Education Connection

HOMEWORK: STOP THE STRUGGLE

"I left my homework on the bus."
"I did my homework at school."

Excuses parents hear...excuses teachers hear. Not all schools assign homework, but if they do, here are some tips to end the homework wars. Remember, there is a direct correlation between the amount of time a student spends on homework and his/her test scores and grades. Homework is designed to:

• Help children learn to set up and follow a routine.
• Help children practice skills they haven't fully learned.
• Teach children responsibility.
• Encourage children to apply classroom learning to activities at home and in the community.
• Help children integrate several skills in an assignment such as research, writing, oral delivery and mixed media.

Helping with homework

Helping with homework means:

• answering questions
• reviewing work
• helping obtain additional resources or materials for the assignment. Homework should not be done for the child.

You should be willing to help with the homework and be willing to take your child to the library to select any additional materials.

If you're not comfortable as a tutor/coach for a subject, you can seek help from a relative, a friend, older brother/sister, a neighbor, babysitter or a hired tutor.

Set a schedule

Set aside a regular time Monday through Thursday for study. Set a schedule and stick to it. Decide together when chores will be done, when activities fit in, when television, computer games, telephone, and music will be allowed.

Create a study place

Create a study place with the following features:

• good lighting
• comfortable chair and table
• the materials/resources of your reading and writing kits: pens, pencils, paper (lined, unlined, graph, and scratch paper), erasers, dictionary suitable for the age of the student, notecards, pencil sharpener, and a calendar for dates, assignments, deadlines.
• Choose a quiet place free from distractions such as the telephone, television and computer games.

Computers? Calculators?

Clearly, it is important for our children to be exposed to technology. The use of computers and calculators can aid in completing homework and building skills. Ask teachers what they recommend. Investigate used computers as a way to save money.

Keeping track of assignments and supplies

To get past "it's lost" and "I forgot the assignment," help your child choose:

• a waterproof book bag or backpack
• notebooks/binders for multiple subjects with pockets for pens, pencils, and erasers
• a calendar, day planner, notebook for assignments
• label all school supplies, including coats, hats, sweaters, book, and gym bags.

"This book bag is a mess!"

• Help your child spend the first five minutes of homework time getting things organized.

"This homework is too hard!"

• Sit down and offer to help.
• Tell your student to skip that problem/question and go on to the next. A child can always go back to the "hard" problems.

"My child's work is so messy!"

• Provide plenty of paper and erasers for rewriting. Try setting up math problems on graph paper. It can make problem solving easier.
• Work on penmanship through handwriting exercises.

"A big assignment is due tomorrow... I'll never be able to get it done in time."

• Do not do your child's homework. It is not your assignment. Consequences belong to your child.
• Talk to the teacher about solutions.
• Encourage and help your child to use calendars for scheduling manageable parts of big assignments.

What if it is incorrect?"

• If possible, be available to your child during study time. See what kind of help they need.
• If you cannot be home during study time, ask your child to leave the completed assignment for you to review.
• Review your child's homework.
• Point out a row or a paragraph with errors. Ask the student to find it. Ask your child: "Does this answer make sense?"
• Display school work on the wall or the refrigerator. Share your child's good work with family members.

Set up a "family study table" each evening in the kitchen or dining room. All family members can sit together and help each other as needed. During study time, everyone in the family works on some kind of project: reading a good book, drawing, writing letters, balancing a check book. When children see adults learning and teaching themselves something new, they realize learning is a lifelong goal.