It’s time for a conference with the teacher and/or the administration of your child’s school if homework consists of copying, or just answering meaningless questions. Homework must be creative and directed; its goals and objectives easily recognizable.
Ideally, by the time children reach middle school, they should have acquired the study skills to prepare their homework themselves with little parental involvement. During these grades, homework should maximally be 90 minutes with the ideal average of one hour per night.
Parents of children in these grades should also realize that the prime responsibility of completing homework assignments rests upon the child not the parent. Too often parents of middle school children feel the necessity to work with their children directing them every step of the way, without giving them the responsibility to accomplish and complete their assignments independently. While it is true that parents who help their children do so in order to enhance their grades, ultimately they are doing a disservice to them. Children have to be taught and must understand that homework is their responsibility and they in turn will be held accountable, not their parents.
Parents who adopt this stance might initially see a lowering of their child’s grades, but in the long run their child will learn the valuable lesson of responsibility and accountability. It will make them independent thinkers and learners and they will take pride in their own work and accomplishments.
Perhaps a more important part of the home-school partnership must be the realization by the school and the teachers that the child’s home plays an invaluable role in the child’s personality and upbringing and that there must be ample quality time in allowing the children some “down time” to interact with their family.
In our school, no homework was given over Shabbat or any holidays, or when the children had a special performance in the school the night before. Additionally, no tests were administered on a Monday when the children returned from school after the weekend. All this was done so that an unquestioning policy resonated with the parents on the importance of family interaction and love and that the child has a multi-faceted life in which the school is only one aspect.
The formula is clear and decisive. By following these principles, both children and parents will be less pressured and an optimal learning environment will be formed so that the child will grow to be a responsible member of our nation.
