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School Work: MIA
No, The Dog Did Not Eat Your Child's Homework
By Kimberly Austin
Work Load
"Alicia does not have enough homework," Potts says. "Homework helps develop study habits and helps them to learn a little bit more than they did in that short period of class time." Homework is usually based on the day's lesson plan. Some teachers, like Turner, go over the lesson again the next morning. This repetition helps children learn.
Turner currently teaches second graders. She gives them one page each of spelling, math and reading that takes about 30 minutes to complete. Potts says Alicia spends approximately that much time on her homework. Amanda spends 8 to 10 hours a week.
According to Turner, children are never too young to have homework or to have a homework routine. "I had one young girl who in the second grade was a pleasure to teach, because her mother had already taught her the importance of organization and learning," she says.
Do Your Research
Hodge suggests doing a little field research with your child before establishing a routine. Determine what time of day works best with her and what materials she will need. The easiest way to do this is to have a conversation with her the first minute they enter school.
All children are different and so are their study habits, as Hodge, also a mother, discovered. "One of my children had to come home from school and do his homework immediately, but the other one could wait until after dinner," Hodge says.
No matter what time in the evening a child starts his or her homework, research suggests that a quiet area away from the television or other distractions works best. Parents should make sure that children have materials like pencils, pens, paper, dictionary, calculator and erasers at heir disposal.