School
Teacher’s Tools
Hip, Hip, Hooray! There’s Homework Today! I Corinthians 14:40, “Let all things be done decently and in order.”
By Robin Ogle Pastor’s Wife, Calvary Baptist Church, Canton, Illinois
I love when my children have homework because
homework allows me to see all the stuff they neglected to do at school. It let’s me learn all kinds of new vocabulary and spelling words. I get to review wonderful, fun facts about Bernoulli’s Law. I really enjoy the “all-nighters” when kids “forget” about a special project. It is thrilling to go over division tables and spelling words—thousands, no trillions, of times. Isn’t it grand? Since I have been dealing with the homework issue for a whopping 23 years, including 69 science and history fair projects, I have learned a few things about homework.
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All kids, no matter what age, need a homework assignment book. Teach your children to write down their assignments each day. If you start this in K-4, they usually get the hang of it by fifth grade! It is not the teacher’s responsibility nor my responsibility; it is their responsibility to get their homework written down. Train them to show you that little notebook every night— even if there is no homework due. Now, my teens do not have to show me their memo book. By high school, they know the wisdom of having a reminder of their work. If your child tends to lose his assignment notebook, buy a larger size that is easier to find.
2
Note the due date of big projects and reports on the family calendar. Youngsters may need help organizing their time. Oldsters may need some help too. That is where parenting comes in. By junior high, you might just have to say, “Hey Bud, if that project is not totally finished by Monday, YOU ARE LIVING NEXT TO THE COMPUTER WITHOUT FOOD OR WATER ’TIL IT’S DONE.” Encourage and give suggestions, but let the kid do the work. Dr. Tom Vogel says, “The one doing the work is the one doing the learning.” That is the point of school work!
3
Make sure your child has all the tools available to do the job. Get the paper, scissors, glue, hole punch, folders, back boards, and colored pencils at the beginning of the school year when they are inexpensive. If you don’t have access to books or a computer at home, Toll Free 855-214-6551
you need to arrange to get your child to the library. Don’t make your child feel “put out” because he needs to take out books, return books, renew books, lose books, and find books to do his project.
4
Have a set time and place for younger children to do homework. I like school work to be completed before dinner. The evening should be relaxing and free from stress, i.e. homework. Most kids are in an entirely different brain zone by nightfall. The study place should be located where you can view the child. Then look at one subject that needs to be done. Figure out how long that should take and set the oven timer. This keeps the kid motivated and reminds you to check on him. If the timer goes off before he has finished, figure out why. Does he need help understanding the work, or does he need help understanding that the work needs to be done? Lazy students are “corrected,” and educationally challenged students are taught. Keep setting the timer until all the work for that day is finished. When the student shows enough responsibility, he can choose the time and place himself. Also, use the time driving to and from school to study or work on reading homework.
5
Check all homework every single day. Make sure it is neat and your child’s best. Once your children figure out that you care about their schoolwork, they will start caring too. Also, give a look at their projects and reports. Make sure they are neat, have correct spelling and punctuation, and are done to the very best ability. If not, have your children work on them some more.
6
Mom, have a GREAT attitude about homework. If you rant and rave, your kids will fight and complain exponentially! If you voice your displeasure about the amount or type of homework, guess what? They will hate it three-fold. Homework is a part of life. You had homework; the President had homework. All good Americans have homework!
Following these little tips will keep the tsunamis of homework from drowning you! christianwomanhood.org
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