Homework, When it Isn't Helpful

Homework is not successful when it causes frustration at home. When parents have to play homework cop, the potential for healthy interaction is reduced. Yes, some families really do go for 'more is better' on the homework front, but that is not a widely held outlook.

When I was in elementary school, I didn't have regular homework until 6th grade. That homework was just to get me used to the idea for jr. high. A good part of my afternoons in elementary school was spent playing with friends, finding ways to entertain myself, using my imagination, and learning conflict resolution by dealing with conflicts between my friends and myself. Adults were seldom around, or 'under foot'. They were readily available when someone got hurt, or if we couldn't solve problems on our own. I remember going home with bruised feelings and ego. I would talk to my mom, and try her suggestions later that day, or the next.

Today, so many children have their lives scheduled for them from dawn 'till dusk. They are never without a parent within reach, or at least a quiet shout. They don't have the chance to deal with conflict on their own, because as soon as one child shouts unfair, or someone gets hit, then a parent is in there pulling rank and dealing with it. The child doesn't have a chance. I think it is a shame that children don't have the opportunities I had to learn on their own through trial and error. The school of hard knocks is not perfect, but it is effective, and the lessons learned are not soon forgotten.

Back to homework though. I find that when the homework is not looked at by the teacher after being completed, that is the WORST kind of homework. The child realizes the teacher doesn't look at it, so it must not be important and is a waste of time! Sending homework without it being related to classroom work, or without being taught first in the classroom, causes stress in the child and potentially they reinforce incorrect thinking. If the student doesn't understand and the parent does it, what has the child learned?

The best homework I have come across, is leveled to the student's ability. Allowing them to reinforce what they know. And should not take more than 15-20 minutes.

What do you think?