folders and notebooks at various times throughout the day, they are expected to use, store, and retrieve papers from them regularly.

Let’s relate that to our lives, as adults…

Imagine if you had 12-16 different email accounts to maintain.  Imagine if you were expected to log into each account several times each day, respond to emails, and retrieve old/sent emails at the snap of a finger.  Would you be able to remember which account was housing the information you needed?  Would you even be able to keep up with the tasks and correspondence that came into each inbox everyday?

Chances are that the thought of this scenario sounds absolutely absurd, pointless, and counterproductive.

So is the scenario of our students carrying and maintaining 12-16 different folders and notebooks daily, even though it is a practice that is beyond common!  No wonder students have a hard time bringing the correct folders, notebooks, and papers home everyday! 

The sheer volume of folders and notebooks (not to mention text-books and workbooks) then leads to the next set of problems…a messy book bag and lost assignments. 

A messy book bag is the culprit behind many problems, but especially missing assignments.  I cannot tell you how many times I have completely exasperated parents complain that they saw –or even helped- their child do an assignment, only to learn that the assignment was never turned in.  Every single time I hear this complaint, I peek into the child’s book bag and wouldn’t you know…it looks like a dumpster.  Their problem is that they cannot find their completed assignments in the depths of their book bag.

What can be done about it?

The first step in any organizing process is to eliminate the unnecessary items filling the book bag, including old papers, crusty lunches from two weeks ago, and anything else that is not strictly needed for school.  Then, develop a routine for maintaining order in the book bag.  Consider offering a small incentive to your child for cleaning it out daily. 

Next, eliminate the volume of folders and notebooks.  Yes, it is possible to condense students’ supplies…significantly!  In the Homework Help! for Parents CDs and e-book, we outline a simple system that has revolutionized paper-management for hundreds of students…with teachers’ blessings!
“By Susan Kruger of SOAR® Study Skills. Please visit
Susan’s web site at http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=L8ell&m=1axauS4Vd6QrBb&b=inirOt6PA2ET2wE2Uw3IlA for additional articles and resources to make managing homework easier.”

This is the fifth article in a series by Susan Kruger of SOAR® Learning, LLC covering her ‘Homework Problems Inventory’.  We hope you find this series helpful as the school year progresses.

Issue #5- He Spends Too Much Time on Homework!

 “My child takes longer than she should to complete her homework.”

What’s the Problem?

There are many reasons why homework may take longer than it should; procrastination, lack of focus, fatigue, and poor study skills are a few common factors that contribute to the problem.  Another huge epidemic contributing to extended homework time is the prevalence of electronic distractions.

As a parent, you can probably recall how easy it was to be distracted by a phone or the TV as you did your homework.  Children today have the same trouble, yet magnified many times greater!  They have computers, iPods, and mobile phones with the ability to instantly text-message their friends…and instantly receive text-messages from their friends. 

As a generally self-disciplined adult, I cannot even resist the temptation to check my emails or text-messages every time I hear the “tone” announce their arrival.  How can we expect children and young adults to focus?

Why is this happening?

Very often, our children will try to convince us that they can multi-task and do their homework while texting friends.  To a certain extent, that is true.  However, they take much longer to complete homework, are not actively learning/absorbing content, and are merely going through the motions to “get it done.”  Ultimately, this costs them more study time down the road. 

As sophisticated as our brains are, they are only capable of processing one set of input at a time.  If a child is doing homework and listening to her iPod, her attention is playing a sporadic game of ping-pong…tuning in to the song, then her homework then the song…  This shift of attention happens so fast, she may not even notice, but it is preventing her brain from engaging in “high-gear” learning (see issue #7), is stunting her efficiency, and her ability to learn while doing homework. 

What can be done about it?

In the last 4-5 years, I have noticed a significant change in students’ responses during the live classes that I teach.  When we review and recap time-management, I always ask them to describe three hints, tips, or strategies they have learned that have helped them save time on homework.  An overwhelming majority of students now list “Power Down” as their top time-saver.  This is a marked shift from just a few years ago.

“Powering Down” is the concept of turning off the phone, iPod, TV, and computer to tackle homework quickly. Certainly, at first, students are a little reluctant to turn everything off and buckle down to do their work because they think they can multi-task and handle everything at one time.  However, time and time again, students are genuinely surprised at their increased efficiency and quickly discover that they can cut their homework time significantly, simply by Powering Down the electronics and allowing their brain to get into High-Gear Learning.

The Homework Help! for Parents CDs and e-book address this topic in much greater detail and include additional strategies to help children and young adults work and learn faster, making it easier and less tiresome for them to tackle homework.  As a result, they will become more focused, be less likely to procrastinate, have happier evenings, and be more successful in school! 
“By Susan Kruger of SOAR® Study Skills. Please visit
Susan’s web site at http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=L8ell&m=1axauS4Vd6QrBb&b=inirOt6PA2ET2wE2Uw3IlA for additional articles and resources to make managing homework easier.”

This is the fourth article in a series by Susan Kruger of SOAR® Learning, LLC covering her ‘Homework Problems Inventory’.  We hope you find this series helpful as the school year progresses.

Issue #4- Reducing Parents’ Homework

“I am tired of always having to be in charge.”
“It is very challenging for me to keep track of all of the school papers, sports schedules, lunch menus, etc.”

What’s the Problem?

We have already discussed some of the common communication gaps that naturally occur among busy families: families who are juggling the responsibilities of 1 or 2 jobs, school, homework, house-hold management, extra-curricular activities, family and social obligations, etc.  With so many competing priorities, it is very easy to see how communication can break down.

As the “head of the household” you carry the lion’s share of the burden for these priorities.  Meanwhile, the rest of your family is likely unaware of the juggling act that you are struggling to maintain. 

Once, when I was in 7th or 8th grade, my mom must have thought that I was being a bit bratty and demanding of my dad’s time.  “You know,” she said, “Your father takes a lot of time to drive you around.  You need to be more patient and more grateful for the time he gives up to help you.” 

I was utterly shocked by this realization…that Dad had a life and concerns outside of being my chauffeur.  I thought I was a fairly kind and considerate child/young adult, but that moment was an eye-opener for me.  I had truly never thought about Dad’s perspective before.

The same thing is true for most children.  We are born as ego-centric creatures and it takes a lot of time and guidance before we grow out of that narrow focus.  Your children are probably just as unaware as I was of the number of things you do for them – directly and indirectly.

Why is this happening?

Somewhere, somehow, messages in our society have led us to believe that we have to be “super parents” and do everything for our families.  When did we lose the idea that we can delegate tasks and share some responsibilities?

What can be done about it?

My grandmother had seven children.  She taught all of them -4 boys and 3 girls- how to cook, clean, and sew from a very young age.  She expected each of them to contribute to running their home. 

She delegated.

And, she empowered.

She expected each of them to learn how to be productive members of her family as a way of teaching them how to be productive members of society. 

Transferring tasks to your children is a win-win situation for both of you.  You win because you get some help.  Your children win because they have the opportunity to develop some responsibility.  You can start small…have them make the phone call to a friend to see if they can get a ride to soccer practice or fill our their lunch menu for the week and calculate the cost. 

This process may seem a little daunting at first, but once you start thinking about it, you will probably begin to notice little ways you can pass tasks on to them.  Our Homework Help! for Parents CDs and e-book also include simple routines for a more “systematic” transfer of responsibilities of various age-appropriate tasks.  Children of all ages enjoy feeling like a productive member of the family.  As a result, you will have happier, more cooperative children…and a little more free time.  

“By Susan Kruger of SOAR® Study Skills. Please visit
Susan’s web site at http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=L8ell&m=1axauS4Vd6QrBb&b=inirOt6PA2ET2wE2Uw3IlA for additional articles and resources to make managing homework easier.”

This is the third article in a series by Susan Kruger of SOAR® Learning, LLC covering her ‘Homework Problems Inventory’.  We hope you find this series helpful as the school year progresses.

Issue #3- How to Stop Fighting Over Homework

5.  “We frequently fight over doing homework!”

What’s the Problem?

Fights and arguments are the single greatest complaint we hear from parents over homework.  Typically, parents are beyond frustrated and assuming they are either doing something wrong or that they have an unusually stubborn child. 

Neither situation is true.  Parents are being parents.  Kids are being kids.  It is natural to expect some tension over homework.  But, the key to reducing that tension is to understand what is causing it in the first place.

Why is this Happening?

At first, you may simply assume that your child puts up a fight because she does not like homework.  But, the core issue goes much deeper than that.  Homework is the greatest lever children have to get…

CONTROL.

We all want it and children spend their entire lives going after it.  When your child was a toddler, did she snap at you for trying to help her with something?  My mom recalls my favorite phrase of my early childhood years, “Me do it myself!” 

Of course, now that your child is a young adult with school responsibilities, you are wishing she would, in fact, “do it herself” so the two of you wouldn’t have to argue about it.

But, from your child’s perspective, that would be giving you what you want and that gives you all of the power. 

Children learn at a very early age that homework gives them leverage for control because they know you place a high value on it.  As we have explored in previous issues, communication within busy families is often inconsistent, which causes a breakdown between parents and children.  This is no one’s fault, it just is the way things automatically evolve when several people are dealing with several different priorities.  One side-effect of this broken communication is that children begin seeking ways to compensate.  Homework is one of the most visible targets for which they have to aim.

Homework battles may range from mildly frustrating to outright wars within family.  The severity is usually based on the degree of discontent or turmoil that a child is feeling.  A few years ago, I was working with a 15-year-old boy, Jon, and his single mother, Debbie.  Jon was a very bright young man, but like many other “smart” students, he was flunking out of most of his classes. 

Two years before we met, Debbie had become very ill and was off work for several months.  She fell behind in her bills and was forced to move in with her parents (who lived 350 miles away) leaving behind Jon’s father and 19-year-old brother.  Jon had been grieving their “loss” ever since.  During a couple of their screaming matches, Jon had accused Debbie of ruining his life for taking him away from his Dad and brother. 

Debbie shared several stories about fights that would start over homework and escalate into a lot more.  Debbie was mystified.  “I don’t understand,” she said, “Why didn’t we have these problems before we moved?” 

I simply replied, “He wants control.”

She sat quiet for a long time and then began to cry.  “You’re right,” she said.  “Now that you say that, I remember one night….after we both settled down from one of our worst fights.  I asked him, ‘Why do you treat me that way, Jon?’ He replied, ‘Because, Mom, that is the only way I can control you.’”

Jon and Debbie’s situation may be on the more extreme spectrum of homework arguments, but their story is not uncommon.  The root cause of their battle is the same as the root cause of most homework battles…a child can get control of you (consciously or unconsciously) by choosing how they want to handle homework.

What can be done about it?

You overcome this battle by “giving” some control to your child. 

I certainly do not mean you should give them everything they want (you still have to set limits, of course), but a good ‘ol helping of control is good for all of us from time to time.

How do you give a child control?

By providing choices.  When a child is given choices, everyone wins.  He wins because he feels like he has a say in the matter.  You win because you have limited his choices to two (or three) options, all of which you consider acceptable.

For example, if your child has a science test on Friday, you may suggest, “Would you like to study for your test an hour on Tuesday and Thursday, or would you like to spend a half-hour studying every night this week?”  Another option…”You will need to study for your science test tonight.  Would you like to do it before or after dinner?”

Even letting your child choose what to have for dinner can go a long way towards rebuilding communication and sending the message to your child that you value his input.  For situations that are a little more involved, like Jon and Debbie’s, providing choices may only be the first step, but its importance cannot be overstated. 

Discover how easy it can be to improve communication, cooperation, and reduce homework fights with additional resources and insights into the power of providing choices.  Our Homework Help! for Parents  CDs and e-book provide simple routines and examples that can work wonders to prevent children and young adults from feeling “nagged” and encourage more productive communication between the two of you. 

“By Susan Kruger of SOAR® Study Skills. Please visit
Susan’s web site at http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=L8ell&m=1axauS4Vd6QrBb&b=inirOt6PA2ET2wE2Uw3IlA for additional articles and resources to make managing homework easier.”

This is the second article in a series by Susan Kruger of SOAR® Learning, LLC covering her ‘Homework Problems Inventory’.  We hope you find this series helpful as the school year progresses.

Issue #2- Curing “Last-Minute Syndrome”

#3 “Our schedules are crazy!  It is hard to make time for homework.”
#4  “My child saves everything for the last minute!”

What’s the Problem?

Both of these situations are incredibly frustrating and they both go hand-in-hand, according to my “law” of time-management…

lm=2x

…which is, “Anything that happens ‘last-minute’ will automatically take two times longer than it would have if the situation had been planned-out ahead of time.”

If your family is regularly losing valuable time as a result of simple, everyday tasks, you will automatically begin to function in a state of chaos.  Homework, being the undesirable task that it typically is, compounds the problem because it escalates the fights and arguments amongst a family that is most-likely already “strung out.” 

Everyday we hear from parents who are completely frustrated, thinking they are the only ones who cannot “get it together.”  In reality, most families are in a similar situation.  Growing up, mine was no different.

My two younger brothers and I were always getting in trouble with Dad.  We were notorious for coming to Dad at 9:30 PM to tell him about supplies we needed for a science project that was due, of course, the very next day.  Dad would be livid!  “Why can’t you kids learn to plan ahead!?” he would bellow in sheer frustration. 

Why is this Happening?

The problem was that we did not know how to plan ahead.  The only times we were ever prompted to think about planning ahead were at the moments when Dad was angry, which caused us to become angry as well.  Science has proven that when a brain is angry, it is incapable of learning.  So, our pattern continued.

As an adult, I can now recognize the core reasons why we were causing Dad so much frustration, and why in turn, he was driving us crazy too.

For one, each family member had competing priorities and there was no coordination of our plans. Yes, we were guilty of waiting until the last-minute to tell Dad about our science project, but he was famous for waiting until the last-minute to tell us about appointments he had scheduled or errands he had to run.  He would pick us up from school and the next thing we knew, we were being whisked off to the orthodontist.  We were hungry, tired, and had been looking forward to getting home and relaxing.  Being at the orthodontist was about as far from relaxing as we could imagine.  We did not appreciate not knowing about this ahead of time. 

We had not taken the time to communicate our priorities, goals, and desires.  As simple as it may sound, having 30 minutes to “chill” in front of the TV with an afternoon snack would have greatly helped our disposition.  Of course, that is not possible every day, but we would then have appreciated knowing about those orthodontist appointments or errands to the grocery and hardware store ahead of time.

Our family functioned like most do; the children and parents had competing priorities and time-constraints and neither group thought to view the daily situation from the other’s perspective.  This is a classic case of not being able to see the forest through the trees.

Secondly, children are not taught how to plan ahead, but as adults, we assume they should know how to do it…that they will just “figure it out.”  In reality, this is a very high expectation that few children are able to meet.  Time is a very vague concept for children, even for teenagers.  The process of “thinking forward” requires the ability for a child to visualize things that have not yet happened and then imagine his place and circumstances in the imaginary time.  This is a very high-level thought process that is not very likely to develop on its own.

What can be done about it?

While it is not possible to completely eliminate all “last-minute” circumstances in life, most can be prevented by learning how to overcome these common communication and time-management problems within a family.  Parents and students can begin some two-way communication…sharing schedules and plans with one another before-hand.  A bit of forward communication can prevent hours of problems.  Parents can also teach their child how to plan ahead by modeling it themselves…telling their children about plans as early as possible, then reciprocating with, “Do you have anything coming up that I should know about?”  (You may be amazed at how much difference a little two-way communication will make!)

Another strategy is to have students brainstorm common times and places that they can “pause” and “think forward” for a moment.  One location might be at their locker at the end of the school day when they can pause and think, “What will I need for homework tonight?”  (This question typically does NOT go through a child’s mind, especially if they are feeling rushed to catch a bus or their ride home.)

All of these strategies can be accomplished in a simple routine that will only cost families ten minutes of their time…and will likely save them hours! To learn how your family can transform chaos into control with a small investment of time, check out the “Set goals” section of our Homework Help! for Parents CDs and e-book. 

 “By Susan Kruger of SOAR® Study Skills. Please visit
Susan’s web site at http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=L8ell&m=1axauS4Vd6QrBb&b=inirOt6PA2ET2wE2Uw3IlA for additional articles and resources to make managing homework easier.”

This is the first article in a series by Susan Kruger of SOAR® Learning, LLC covering her ‘Homework Problems Inventory’.  We hope you find this series helpful as the school year progresses.

Issue #1- Research Explains Why Children Lack Confidence in School

My child…

1. “struggles with many school tasks.”
2.  “does not have a lot of confidence.”

What’s the Problem?

There is a very good reason why many students struggle in school…traditional school instruction and assessments are focused on only a narrow range of intelligence: math, reading, and writing.  If your child struggles in any or all of these areas, he is likely to struggle in school.

Why is this Happening?

Over the last 15-20 years, researchers have recognized that there are several additional forms of intelligence…at least eight commonly accepted ones, according to Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences: mathematical and language (the two most often represented in school), as well as visual/spatial, bodily/kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, musical, and naturalist.  Most of us will have some talents or skills in each of these domains, but will typically excel in only a few.  For many students, “mathematical” or “language” is not on their short list.

What can be done about it?

Each form of intelligence compliments dozens of various careers and should be encouraged and developed within children whenever possible.  When children discover talents or skills in areas outside of school, they often become more motivated in all areas of their life, including their academics.  My own experience is a good example of this increased motivation.

You may already know that I struggled significantly in school.  I was the youngest person in my class and always felt “behind the eight ball” throughout grade school and middle school.  However, a significant turning point for me came one summer in early high school, when my mother suddenly lost both employees in her small, solo medical practice due to unrelated -yet equally unexpected- circumstances.  She asked me to come in to cover the phones and assist patients at the front desk.  Before long, I had learned how to do insurance billing, discovered many costly “over-sights” (made by a former employee) and corrected them.  This led to our investigation of a computerized billing system, and before the summer was over, mom and I had converted all of her billing to a more automated system on the computer that would allow her office to run more efficiently and help her keep a closer eye on her billing. 

When school started after that summer, I had a completely new perspective on my ability as a student.  I thought, “If I can accomplish as much as I did in mom’s office this summer, I could probably do better in school.”  Turns out, I was right.  My first and most significant hurdle was to believe in myself. 

I have seen hundreds of students discover hidden talents and have witnessed how that discovery transformed their belief in themselves…which transformed their attitude…which improved their motivation.  A key piece of this motivation comes from parents’ validation that their talent or ability is valuable and worthwhile.

You can help your child discover her natural abilities, recognize them as valuable skills, then help her nurture them in various ways, through electives in school, extra-curricular activities, part-time employment, or through special programs that match her needs and interests. 

For more detailed information about the eight areas of intelligence, a complete inventory for your child, detailed career options that are best suited for each intelligence, and tips and strategies for capitalizing on your child’s strengths, check out the “”How are You Smart?” section of the Homework Help! for Parents CDs and e-book. 

“By Susan Kruger of SOAR® Study Skills. Please visit
Susan’s web site at http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=L8ell&m=1axauS4Vd6QrBb&b=inirOt6PA2ET2wE2Uw3IlA for additional articles and resources to make managing homework easier.”

“Study skills are boring!”  That is what most students tell me when I first meet them. 

Boring!?  These are skills that can help them get better grades and spend less time on homework…how can they be boring?

Honestly, there is a good explanation for the bad rap that study skills have developed over the years because a lot of boring things are labeled as “study skills.”  Learning how to use guide words in a dictionary…a necessary skill, but boring!  SQ3R…a reading strategy with many merits, but leaves me asking, “Who wants to take the time to do all five steps?”  Boring!  Identifying the main idea and supporting details on endless worksheets? Another
important skill, but still boring.

There is a broader and more important role study skills should be playing in the lives of our middle and high school students, especially in our current Information Age, when we must prepare students for many careers and jobs that do not even exist yet.

Study skills are:
 
- The skills required to be an independent learner.
- Skills that build confidence.
- Skills that develop efficiency.
- Skills that improve performance to prepare our students for
  high-stakes tests and the globally competitive job market of the
  future.
- Skills that enable students to be proactive, make good decisions,
  and think critically.

The LAST thing they should be is boring! 

We were all born with a natural desire to learn.  Infants, toddlers, and pre-schoolers love to explore their world and take pride in learning new things.  Just yesterday, my four-year-old was so excited about learning that he stood on top of his chair and raised both arms in triumph exclaiming in a ‘na-na-na-na-na-na’ tone, “I learned a new wo-rd! I learned a new wo-rd!”  THAT was utter exhilaration over learning!

But, sometime in the elementary years, most students lose that enthusiasm for learning, usually because they lose all of their choices with learning.  Learning becomes dictated by their teachers, school districts, and state-mandated curriculum.  They are suddenly swallowed into a bureaucracy of texts, tests, and lectures that would bore any rational human being. 

Much of these mandates and “lack of choices” are and will remain out of students’ control, but there is a vital component we can offer students to bring some pizzazz back to learning.  Teach them study skills…principles and strategies to be organized and learn efficiently.  Show them they have the power to beat the system. Well, maybe not beat the system, but at least work with the system strategically to be successful. 

When strategic learning enters the picture, students regain some control.  They develop personal power.  And they learn important life-long skills that will someday help them manage a home and career.

These may sound like lofty concepts, but they have real, concrete implications.  For example, as parents and educators:

- We can acknowledge that organizing papers and school-work is
difficult because traditional systems actually complicate the
process.  We can then explore principles for organizing and
strategies to simplify the process.
 
- We can acknowledge that text-books are boring.  But, if students
understand how to maximize their brain’s learning process, they can
be strategic readers and exponentially increase their reading
comprehension while only reading a fraction of the text. 
 
- When we want to say, “Why can’t you plan ahead?!” we can pause
and understand that they have never really learned how to plan
ahead.  Armed with that perspective, we can help them discover how
to prioritize their time and think proactively. 

There is a commercial that depicts two professionals heading into their office building at the beginning of the day.  They are both neatly groomed and dressed professionally.  You can presume from their appearance and surroundings that they are well-educated people.  They are both half-way up an escalator when the escalator suddenly stops. 

They look shocked and bewildered.  “I don’t need this!” complains the woman.  “Figures!” grumbles the man.  They look around in panic and start feeling around for their cell phones, but both discover they have forgotten their phones.

As the commercial continues, these two “smart professionals” remain stranded for what appears to be hours, yelling and screaming for help and wallowing in their unfortunate sorrow that they are stuck on an escalator.

That’s right…it’s an escalator, NOT an elevator.

Are you wondering why they don’t just stand up and walk off? 

That’s the point of the commercial…some solutions are so blatantly obvious to some, but not to all.  Students, in particular, are commonly stuck on their own escalators, running for help every time the get stuck and not employing any strategies or critical thinking
to move forward. 

Arming students with study skills –skills for thinking strategically about organizing, managing time, and learning– gives them the power to simply stand up and walk off their own escalator.

Taking control over their learning?  Learning how to ‘play in the system’ with strategy?  There is nothing boring about that!

“By Susan Kruger of SOAR® Study Skills. Please visit
Susan’s web site at http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=L8ell&m=1axauS4Vd6QrBb&b=inirOt6PA2ET2wE2Uw3IlA for additional articles and resources to make managing homework easier.”

I recently had an experience (in fact, I’m still floundering my way through it) that made me feel exactly the way I did when I was in fourth grade, learning long division.

Many students are now learning “new math” and are hopefully finding long division a bit more logical than I did as a 9 year-old.  Back then, however, we just learned a series of “random” steps that seemed meaningless to me.  I was horribly confused and totally overwhelmed.  I felt stupid and felt like the end of my world was directly in front of me because I was NEVER going to “get it!” Gallons of tears were shed over my math book that year!

Fast forward a few decades and here I am…tackling a new project that is, for me, almost as overwhelming.  Actually, it is just as overwhelming.  The only difference is that I am now putting myself through the torture instead of having the torture “forced” upon me.

I will spare you some boring and unnecessary details, but I am taking a Google AdWords class to learn more about how to effectively promote my website.  Trying to learn how to navigate around my account, analyze keywords, measure click-through and conversion rates, and deal with html on my website has left me way out of my comfort zone.  I have learned a lot, but I am taking this class with people who are far more advanced than I am.  I am feeling overwhelmed and, once again, like the “stupid kid” in theclass.

Last week, I hit my peak of frustration on a coaching call with one of my instructors.  He rattled off a dozen changes I need to make immediately!  I have done my homework and have read my text-book,but he may as well have been speaking Latin.  I was lost!

Hanging up the phone, I felt more confused and lost than I have in years.  I hate to admit it, but the tears began to fall.  For a moment, there was no difference between that moment and the moments I experienced in 4th grade.  (Well, at least now, I wasn’t making my mom frustrated, too!)

Fortunately, however, I have grown quite a bit since 4th grade and I have learned that those moments are just that…moments.  They don’t last forever and there is ALWAYS a solution.  Once I vented my frustration with a few tears, drank a tall glass of water, and took long nap, I was able to look at the situation with a fresh perspective.  Every time my mind wanted to say, “I’m so overwhelmed!”  I would say, “I’m so overwhelmed, BUT I know I can figure out a solution.”  Sure enough, I eventually figured out a couple of options and immediately began to feel better!

I am still in the process of playing “catch up,” but the hopelessness has disappeared with a renewed determination to get caught up and learn what I need to know.  Yes, it is a little more difficult than I had anticipated, but I will be that much more proud of myself when I make it!

**Action Plan**

If you have ever experienced THAT feeling…when it seems you will NEVER understand something you are expected to learn and you are lost and frustrated… there are some things you can do to turn
that feeling around:

1. Recognize that you are having an EMOTIONAL reaction to the situation.  Let the emotions out (tears, anger, frustration, etc), then make a commitment to reset yourself and come back to the problem after you’ve taken a break.  (Depending on the situation, the break might be 15 minutes, or it might be 24 hours.)

2. Identify the EXACT cause of your frustration.  Just saying that “Long division is so hard!” will not help your situation.  If you can say, “I can do the first two steps, but I don’t understand the third step,” you will be a lot more productive.  This process helps you break down your frustration into smaller, easier issues.

3. Tell yourself that you can do it!  Anytime you start to say to yourself, “I can’t do this!” change that to, “This is hard, but I CAN do it!”  You have to change the way you respond to your
frustration, or you will never have the patience for step #4,
which is most important…

4. Finally, determine how you can get help.  Yes, this step often takes extra time and extra effort, but this is the step that gives you the power to accomplish anything you set your mind to!

**In Conclusion**

I wish I could say that feeling lost, overwhelmed, or frustrated was an experience you outgrow as an adult, but that is just not the case.  However, if you are willing to learn how to build detours
around these roadblocks, you WILL be successful…not only in school, but in every aspect of your life!

“By Susan Kruger of SOAR® Study Skills. Please visit
Susan’s web site at http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=L8ell&m=1axauS4Vd6QrBb&b=inirOt6PA2ET2wE2Uw3IlA for additional articles and resources to make managing homework easier.”