Homework is definitely something that is hard for a lot of families. We know how much of a burden it can be. We, as educational therapists, have to maintain clear boundaries on homework. We are not homework helpers. We are not homework coaches. We teach skills and strategies. If needed, refer back to blog 00 in order to better understand how education therapy is different from tutoring. We justify the discussion of homework in our world as ET’s because it’s all the other parts of homework that we work on. It’s strategy, approach, how to handle a difficult concept, grit, time management, prioritization, task initiation, project management, etc. It is never about completing homework in session but rather managing homework, stress, approach, and efficiency.

We have a lot of opinions when it comes to homework. We strongly believe that kids should be able to be kids. We do not want to delve into the debate of whether or not homework is a good idea. Regardless of the various arguments about the benefits of homework, it is a reality that homework is a part of the vast majority of student lives and something that we (parents, educational therapists, and teachers) have to teach our students to manage.

We know how hard homework time can be in your household. We know how stressful it can be when your child is not doing their homework the way that you think they should be doing it. It can be stressful when your child is either not getting it done at all or not turning it in. Or when they are doing it incorrectly. There are so many different aspects of homework but we are going to give a generalization about how to help you get through homework time.

What Homework Should Be:

There are various things that homework should be. For starters, homework should be a reinforcement of concepts. There are a lot of schools that do the flip model of having the students learn the material at home and then do homework in school. However, most students attend traditional schools where they are learning the material at school with their teachers and doing the reinforcement piece at home in the form of homework. In elementary school, there is reading, writing, and math homework. In middle school, there is homework that is due on different days and more long-term assignments or projects. (Be sure to refer back to blog 02 where we discuss how to calendar in order to better understand how to manage homework!) How it is managed will vary depending on the age group of the student.

The daily struggle of homework involves creating time. After school time can be a battle for students. Most of the time, kids come home from school and do not want to start on their homework right away because they are just burnt out from the day. This can lead to a big fight between you and your child and the rest of the time after school becomes about getting homework done rather than family/quality time. Most students who struggle in school actually work twice as hard as their peers to produce half as much.

It is important to remember that your child is not defying you in particular. Starting their homework and getting it done is very hard for them. Their day is so long while they are at school. If you were to break down how many daily transitions, projects, concepts, ideas, and responsibilities students manage in school, you would very likely see that it is a lot more than we have as adults and working professionals. Plus these kids are also dealing with situations beyond the classroom such as learning how to navigate social relationships and who they are as little people, and figuring out what they like. All of it is exhausting and it plays into why they are avoiding homework.

Homework can remove the love for learning for a lot of students. This is heartbreaking for us, parents and teachers. That is why we do everything we can to preserve that love for learning.