When it comes to homework, parents at the kitchen table have no shortage of suggestions for improvement.
Joan Hoigard of La Grange said the amount of homework her three daughters receive is manageable for an 8th grader, freshman and a junior. But she said she sometimes has an issue with the timing of assignments.
“The thing kids hate is to have things sprung on them and be in daily crisis management mode,” Hoigard said. “It’s manageable if they’re allowed to develop time management skills.”
Hoigard said she and her daughters appreciate advance warning on weekly assignments to work ahead and plan around other activities, including choir, dance and band.
“The No. 1 stress reliever is the teacher who posts a calendar or distributes a weekly work guide on Friday so that Saturday and Sunday kids can work ahead and develop strategies,” she said.
Parents said they appreciate a good working relationship with teachers, who are responsive to complaints about excessive homework.
“Some elementary teachers are very approachable and responsive, while others become defensive and point out that it’s the student’s choice to do activities, and homework must always come first,” said Kathleen Vega of La Grange, who has a 6th-grade son and a daughter who is a high school junior.
“This can be very frustrating because we are trying to ensure our son has a balanced life between homework and free time and activities,” Vega said.
Vega also said she questions the value of some assignments.
“The ones that are most frustrating is when my son has to cut pictures out of a magazine to illustrate a point or do a word search or crossword puzzle,” she said. “These just seem like time wasters.”
Dawn Aubert, a former board member in La Grange Elementary District 102 who has a 5th-grade daughter and two daughters in high school, said if written homework is assigned, feedback should be provided.
“Giving out just a check mark or a stamp is a missed opportunity,” she said.
Aubert said she also wished all teachers offered a time limit on homework, such as the 45-minute time frame offered by some of her daughters’ math teachers.
“Sometimes, I’ve had to tell my daughter we have to follow that rule,” she said. “It is time to stop, and we’ll write a note to the teacher. That works really well.”
Parents said it’s important to guard their children’s time and guide them in taking on activities and schoolwork. It means setting limits and occasionally saying no to extracurricular activities, Vega said.
“It’s important to teach the kids that balance involves homework, activities and time for just relaxing,” Vega said. “If you’re lucky, life is a marathon, not a sprint, and it would be unfortunate if we burned kids out before they even got out of high school.”
Twitter: @janemichaels22
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