A slacker is someone who shirks, a person who neglects or evades his duty. At one time or another, just about all of us have been guilty of slacking, of getting around something or putting off something we knew we had to do. But are we living a slacker lifestyle in our home school? Are we abusing the freedom of home schooling to get off easy in our studies?

This spring New Attitude hosted a chat with 11 home-school teens from six states to talk about home-school slackers. Via online communication, these teens, who averaged about 13 years old, talked and talked and talked! In the end we had 28 pages and almost 6,500 words of chat. The following are the highlights of that lively discussion. Jump in the conversation and learn how others stay focused in their home schools and the steps they’ve taken to avoid home-school slacking...

Joshua Harris: Today we want to talk about home-school slackers. Does anyone besides me know either from personal experience or from others what I mean by home-school slackers?

Jessi House: Yeah, you’re talking about me.

Cohn Gee: Yep.

Jonathan: I can be one.. .Last Sunday I had to do Algebra all day to catch up. I missed the Super Bowl.

Joshua: I know a lot of kids who want to go back to school because it gives them a built-in structure that “makes” them do their work. Does anyone have examples of people who are abusing the freedom of home schooling?

Jessi: Yes, I am an example!

Jonathan: I am one, too.

Joshua: Man, this is starting to sound like an AA meeting... How are you abusing it, Jessi?

Jessi:     I drag my feet on the subjects I’m not good at (i.e., MATH), and then I get all my other homework done, like computer or Bible, the stuff I’m good at.

Abby Grisham: Well, I know people that go places all the time, and just entertain themselves all the time, and never really get around to doing school.

Kelly Hoffman: My parents make sure that I don’t; however, if, say, my mother is very sick or otherwise unable to oversee my work, it is most tempting to, well, sort of not do everything I’m supposed to do.

Sharnessa Shelton: I used to take advantage of home schooling, but now I’m so excited for my future, what God’s gonna do with my life, that right there is enough motivation for me.

Joshua: I can relate to that, Sharnessa. That was what changed my attitude. So is discipline the real issue? I mean the discipline to make sure you’re covering all the bases?

Jonathan: Probably.

Abby: I think so, Josh.

Cohn: You need to be excited about your future to see why you should do any work. Like you won’t wash the dishes very willingly if somebody just asks you to do it, but if there’s a soccer game afterwards, then you’ll probably do it quicker.

Abby: Yeah, I agree, Cohn!

Joshua: So what can we do to keep ourselves on track?

Cohn: Have a lot of soccer games!

Daniel Kinney: <G>

Abby: Well, for one thing your parents can help you out a lot, and make you do it. :)

Jonathan: All right, Abby!!!!

Joshua: Abby, you bring up an interesting problem. I talk to a lot of parents who can’t seem to MAKE their kids do the work. That’s why they want to send them back to school. They’re tired of a constant battle to get them studying and working.

Abby: Well, maybe it depends on how your parents trained you. I was trained to listen, and obey what they say, or else...:)

Jessi: Well, the easier subjects aren’t always fun to do. I mean, I can be good at something and still not WANT to do it.

Kelly: I find that printing out all my tasks helps. I cross them out when I’m done, and LOVE to cross things out.

Cohn: I like to organize things, too, Kelly. If I see things laid out in simple terms, they seem easier to complete.

Jessi: And then there’s always that grade-point average hanging over your head if you want to go to college.

Abby: Or set a time to have your school done by, each day.. .1 start around 9, and then just try to get things finished by 3. It gives me A LOT of time, and I usually get finished before that anyway.

Jessi: Well, depending on the homework, it can take me anywhere from 2-7 hours a day, so setting a goal like that doesn’t work for me. And then there is around the house kind of stuff because if Mom needs help, it’s like drop everything.

Abby: I know what you mean, Jessi.

Joshua: Ha! Jessi, that sounds so familiar. But I think there’s a big difference between being interrupted by your mom who needs help and just slacking off.

Jonathan: I’m the oldest of six, and my siblings are always wanting attention.

Kelly: I can relate, Jonathan, with only one sibhing! It’s so hard to resist when they come to you asking for “hoip.”

Mary: You can finish very quickly if you plan to do something later in the day and wake up early and finish.

Kelly: Wakmg up early is the key!!!

Cohn: I don’t wake up early.

Jessi: Sorry, I do my work best when it’s pitch black. :)

Andy: I do a lot early.

Jessi: I’m not a morning person.

Abby: Sometimes I have to stay up late, and finish. Just so I won’t have more to do the next day. I can’t think in the morning!

Jonathan: I usually don’t go to bed until 12 or so.. .Then I get up about 10.

Joshua: Okay, how early does everyone wake up? List your time...

Cohn: ‘Tween 7:30-10

Daniel: 9:00

Tanya: Between 7 and 7:30

Abby: 8-9 AM. It depends on how late I stay up.:)

Jonathan: 9 is my usual wake-up time if I’m to bed around 11.

Kelly: 5:30 to 6:30 weekdays.

Jessi: It varies, usually like 8:00 a.m.

Tory: 8:30

Sharnessa: 7:30

Mary: 7-7:30

Andy: Around 4:30. Sometimes...

Abby: 4:30, ANDY?!?

Andy: Sometimes.

Joshua: It sure looks like the girls have us beat, guys.

Cohn: Oh, well.

Joshua: But Andy makes up for it.

Sharnessa: Andy, do you have to milk cows?

Jessi: Getting into the college of my choice has been motivating me.

Cohn: College is too far away yet to motivate me...

Abby: Same here, Cohn.

Jonathan: It is getting closer for me.

Calhie: Well, it really makes me feel good when my mom writes “Excellent” on my papers.

Jonathan: Me too!!!!!

Jessi: My Mom never does that.

Joshua: Do most of you meet with your mom or dad at the beginning of the week to plan some kind of work schedule? Or lesson plans?

Jonathan: My mom writes out lesson plans for the week for me.

Andy: Same with me.

Jessi: I meet with my Dad every day and my Mom periodically.

Daniel: My mom gives me a monthly calendar with my lessons.

Abby: My mom assigns things about every day.

Joshua: Do you guys ever worry that because of a lack of self-discipline you’d be learning more in regular school?

Andy: No way.

Jonathan: Not really.

Kelly: No never.

Jessi: I don’t think I’d learn more in a regular school.

Tanya: There are too many distractions.

Sharnessa: NO WAY!!! I’ve visited public schools six days, it’s a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t wanna live there! They joke around the ENTIRE time! They don’t care!

Abby: I used to think that public school kids would be smarter, but now I see it’s usually the home schooler that is smarter.

Calhie: Yup! No offense to public school kids, though.

Abby: That’s what I was going to say, Callie. A lot of public school kids are cool.

Daniel: Yeah, they are.

Abby: I don’t EVER want to be the type that thinks I am better than public school kids.

Joshua: Okay, what about the kid who’s reading all this and realizing that he or she is a home-school slacker? He has bad study habits and is wasting time. What are the steps he needs to take to get on track?

Kelly: Make a list! <G>

Abby: #1 would be to pray probably.

Kelly: Talk about your school with your parents.

Jessi: He needs to decide whether he WANTS to get somewhere or not! I mean, he can have everybody trying to help him know how to get his work done; but unless HE personally wants to, it’s not going to happen.

Sharnessa: Find your strengths, what you love doing, talk with your parents on how to add more of these things to your program. And pray for God to open your mind!

Mary: Tell a home-school slacker to sit down and pray and ask God to help him. Then repent before your parents for not concentrating.

Andy: Look beyond today.

Calhie: Set goals and stick to them!!!

Mary: I think it is very important to pray every day for guidance for school on that day.

Kelly: My closing statement - MALL! (Make A Long List!)

Jenn: lol

Daniel: Clever, Kelly!!!

Decoder
:) <------Smiley face sideways
lol <------- Laughing Out Loud