We all know that there can be too much of a good thing. For instance, bran may be good for the digestive system, but try taking large amounts of it and you end up with a bloated belly and enough gas to ignite yourself.
On a non-food aspect (but considered food for the brain) is homework. Homework is essential to a student’s program because it helps reinforce the new lessons in his cerebral bank and trains him in the art of research. It also helps pupils develop a strong work ethic and teaches them time management.
But what if you start to notice that all your child ever does at home is work on more assignments? When your child is constantly at his desk, slaving away over his textbooks, projects and papers, and complaining about tests being doled out everyday and is already eating his meals at the study table, then something is terribly wrong with the school’s homework system. When assignments become excessive and take over what little family time is left, and then it’s time to stop the madness. While education may be important, parents and their schoolchildren have a right to reclaim family space.
Now before you rush off to your child’s school or write an aggressive letter to the principal or class adviser, sit down with your child and go over the assignment diary. Analyze the entries of the past few weeks and see if there is a pattern of “overloading”. Then ask yourself these questions to determine how homework is already affecting your child’s life. It would help if you discuss these with a fellow school mom or two, to see if you’re not the only one who thinks that something is awry with the homework system:
1. How much time does your child spend on homework?
2. What is the nature of the homework, and do you think it contributes to your child’s development?
3. What other experiences and activities are lost to homework?
4. What impact does homework have on your child’s health, rest and sense of well-being?
5. What impact does it have on your family’s life?
Once you’ve gone through these questions and come to a conclusion that there is a gross imbalance between school obligations and family activities, then it’s time to speak up. One step you can take is to contact the Parent Representative of your child’s grade level. He or she can serve as a bridge between the parents and the class adviser and/or school administration.
Tag:Homework| Child Homework
Well I am expecting a child very soon, but I know how a child can be overloaded with homework, as for my own experience from my own childhood where I had loads of homework and nemeses fear of punishments that my teacher would give I didn't completed my homework.