Sidestep Homework Battles
Confession: I have very mixed feelings about homework, especially at the pre-high-school level. On the one hand, learning how to organize yourself outside of a classroom and attend to an assignment on your own is a good and important skill, sure. With my kids’ executive dysfunction challenges, I know that homework can be a skill-building situation. But on the other hand… if you’ve already been in school for close to eight hours, is it really necessary for you to come home and keep working (especially if you haven’t even reached double digits, yet)? I don’t think so, especially for younger kids. (I like this The Case Against Homework Fact Sheet as a quick-and-dirty overview. 10 minutes per grade level, per night, maximum. And sleep is more crucial than homework.)
During the years where I homeschooled my youngest and my oldest was drowning in middle- and then high-school homework, there were bitter complaints about the fact that it’s no fair that he doesn’t have any homework. That’s when I started looking at the sorts of work my daughter brought home with a more critical eye. I mean, the “here’s a project for you which you cannot complete without your parents spending $100 on craft supplies and a minimum of 10 hours wiping your tears” sorts of things have been reviled by everyone for forever, but now I looked at the math worksheets and even journaling assignments (I love journaling!) and wondered why there was never time for that work during the school day. My daughter was right; it was unfair. But she got to do a lot of fun and enriching things, too, so I hope it balanced out.
Anyway, now both kids are in public high school together and taking advanced coursework and both kids are in the marching band (you may have heard me mention the marching band once or twice or a hundred times…?), and that means time is short and assignments are long. I’m not saying we have a perfect system going, but after years at this rodeo, here’s some Dos and Don’ts that are (mostly) working for us.
DO get organized up-front. Maybe you have neurotypical, independent, naturally-organized kids who require no assistance in keeping track of things. (If so, please tell me what that’s like… slowly, so I can savor it.) Most of us have kids with a few foibles, though, and I believe everyone can benefit from front-loading with an organizational plan. How and where will they record their homework? Make it simple and suited to their style; my son uses his school-issued agenda, my daughter prefers electronic tracking. My son has a “turn this in” folder for each class and my daughter just puts completed work in her binder. Have a plan.
DON’T make homework the center of the universe. I know families where homework time is “as soon as you walk in the door.” If that works for your kids, fantastic, but lots of kids need some time to decompress before getting back into their work. On a good day, my son will do his his work immediately to get it out of the way… but if he’s had a hard day, he needs to take a break first. No homework is so important that it can’t sometimes wait. Balance is key.
DO keep a watchful eye, but assume independence. Even with my kids’ particular challenges, I don’t want to have to micromanage their homework unless I’m planning to go with them to college (spoiler: I’m not). Even when they were younger, the two cheerful refrains ’round here were always, “I already went to {insert grade here}, this is your homework,” and “Be a problem solver!” On the other hand, if frustration reaches dangerous levels, it’s time to step in and suggest a break, a change in strategy, etc.
DON’T hesitate to contact teachers with concerns. You don’t want to be That Parent—don’t go running to the teacher for every little thing—but if you find yourself fielding a situation where homework is consistently too hard, too long, too soul-sucking, start a conversation. (Pro tip: Kindness and openness goes a lot farther than indignation, no matter what your tearful child tries to tell you about the supposed monster teaching the class.) It’s possible the class is too difficult for your child, and it’s possible the teacher is a sadistic jerk. 99 times out of 100, the reality is somewhere between these two possibilities, and communication is key in figuring out a workable solution.
DO have reasonable expectations. In our household, the expectation is that you will complete all assigned work in a timely manner, because going to school is your job. Furthermore, we expect that time and attention will be budgeted accordingly, and any “I have to stay up into the wee hours to finish this” situation will be rare (it does happen to even the best planners, sometimes). Due to the time demands of marching band, both of my kids often do homework during lunch, class downtime, and in that break between the last bell and the start of rehearsal. I think this is wise of them. And we do have some consequences here at home if I discover work isn’t being completed and turned in on time. But also… they’re still kids. Fridays and Saturdays are homework-free days at our house; they need the break. What’s more, sometimes they make the choice not to finish something, and (if I know about it, anyway) as long as they agree to speak to the teacher about it and deal with it without my participation, I think that’s okay, too.
DON’T freak out. This is good advice for just about every life situation, but especially pertinent here. Homework is not a life or death matter. The more you’re able to keep it in perspective, the better you’ll be able to help your kids stay calm and focused. Don’t get sucked into arguments or angst. It’s just homework.
But, um, Science Fair is coming up, so someone please remind me of this last one in about a month, okay? Thanks.
