I’m listening to Ned Hallowell speak, and he was speaking about homework, and he says this most interesting comment – that when ADD kids get homework, “Often, they don’t think about the HW due date as “next Wednesday.” They think about it as “now” or “not now.” If the homework is not due tomorrow, then the due date is “not now.”

Similarly, those same kids – and Ned Hallowell himself – get a high from the adrenaline of finishing the homework the night before. He says, adrenaline is similar to medication, like Ritalin. So ADD people can come to love high-stimulation environments.

Interesting.

Senia

Even without a family trip or camp, having a chance to explore what’s of interest to the child– or having a chance to be “in flow,” experiencing natural pleasure or connection with nature– are crucial experiences. Personally, I would not want my children in school year-round. If children in a district do not have access to good opportunities, I’d prefer to see a camp set up rather than more school.

Good luck — I hope you continue to have time for your wonderful trips.
Christine

Sean

As you point out, often our response is to give a student more of something that takes them even further away from flow, loving relationships and things that play to their strengths and gifts. I agree with you — we need to rethink our approach to school– my interest is in working with parents, voters, educators and government leaders to understand the effects of our system on kids– not only does it not amplify their gifts and strenghts, it’s also a cause of depression and anxiety– more depth on this at http://www.positiveleaders.com/studyresults.html

Thanks for your comments!
Christine

As you point out, when we redefine what a “good college” is, we can begin to shift out of this trap. Further, when we look at real-life data and realize that even college isn’t the only path to a flourishing, successful life, we open even more possibilities.

Thanks for your comments!
Christine

I also love the two books you mentioned (and I refer to them elsewhere)– interestingly, I discovered Punished by Rewards when I was looking at the issue for adults in business– problematic there too!

Your point that parents don’t have much control is a great one. Here are a couple of things I suggest: 1) encourage your child to stop or not finish if it is too much in a given day/week — even though it could mean a lower grade. So it requires the willingness to de-emphasize grades which I know isn’t easy — you might want to see my study for more on that http://www.positiveleaders/studyresults.html (Often your child can be less comfortable with not completing the assignment than you are — it’s a matter of discussion, balance, and education– would be happy to discuss it further with you).
2) speak with other parents and join forces to influence the school. Have this as a topic of discussion at the PTA/PTO or just find some kindred spirits in your casual conversations and approach the school/teacher together.

All the best,
Christine

As a high school English teacher, I knew how necessary it was to give homework (especially reading assignments which so few kids completed anyway). The curriculum is demanding and there is no way that all of the material can be covered during class time. Part of the issue (in secondary schools at least) is that there is no way to know what other teachers are doing — in other departments, wings of the school, etc. At least in elementary schools, teachers can better manage the homework load because there are fewer teachers and fewer class-changes.

The larger issue is as Kathryn points out: high school should be a time of exploration, where kids can discover and enable their strengths. It is with this intentional exploration that moments of flow can be created. As it stands, schools are still operating in a deficit-based, zero-sum, post-WWII, modernist and oppressive model. What do we do with kids who are not good at math? Give them more math!?!

It is clear some redesign is necessary. We need to reframe teaching & learning. This is where positive psychology (www.flourishingschools.com) can help!

Good question. And how do we help our children preserve energy for learning for its own sake when there is such a push to look good on college applications by taking lots of AP courses — which tend to leave very little room for exploration? Shouldn’t high school be a time for trying out different subjects? But I see kids refusing to study anything that they don’t already know they are good at for fear of dropping their grade point averages.

Christine,

I like your discussion of the ‘one assignment I’m glad I failed.’ I think part of the solution is to take one’s own ego out of a child’s success or failure at school, and then to realize that there are multiple paths to a successful life that don’t all go through top-ranking colleges. At least that takes some of the tension out of it.

Kathryn

All the best,
Coert Visser