Creating the ideal homework space

Every year during parent teacher conferences, I always meet a parent who asks for assistance with their child regarding homework. “My son doesn’t have time to complete homework,” or “My daughter is so forgetful so she doesn’t know what the homework is.”

Regardless of how the conversation starts, the idea is still the same – middle school students need to be taught how to complete homework. Not in the sense that they do not know how to complete the assignments, rather middle school students need help with allocating the time and space to complete their homework. Now I know that this is easier said than done, but let’s face it, kids need to be taught how to do everything in the beginning. Remember when they were babies and we had to teach them how to eat with a spoon. Well, doing homework is no different.

Here are some tips that I’ve seen work for most kiddos. However, take these with a grain of salt, since you know your kiddo best. These are just tips, and not the only tips out there.

First

Make sure that your space is free from technological distractions. When I was younger, my mother didn’t even keep a digital clock in my bedroom because she felt like it would be a distraction. Nowadays it’s safe to say that most students use some sort of technology when they complete their homework. We can’t really remove all technology, but we can limit the amount of technology that is around us. For instance, perhaps we don’t absolutely need to use our cell phone as a calculator – calculators have been around for far longer than cell phones – let’s use an old fashioned calculator.

Some technological devices can be used for our benefits. For instance, I’m currently writing this blog 35,000 feet in the air on a noisy airplane, wearing my noise canceling headphones and listening to some focus music I found on YouTube. While this is not a fully distraction free zone, the headphones are definitely helping, and I need the ipad to write this blog post.

My suggestion is to look at every device you have and really make a decision if it’s an absolute necessity for you to have during the time that you complete your homework. Don’t simply say, “yes! It’s important!” Instead, really take time to think about it.

Second

There are other types of distractions that need to be addressed. How about the messy room that most teenagers have? Don’t have a messy room – skip this suggestion. A cluttered room definitely has more distractions than a room where things are put away. Yes I know that the cluttered or messy room may be an organized mess, but let’s be honest… You want to look at the mess more than the homework.

Ways to get around this – the most simplest option is to complete your homework somewhere other than your messy bedroom. Try the kitchen counter or dining table. Another suggestion is to go to the library or if your home has space for an office, use that space. You can also look for a tutor who works out of their own office, I’ll bet those are usually not messy. My point is there are other places where you can go to have a less messy room to work in.

Third

The final type of distraction is a high traffic area. You’d want to avoid places where people are coming and going frequently because most people will likely want to see who is coming and going… Think about an accident on the road – everyone wants to see what’s happening, the same applies here. If you are already struggling with completing your homework, it’s best to limit your distractions as much as possible. Yes, that means you may need to put your technology in a different room. And yes, that means you may need to find another room to complete your homework in.

We’ve spent some time talking about what shouldn’t be in your homework space, now let’s switch gears to see what SHOULD BE in your workspace. Firstly, we definitely want your books to be near you. Yes, that means all of the books – including the notebooks and textbooks. You will need to have some references when you complete your homework at one point and it’s better that you have them near you right away. Otherwise you will have to waste time and look for your backpack, or on your bookshelf. That’s precious time that you may not have.

Fourth

You definitely want all of your supplies near you as well – not just your notebooks and textbooks, but also your pens, pencils, erasers, highlighters, etc. Of the supplies that you will need, your planner will be the most important: you will need it to see what your homework assignments are, and how much time you have to spend on homework. (More about this in a later blog post.)

Fifth

I recommend having some sort of scent readily available to you when you complete your homework. In all of my years of tutoring and teaching I’ve never had a student complain about the smells in my office or my classroom. In the last few years I’ve started using an essential oil diffuser in both my classroom and office. There’s plenty of research pointing to smells triggering certain feelings/emotions. When I tutor students they share with me how wonderful my room smells – I’ve also made a roller bottle for these students to be able to use when they are in their classroom. The link between the smell in my office and the smell of the roller bottle acts as a connection to the feeling of confidence as well as the recollection of math concepts that we went over during our session together. Having a mint-citrus scent both helps uplift the mood and awaken the senses.