You assign the class an assignment on Google Classroom and then start monitoring your “Go Guardian” to make sure no one is using AI. You sit and watch a student spend all his class time clicking through different tabs, looking at the weather, trying to play games and flip through different music options. By the end of the period, he has nothing started on his assignment.
You hand your littles their math papers to get started. You notice one student staring off into space, tapping their pencil and fidgeting around. By the end of the class, they don’t even have their name on their paper. Or maybe every time you hand out an assignment, the same student asks to use the restroom.
Just as work avoidance can look different from student to student, the reasons behind it can be different, too. It can be frustrating to watch as a teacher. Our initial reaction will be to think “why won’t this student just do their work?”
What if, the “won’t” is actually a “can’t yet?”
There are many reasons why a student might exhibit work avoidance, and it isn’t always disobedience.
what might be causing the “won’t”?
The same behavior in the same child can have different reasons on different days.
- “I have to do it perfectly.” Some kids are so afraid to make a mistake that they don’t even want to start. In their minds, if they don’t start, they can’t get anything wrong.
- “Everyone is going to see I don’t know how to do this.” Kids may feel like everyone is watching their every move and can tell when they can’t do something.
- “Wait. What did she say? I was counting the ceiling tiles.” Sometimes kids just zone out. Maybe they’re tired, bored or their mind simply wandered.
- “There are so many questions on this paper. I can’t do all of these.” Sometimes kids feel overwhelmed by looking at all the work ahead of them. It is easier for them to quit before they even start.
- “This is so easy. Why would I waste my time?” If a child doesn’t feel challenged, they may see the work as a waste of time.
- “I don’t want to do this.” Sometimes it is just plain old work avoidance. It can be a lack of motivation, boredom or testing a boundary.
how do I know how to help?
While we might have some clues as to what is behind the behavior, we don’t always know the full picture. You don’t have to figure out the exact reason before offering support. Sometimes it’s about getting creative and helping a student get unstuck. Work avoidance is behavior, not an explanation. Here are ways to hold the expectation while changing the support:
- Help them get started. Walk over by their desk and say, “Let’s start with writing your name.” Stay with them while they start the first part of the paper, then offer some encouragement and step away. Sometimes a student just needs help getting started.
- Cover up a part of the paper. Sometimes a student can feel overwhelmed looking at everything they have to do. You can cover up the bottom half of the worksheet with a piece of paper so they are only focused on a little bit at a time.
- Limit distractions in the classroom. If music, extra tabs, or other Chromebook activities are making it harder for a student to get started, remove these distractions while they work.
- Create a routine for finished work. If finishing first becomes a visible race, a student who already feels overwhelmed may become even more anxious. Try a finish routine that has the student drawing or reading quietly at their desk to make it less visual to other students.
- Break the assignment into smaller chunks. If you see a student struggling to get started, you could say something like, “Let’s start with the first problem. Great, you’ve got it. Now do number two.”
- Ask the student: “Show me what you think you are supposed to do first.” This strategy will help the student get started but also help you see if the student really doesn’t understand the assignment.
We don’t always know whether a student won’t or can’t yet. But we can choose to respond with curiosity, maintain expectations and adjust our support.
join the On Our Sleeves community
Together, through our email community, blogs and community partnerships, we’re breaking down barriers and creating accessible pathways to support children’s mental health.
