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Homework Halftime
Rated by 7 members
Just after 3:40, Caitlin and Ellie tumble off the bus and pour in the back door. The talk is all of growling tummies and a new tire swing stunt called "jelly bean."
Finally, I bring up homework. "What have you got tonight?" I ask with dread. Two pages of math each. One has a paragraph to write and reading time to log. One has a set of worksheets to finish by Friday. I anticipate a lot of oversight to get through all of this, and I'm not far off.
After their snack, the big girls file upstairs to their room to start their work. I start folding laundry while Talie works on a gluing project. Within minutes, I'm up in the girls' room, answering math questions. Back down. "Mom! I need you!" Back up.
Pretty soon everyone's frustrated. Caitlin needs almost constant help with the math directions. Ellie needs more quiet to concentrate. Both of them are irritable about more work after working all day at school. Talie wants me back downstairs. I want to clone myself so I can be in three places at once.
The next night, I think Caitlin and Ellie are diligently working up in their room, but when I check on them just before dinner, they are doing a "set-up" with their dolls. Pencils and papers are untouched, which touches a nerve with me.
After similar scenarios play out over the next few days, it's clear we need a new approach to homework. Jumping right into it after school is too abrupt. Even 15 or 20 minutes to blow off steam and reconnect with each other after coming home seems vital.
So on the days we're not heading out to ballet or lacrosse after school, it's a snack then out the door for at least 20 minutes. We're lucky to have a roomy backyard, so the girls can swing, ride bikes, build fairy houses, or "skate" on the ice in the field.
A lot of times I join in for a game of tag or hide-and-seek. This puts everyone — including me and Talie — in a better frame of mind to settle down for school work at about 4:30.
Then, there are some logistics to deal with. Ellie needs plenty of quiet, so she works upstairs at a desk in the girls' room. If she gets distracted and slacks off, the next day she has to work in the kitchen or the living room. So far, this has been incentive enough to keep her on task. Caitlin works at the kitchen table, where I can help her with directions and spelling, as well as keep an eye on Talie and start dinner.
Several months into the school year, these tactics are holding up. Which means any day now the girls will come home with some giant project — a term paper on the common sea gull or a diorama of Icleand to make — and send us right back to square one.
Member Comments On…
Homework Halftime
As a mom who works 10-6 so I can do the morning drop-off. I pick my 2nd grader and my pre-schooler up at my mom's about 7:15. I am lucky they are fed and bathed because when we get home I have a few catch-up minutes with them, then put my pre-schooler into bed as my 2nd grader finishes up what she didn't get to after school at my mom's. She does the easy homework after school and usually does the harder math home work which usually involves math cards and games and write-ups, as soon as possible. She often doesn't go to bed until 9:00. They certainly receive more homework than I remember doing. I wish there was more time in the school day for in-school homework and that they had less to do each night. A good night's sleep would be better for them, I think.
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To preserve my sanity, I devised a schedule that has truly worked for us. At 7pm, Destiny goes to reading time in her room (30 minutes with clock set on stove)& Johnathon sits at the table to do his homework with me. This gives him one-on-one time with Mom in case he has any questions. At the buzzer goes, Destiny comes out, records her reading on her log & Johnathon goes to 30 minutes playtime. Destiny comes to the table, finishes any math homework left then practices her spelling words and her poem memorization with me. I check her math and have her do her corrections. After the buzzer goes off, Des goes to playtime & Johnathon and I do reading time. Because I integrate the playtime in between, they don't get overworked. If they have time left at the end of their shift, they get talk time with Mom.
9 |
The excessive amounts of homework given by the school was in pro to homeschool on our pro con list way back when we first went to schooling at home. We school all 4 of the children at the kitchen table. Our school hours are about from 9-4, but we do all the meat subjects BEFORE lunch, after lunch the children get what I call brain moosh! They have a protein type snack around 10, then work until lunch and a short break, then it is time for the elective type subjects, then another break & more snacks before activities like Tae Kwon Do & ballet. We don't have homework.
2 |
I totally agree that kids need a break after school. I let my son who is seven do something outside weather permitting or "jump" around for 20 minutes then we snack and talk about our days. It is a great break for both of us and a great way to stay connected!
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Absolutely kids need some downtime. I just read an article that getting just a little extra sleep often heightens kids' cognitive abilities. And not being so overscheduled leads to unstructured play (we can hope), which leads to enhanced imagination, creativity and the like. A little structure is never a bad thing but it has to be balanced with at least an equal amount of freeform time.
3 |
I agree with everyone! It is hard to juggle working, the tired, hungry child walking in the door, and any activities after school. Somewhere in the mix of the madness you try to feed them and do homework? "They" leave out all those manuals when you give birth! Being a working mom of three, when they walk in the door feed them! Talk or listen to them! And just let them be for awhile, whatever is that they need to do to unwind! Most importantly, set a good routine! Kids need and thrive on a schedule! Mine know they have 30-60 minutes to veg then it's homework, supper, bath, books, and bed!If we have baseball or dance then I plan! Crockpot supper! Books on the road! I agree kids don't have to be in every after school activity! That's overload for everyone!I think we all have to remember kids will be kids and should be! It's our responsibility as parents to make sure that happens!
8 |
I could really relate to this article.
I have a daughter in third grade and a
two year old son. So at homework time
I have to be a teacher, as well as an
entertainer to my two year old.
What I find to be helpful is to do some
school work at other times of the day.
For instance, when my daughter was learning her letters I used to keep index cards with letters on them in the
drawer in the bathroom. So when it was bathtime we would practice them. Today I do the same thing, only it is with spelling words. I also keep math flashcards in my car. So when we are waiting for the bus or just have a few minutes in the car we do those. In all
honestly my daughter doesn't mind, she finds it fun.
6 |
My oldest daughter is a 2nd grader. So far, the homework load hasn't been too much. I think though that many parents overload their children with too much after school stuff. Soccer, dance, swim lessons, hockey, scouts, karate, gymnastics, or whatever else there is out there. I wonder how kids cope, many of them never get to just "play" with friends and toys. My daughters are in dance and the older one is in girl scouts and bowls on Saturdays. That is only 3 regularly scheduled things and she sometimes feels frazzled. Being near younger children when they work on homework, I believe, is a good way to stay in tuned and connected to the child and know how things are going at school.
1 |
My mom taught us the importance of taking a break after school and just "vegging" out. I also think it's a good lesson for adults -- we often go directly from work to rushing around making dinner, doing household chores. It's important to take time to reconnect with your family after a long day of work, even if just for a few minutes before the dinnertime madness starts!
7 |
My son is a 1st grader this year and has had homework almost every night since school started. One night it took us over an hour to complete all his work. That really cuts into time we spend together as a family, and of course time to cook dinner, and other household chores that need to be done after working all day. I think homework is a good thing, but at such a young age should really be kept to a minimum.
4 |
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