I recently met with a teacher at my oldest son’s junior high school. She said, “I can tell you are an involved parent, and your son’s excellent grades show it.” She added that, according to her observations, the majority of parents were only minimally involved in their children’s academics. Few seemed to know what their kids were doing in their classes and what or whether assignments were due. And yet these same parents then were surprised by their children’s mediocre grades and poor test results.
If this is true, it’s a sad thought. I firmly believe that you can have a dramatic impact on your child’s academic success—and thus her entire future—by simply getting involved in her daily homework. That doesn’t mean doing the work for her, it just means knowing what is expected of your child, seeing that she completes her work, and giving guidance to encourage comprehension and her best effort. If you don’t care about your child’s grades, why should she care about them?
Children with profound disabilities are usually so well-monitored by the school system that your involvement will be sought out and required. However, children with subject-specific learning disabilities, or ADD/ADHD, etc., are sometimes overlooked. These kids are in even greater need of your daily support and guidance. Here’s what you can do at home to help your child:
1. Find out from your child’s teacher what is expected. How can you make sure your child is on track if you don’t know what’s going on? Attend orientation meetings provided by the school, and take notes. Or phone your child’s teacher and set up a meeting. How often will your child be assigned homework? What major reports or projects will be due during the year? One of my children used to regularly hide her homework assignments under her bed, so she could show me her empty backpack and say “no homework today.” You’ve got to know what’s going on for yourself.
2. Have a specific time and place each day when homework is to be completed. Keep T.V.s off and distractions to a minimum. In our family, homework time is after dinner. My kids appreciate getting to play after school and have a break. Then, after they’ve eaten, they are ready to sit down again and work. If your child has no assigned work, require that he spend 20 minutes reading an age-appropriate book. This way everybody has “homework” each day, and good habits are formed.
3. Be a tutor for your child as she works. It sounds obvious, but you really need to be physically present to give practice-spelling tests, check work, read over essays, etc. Don’t do your child’s work, but help her think. Ask questions to give clues. “Remember our trick about adding decimals?” Don’t sign off any homework you haven’t taken the time to carefully check.
4. Follow-up. Ask, “So how did your math test go today?” Or, “Isn’t your geography project due on Wednesday? This lets your child know, first of all, that you care about his academic success. Second, he’ll realize he is accountable for his work. Make sure he knows you’re proud when he does well.
5. If the school doesn’t provide one, get your child a simple day-planner, calendar, or homework journal. This way she can keep track of assignments and break larger ones into smaller parts. She can also plan ahead for important assignments due some time in the future. This will teach your child organization skills in addition to helping her monitor her homework.
I can almost promise you that if you step-up your involvement in your child’s homework, his or her grades will automatically improve. Know your child’s teachers and don’t be afraid to contact them with questions. Show your child that his academic success matters to you.