Lack of interest in homework may clearly indicate that a student has problems with his/her work assigned for home. Perhaps, earlier a child missed his teacher’s explanation and as a result does not clearly understand how to approach certain math/science problems.

Once I had a new private student whose parents were concerned about her low grades in Math. In fact, Victoria did not know how to solve linear equations. It seemed strange because according to her parents, Victoria was a very diligent student who was always good at Math. Later I found out that three weeks ago the girl had missed a few classes. When she came back to school, the teacher was introducing  a new material using the words “collect like terms.” Everybody but Victoria knew what it meant. Unfortunately, the girl was shy to ask the teacher a simple question, and her next test was a complete disaster. Eventually, Victoria lost confidence and interest in Math.

The second reason that a child may lose interest in school is boredom. When advanced students deal with easy tasks, they become bored very soon. Paradoxically, lack of challenge causes lack of interest even faster than too much demands.

In both cases, individual classes can make a great difference. For a student who is behind the class, an explanation of a certain problem encourages a child and bolster his/her confidence. As for advanced students, an individual program motivates them to work harder. It is amazing how excited a child can be when instead of a familiar task he has to deal with a real challenge.

As a Math tutor, I always try to figure out what causes lack of interest in homework and adjust my program. It is exciting to see that small changes can motivate children and make them love Math!