Independent work is a hot topic in my house… and not for the reasons you might think. You might assume that with five students in grades 12, 5, 4, and 1, the majority of our kids work independently.
You’d be wrong. Only my high school senior has an assignment list he manages on his own. Why?
While all methods of education encourage students towards independence as they mature, there’s often a push for an early adoption of self-led learning— in classrooms and homeschools. The problem is that, often, students are developmentally unprepared to navigate the necessary self-management skills needed to succeed. Without guidance and oversight, kids begin to feel overwhelmed, their interest in learning fades, they fall behind, or, worse, they learn to swim at the bare minimum mark, ensuring that they never reach their full potential.
Middle school is the perfect time to begin transitioning responsibility for the completion of assignments and some self-regulation over to students. It’s a natural segue into what’s ahead; and, if you’ve been intentional, the child has strong study skills and the ability to discern when it’s time to ask for additional support.
The problem is that some homeschool parents see the magic words “middle school” and assume it’s time to throw their child into deeper water and see if he or she can swim. Online courses come into play suddenly. Textbooks are purchased and handed to the learner, with the assumption that he or she will figure it out. With minimal guidance, the student is expected to take on more difficult courses… and pace themselves to stay on top of a weekly assignment list. There may or may not have been careful consideration of the work space, or of limiting distractions, or even of assessing whether or not the work load was appropriate for that particular child.
If that sounds like a recipe for disaster, let me assure you, it often is. Yes— some kids rise to the occasion. But many (most?) only muddle through. And a good number out and out fail.
If this sounds sad, trust me… it is. Since members of our family have been involved in mentoring homeschool parents and teaching middle and high schoolers, we’ve seen a shockingly high number of kids expected to work independently who were in no way ready for what was being asked of them. These were smart kids, kids who could handle the actual academics— but who needed more support as they eased into independent learning.
If you’re considering giving your middle schooler more responsibility for his or her work and time, here are signs I’ve learned often indicate that you need to be more present and intentional in preparing for the leap:
Independent Work Takes Longer. While sending your son or daughter to complete a reading assignment or write a paper in his or her bedroom may free up space for you to work with another child, if the work doesn’t actually get done in the same amount of time as it would sitting beside you at the table, it’s a bad idea. (Bedrooms are black holes of daydreaming and distraction more often than not and I personally do not recommend them as work spaces.) If you often find yourself frustrated that you sent a child off to do work that isn’t done, stop the cycle of crazy. He’s not going to suddenly start doing it just because you’re irritated. He’s telling you he needs your oversight a little longer, and that you can try independent work again at a later time.
Your Child Skips Hard Work. If you find in reviewing assignments that your child left sections undone because he didn’t understand it, or had forgotten how to work certain problems, be wary. A child who doesn’t come to you with questions that are challenging or look back to find answers, but rather just skips over the work, is showing you that his study skills are weak. That’s a huge hinderance heading into high school, and needs to be addressed before you can move ahead.
The Work Your Child is Doing is Inferior. If you’ve come to expect a certain level of skill in your child’s work— legible handwriting, careful math solutions, well-crafted essays— and you see a dip in quality when you switch to independent work, that’s a sign your child isn’t ready. His or her work ethic should remain the same, with or without mom peeking in. A child whose work gets sloppy just because no one is looking isn’t ready to be on his or her own. (Obviously, this is an across-the-board shift. Everyone has off days. One messy three paragraph essay in a sea of consistently good ones isn’t necessarily cause for alarm.)
Your Child Simply Isn’t Doing the Work. You’d think this one would be obvious, but I can’t tell you how many parents we’ve spoken with whose children are literally not doing their work who don’t see the solution as added oversight and stepping back on the level of independence offered. There are dozens of reasons that a student may be failing to complete work, from poor curriculum fit to undiagnosed learning issues to lack of time management. Even if a child is perfectly capable of doing the amount and type of work assigned independently, if he isn’t doing it, it’s your job to make sure it gets done. Trust me, you want this well established now. High school is not the time you want to be negotiating these waters!
Gaining some educational independence is a fantastic milestone in homeschooling. But it has to be intentionally worked toward, with careful steps to ensure future success. Take your time and set your student up for success. You won’t regret the extra time spent establishing good habits!