By Josh Hee
Every time I volunteer at the after-school club, I see the kids running around with excitement. They have wide smiles on their faces as they play tag or dodgeball. However, these smiles fade away immediately when the homework time bell is rung. All the kids begrudgingly sit down and pull out their homework.
I sat down next to Jacob and asked him if he needed any help. He told me confidently that he knew how to do it all, yet he still sat there, staring at the page blankly. I asked him why he was not writing, and he groaned, “I just don’t want to do it.” Jacob did not necessarily need help with tutoring; he needed help with motivation.
Kids constantly ask me why they need to do their “stupid homework”, but I can never come up with a convincing enough response. The kids do not like to hear things about how “it will help you get into college” or “it will make you smarter.” These trite expressions do not resonate with the children. They cannot see why doing their homework should be more important than playing games.
Sadly, I sometimes share the same feelings. After having a great time talking with friends, I dread doing my homework. I always “need” to do my homework instead of “wanting” to do my homework because most of my college assignments do not inspire me. I see no purpose in most of the assignments due. However, although the assignments are sometimes tedious, I still do them anyway. This cycle of tedium and boredom constantly leaves me unmotivated when doing my homework assignments.