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Parental Involvement in Homework: How Much Is Too Much? By Patrick Marcotte How much help from a parent on a child’s homework is appropriate? Put another way, how much is too much? Or too little? Trying to strike a balance at the kitchen table can touch off some fairly heated arguments at times, as a child charges that a parent is "trying to rule my life," or a parent claims that a child "just doesn’t seem to care" about all-important grades. We offer these suggestions to keep adults from going prematurely gray. Know what your child is up to Especially in the earlier grades, it surely doesn’t hurt for a parent to be involved in the child’s learning, even to the point of knowing what the nightly homework assignments are and monitoring them for completion. If the child can see at an early age that schoolwork is a high priority for the parent, the habit of completing assignments can carry through to the older grades, when parents might very well be able to "loosen the reigns" and count on the child to be independent. Note the use here of the word "completion," not "correctness." Although it is important that the child understands the concepts that the assignment entails, it doesn’t hurt to occasionally miss an answer on a problem. If children apply their understanding of a concept in homework and make an error, this can be a very good learning experience as they then make the adjustments necessary to then find the correct answer. The parent does not need to check every answer the child has for correctness, though many who call the Helpline want to do this. Know when to take a break Sometimes, when a new concept just is not sinking in, it can be counterproductive for both student and parent to dwell on it. This might be a great time to take a walk around the block or watch a little TV, with the understanding that in a half-hour or so things may look much clearer. Parents should get to know their children’s concentration limits and respect them. Know your child After a number of years, the parent should know the child better than anyone else in the world does. This means understanding that all children are unique. Just because an older sibling had no problem with math doesn’t mean a younger child won’t struggle. Not all children learn in the same way, but understanding your child’s unique personality might give you some new insight into how your child learns the best. A parent may not have a teacher’s understanding of learning styles and methods. But parents do have a special advantage—a deep love and concern for their own children, which they can use to help their kids stay on the right track. Reprinted from "Homework Help Lines," Winter 1995, published by the Homework Helpline, SMECSU, 210 Wood Lake Dr. SE, Rochester, MN 55904. The Minnesota Homework Helpline is a business/education partnership sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota and the Minnesota Educational Cooperative Service Units. Joe Nathan, who writes a regular column on Minnesota education, recommends a set of 10 free booklets about how parents can help their children get ready for school and learn various skills and subjects. They provide a great way for parents to get involved in their children’s learning. According to Nathan, "Each booklet contains an overview of the subject, some free or low-cost activities a parent and youngster can do together, and additional references." The booklets are generally geared for elementary and middle school children. Nathan also describes some of the booklets:
To get the booklets, write to: Reprinted from "Homework Help Lines," Winter 1995, published by the Homework Helpline, SMECSU, 210 Wood Lake Dr. SE, Rochester, MN 55904. Reinforcing reading skills during fun family activities can help young children get ready or stay ready to read. Help your children to
Be sure children are
Reprinted from Foster Parent/Advocate Newsletter, June-July, 1995, published by Fostering Illinois, Department of Children and Family Services, 100 W. Randolph–4th floor, Chicago, IL 60601, Mary Ann Brownstein, Editor. The staff at the Homework Helpline has a wealth of ideas for studying and homework to share with parents and students. At times, schoolwork can be a struggle, but here are some tips that may help things go more smoothly.
Reprinted from "Homework Help Lines," Winter 1995, published by the Homework Helpline, SMECSU, 210 Wood Lake Dr. SE, Rochester, MN 55904. All About Me -- A letter to help your Foster Child in SchoolThe following is a letter that I have been meaning to write for years. If it is something you feel is worthwhile, please cut it out, and send it to your newspaper, your superintendent, your school principal, or your classroom teachers. Maybe, we can make this year a little easier for the foster and adopted children in our lives. Dear Teachers and Administrators: A new school year has begun, and with a new school year comes a great frustration for foster and adoptive parents, the “all about me” project. Maybe it is a series of pictures or a report, but in most cases it has the effect on our foster and some adoptive children of dredging up old memories, feelings and behaviors. It often is a reminder that they are different from other kids. Kids who have pictures, kids whose mom and/or dad talk about memories of when they were a baby, where they lived and what foods they liked. Our kids may not have access to this history, there are no albums filled with pictures of the first tooth, or the first step, or even the first birthday. Often times, these children have been removed from their homes with the clothes on their back, and if they are lucky, a favorite toy. One child who needed a baby picture of herself for a first grade project took a picture to school that was taken on the first day of school. It was the earliest picture that she had of herself. Rather than use the option of drawing a picture of himself as a baby, a third grader took a picture of another baby in the family for his project. Drawing would point out that he had no baby pictures. Developing a life story with foster children is a method therapists often use to help children piece together the chaos of their lives. Many middle school children are asked to write an autobiography. What about the children whose memories are of physical, sexual or emotional abuse? What of the child who was abandoned or the child whose parent(s) are incarcerated? Do you, the teacher, want to be responsible for that child having to review his/her life for a homework project? Since we realize how much you value children, please think about the ramifications of these assignments. Before assigning a project that deals with a child's life, please try to think of ways to make it non threatening. How about a list of topics to choose from? Perhaps, you can have everyone in the class draw pictures of the way they looked at different ages. Ask everyone to write about a favorite day, holiday, vacation or birthday story. Even those will be threatening to some children, but less threatening than the baby pictures and life histories. The next time you assign a project, stop and ask yourself if this project will put a child through needless pain and anxiety. Thank you in advance for all your hard work and helping to make school a safe place for our kids. Sincerely, Foster/Adoptive Parent This article is reprinted from “CAFAP News,” vol. 1, no. 4, Fall 1996, published by the Connecticut Association of Foster and Adoptive Parents, 632 Prospect Ave., Hartford, CT 06105.
Boost Grades
and Confidence "Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic
We are all familiar with this old-fashion limerick. I’m sure every parent has a story reminiscent of the harsh schoolmarm who wears her hair pulled so tightly in a bun atop her head that her lips are pursed in a permanent pucker. I am sure someday our children will have similar stories to relate to their children. However, as parents, we want our children’s experience in school to be positive. We can help our children succeed by putting away the hickory stick, which means keeping our anger to a minimum when our child does poorly in school, and instead work to turn failures into successes. A positive attitude and confidence in one’s abilities are two important factors in whether or not a child will excel in school. How a child perceives him or herself is a major key in this area. Experts have found that self-esteem both influences and is influenced by academic achievement. Positive thinking, and the sense that he or she is competent and effective, will help your child create an academically successful climate. First of all, we need to remember that self-esteem is not something we can teach our children. A child’s self-esteem is established through the result of their achievements, it is not the cause of their achievement. Therefore, learning or accomplishing something makes the child feel good, and confident, which in turn raises their self esteem. We need to give our children opportunities to succeed. One way is by helping our children set goals. It doesn’t have to be anything special. A goal can be as simple as learning to get a kite airborne, or to remember to turn in an assignment on time. It is through success, either large or small, that children build their self-esteem. As parents, we want to compliment our children, we believe that praise will motivate our son or daughter into doing their best in school. However, using too much praise only serves to make the child dependent upon others to approve of everything they do. So, what is a parent to do? Experts say we should encourage our children. Encouragement credits the effort, or progress, the child has made, and when we talk about what the child has done, not how good it is, we help our children recognize their own abilities and progress. This gives the child the opportunity to do well if he or she wishes to, thus nourishing their own self-esteem. Parents everywhere want their children to flourish with healthy self-esteem, and to excel and succeed in school. We can help our children achieve success by making education a part of our family values.
There are many ways that we can help our children improve their study habits, which will aid in boosting their grades, and nourish their hungry self-esteem all at the same time.
When it comes to homework, the encouragement and suggestions we can offer our children are endless. Keep in mind, however, that there is no single tool that will work for every child, but there are a number of techniques that have been proven to be helpful. I’ve listed below a few helpful suggestions. Help your child determine how they study most effectively, with minimal distractions, or with music playing softly. Research has shown did most often children study better in a quiet environment.
Should you have a child like mine, organization is a must. My son used to fold pages of notes and stick them in his textbooks, cram them in his backpack, or stuff them in his locker at school. So when it came time to prepare a report, or take a test, he could not find the necessary information he needed. For many children, organizing a loose-leaf notebook is a good start. My son uses what in our family we call the color-coded-pocket-folder-method. Each subject has its own pocket-folder. One side is used for completed work, the other side for work to be done. He labels each pocket-folder with a subject, and places the folders in the order of his schedule. (First period, second period, etc.) My son then color coordinates each pocket folder with a matching color spiral notebook. Each subject has its own color, such as red for Math, blue for English, purple for Band. At the end of each quarter he cleans out unnecessary papers that have accumulated in each pocket folder. An effective way of dealing with long-term assignments, such as reading a book, is to break it down into smaller parts. For instance, if your daughter has three weeks to read and prepare a book report, the task may seem overwhelming. Let’s say the book your daughter has chosen has twelve chapters. She might start by reading one or two chapters a day depending on the length of each chapter. This helps decrease the initial task and makes a daunting assignment more manageable. Another tool we find helpful in our family is a calendar. A large monthly calendar is tacked on the refrigerator door. The calendar helps to organize, and keep track of assignments and when they are due, as well as extracurricular activities, band concerts, and class trips. This is a good way for a child to learn to budget his or her time, as well as track important events, with a little help from Mom and Dad. Parents are a child’s first teachers; we play a major role in influencing and stimulating their young minds. Learning is a lifelong process. We need to plant the seeds now for success, so the rewards reaped by our children in years to come will be abundant. Reprinted from Family Times, vol. 8, no. 1, February 1999. Subscriptions are available for $22 for 8 issues. Write to: Family Times, P.O. Box 16422, St. Louis Park, MN 55416, or call 612- 922-6186. Free to Draw and Paint
Art materials and activities may seem like the perfect gift for children—a gift that both entertains and offers new experiences. Unfortunately, some art experiences can actually restrict and inhibit a child’s imagination. An experiment conducted some time ago demonstrates how "dictatorial" art experiences can have a deep and long-lasting negative effect on children. The experiment was done with 250 children, ages six to eight. All had enjoyed a creative program in art before the experiment. They were all in the stage of expression known as the "symbol" stage—that is, they were able to produce pictures creatively about their experiences. The children were divided into two groups. In Group A, the children’s creative program in picture-making was brought to an abrupt halt for ten days. Instead, each day they were given one of these very specific and restrictive activities:
Group B continued to make pictures creatively, without being told what to do or how to do it. On the eleventh day, both groups were taken to a fire station where firefighters showed them the building and equipment. The next day, all the pupils were asked to create a picture about their experience at the fire station. All the children in Group B made drawings that showed their personal reactions. But in Group A, 55 children, nearly half the group, did not illustrate their reactions to the outing, but instead drew houses, birds, etc., just as they had been taught the previous 10 days. The children in Group A were studied periodically for two years. Even after two years, there were still ten children who continued to use the stereotyped work that they had been taught during the 10-day experiment. This experiment is not far removed from the artistic experiences many young children receive through coloring books, patterns, restrictive instructions, and over-programmed activities. You can avoid negative results like these by following these simple guidelines:
Harold H. Alexander, Extension Specialist, Interior Design wrote this article for "Family Daycare News," March 1988, published by the Minnesota Extension Service. As the nation’s governors and corporate leaders concluded their recent National Education Summit in Palisaded, New York, evening news viewers were reminded of the extraordinary power that just one individual can have on influencing academic achievement. Gertrude Williams is the principal of Barclay Elementary, a public school in Baltimore, Maryland. Like many urban educators, she faced daunting challenges, not the least of which was a disturbing decline in student test scores. Her solution to the problems involved taking a bold and unusual step. Ms. Williams turned to successful methods employed by The Calvert School, a private institution in Baltimore. Calvert had created and nurtured an atmosphere of respect for learning. It began at the front door where student were greeted with a handshake from the headmaster each day as they entered school. In the classroom, a mastery of the basics–reading, writing and arithmetic–was the guiding force. The watchful eye of teachers committed to tapping the full potential of each pupil. It was an uphill battle to establish the Calvert spirit at Barclay. Skeptics argued the educational principles of an upscale private school couldn’t be applied to their neighborhood elementary school. Gertrude Williams had to fight to convince the powers to be of her vision. Luckily for Barclay, and all of us, she perservered. Today, Barclay Elementary is a model for the nation. Student performance on standardized test exceeds the national average. Kindergartners read at first-grade level, first graders write long compositions in script. Disciplinary problems are minimal. Students live up to the high expectations and respect they receive. All this because one principal dared to reach out and set the same standards for her students as the most expensive private schools. The Education Summit at Palisades—cohosted by IBM’s Chairman and CEO, Lou Gerstner, and the National Governors’ Association—was also about standards. For perhaps the first time, representatives from business played a major role at a meeting about the direction education must take to keep America competitive. Forty-nine business leaders joined the 41 governors in a joint effort to improve the nation’s schools. Business leaders stressed that they need high school graduates who are ready to acquire the skills needed in a manufacturing as well as a service economy. Companies don’t want graduates who need remedial training in educational basics. Mobil has partnered with educators for more than 30 years through a variety of programs funded by the Mobil Foundation. To help raise academic standards we’ve provided grants for teacher preparation and development as well as curriculum reform. At the summit, industry agreed to implement hiring practices within one year that will require applicants to demonstrate academic achievement. The governors promised academic standards, assessments and accountability systems within the next two years. This move toward standards, accountability and the involvement of industry is critical to ensuring American workers can compete in tomorrow’s global economy. The governors and business leaders have promised annual progress reports. But one determined educator in the inner city has demonstrated that we don’t need to wait for someone else to establish standards to improve academic achievement. Gertrude Williams’ students will be ready for employment upon graduation. Her story is an inspiration. Reprinted from The New York Times, Thursday, April 11, 1996. |
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Foster and Adoptive Care Association
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