Why is homework taking all night?

It’s late, and your child is still doing homework. You can see how hard they’re working. What’s harder to see is how much they’re struggling.

I work with younger students and teenagers. I like to start with something they’re working on for school so we can figure out together what’s making it hard. One student I worked with was regularly up until one in the morning doing homework. When she felt anxious about an assignment, she kept perfecting the part she was working on. Sitting beside her, I could see the moment it happened. That gave us something specific to work on together. How could she tell when she’d done enough and could move on?

I want students to understand how they learn. A child who can say, “I understand the assignment, but I have trouble knowing when I’m finished,” has learned something about themselves that they can use the very next night.

For standardized tests, I help families plan a timeline and refer them to tutors I trust.