ALLERGIC TO WORK?

Several years ago I was doing substitute teaching in a remedial program at a private school. One of the students in the program was a very bright seventh-grader who had the worst case of allergy to work I've ever seen. This student put much more time, thought, and energy into avoiding work than he would have needed to just do the work in the first place! At the same time, he enjoyed none of the natural satisfaction that results from working well. He had been in some kind of trouble in school ever since kindergarten and was even being taken to a psychiatrist.

Since this student was smart enough to keep up with the classes without doing much work, I began to use part of the remedial time to bring about a change in attitude. When I told him that I enjoyed working, he had a hard time believing it. He didn't know that having fun working was even possible. We talked about how he could get himself out of the remedial program he didn't need and avoid trouble with teachers just by doing his work.

I saw his mother from time to time over the following three years. I learned from her that her son was more successful in eighth grade than he had ever been. When I saw her last, her son was doing well as a sophomore in Catholic high school.

Most people spend a large part of their lives working. Those who learn to obtain satisfaction from what they do can be happy every day. The Book of Genesis says that God placed Adam in a paradise garden and told him to "till the garden and keep it". It was only after the Fall that work became burdensome "by the sweat of your brow".

Today's society often presents play and pleasure as the ultimate goals. The most common attitude is that we work so that we can afford to play. For people who want to be happy, however, that attitude is backwards. The truth is that we need recreation so that we can work better and get the long-lasting satisfaction that comes from doing good work.

Too much play is merely boring after infancy. Children get tired of their toys and adults get bored with their pastimes. Working first makes playing more fun.

To help form good work attitudes parents can involve their children in jobs around the house from a young age. Of course, allowing young children to "help" often makes more work for the adult, but teaching children to work willingly pays off handsomely in the long run. Parents can also talk to their children about the importance of working well and help their children to realize that it is indeed possible to enjoy work.

Students who learn to draw satisfaction from work well done have an excellent foundation for success throughout life.

I hope this column will be interactive. I invite the comments of all who are involved in the school community, especially the students themselves. Please send questions and comments to: Mary Sue Laing at newskill7@msn.com

by Mary Sue Laing, M. Ed., New Skill, Inc. Academic Tutor