Homework Hints for Overwhelmed Children and Harried Parents
Author: Amy Ridgeway

Do you still groan when you remember all those hours spent puzzling over quadratic equations or sentence diagrams? Now you’re the parent, and you’re faced with a full backpack at the end of a long day and a resistant child who would much rather play ball with the dog than face yet more schoolwork. Here are a few hints to help you along, and some places to look if you can’t figure out how to make x=y or explain the difference between an adverb and an adjective.

?Routines are important. Children thrive on them. Set one up for dealing with homework. Have a set snack/play/homework/supper/bedtime routine. If you make this a habit, getting assignments done may become easier. Even the most free-spirited parent might find himself gazing with satisfaction at a book bag packed with completed homework sitting by the back door and a tired child in pajamas ready for bed by 9 p.m.
?Set up an area where your child can do homework, complete with appropriate reference materials and necessary supplies. Gather the things that your child will need for school, then guard them from unauthorized use by creative children who promise that this time they will remember to put the crayons away before the dog eats them.
?Limit distractions during homework time. Really, we are all adults now and we can confess that listening to that Pink Floyd LP at top volume made absolutely no contribution to our abilities to find the sine, cosine or tangent of trigonometric functions. Give your child the gift of a quiet space to complete the necessary work.
?Ask for help if you just don’t know what’s going on. You might find help in surprising places. Your neighbor could be a retired teacher. Your father might have more patience with his grandchild than he had with you. The school principal might just be a math teacher who is longing to set aside administrative duties to help your child with calculus. (I know this because two principal friends eagerly admitted that they love to help kids learn math!)
?Check out community resources that can help you help your child. Public librarians are just itching to share all the information at their fingertips. One in Washington County shared a QUEST program developed to instruct parents how to help their children use the library. Ask PTA members or principals to schedule a homework night with a guest speaker who can help you help your child be successful in school.
?Talk with your child’s teacher. School recommendations for homework are 10 minutes per evening per grade - 10 minutes for first grade, 20 minutes for second and so on. If you feel overwhelmed with the amount of work being sent home, talk to the right people - the teacher and the principal.
?Take homework time for yourself, too. If your child does not need direct help in completing the assignments, sit beside her and do your homework at the same time. You can balance the checkbook, read the newspaper, make a weekly menu and shopping list, or catch up on correspondence. Your child will feel like you’re all in this together and you might get some necessary things out of the way as well.
?Invest in a planner for your child if the school does not provide one. Teach him to write down all the assignments that need to be completed for the day. Six-year-olds are not too young to learn the unparalleled pleasure of crossing completed items off a to-do list.
?Remember that this, too, shall pass, and perhaps tomorrow will be a snow day! Relish a job well done, and look forward to Saturday evening when you get a break from homework!
- Source: Scott Albright, principal, Bunker Hill, Elementary School and Ron Stephens, assistant principal, Musselman High School.


QUEST
?Question: Try to find out what the assignment is to make sure you understand what’s going on. Ask your child to share papers from the teacher or direct instructions before you proceed.
?Understand: Help the child understand what the assignment is all about.
?Envision: Ask the child to envision what the assignment will look like when it’s done. Ask open-ended questions that will elicit more than just “yes?or “no?answers.
?Strategize: Plan what you need to do to complete the assignment and then be prepared to carry out the plan.
?Target: Fine-tune the project by focusing specifically on what the teacher requires to get an “A.?Be prepared to carry out the plan. Load up the car; you’re going to the library for research or to a store for posterboard and foam board.
This is a beginning reference interview that librarians love to use to make sure children get exactly the right piece of information to complete the necessary assignments.
- Source: Jeff Ridgeway from Washington County Free Library in Hagerstown, as presented to PTAs and other parenting groups.

Some Web sites to help you along:
www.kidsclick.org
school.discovery.com/homeworkhelp/bjpinchbeck
aolsvc.aol.factmonster.com
www.studyworksonline.com/cda/home/0,,NAV1,00.html
www.homeworkelephant.co.uk/tipslist.shtml

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