Small blocks, real results

After three weeks of homework battles, I changed one thing: no more 90-minute study marathons. I switched to 20-minute blocks with a clear finish line. The room got noisy less often, and kids stopped pretending they had done work 'just one more page.'

Each block now follows a fixed pattern: a goal, a timer, and a tiny reward only if the goal is clear. This does not mean bribes. It means structure. Kids who know exactly what success looks like stop fighting the task and start solving it.