| The Great Homework Debate |
| Is your child having trouble with their homework assignments? Here is how you can help them. |
| Your Role "Ideally, the role of a parent is to encourage a love of learning and make a child feel confident enough to do the work himself," says Cholden, herself a fifth-rade teacher in Chicago. But she also warns that "some homework problems are not about homework. They're about power struggles between child and parent, getting attention or relying on a parent to get things done. There are hundreds of things that go on in the homework battles." Her suggestions: Help with the first few questions. If your child can't get started on an assignment, work on the beginning problems with him, then challenge him to do the rest on his own. "You can sit with him, " advises Cholden, "but put the ball back in his homework court." Break up a big assignment. If the assignment is large or complicated, help your child split it into smaller tasks, then tell him to complete the first one. If he returns for help on what to do next, that's all right. |
| Make a "homework contract." If your child is having homework problems, draw up a contract between you, your child and your child's teacher. In it, set a goal and a realistic reward, then increase the goals as the week's pass. If you give assistance, don't hide it. Cholden has seen many a science-fair project that clearly had a parent's hand in it, but no mention of the parent. "The last thing you want is your child thinking he can pass off someone else's work as his own," she says. The solution: Sign onto such projects as a partner. It teaches a child that collaboration is OK and that asking for help is never a bad idea. Ask for a teacher conference. If all your attempts fail and your child is crying, frustrated and confused, sit down with your child and her teacher and figure out the problem. Andrea Atkins Woman's Day 9/1/00 |