Homework and Study Guidelines for Parents
The homework process may be the most important contact you as a
parent have with the school. Homework serves an important
function in your student’s life. It will help your student
review and reinforce the concepts covered in the classroom. It
is also a method for your student to develop sound work and
study habits that will assist him or her throughout the
remaining school years.
As a parent you are the vital link to helping your student
develop successful routines to handle the assigned work. Below
are a few tips to follow as you work with your student.
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Always ask
your student if he/she has homework to do for that day.
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Be interested
in the homework. Seeing the homework can help you get a
sense of progress for each subject area and demonstrate to
your student that you care about his/her effort.
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Homework is
the responsibility of your student.
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Set up a time
for homework that is acceptable for your particular family
routine.
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Make sure
your student has a quiet place to study and is not
interrupted by other people and their activities.
Communication Tips: Dealing with low grades
When a low grade shows up on a progress report, parents can
become anxious about the problem and resort to blaming,
scolding, or grounding—which may not result in improvement. It
might be more effective to have a discussion in which parents
recognize the student’s own disappointment and try to work out a
plan of action for improvement. Always keep in mind that it is
the student’s responsibility to take the lead in diagnosing the
problem, suggesting solutions, and working through the
situation. Here are some questions you might discuss with your
student.
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What seems to
be the problem as you see it? Remember it could be an excuse
or the truth.
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Why are you
taking this course? Requirement for graduation? For College?
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Do you plan
to take the next course in this area next year? Most courses
are sequential and success in the previous courses is
imperative.
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What steps
have you already taken to improve the situation? Note that
most teenagers are slow to take action.
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How is the
rest of school going at this point? Gives the student a
chance to relax.
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How are the
activities that you are involved in going? Generally
involvement means better grades.
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Does the way
you spend time after school affect this problem in any way?
Some relaxation is a good thing, however many students waste
a lot of time avoiding homework.
Information taken from Counseling for the Future.
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