Who is responsible for what when it comes to your child's homework? Does the parent carry any burden, the teacher, or is it the student who needs to bear the brunt? Hear from a veteran school teacher on his views.

Homework

For years I never gave homework for the following reasons. I felt children spent enough time in school, they needed time to be children and enjoy their very short childhood. When children did not do their homework it caused constant (and unnecessary) conflicts between parents and children. The disagreements about how much homework, what kind, appropriateness, and general confusion about the lessons caused serious communication and rapport problems between parents and teachers. If the homework was too easy it was mere busy work. If it was too hard it caused frustration, failure, and contributed to poor self-esteem; mainly to those who could not afford any more attacks on their weak self-images.

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I give homework now because it is the district policy, and, at 67, I don't have the extra energy to fight about it. However, I do believe there CAN be some real positives to it.

If you look at homework as one type of daily training in personal responsibility, then no matter whether it is easy or difficult, your child must give it a try and turn in something each day. However, we must clarify who is responsible for what, thereby avoiding many potential conflicts.

District - It determines how much TIME is necessary each day for each grade. In Rialto in fourth grade it is between and hour and an hour and a half. Since reading is the major focus, at least half that time should be spent reading library books, magazines, or online computer time.

Teacher - The teacher is responsible for determining the CONTENT of the homework. I make out the print out each week that tells you exactly what is expected of the child each day. This clarifies for you and the child what is to be done. Since we have library every Thursday I provide the children the chance to select two books that they can read during their daily homework silent reading time of half an hour plus. For the other half an hour plus I provide assignments in math, language, spelling, science, social studies, or art. It may focus on one subject or skill or a combination as I see general needs or meet the Essential Standards set by the state.

In the morning many of the lessons can be and are checked by the children so that they can get immediate feedback and can learn from their mistakes. Some I grade. Mostly the lessons are for practice and reinforcement and a grade is not necessary. I examine all the work and I make comments on those that need it. They need to know that I examine each piece of work or their motivation is compromised. If I check it I return it so they can get my feedback.

The other part of my responsibility is to have some clear consequences if they do not complete or at least try the homework. If a child does not turn in his homework, he walks during the entire physical education period. Since I have physical education every day, I have found it is excellent leverage. For those children that this doesn't work I either have them do extra handwriting during their daily art lesson or some other academic activity so their consequence is also educational. I do not have him make up work, but if he does his work the next day, he gets to play. There are no long term consequences; each day is a new opportunity to demonstrate responsibility. There are NO excuses accepted.

Parent - Your responsibility is to make certain the child has a safe, at least somewhat, quiet place to work. Between you and your child there should be a decision at what time each day is set aside for the child to do homework. Changing the place and time confuses the child and gives him excuses for not getting the work done. You may or may not help your child, but if you and your child discuss the homework that's a plus for both.

My goal is to release you from the responsibility of the homework, except to provide a place and time to do it. The more responsibility you take the less the child takes. It's the child's job to do it without having you nag or even remind him. When he gets to school he will face the consequences of his actions and no parent involvement is necessary. This leaves you free to love and to interact with your child without worrying about homework.

Child - The child's responsibilities are simple. He completes or tries every assignment. He brings it in every morning. (Doing it and then leaving it at home is irresponsible AND a parent bringing it bails the child out of the responsibility.) He needs to learn to ask questions if he doesn't understand the lesson. He is to either correct his paper in the morning, listen to the answers if they are read out loud, or turn them in for me to correct or examine.

Now, if he has asked questions, thought he understood, but when he got home he cannot do it, then he can select from these alternatives. He can make up a set of 25 math problems on the skill we're working on that week and do them; he can write a one page summary of the previous day's chapter of the literature book we're reading; he can find ten new words in the dictionary and write the pronunciation, the syllabication, the definition, and use each in a sentence; or he can select an experiment or enrichment activity that we have discussed from our health, social studies, or science lessons.

Those needing challenges can select what interests them and the slower children can create lessons that fit their present skill levels. All public libraries have many resources for additional work that you and your child may wish to do. I will be glad to look at anything extra a child brings in and will give him extra credit. The computers in the libraries have access to Internet and they lock out inappropriate sites. They can help you find many of the best educational sites. I also can do so at your request.

This is not a perfect system, but it gives each participant a clear idea of his and her responsibilities and minimizes excuses and conflicts.

About the Author
Dr. Rose is a teacher with over forty years experience. He has taught all grades, including college. His many books, workbooks, and articles are directed towards parents and teachers better understanding one another and helping them teach their children with greater flexibility.

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Recommended Reading: This book is worth its weight in gold! I was struggling to get my 8 year-old son to do his homework, and then I found help in this book. It's quick and easy to read, and full of useful suggestions and positive plans to teach your child healthy homework habits. The authors teach that praise and assertive communication are effective tools to motivate your child. They also stress the importance of communication with your child's teacher. Because of the authors' advise, my son now has a dedicated homework area (a desk in his room), and a mandatory homework routine (homework is finished before any TV or video games). The results are that he gets his homework done on time, and with good quality, or he loses privileges for things he enjoys. And guess what? It works. I highly recommend this book for any parent who's tired of the nightly homework battle.

(courtesy: Amazon)