In newspapers and magazines around the country, there are plenty of articles debating homework. Do kids have enough homework to practice necessary skills? Is it interfering with extra-curricular activities and family time? On one hand, many families complain that their children are swamped with schoolwork. Students start their homework when they hit the front door, take a break for supper, then hit the books again until bedtime. On the other hand, US students are lagging behind their international counterparts in essential skills such as math. Politicians and reformists are pushing for more homework instead of less. What is going on?
In spite of views to the contrary, homework does serve a number of important educational purposes. It's not a lazy teacher's way out of educating, and it's not intended to force parents to be teachers. It IS intended to provide practice for needed skill development and also to build character strengths such as independence, initiative, and time management. Homework is one vehicle to help students become the self-motivated learners that they need to be as adults. It gives the teacher evidence of whether a student is grasping concepts, too. Yes, homework is a valuable part of the school experience. And yes, there are also guidelines for how much homework is appropriate for a given age group. Most schools strive to adhere to these guidelines, and you can likely find your school's policy by speaking to the teacher, the principal or the curriculum development administrator.
However, we all know children who spend vast amounts of time on homework assignments. Perhaps one or more of your own students works for hours on end to complete the work. Maybe some of your child's friends, or the children of your acquaintances struggle in this way. Homework in these households eats up hours and hours of free and family time. It becomes absolutely the only thing that gets done in the household on a nightly basis. Parents feel like jail keepers and children feel like abused prisoners. No one has time for other important parts of life, like socializing, sports activities, or family togetherness.
The problem, in many cases, is not too much homework-others seem to get the work accomplished in a reasonable amount of time. The child's classmates have the freedom to have a friend visit or participate in lessons or be on a team. If everyone is responsible for the same amount of work, then the issue lies elsewhere. There are numerous possibilities.
Poor Organizational Skills
Some children spend inordinate amounts of time at their desks, but the sheer amount of work being accomplished is low. These children start a task, then realize that they need the markers from the other room, or that they didn't write down the assignment correctly and need to call a classmate, or that they've run out of paper and have to head to the closet to get more. Lots of time is wasted during the process and students spend a great deal of time spinning their proverbial wheels.
As an experiment, check on your child every five minutes or so. See what has been accomplished during that time. Watch to see what is actually being done during homework time. Try imposing a bit of organization on the student: provide an uncluttered workspace with all supplies right at hand. Check on the completeness of assignments and availability of materials before homework time starts. You may find that the time spent can be used far more efficiently than it has been.
Attention Problems
Some students have trouble focusing and paying attention to the task at hand. Children with ADHD have particular difficulties, but all children may have this problem when working on a task that is not intrinsically motivating. Make sure the work area is free from distractions, such as television or other children playing. Set small goals, such as five problems completed in the next fifteen minutes, and use a timer to monitor task completion. Try offering a reward for finishing homework in a timely manner.
Slow Work Pace
Most of the time, seemingly excessive homework can be related directly to a student's work pace. A student who is not a fluent reader may take twice as long to read an assignment as one who is proficient. A student who takes just four seconds to solve a basic math fact (instead of the standard two seconds) will double the amount of time to finish arithmetic assignments. If your child is still counting on fingers to add and subtract, or hasn't memorized those multiplication and division facts, math simply will take two to three times as long as expected. An hour long math assignment might turn into a three hour affair.
If your child is laboring over homework, consider asking his or her teacher to assess basic skills. Students who have not become proficient at reading, writing and math skills appropriate for their age level will have difficulty completing their homework quickly and accurately. Another option is to hire a private tutor to assess and build those skills.
In any case, a child who spends way too much time on homework needs help. He or she is not likely to be willfully disobeying parents and teachers. Help is needed. Don't let the kids suffer because we fail to recognize red flags when we see them. Homework is not intended to be the only activity of childhood on a daily basis. Let the teacher know if you see a pattern like this, and he or she will have some suggestions to help your family.
