91原创

This week we asked many of you to fill out a homework survey, and we received quite a few responses. Thank you, parents, for your feedback. We are working through these responses now so we can use them to improve our academic program. Teachers plan assignments in order to accomplish curricular goals as effectively and efficiently as possible, but we often need input to get it right. 

The school has to do its part to get homework right, but parents have to work hard to get it right, too. Homework for many families is a struggle and a source of conflict and aggravation. I have a suggestion for you, parents. 

The best advice I have seen about how to help your children become independent learners who manage their assignments and homework for themselves is the book聽Ending the Homework Hassle聽by psychologist John Rosemond. Please read it!

If our school had the resources, I鈥檇 order a copy for every 91原创 family and send it to you today. 

Rosemond describes the nightly homework hassle for many families: it鈥檚 鈥淭he Great Homework Hunt鈥� followed by 鈥淧arenting by Helicopter鈥� and the child鈥檚 act of 鈥淒uh, I鈥檓 Dumb,鈥� culminating in 鈥淭he Homework Marathon鈥� and ultimately 鈥淲e鈥檙e a Bunch of Bananas,鈥� during which both parents and child have meltdowns and wail in frustration and fury. What can end the frustration and put a stop to the hassle? It鈥檚 up to the parents, writes Rosemond, to 鈥渟top being responsible for Billy鈥檚 homework and let Billy be responsible for it on his lonesome,鈥� to go from being a 鈥減arent-participant鈥� to being a 鈥減arent-consultant.鈥� In fact, the child鈥檚聽responsibility聽is the first of the Seven Hidden Values of Homework. The others include聽autonomy,听perseverance,听time management,听initiative,听self-reliance, and聽resourcefulness. Don鈥檛 you want your children to embody these values as personal virtues?

With humor, insight, and realism, Rosemond helps parents think through both how to put an end to homework as a titanic struggle, a 鈥渘ever-ending, self-defeating, viciously circular trap,鈥� and also to instill in your children the virtues needed to grow into independent learners.

But the author makes one thing quite clear: it鈥檚 up to parents to make the changes that are needed and to set the priorities in the home. Every parent can gain wisdom from John Rosemond鈥檚 book, and it鈥檚 well worth the time and effort to read it and put its principles into practice. I highly recommend it.