Online learning not working for 11-year-old, at wit's end

[Anonymous]

My 13-year-old is doing ok with online learning, seems to be finishing her assignements (although for some reason they take until 5-6 pm). My 11-year-old, however, is a disaster. She insists on staying in her room with the door shut so she can get on Teams undisturbed. I will check in with her every hour or two, and she has done *nothing*--no online lesson done, her paper packet barely touched. But she will insist she was watching a teacher video and is about to tackle something. Probably she's been watching youtube and chatting with friends the whole time. I think she has ADD and I did not see it until now.

I've pretty much given up on social studies or science but I would like her to get her iReady lessons done so she'll be ready for middle school math.

I work full time and need to be at my computer from around 9-5 pm, so I can't supervise her more closely. I am at a loss for what to do. I thought about an online tutor, but the tutor would need to see her computer screen and I can't quite see that working.

Any suggestions?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 13-year-old is doing ok with online learning, seems to be finishing her assignements (although for some reason they take until 5-6 pm). My 11-year-old, however, is a disaster. She insists on staying in her room with the door shut so she can get on Teams undisturbed. I will check in with her every hour or two, and she has done *nothing*--no online lesson done, her paper packet barely touched. But she will insist she was watching a teacher video and is about to tackle something. Probably she's been watching youtube and chatting with friends the whole time. I think she has ADD and I did not see it until now.

I've pretty much given up on social studies or science but I would like her to get her iReady lessons done so she'll be ready for middle school math.

I work full time and need to be at my computer from around 9-5 pm, so I can't supervise her more closely. I am at a loss for what to do. I thought about an online tutor, but the tutor would need to see her computer screen and I can't quite see that working.

Any suggestions?

OP, I don't mean to suggest something obvious, but had you already ruled out the free screen sharing programs/apps?

[Anonymous]

She has lost the privilege of working in her room. She works where you can see her screen. You don't have to monitor every second, but you surely can glance up now and again? Plus, just knowing you could be might be enough to get her on task. Try that for a week or two.

[Anonymous]

I got a math tutor for my 7th grader. The teacher is awful via distance learning and her private school is not doing pass fail or only giving grades as good as 3rd quarter. They use the whiteboard so the tutor can see her work.

I block apps and websites until school work is done. Do you have parental control on her devices? My kids get their work done, I check to see that they handed everything in then I unblock and they can enjoy the rest of the day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I got a math tutor for my 7th grader. The teacher is awful via distance learning and her private school is not doing pass fail or only giving grades as good as 3rd quarter. They use the whiteboard so the tutor can see her work.

I block apps and websites until school work is done. Do you have parental control on her devices? My kids get their work done, I check to see that they handed everything in then I unblock and they can enjoy the rest of the day.

OP her. She's using my work laptop and I'm not even sure I can block apps on it, but I will try to figure it out. Working in the same room is also a good idea if it's not too distracting. Thanks for the suggestions so far!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 13-year-old is doing ok with online learning, seems to be finishing her assignements (although for some reason they take until 5-6 pm). My 11-year-old, however, is a disaster. She insists on staying in her room with the door shut so she can get on Teams undisturbed. I will check in with her every hour or two, and she has done *nothing*--no online lesson done, her paper packet barely touched. But she will insist she was watching a teacher video and is about to tackle something. Probably she's been watching youtube and chatting with friends the whole time. I think she has ADD and I did not see it until now.

I've pretty much given up on social studies or science but I would like her to get her iReady lessons done so she'll be ready for middle school math.

I work full time and need to be at my computer from around 9-5 pm, so I can't supervise her more closely. I am at a loss for what to do. I thought about an online tutor, but the tutor would need to see her computer screen and I can't quite see that working.

Any suggestions?

Pay her.
I am typically not a rewards for doing things expected of your person - but this is different operating model.

i-ready is really boring - I have watched them with my kids and it is SOOO slow.

Have a stack of tickets for each i-ready assignment. You give her the ticket at the beginning of the day. She hands it to you when she is done. She gets 5 - she gets an audible credit - or whatever is her motivator.

Option 2 - school is out May 29th - June you kick-off Khan Academy Math for your summer fun. She has a choice which she wants to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I got a math tutor for my 7th grader. The teacher is awful via distance learning and her private school is not doing pass fail or only giving grades as good as 3rd quarter. They use the whiteboard so the tutor can see her work.

I block apps and websites until school work is done. Do you have parental control on her devices? My kids get their work done, I check to see that they handed everything in then I unblock and they can enjoy the rest of the day.

OP her. She's using my work laptop and I'm not even sure I can block apps on it, but I will try to figure it out. Working in the same room is also a good idea if it's not too distracting. Thanks for the suggestions so far!

Depending on your company and any agreements, that could be a problem in and of itself. Why not get a cheap laptop for her (you can get something serviceable for around $200), and then you can customize to your heart's content. Also no privacy concerns if you want an online tutor to screenshare.

[Anonymous]

Here is a google chrome extension to block sites:
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/stayfocusd/laankejkbhbdhmipfmgcngdelahlfoji?hl=en

The challenge is if she uses other browsers it does not work. But you can take other browsers off the computer

[Anonymous]

make her work at the dining table or in the kitchen

[Anonymous]

My kids (6 grade and middle school) both work at the dinning room table....where I can see them. I had them do a schedule and I pop in once in a while to make sure they stay on task. My husband and I are both working from home, house rule: 9-2pm are office/school hours. No iphones or ipads.

[Anonymous]

Does she only have access to Teams in her room? If not, she’s obviously doing stuff online she should not be. Kids shouldn’t be alone in their rooms with internet access.

[Anonymous]

Can you share screens using regular Skype? I’ve noticed you can share screens using Skype business.

[Anonymous]

When my ADHD kid was younger, he would sit in the floor in front of me so I could see his screen. It was amazing how quickly he got his work done.

[Anonymous]

You and her sit side by side at the kitchen table and both work. You go through her assignments every morning and make a list of what she has to do and you make sure she’s doing it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You and her sit side by side at the kitchen table and both work. You go through her assignments every morning and make a list of what she has to do and you make sure she’s doing it.

This. Plus she doesn't seem mature enough yet to understand that with rights come responsibilities. Working in her room with the door shut is a privilege for kids who have demonstrated that they can handle the responsibility. Since she is demonstrating that she can't, she needs to work in the same room with you until that changes. This isn't a threat, it is simply an assertion that you're allowed to make as the adult in charge.