Where Do You Study?

When I’m asked to help a student develop better organizational skills, I will ask, “Where do you do your homework?”  The majority of times the answer is, “On my bed.” 

The bed is not a great place to work.  It is the place that is associated it with sleep or maybe the place where books are read for pleasure.  It is not associated with serious work.  Also, students are tired after a long day at school.   Without getting into all the biochemistry, when they lie down on the bed to do their homework, a hormone can be released that tells the brain, “Relax.  We’re getting ready to go to sleep.”  That is not the right signal to send when doing homework. 

Whether sitting up or lying down, penmanship will suffer when we write while on a bed.  [A bit of aside: “But it is only homework,” I’m told.  This is an example of stinkin’ thinkin.’  Ultimately, it is self-damaging.  Now counseling enters into the tutoring processing.  I begin the process of changing the student’s self-image and goals.  We move from a position of, “I don’t care,” to “Okay, I’ll compromise,” to the ultimate goal – “I’m willing to approach my work in a serious and organized manner.”  Parents often complain that their child’s teachers don’t teach these skills.  Of course they don’t.  Some don’t have the counseling skills, but most do not have the time required to change behaviors.  Teachers are really over-worked these days; it is all they can do to teach their classes and keep up with the other demands on their lives.]

I recommend studying at a desk.  To help a student get started, we’ll sometimes draw a picture of the desk and set it up on paper so that it becomes an effective work station.  The second-best place to study is a table in a common area in the home.  The kitchen is the place most easily chosen.  Sometimes having a parent present to provide structure and help a student develop self-discipline is necessary, but the goal will be to help the child grow so s/he can study independently of adult supervision.  The problem with studying in the kitchen is that there are too many distractions.  People come and go, someone is cooking and making noise, the phone rings… all of which interfere with a student’s ability to concentrate. 

After each assignment is completed, it has to be put away and the work area returned to its original condition.  When the student takes a break, I recommend turning around (actually, I recommend standing up and walking away from the desk in order to oxygenate the brain).  The desk is the study area.  The rest of the room is the non-work area.  Associating the desk with work is going to produce results that are more effective than studying on the bed.