Can my nephew study under such circumstances?

Question

It is now the holidays and my nephew is staying over with us.

His mom has made an arrangement with us for him to self study during his stay. We are also to tutor him when necessary.

The problem is that, due to unexpected developments, my neighbour has started a major renovation to his house next door. As such, there is a lot of noise generated from the drillings and hammerings. There is also a lot of shoutng and talking by the workmen as they go about their work. I mean, the noise is really LOUD. It also goes on until late at night.

Before long, my nephew is complaining he cannot concentrate. All the loud drillings and hammerings has distracted him. He said he cannot study under these conditions.

However, my gf insisted he should be able to. All he needs is just to "concentrate". She said she had done it before.

However, does my nephew has a right to lament about the conditions. I mean, it is really loud, like a battle zone. Even I cannot tolerate the loud noise.

Answer 1

Of course your nephew can not be expected to study under such conditions! Your gf may have done so, which makes her exceptional and can not be taken as a rule for what anyone else can manage. Of course your neighbour ought not to be making all this noise late into the night,there are laws to protect your right to some peace and quiet in the evening at least, but of course making use of them usually means starting up a grudge with the neighbour as well. You might try simply asking him to stop work on the house at a reasonable hour..i.e. seven in the evening at the very latest..which would give you some time to discuss his studies with your nephew but for him to get any real studying done, he has to have a quiet atmosphere to work in..the library might work out well and if not then yes, he should probably go home for the time being if the work he is doing is important. As a matter of personal opinion, any tutor who stands about saying that a child is able to do a thing if only they concentrate is a useless tutor. Worse than useless.All they can teach is a sense of being unable to do what everyone else finds easy...and very few people find it easy to work or study in a noisy environment.

Answer 2

take him some where else and ask  your neighbors to be more considerate

Answer 3

when i was studying i was at home with my brothers and sisters who kept constantly interrupting me my next door neighbour had a car that he was always working on, what i did to get round this was to shut all doors and windows in my bedroom what i called my study room i stuck a wedge behind the door and put music on law. when i needed my fathers help he would help me even to the extent of taking me to library and he had the tools to hand. then he would site a mock test of what i had done and if i got a decent pass in his opinion i would get treated to a meal out and if i got less i would get punished by reading Charles dickens.

Answer 4

First off, everyone learns differently. If your gf could concentrate with loud noises around then good for her. The house could fall down around my husband and he wouldn't even notice but me?? I have to have classical music playing so I don't get distracted by things going on around me. Secondly, you need to have a talk with your neighbor about the renovations. Maybe there can be some sort of balance with how late they do them. Thirdly, your nephew is in a new study environment and may be having difficulty just adjusting to it but definitely adjusting to such noise. Try having him study with headphones with his favorite music. My son listens to rap while he studies....I'd never get any studying done listening to that stuff but he loves it and does really well.

Before you just send him home, you didn't state why he was with you so I'm not sure if he can just "go" home, try to compromise with him and see if there's not something that can help him a little. There are also parks, libraries, and other places that he can study if he chooses.

Good luck

Answer 5

It would make it difficult to study.  Perhaps he could wear earplugs while he studies or perhaps he could go to the library for a few hours each day so that he would have quiet.  

My kids manage to study with a lot f stuff going on around them, but we aren't renovating the house so I don't know what that would really be like for them, but if they were having trouble I wouldn't just tell to concentrate, I would seek a solution.

Answer 6

That your gf could do it doesn't mean that your nephew could do it. Everybody is different and to offer your nephew the respect he deserves means to recognize that this noise truly can disturb him and prevent him from being able to focus.

First, check with city by-laws about the hours their allowed to make that sort of noise in a residential neighbourhood. It's doubtful that they should be allowed to work late at night.

Second, ask your nephew for some ideas on how to overcome the problem. Work with him to figure out a solution. It could be to get him some really good ear plugs or it might be to spend mornings out at the library or he might come up with some other idea.

Answer 7

Try going to the library or the park and have him do his studies there.

Answer 8

Try taking him to a library!

P.S. I know about that, I'm home schooled, and there's ALOT of noise around here,lol

Answer 9

What about taking him to the library for a couple of hours?  There should be study carrels for him there, and a nice quiet place where he can study.  This is what some of my high school students do when their younger sibs get loud at home, works like a charm :-)

To answer your question, no, that's not an acceptable study environment.  There are people who can tune that out and study, but most can't.

Answer 10

I have read through some of these comments and I would like to add a few comments of my own.

While it seems a good idea to use earphones, it will not be effective to block off all the noise. The noise generated by a construction site is TOO loud. Earplugs would be more effective but uncomfortable.

I think what some of you guys said are correct. Go to the library or send the kid home.

Answer 11

Like Renoir said (the poster, not the artist) it's not fair for your gf to assume that everyone can learn like she...everyone is different.

I would start with working at home...get him some headphones, ipod whatever to block noise. Also, i would consider taking him elsewhere. We've done studying at the park, the library, the zoo, barnes and noble's coffee shop (our personal favorite) also museums and such. How cool would it be to load up his bag for the day and take off for parts unknown?

I would question if it's the holidays why he really needs to be studying, I mean homeschooling *could* go year round, so finished RIGHT now is kind of uncool. But, you aren't the parent so I'd hate for you to step in and legislate.

I would talk to the neighbors about how late the renovations are. Most cities have a noise ordinance that limits how late that can go on.

Answer 12

I agree with the headphone idea.   We've done that before when my son had to concentrate when things were happening in the house.

Answer 13

What about taking him some where else to study like relatives house, friends house, library etc or you could try ear plugs.

Answer 14

I could, but someone else may not be able to.

Take him to the library or the park. We homeschool, and we always do that-the fresh air at the park does wonders to clear their heads, and the atmosphere at the library is really conducive to learning.

Answer 15

Try to get him some headphones and play classicl music thru them

Answer 16

I don't want to cause grief between you and your gf but because she can swwitch off she shouldn't expect others to be the same (Something to keep in mind for future reference) also if your neighbour is creating all this noise without so much as an apology then it implies that they are the type who are going to fall into the "Bad neighbour " catagory and if they are not nipped in the bud now then your life is going to be a misery.  I would have words with them and if that fails I would go to the local council and talk to them because there are noise regulations (Environmental health) which prevents loud noises in residential areas after 6pm I believe.  You really ought to stand up for yourself If you allow people to walk over you they will, your neighbours should have discussed the noise issue with you and by not doing so they are basically sticking two fingers up at you. Best of luck

Answer 17

I'm not sure exactly why he's at your home so it's hard to answer that question completely because it depends on what brought him to your home in the first place.  I would try giving him head phones so he could listen to music while he studies, this may help drown out some of the noise and help him focus more.

Maybe he's simply not interested in what he's studying so he's easily distracted--did his mom assign his area of study or is he free to study at his own pace and about his own interests--this makes a big difference in how easy it is to concentrate.

Could you take him to a library or somewhere more conducive to study for part of the day?  Or maybe, since the noise is bothering you too, you should use this as a time to take some interesting field trips?