Updated: November 19, 2016
Originally Published: October 16, 2016
A recent letter from a second-grade teacher gained significant attention, and rightly so. “This year, I will not be assigning formal homework,” she informed parents. “Instead, I encourage you to focus on activities linked to student success. Share family dinners, read together, play outside, and ensure your child gets to bed early.” I wholeheartedly agree with her approach. In fact, what else might contribute to student success? Perhaps having parents who experience less stress. And what would ease my stress? Eliminating the NIGHTLY ORDEAL THAT IS HOMEWORK.
Let me clarify: I have immense respect for educators. Seriously, teachers, your dedication is commendable, and I struggle to manage homework during our busy evenings. I know you’re not conspiring to drive me to madness with each take-home task.
However, homework is just one more item added to my already overflowing to-do list for the few hours I have between 4 PM, when my kids arrive home from school, and 8 PM, when I attempt to usher them to bed. There’s the backpack rummaging, paper sorting, dinner preparation, and cleanup. Then comes bath time and teeth brushing. I try to squeeze in a bit of playtime as well. And that’s on a night without any extracurricular activities; add in soccer practice or a karate class, and the time constraints become even more pronounced. Plus, kids are unbelievably slow.
Now, let’s incorporate homework into this hectic schedule. When I cheerfully announce, “Time for homework!” my children don’t exactly leap into action. Instead, I’m met with whining and sluggishness, as they shuffle to their backpacks like characters from a zombie movie. Then comes the inevitable search for a pencil, which, when located, is usually dull and requires yet another search for the sharpener.
This is merely the setup. The actual homework session is even more excruciating. Even the simplest tasks, like “Color this cat yellow!” are met with resistance as if they’ve been assigned a PhD thesis on the behavioral patterns of fruit flies. They slump over their papers, producing a word every two minutes, punctuated by declarations of “I caaaaan’t” and “It’s haaaaard,” regardless of the real difficulty. If they submit a half-hearted effort, I insist they redo it, which leads to even louder protests.
It would be wonderful if I could just say, “Do your homework!” and walk away, but that’s as effective as preparing dinner and expecting it to cook itself. Homework requires support, guidance, and redirection. Meanwhile, I should be multitasking with laundry or other chores, but here I am, hovering over my kids as they complain.
You’d think they’d realize that finishing homework promptly is in everyone’s best interest. Grit your teeth, focus, and complete it right the first time! Cut out the whining and procrastination, and we’d be done in half—no, a quarter—of the time. But despite my best efforts, they seem determined to stretch out the process into a torturous ordeal.
It’s even more challenging when they bring home genuinely difficult assignments and seek my help. My skills in math are dismal at best, so when my sixth-grader presents a complex equation requiring step-by-step breakdowns, my mind goes blank. Nothing feels more frustrating than struggling with a question meant for upper elementary students. We sit in silence, both of us wrestling with the problem, as our patience wears thin.
Unless I deliver a motivational speech that shifts my kids’ attitudes (which is unlikely), homework will remain the dark cloud hanging over our evenings. We tackle it out of necessity, but I can’t fault my kids for resisting it—neither do I relish the task.
Regardless of the simplicity of the homework, it adds yet another obligation to our already packed evenings, when we’re all just a bit too weary to take on more.
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Summary
Homework presents a nightly struggle for many parents, adding stress to an already packed evening schedule. While educators aim to support student success, the burden of homework often leads to resistance and frustration from children and parents alike. Exploring alternative resources can help alleviate some of the associated challenges.
Keyphrase: Homework struggles for parents
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