Sam is a 4th grader who goes to a public school in New Hope. He has a younger brother who is 2 and his mother and father are divorced, which happened when Sam was 8 years old (3rd grade). Now that he is in 4th grade his grades have been decreasing because he is not turning in completed work and is not receiving a passing grade on his tests, possibly because he has no motivation or ambition to do anything in school. His teachers have noticed his bitter and distant attitude, which not only affects him academically, but socially as well. His teachers claim that he was just fine and was engaged in class all through his 3rd grade school year, but once he came back the following year, it was like a different Sam.
Through observations, his teachers have noticed that whenever independent work is given out, he sits at his desk and doodles. When his teachers come up to redirect him he says, “I am working! I’m just thinking right now!” When he turns in his homework, it is rarely done. Many of his teachers have tried one on one time with Sam and tutoring him, however they find out that Sam knows the curriculum and how to apply it, it’s just that he doesn’t want to do it and says it’s stupid. The only time Sam gets some work done is if his teacher is right next to him prompting him every 3 minutes so he won’t get off task and start doodling.
Target behavior is Sam’s lack of engagement within school/class. This can include, not turning in homework/turning in incomplete homework, doodling instead of completing the given task at hand, no engagement in discussions, group work or independently.
The function is Sam wants to avoid school work or engagement in school activities because he feels that school and learning is a waste of time and he becomes completely unmotivated.
I would say that Sam's avoidance of his work as well as most everything in his life is seen as a waste of time to him. He has lost something very important to him, his Dad and the rest of his life does not make sense anymore. Has he been considered for depression? It sounds like he is experiencing some of the signs of depression associated with grief. He has lost the daily relationship with his Dad. Children experience grief as do adults, but often it is slower to manifest itself and more difficult to work through because of their inability to understand and articulate their feelings. I would talk to mom about having him see the schools' social worker and/or psychologist. From their, it may benefit him to see a grief specialist who works with children. This will not get better on its own over time.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, his teachers can offer him limited assignments, partner work with someone he works effectively with, and rewards for completed work. They can find ways for him to feel valued by the class so to act as the class helper may help a little.
I agree with the previous comments, there is more to just not wanting to do the homework. His life foundation has been shook, and it needs to build up again, and he probably needs to talk to someone. As a teacher, initiating informal daily conversations might start him talking, but I don't think it would be good to force him to directly ask him what is wrong. In addition to limited assignments, provide ways to incorporate his personal interests into his assignments as an antecedent intervention. Perhaps he has a favorite book or movie, or sport that he could write about.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds to me as if he needs to be tested for LD or ADHD. He soudns as if he has a hard time multi tasking and think and performing a task as well. I think the first step would be to have him tested and the second step would be to set up some kind of reward system for him. I think that if he were to have some type of positive reinforcment then this may reiforce him to participate more in homework assigments and class
ReplyDeleteI don't think Sam is intentionally trying to avoid work, I think he is just sad and despondant due to his new situation at home. For children, divorce can be stressful, sad, and confusing. I think it would be beneficial to find out what sort of interests Sam has, a sport, or hobby and to show some sort of an interest in Sam, he needs to trust someone. He needs to feel important. Talking to the parents is critical, he needs to be emotionally balanced to be successful in school. .
ReplyDeleteThe parents need to be contacted regarding the academic work situation, that the homework needs to be completed, he needs to study for tests. The parents need to reinforce the importance of doing well in school. Keeping Sam close to the teacher so that she can redirect him seems to be working, even if it isn't the ideal method. However, given the huge changes in Sam's life, maybe the teacher can continue with this until Sam begins to work for longer periods of time, or until it doesn't seem to be working anymore. The teacher could reward Sam if he works for a set period of time without being redirected. She could let Sam choose the reward. Sam might be depressed and should see the school psychologist.
ReplyDeleteAre Sam's parents aware of the problem? If his homework is intended to be done at home, having parents check in/sign his assignment book/worksheets every day may help promote accountability.
ReplyDeleteI hope Sam has been talking to someone about the divorce and his life changes. This sort of behavior is concerning, especially when it's a complete turn from the child he used to be.
A reward system for completed work may be useful. Maybe drawing is something he really loves and could be used to motivate work. For example, for every ten minutes he works on his homework he could get two minutes of free time to do what he likes.
It really sounds like Sam could use someone to talk to. He is going through a hard time right now and is probably confused. Sam needs an adult he can trust and looks up to for support. Sam could also benefit from being recognized for his positive actions. It sounds like close proximity also benefits him. I would also attempt to tie something into his academics that he finds enjoyable to regain his academic focus.
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