Hi there. In this education post, I talk about how young students go through phases. This is something that I have been seeing and being more aware of from my Mathnasium (online) work.
Can't Always Expect High-Level Consistent Work From Kids
As adults, it can be easy to forget that younger students are in the trial and error years as they are learning. You cannot expect people especially students to get things right the first time around.
Easy topics in general can be learned at a fast rate while more technical topics take more time to digest and master. Students who are learning technical topics need more support and encouragement than usual as it takes more time for understanding.
Some Kids Are Emotional
Younger students are always growing physically, mentally and emotionally. Students may not have mastered their emotions until their late teens, 20s or 30s. When it comes to correcting math mistakes for example, sometimes there is pushback and sometimes there is an "oh" moment.
There are students who do well normally but when there is a hard topic such as multi-digit long division they may shut down or lose motivation. As educators, it is best not to judge the students. Understand and respect their view when they face challenging topics. Encouragement and patience is key.
Then there are some students who really do not like technical and hard subjects like math. They are enrolled in an after school program like Kumon, Mathnasium, Sylvan Learning Centre, etc. because the parents paid money to send them there.
Possible Family Issues
With some students I work with online, I have been noticing arguing background noises at times. It is not pleasant to hear but it is something to deal with. You don't really know what is going on from the student's side and the emotional state of the student. I tend to avoid asking questions about it and prefer to be more respectful and patient to the student than usual.
