A commonsense approach to homework
Homework
is an important part of your child’s education. It allows them children the
opportunity to review concepts and strategies learned in class, and helps them
learn to plan their time outside the classroom. For the parent, it is an
opportunity to see what the child is learning at school, to review and clarify
ideas with the student, and to gage how well their child has understood.
In
cycle three, your child will have approximately forty-five minutes of
homework and studying each week-night. This will include the math pages,
revising math concepts (such as multiplication), working on English homework,
studying French verbs and vocabulary, and revising texts.
Most
assignments and lessons are given over many days so that families can have
multiple nights to complete the work. Given that many students have
extra-curricular activities, parents should review the homework on Monday and
plan how it will be completed during the week. Some nights the student may have
to choose what to focus on: if a text is due the next day, that may take
priority, and math pages need to be completed before we move on to more
challenging concepts. Never is a large amount of work given and expected to
return completed for the next day.
While
it may seem like an obvious statement, homework is to be done at home.
The same way parents supervise the completion of other chores, parents need to
make sure their child completes their homework. Given that homework is not done
in my presence, I rely on parents to ensure that it is completed. I do not
give punishments or rewards at school for something that was or was not done
when I was not present. Teachers would not be
expected to give a detention to a child who did not make her bed, because that
is a home responsibility. The same can be said for homework. I do not control
how the student uses their time after 2:45. That is the role of the parent.
It is my
experience that parents generally value schoolwork and want to help their child
succeed. Therefore, to make sure homework gets done, we use the agenda and the
homework blog to make sure families know what has to be done. Then if work is
not completed I take the following steps:
1) The
first time work is not done, I write a note in the agenda informing you the
work is not done. At this point most parents make sure the work gets competed
and investigate why the assignment is incomplete.
2) The
second time the work it not done, the student and I call home to inform parents
there is a problem and to enlist their help getting the work done.
3) The
third time homework is incomplete, parents need to come to school to meet with
me to discuss the situation. We discuss why the work is not done and find
solutions such as modifying expectations or planning schedules. If the problem
is one of the child refusing to do the work, we may seek the outside help of a
psycho-educator or social worker to help the family solve the problem.
If
for some reason your child is unable to complete the work on a given night (unexpected
company, family emergency, unforeseen circumstances) please write me a note
stating that you know the homework is not done, and letting me know when it
will be completed. In this way I know that the student has informed a parent
they had work that needed to be done. If there are regular obstacles to
homework, please communicate with me to clarify your child's needs.
I
thank you for your help with homework, and for taking the time to support your
child in his or her learning.
Kathy Napier
Assignments can be found on the homework blog
http://msnapiersclasshomework.blogspot.ca/ or by clicking the icon on the sidebar to the right.
