Thursday, September 30, 2010

A Note on Homework

My daughter started third grade this month and is getting more homework than she was used to in second grade. There have been some nights where she's been really stressed about it, too. I'm talking on-the-verge-of-tears stressed. It is hard for me as a parent but as a teacher it really gets me thinking. That's NOT what I want homework to be for my students.

I want homework to be for skill building and for practicing important things we learned in school. I try to make sure that every homework assignment I give is meaningful, not just busy-work. And I think I do a pretty good job of that. But I also try to make sure that I don't give an overwhelming amount. When homework makes a child stressed or, worse, makes them cry, then it is no longer beneficial.

So, I need to say this. If you or your child is ever feeling stressed about homework--feeling like it's too much or it's overwhelming or it's impossible or it's making them (or you) cry--please just stop doing it, write me a note, and ask for help or ask for an extra day. I absolutely don't want them feeling stressed out and upset about their school work.

And this definitely applies to exhibitions, too. As we get closer to Exhibition time, things get busy and the workload increases. The best advice is to get started now. But if you do that and are still feeling like it's too much, let me know. We can work it out together.

If you ask me to choose between a child's confidence and homework getting turned in, I'll choose confidence every time. Thanks for listening--this has been something I've been meaning to tell you for awhile.

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