Homework

If daily homework has become the stuff of nightmares, it may be time to ask for some assistance...

Picture credit here

As a teacher, homework was something I cringed a little over sending home.  Not that I didn't think kids needed more practice, but I knew the kids would be beat at the end of the day, and I never wanted my extra work to be a burden for parents.

Some children...well, okay, most children work very hard all day to "keep it together" and remain focused on schoolwork.  By the time the bell rings at the end of the day, they are done.  Let's not even talk about how scheduled some kids are, with activities on multiple nights of the week. 

Take it from someone who had serious swim team practice {as a kid} every night of the week~it wasn't always easy.

We have to face it~kids are being asked to do more and more in the classroom, and that is not going to change.  But if the homework load is becoming such a tedious process, that it is turning your home life into a war-zone, it's okay to talk with the teacher. 

I'll give you an example from my own children.  One of my daughters has CAPD, and a "Mixed Expressive and Receptive Language Disorder" {I wrote about it here at length}.  Excessive homework is truly the stuff of her nightmares~and mine.  During first grade, she was getting a large packet sent home, with work for the week.  It was good, because we could do a little each night and get it done by Friday....in the beginning anyway.  Quickly it got harder and harder.  The nightly homework took longer...and longer to complete.  Frustration set in for both of us, and even as a teacher, I struggled with what I could do.  I solved the problem, and this may be an approach you could take too.

It was actually an easy fix.  I just sent her teachers an email.  I kindly described the difficulty we were having, and said I was willing to work with my daughter each night, but not to the point of "shut-down".  So we came to an understanding that I would work with her each night for a certain amount of time {20-25 minutes} on all that needed to be accomplished for the week {which included the homework packet, math on the computer, and reading a portion of a book}.  I would make sure we did a little from each page {like 5 problems instead of 20}, and I would be making sure she was understanding the skills~if not, I'd be letting them know. 

The teachers agreed.  And it made a GIANT improvement in our home life.  It became a manageable task, instead of an overwhelming one.  No teacher wants to be the source of your frustration, believe me {if you don't want to email the teacher, or cannot, then call the school and leave a message for the teacher to call you back.  Or maybe write a note and leave it in your child's folder}.

So, don't just keep dragging on, figuring the teacher is going to MAKE YOU do the entire packet with your child, if they can't handle it.  That is not good for anyone.  And the teacher needs to know how it's going at home as well~remember, they do not know the struggles you are going through unless you tell them. 

A simple email changed our evenings from hectic and frustrating to something we could handle.

Be that voice for your child.  There will always be a middle ground to settle on~be willing to find it. 


Any questions, let me know :)

Have a great day!

{Jenn}

PS~this is not a sponsored post, but I found the above picture from this site on Pinterest, and it fit the bill for my post here... :)   Looks like it links to a great resource as well!  Bonus.