The Beginning
September 28th, 2009 by KarenDon’t let the title of this post mislead you. This is just the beginning of the blog portion of this website. I just felt the need to have a place to wax philosophical about education, to share tips and articles for parents, and to share the occasional humorous story about my adventures in tutoring. Of course, names will be changed to protect the innocent.
As a new school year starts, I would like to share a few ideas that might help your child have a more successful school year, although kids don’t always see the wisdom in the things we choose for them to do.
- If your student is using a planner, check it for homework assignments.
- Establish a system for returning completed homework to school. I make sure my students have what we call a homework folder. One side is designated for papers coming home, the other is for assignments that need to be returned. And then check the folder before your child leaves for school.
- Establish good communication with teachers so missing assignments don’t come as a surprise a month later.
- Establish a set daily study time. Even if the student doesn’ t have homework, he still should use that time to re-read assignments, study vocabulary, make flashcards, work on math facts, or even just read. Making sure that study time is a routine will help ensure the completion of homework.
At first, many students, especially middle and high school age kids, will balk at what they perceive as interference. But as they become more proficient at taking care of homework issues themselves, then you can gradually turn the reigns over to them. And getting homework turned in on a consistent basis, will improve their grades and cause feelings of…wait for it…SUCCESS. And isn’t that what we want for our children?