Arguing, meltdowns and frustration can make parents dread homework just as much as — or more than — the kids do.
But some local educators think homework is an important part of success in school, a communication tool for parents and a way for kids to learn responsibility.
"I feel that homework helps kids succeed in school because it reinforces the learning at home," said Kendra Forgacs, principal of Desert Willow Elementary School. "Just as a baseball player needs to take batting practice daily to be successful, I believe that students need to be doing some academics at home throughout the week. Homework is also a tremendous communication tool with parents. It shows parents what students are learning and allows parents the opportunity to connect the learning to their own lives. Homework also helps students build their personal responsibility and create time management skills."
In first and second grade, the purpose of homework is to teach responsibility and prepare the kids for upper grades, said Angie Baser, first and second grade teacher at Manzanita Elementary.
"Young kids need guidance and they're gonna need to be reminded," Baser said. "We try to teach them responsibility that it should be returned and it's not your parent's job to put your homework folder in your backpack. But at that young age, they need reminders from their families."
Taking the battle out of homework time
When Stacy Winstryg's children get home from school, they know they have to do their homework right away.
Her three children — in grades three, seven and 10 — are motivated, since they can't watch TV, go out and play or go to a friend's house until it's done.
"One thing that has always worked really well with my kids is that we get homework done as soon as they come home from school or sports," Winstryg said. "That is how I take the battle out of it...They know that that is the expectation..."
In lower grades, keeping homework as stress-free as possible makes it less of a fight for families, Baser said. And if it is a fight, parents need to communicate that with their child's teacher.
"We tell parents we don't want homework to be a fight or struggle and if it's starting to become that, to tell us," Baser said. "If it's taking longer than 15 minutes to stop...That's for younger kids. We really want them to be excited about school and not be burdensome on the families..."
If homework becomes a battle, Forgacs suggests finding out how much time should be spent on homework each night and then not exceeding that time.
"Set a timer and let the child know that when the timer sounds, it will be time to do something else fun together," Forgacs said. "Just stay in touch with the teacher and communicate if your child is really struggling. In my own experience I have also rewarded my children with M&Ms, we make a game and have fun with it."
When to help
It's pretty easy to jump in and help right away. Not to mention, faster.
But, you should let them try it out first.
"My kids know that they have to try it on their own first," Winstryg said. "And then if they are truly struggling, their dad and I will sit down with them and go over a few problems or areas to help them understand how to solve it. Once they do then they are on their own again and then we will go back and check it after they try it again. It really helps with their confidence when they can figure it out and do it on their own."
Also, check their work when they're done to make sure that they completed it and that they understood what they were doing.
"That way I can see if they made a lot of errors, we can go back and look at it together to help them understand," Winstryg said. "They can't learn if they don't understand how to correct their mistakes."
The assignments Baser gives should only take about 15 minutes and students should be able to complete them independently, she said.
That being said, if a child is really struggling, it's good for a parent to sit down and help and let the teacher know. Having that family support helps the child realize his or her importance and the importance of school work.
"The parent shouldn't be doing it for them, but if it gets to the point they can't do it, they need to let the teacher know because clearly the student isn't ready for that," Baser said. "Homework isn't supposed to be something new. It's supposed to be an extension of something they've already learned in the classroom. If a student looks at it and can't do it that says something to me that I need to review in class or that student needs more help in the classroom."
How to help
If the math problem was 6+7=13, Baser suggests talking about strategies to go about solving the problem. For example, we know 6+6=12, so one more would be 13.
"Use counters that are at home — coins, paper clips etcetera — and draw pictures to show thinking," Baser said.
If a child is stuck on a word, parents can gently ask the child how the picture clues help with the word, chunk the word into smaller parts, ask if the word makes sense in the story, help the child sound it out or try doing a shared reading where the parent reads and then the child reads some, Baser said.
"Most of all, be patient," Baser added.
Another way to help is to have your child explain the homework to you like he or she is a teacher.
"One of the best ways to learn is to teach," Forgacs said.
When reading together parents can ask children clarifying questions to make sure they're really comprehending the text.
"The best thing a parent can do is set a good example for the children and set the tone that school and learning is important," Forgacs said.
Extra help
If the kids need extra help, the Pima County Public Library has a Homework Help program at many of its branches. You can drop in for free tutoring in math, basic science, social studies and writing, no matter what age your child is. You can also do it online.
