It's all about timing

Chatting the other day with the boy. We were watching sport and talking about 'champion players' or what most of us would call winners. A common observation came that they always seem to have 'time', even making time for themselves to make the 'big play'. But really I think that applies to every aspect of your life as 'using time effectively and well' requires practise. I would almost bet that these top players have this in all of their lives. Probably one of the most telling things about time is the fact that it is finite and it cannot be recycled and used again.

The recurring theme at school, and I'm sure in all other schools, is the question of time management. Most often it is linked with the whole idea of assessment, and that leads to the overworked and stressed comment about children. But after being at the chalk face for more than 30 years and witnessing the trials and tribulations of students in the lead up to matriculation (graduation), I can say that life is a constant. There have always been (and probably always will be) well organised and disorganised students in terms of time usage. Every school I have worked in has had some form of remediation or session(s) with students working at this and while there is always improvement in some, there are always a few that don't get it. 

The idea of executive function comes into play here. I know that teens live in the now and that the idea of delayed gratification is lost on most. This means that they will consciously or subconsciously (or both) circumvent the learning process. The first stage in learning us about detecting the information that comes at us each day and then deciding which gets through the first set of filters. Through a process this will enter the short-term and finally long-term memories, but that is a story for another blog. Let us simply say that the filter needs attention as much information is lost and effectively barred from entering the "memory loop". Executive function is the 'gatekeeper' of this filter.

At a conference I attended earlier this year, a senior student from the host school came on stage and gave insights into these and other points. He highlighted that idea of living in the now and the instant rewards as opposed to the delayed rewards that form an integral part of school and life. This in part explains the gaming problem experienced primarily by boys. He explained why students do things like procrastinate in terms of their ability (or inability) to self regulate the executive function. The development of this executive function will continue into adulthood for some, although the time when you can engage it depends on the individual. I have seen teens with it and adults still developing it. 

A common expression heard I'm sure by parents and teachers is "this is boring". It seems to apply to anything at particular times. I am amazed that the same activity can vacillate between boring and 'cool' (or whatever is an appropriate adjective). I see it linked with this instant reward and dopamine surge thing that goes on.  I think that the root cause of this does go back to executive function development. As I said, pre-teens and teens live for the moment and favour instant gratification. This is the main reason why time is wasted and procrastination, especially of school work, is so common and such a problem. The idea of an assignment deadline as 3-4 days away is an eternity for the student. But the problem then develops when suddenly the importance of time surfaces. The problem that develops from this is raised anxiety levels in themselves, their parents and their teachers.  

The idea of time and the need to use it 'wisely' is lost on most pre-teens and teens. Time is something they always have until deadlines loom and then we see the anxiety levels rise and interesting behaviour patterns emerge. Hopefully it will change, but a lot will depend upon the individual child and how we deal with it.