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Now that we are back in school, it means less leisure time for parents and
students. Parents as well as students often complain about the amount of
time for homework.
When I polled the students in my class about their homework rituals, I was
surprised to learn how much time they took to do their homework, and how
late they were staying up. Students fumed "I have four hours of
homework every night!" and "I stay up until 1:00 a.m. doing homework." These
comments came from junior high and high school students. All of which
wanted more free time, time with their families and less stress.
Recently on the Today Show, one educator gave some guidelines to homework
assignments and the stress that families experience on a daily basis.
Children in primary classes usually have about one half hour of
assignments per night. The educator recommended that
another one half hour should be spent on reading or studying. Junior high students have one hour
of assignments per night to complete, and one hour should be spent reading
and studying in another subject. High school students have one and one
half hour of assignments, with additional time spent reading.
Procrastination always is a factor in doing homework. This seemed to be a
factor with many students. After school, they commented about fatigue and
hunger. Many of them took naps before dinner and postponed opening books
until later in the evening. All of them managed to watch their favorite TV
programs. If math was the least favorite subject, it was often the last
book opened.
Parents are often are frustrated with children who are difficult to wake up
the next morning, not to mention all the complaining and whining about
homework.
Some of the suggestions to lesson the stress, fatigue and frustration follow:
. Do as much work as you can at school during the day, or to and from
school, riding bus, in the car.
. Work with other students so you can talk over the assignment. Sharing
ideas and dividing up tasks.
. Make the most of your time. Stay on task, turn off TV or radio. Set a
goal to finish each subject within a certain time limit. Use an
inexpensive kitchen timer to keep daydreaming to a minimum. This works
well with young students as well as high schoolers.
After school, eat a healthy snack, and do something for twenty
minutes. Exercise, play some basketball,soccer, or jogging will eliminate
the need for a nap. Set goals to complete homework assignments before
dinner. Educators recommend that assignments be completed shortly after
the school day. Memory of the assignment will be clearer and shorten the
time needed to complete the assignment.
Following these recommendations may not completely remove the homework
stress from your child, but hopefully assignments can be completed without
too much complaining. Perhaps students will establish some better work
schedules and get to sleep at a reasonable hour.
On an encouraging note, we only have eight more months of homework left of
the school year!
 
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