It was over two month's ago when I sat down with my 10-year old son to discuss the academic tasks he was assigned over the summer by his 5th grade teacher:
At the time, nothing about these tasks seemed particularly difficult, especially with the "whole summer" to do it.
Preparer or Crammer?
He and I discussed two options:
"Chip away method" - this involved spreading the workload over the entire summer. We did the math, and it came out to roughly 2 pages of reading per day and 1 vocab word and 1 math problem every other day. This amounted to about 8 minutes of concentrated work per day. No big.
"Cram-it-all-in method" - this involved skipping the daily 8-minutes of work in exchange for a 3-week cram session at the end of the summer when all the work had to be completed at once.
We prepared a spreadsheet that mapped out 10 weeks of daily tasks. He could check-of the boxes on the spreadsheet daily to ensure that he was staying on track. Easy peezy.
Or, not.
He chose Option 2.
With swimming, surfing, and camp on his mind, it was hard for him to subscribe to the "chip away" method. Immediate gratification was calling.
Now, with school right around the corner, panic has set in. It's an uncomfortable time for all of us. He now has to cram all of his words, math problems, and three books into the next three weeks.
He is not happy. I am.
This is an extremely important lesson to learn - the earlier the better. He is feeling the stress and pain of having to work several hours a day while his brothers and friends soak up the last bits of summer. As a parent, it's hard to watch - but a necessary evil.
The Price of Procrastination
Procrastination is a risky business.
As an incoming 5th grader, the stakes are relatively low for my son. If he did nothing all summer, he could probably muscle his way through the first semester with minimal consequences.
As students enter high school, however, the stakes are far greater. Junior and senior year in high school is no time to learn about the consequences of procrastination.
Preparation: A Pillar of Success
It should not be surprising the "Preparation" is at the heart of what we teach at PrepWell Academy. It's our lifeblood.
Preparation is a skill with direct impact on success in academics, sports, the college admissions process, and life itself. We take it very seriously.
Enroll in PrepWell Academy today!
Prep On,
Author: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank, etc.
Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.
