Re: I hate homework!


As a teacher myself (slightly older children) and a parent of
distractable boys, let me suggest the following:

Set a timer for 15 minutes. Encourage your son to concentrate for those
15 minutes. Let him work aloud if it helps him with the sentence
construction.

When the 15 minutes are over, so is homework. If he hasn't done enough,
so be it. If he wants to spend more time at it, let him have another
15-minute block later in the evening or before school in the morning,
but NOT right away. 15 minutes is the reasonable maximum for the work
he is doing, and certainly the right amount of time for his age.

While he is working, do whatever you can to help him concentrate. Swing
on over occasionally to help him or praise him or re-focus him. Remind
him that his daily goal is FIVE sentences, not 20 at a time. (Five is
actually quite a lot for his age, but that's the teacher's problem.)

Make sure he first does the word(s) he's not already familiar with.
At another time, quiz him aloud on spelling and meanings of his words.

If he doesn't complete his homework for the week, it's not a disaster so
long as he's doing well on his tests. If he's trying hard and learning
to concentrate (don't expect success right away, of course) then discuss
the issue with his teacher. Personally, I think she's assigning too
much homework for a kid his age.

Remember that the goals of an assignment like this are:

1. Get in the habit of doing homework regularly. (Not really
necessary, but teachers seem to like the idea.)
2. Improve concentration. (Backfires at the end of the school day, but
no reason not to try, at least.)
3. Improve handwriting. (Better writing is superior to greater
quantity of writing, so make sure he's doing his best even if he
does less.)
4. Learn to create sentences. (Do fewer, make them interesting, and
read a lot of books aloud that are just above his own reading
level. You already knew that ...)
5. Learn the words! (Can be done aloud, especially for the words he
alread knows.)

Spending too long at homework can really backfire. Don't let him.
Spend the balance of time reading or discussing things of mutual
interest. Or playing, or helping his brother, or helping YOU.

The timer really does help a lot of kids.

I hope these thoughts help,
--Beth Kevles
bethkevles@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic
Disclaimer: Nothing in this message should be construed as medical
advice. Please consult with your own medical practicioner.

NOTE: No email is read at my MIT address. Use the GMAIL one if you would
like me to reply.
.

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