My first year. HELP! How do I stay focused?

Question

I keep falling asleep in the middle of geography that my mom assighned me!

Answer 1

Even though you were completely rude to me with your last question, I'll help you out.  

First, break it down into sections.  Don't try to do all of it at once.  If you have to read 30 pages, read 10 of them at a time and take notes on what seems important.  Take a break from that, go back and do another 10 when you feel up to it.  There's nothing that says that you have to finish all of an assignment at one time; you just have to get it done *on* time.

Are there any resources that you can get from the library that will make it more interesting?  Books, movies, computer software?  Can your mom assign you a project, or is there a project you can take on, that would be more interesting to you than just reading out of a textbook?  These are all things to do that can help you pay attention.

You may want to ask your mom about varying your assignments.  Just like you may have had a tough time adjusting to homeschooling, it may have been tough on your mom as well.  She's new at this, and may not realize what she can do to help you out.  If you're studying a certain country or continent, you can check with your public librarian to see what some good books (fiction and nonfiction) for that region are.  Often, reading about concepts through literature is much more interesting (and goes much faster) than just a textbook.  Various types of research projects can also make an assignment a lot more interesting to work with.

My advice would be to sit down with your mom and re-evaluate.  That's a lot of what happens your first year - you try things out, and while some work, some don't.  Are you learning from your curriculum?  If not, that may be a sign that you need to switch to a different approach.  Is the workload too heavy?  If so, then your mom can help you get a system down that will help you stay on top of things, and she may be able to juggle your lesson plans a bit in the meantime.  Be up front and honest, in a respectful way, with your mom.  She needs to know what works and what doesn't, but you need to be willing to work with her too.

Some things will be boring, and you just have to plow through them; it would be the same in public school.  However, if something really isn't working for you, let your mom know and work with her to find a way to fix it.

Answer 2

If your over 12 years old why dont you try taking Gaurana?You get it from the health food shop,you can get it in tablets or powder form.Tablets also come in combinations like Gaurana & Ginseng,wich will keep you give you energy and help with memory retention!(Too easy!Get smart and Stay Awake,even if it is really boreing!)

Answer 3

9i kno homeschool is so boring esp history!!!!!

Answer 4

okay, divide the work in 3 parts and tackle each part separately with breaks or other work inbetween. btw where's your mom/teacher????  she kept you at home and leaves you to study on your own; what would happen if your public school teacher did that?

Answer 5

First, figure out WHY you're falling asleep.  If it's because you went to bed too late, try getting an earlier night.  If it's because you're sick, or getting over the flu, then leave it for a day or two.

If it's because the assignment is boring, tell your mom - the great thing with homeschooling is that it's flexible, and parents and children should learn together.  If it's the first year of homeschooling for both of you, then you need to learn to adapt and adjust together.  Maybe your mom is still thinking about 'school' rather than 'education at home'.  The two are very different.  

You may also have a different learning style from your mom.  Maybe she thinks the assignment is a fun project, but to you it's tedious because you learn differently.  Again, this is something you should work through together.  So let her know what the problem is (diplomatically, of course) and see if you can come up with a solution together.  

When I was home educating my sons, I tried assigning work at first, but they told me it was pointless - so we started just reading and discussing topics like geography together, on the sofa.  Written work is only necessary in a classroom where a teacher doesn't have time to find out if each student has learned what they need to know.  At home, it's different.

Answer 6

Well, are you tired? Do you need food? Water?

If that's all taken care of, grab a timer and set it for a certain amount of time that you have decided you'll stay focused for. Maybe it'll be just 15 or even just 10 minutes. Then stay focused during that time and do as much as you can. Push out any thoughts that don't have anything to do with getting the work done. When the timer goes off, get up, get a drink of water, then sit back down and set the timer again and do more work. Repeat until your geography is done.