Dawdling

As a parent and a teacher, one of the things that grieves me the most is dawdling. When I assign a task, and then see the child take forever to do it, I become greived and irritated. If the child would just buckle down and DO it, they'd be done and we could both move on to something more fun. But they dawdle and whine. Usually, the task gets done eventually, but at what cost of time and energy!

My mother was a master of negative motivation. Back in the days when it was legal to spank, she wielded that power with authority. But I recall a lesson on dawdling that really struck home.

We had finished a large dinner (I believe it was Christmas or Thanksgiving) and it was my turn to do the dishes. I think I was about eight years old, perhaps ten. I thought with all that mess, I would be given the assistance of one of my sisters. (Not Mother. She didn't do dishes. That's what she had girls for.) No. It was my turn; I would do it alone. I remember standing in the kitchen which seemed full of dirty dishes. Every dish, pot and pan in the house was used and dirty. I wailed "This will take three hours!" My mother said, "I'll give you forty-five minutes. If you aren't done by then, you'll get a whipping."

Now, THAT is motivation.

I don't remember the details, but I do remember moving as fast as my little hands and feet would go. I organized, washed, dried, and put up all those dishes. I think it took a bit over 45 minutes, and I was afraid I would be whipped for overshooting the time. But I was proud of what I'd done. I really hadn't thought it possible to do it all by myself, but there was the proof.

Now, if I could figure out a way to get students to actually DO their assignments when they have class time to do it... is there a Nobel prize for education?