Making excuses for not studying is something that is a religion for the students. Every student must have made one or the other excuse to avoid studying, at least once in their lives. I did too! It is normal.
But what is not normal is to make it a habit and to avoid studying once and for all. My son started making excuses for his maths homework a few months back and I noticed that it was only his maths assignments and projects that you started to avoid. It took quite a lot of time for me to understand the real scenario. If your child too is taking the path of excuses, it is the right time to understand the problem and see the real picture.
Understand your child’s problem:
Most of the kids make excuses for not doing their homework because they do not have a clear concept of the lesson or the topic. Rather than concentrating more on how many excuses he or she has made, you must concentrate more on why he has made them.
In my son’s case, it was an algebra test that he did poorly. He was too shy to ask his teacher to explain the chapter again.
Consequence?
He carried on failing to concentrate in his class and learn the further chapters. Once I understood the problem, I helped him to overcome his excuses.
Effect of making excuses on a student:
When a student makes excuses, he or she –
- Lacks growth and responsibility
- Becomes paranoid of failures
- Makes wrong and limited judgement of himself
- Limits imagination
- Becomes less creative.
Here are a few tips that will help a student to avoid making excuses.
- Overcome the fear:
Most of the excuses come from the fear of not being able to do a task. The kid is either afraid of being scolded by the parent or the teacher about his inability to do the task and he or she is afraid to admit that he cannot do it.
Whatever the fear may be, it is only the child himself, who can overcome this fear. Once the fear of failing disappears, there will be no need for him to make excuses.
The teachers and the parents have a great responsibility in this case. Rather than scolding the child for making excuses, the parents and the teachers should focus more on boosting him for doing it the next day. Simple words like, “It’s alright that you couldn’t do it todayâ€, “It is absolutely easy and I’m sure you will be able to do it easily tomorrow†can make huge changes in his attitude and approach.
- Take responsibility:
If procrastinating and delaying and making excuses have become a habit for the child, give him the responsibility to do a task. The more he is given responsibilities, the less he will run away from them. Excuses are a common practice for the escapists. As a parent, teacher or guide, you must make the child take responsibilities.
In case of homework, you can make the child take responsibility of tutoring their brothers and sisters after finishing their homework. The teachers can make the child guide and lead his team of classmates for doing a project. These responsibilities will help him to avoid making excuses.
- Rewards:
If excuses are common for your child, set rewards for each and every homework sessions. Do not consider the rewards as bribes. The rewards are just for boosting the enthusiasm of doing homework and making them feel those homework sessions are fun.
These rewards can be anything simple and sober and nothing serious or expensive. Promise your child to make him his favourite cupcake or treat him with an ice cream, if he completes his task. It can also be a video game session or let him watch his favourite show online.
But always remember that if you promise a reward, make sure you keep it. Children are very sensitive and they feel betrayed, if the promises made to them are not kept.
- Be optimistic:
“I am not good enoughâ€, “I can’t do this†or “He is better than meâ€â€¦.. These are the most common excuses that people make.
Before you try and find the ways to stop making excuses, you must stop making comparisons and stop thinking negative about yourself. The more you think negative, the more you are dwelling on failures.
- Stop dwelling on past failures
- Stop comparing yourself with others
- Stop thinking about negative outcomes
If you had failed in the past, learn from your mistakes and learn not to repeat them. But, do not consider the failure as a platform for walking out. It is not permanent and if you try again, you will certainly succeed.
- You must want it:
Now that all other tricks and tips have been discussed, it is really important that you want to stop making excuses for your homework.
Ask yourself!
How badly do you really want to stop making excuses?
The moment you want to stop making excuses, would be the last moment you made one!
- Seek help:
If lack of knowledge and doubts has been the reason behind your excuses, you can get professional help. There are tutors online, who will help you to clear all your doubts and help you to develop such a deep insight regarding the topic that you will never be afraid of that topic further.
So, stop making excuses right away. Take one bold step and you will never have to look back. Remember, making excuses will never solve the problem. Homework is to make you skilled and not to frighten you. Make the most of it.