IMG: Sxc.hu

Here’s an example:
4:05-4:10pm child arrives home
5:00-6:00pm sporting event (sometimes it takes 30 minutes to get them to the location, especially since they need to change over)
7:00pm dinner
8:00pm dinner

Course during all this time you notice I don’t have homework, bath, spending time with parents. Normally, at least in many families the spending time part is done at the dinner table or driving through a fast food place and chatting on the way home about the day. It is sad but this is how the sporting life goes.  Today, the school raising the children and instead of a few hours after school with them we are running them around to do activities or sports, later homework from teachers. So does it surprise you that some parents in Calgary want their children to have a NO HOMEWORK Contract?
I’m not at all surprised, in fact there have been times I felt like banning homework or just ignoring. Shelly and Tom Milley thought there kids were spending way too much time on unnecessary subjects and not enough of the real ones they need to worry about. Hmm, sounds familiar, I’ve had the same argument when I complained mine weren’t learning history. I got to hear there isn’t enough time.  Tom admits that his kids would have hours worth of homework and after much struggling with explaining and doing homework with his two kids he’d begin shouting out the answers, this would be around 10pm.

Tom took this to the school and asked them not to have homework, however the school agreed and in the meantime the kids are doing home studying and work at home with dad. Now if other students/parents want to do this they have to go in and negotiate a contract. In the meantime his kids can now focus harder on the areas they are weak in.

What do you think of this?

Post from: Blisstree

No Homework Contracts for Schools

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So begins an evening of frustration, even anger, and no one gets anything done.  Some authorities feel the parents shouldn’t do any of the teacher’s work.  Others think parents should get involved.  Is there a happy medium?

If you don’t understand what the teacher or text book is teaching, say so.  It doesn’t mean you, as a parent, are dumb.  There simply are different methods of teaching.  You may or may not agree with them.  However, trying to insist on yours for homework and the teacher’s for class, can become very confusing for youngsters so no learning is accomplished.

Coordinate and cooperate with the teacher.  Encourage your youngsters to ask for extra help.  Meet with the teacher yourself and see how you can help.  The teacher isn’t dumb and you aren’t dumb.  And the child isn’t dumb.  There are different ways of communicating and learning.  So communicate together.

How do you solve the homework challenge?

Post from: Blisstree

Are You a Parent or Teacher with Homework?

Here at home, we have been through a trial and error method of finding the perfect system for us. We have five kids in school, which adds up to a lot of duplicated school newsletters, book order forms and PTA announcements. In addition to the usual paperwork, each child has a homework packet to keep track of for the week. We implemented a drawer cubby system, much like they use in Kindergarten. Each child empties the contents of their backpack into the personalized drawer as soon as they walk through the front door. As they have a snack, I go through the drawers, throw out duplicate notes, pull out homework and file each packet into a slot in an accordion folder, then pin any important papers onto a large cork-board.

The kids are not allowed to mess with the accordion folder. I retrieve the packets and replace them when the kids are done with homework and I have checked their work. This way, I never neglect to check for mistakes and I know that the homework made it back into the appropriate slot. The kids are responsible for taking any papers that they wish to save and put them into their memory boxes. At the end of the week, the drawers get cleaned out. After the kids are in bed and I have a few minutes of quiet time, I pull the papers off of our cork board and tend to the business of signing field trip forms and other important parental duties. After I finish, the forms go straight back into the backpacks in which they belong. The cork board also serves to display jobs well done, lunch menus and b-day invitations. It has been a great reminder of coming events.

This system may seem overly simplistic, but it works well. The kids have some responsibility, but not an overwhelming amount. The only chance of losing a paper, happens in transit to and from school. Since this rarely happens, we have had a huge decrease in missing homework packets and the like. Now…remembering who has which lunch is an entirely different problem!

Post from: Blisstree

No More MIA Homework!

De-Coding Technology

Modern technology like iPods, podcasts and blogs seem like a foreign language to many parents. Supernanny has a team that has de-coded the most popular terms and concepts, and included some ideas on how you and your child can get involved.

The Best Homework Helper Websites

Supernanny experts have found the best online learning resources to help your child with their homework.

Every parent wants to give their child confidence and encourage a love of learning so they may benefit from an education. The Official Supernanny website offers expert advice, suggestions from teaching professionals and tips from parents to engage children from the moment they’re born.  Don’t miss this opportunity to pick up a few tips to test out with your child.

Post from: Blisstree

SuperNanny makes way for Dancing with the Stars