UNITED STATES—Homework, it is the one thing each of us struggled with during our lifetime. You can argue that some homework serves no purpose, but in all essence, it is crucial to build your mental skills and solidify your abilities in certain areas of study. I am bringing this issue to the forefront because I’m starting to realize some of the homework sent home for the kiddies is not as easy as you want to think it is. Why do I say that?
The instructions are not always as clear as they should be. I mean when you have parents asking exactly what is being asked for the child to complete that is a major issue. I’ve encountered this several times helping my niece with her homework in just the mere 3 weeks since school started. I’m an advocate that when it comes to doing homework allow the child to do as much as he or she can do on their own and assist them as needed. Many kids tend to be a bit arrogant when it comes to their homework; they do not NEED or WANT your help.
At first, I didn’t understand that, and as soon as I reflected, it hit me: I was the exact same way when I was a kid. Let me figure things out on my own, because it peaks the brain. It allows me to think and try to figure out how to solve the problem at hand. It helps you become more independent. Now, I do have an issue if the parent is actually doing the homework for their child. That does not help the situation one bit and your child becomes reliant on you versus themselves. In addition, setting aside a time to complete homework each day is crucial.
I’ve struggled with this as an adult, so it’s important for parents to not allow their kids to procrastinate when it comes to completing homework. You have to set up a schedule and try to keep it as consistent as you can. Personally, I was one who always did my homework as a kid as soon as I got home; I wanted to finish it so that I could go outside or play videogames. Now, that is a system that doesn’t work for all kids. Some might need a break before diving into the homework. Perhaps, they come home unwind for about 30 minutes to an hour, grab a snack and then tackle the homework. That is a suitable option.
I wouldn’t recommend allowing the child to wait until the wee hours in the night to work on their homework. By that time, many of the things they learned in school that day they may have forgotten and they become restless. It does become tricky for those parents who have youngsters and teens who play sports. In that arena, there is not much that can be done before the child gets home from school, so that can create tension and issues because that child could fall behind on their homework focusing on sports and not academics.
This holds true if the child has a massive load of homework to complete in a specific time frame. I will argue I’ve seen some kids get a packet of homework at the beginning of the week that is due by the end of the week. Rather the parent decides to allow the child to do so much each week or get it all completed at once is up to the parent, as well as the child. You do have to worry about the issue of burnout because trying to do too much it causes a major problem.
This is quite accurate in the collegiate arena where if you’re juggling at least 4 classes, you have plenty of homework that is due each week. If you’re trying to complete all your work at once, it’s like a full day of studying or homework. Trust me from personal experience, it can burn you out, but it’s a great feeling to get all that homework done and not stress or have anxiety about getting things done. The key with all homework is to remember the more you procrastinate the more you are likely to stress yourself out about getting it done. So just get it done and be done with it already.
