Mathematical concepts can be learned, organizational tools can be implemented, but a lack of motivation is difficult to address head-on.
How to tell?
- Your child literally states that they “hate school” and “don’t care about school”
- Your child is exerting very little effort on anything related to school
- You are getting reports of poor behavior from your child’s school
What is the cause?
- Distractions (Instagram, dating, video games)
- Your child is very behind in school and has given up
- Your child is being bullied
- Behavioral or learning disability
What to do about it?
We admit, this is definitely not an easy issue to solve. Here are some options:
Limit Distractions
We often joke about being “glued to the phone”, but screen addiction is a real thing for some kids (and adults). If your child seems unable to self-regulate their usage of video games, social media, or other non-essential activities it may help to limit these activities to weekends or even completely eliminate them until motivation and proper focus returns.
Address Academic Struggles
Disinterest and apathy is often a response to a feeling of powerlessness. We often tutor students who are doing poorly in school and are very uncaring about their schoolwork – it’s hard to tell which came first, the chicken or the egg. But as their academics improve, their attitude often shifts as well.
Inspire and Motivate
Try to find ways to inspire your child to try harder in school – identify a mentor who can speak with them about the importance of doing well in school. Try to find a cool, funny tutor who can make learning fun. Send them to an academic camp that allows them to be social while also learning.
Get Outside Help
If nothing else helps, we recommend arranging for your child to see a therapist or social worker – there might be something that is really bugging them that you are not aware of. They may be having social anxiety or experiencing bullying. It’s important to identify these issues and try as you might, you may not be aware of them or be able to get to the bottom of them.
How We Can Help
We hope these insights are helpful to you as you seek to support your child in their academic careers. If you feel that outside support could be beneficial, consider calling us for a free phone consultation. We have funny and experienced tutors who can help inspire your child to try harder and do better in school. We tutor all subjects, not just math. Give us a call today: 718.552.0300
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