HOMEWORK RESPONSIBILITY:
A Cooperative Effort
MHHS staff and administrators are committed to helping each student reach his/her full potential. This includes developing good study habits (i.e., organization and planning skills) that will help ensure success in school.
Homework is an integral part of a child's education. It helps develop these study habits as well as provide practice in skills already learned. Homework also helps students prepare for the next day's lesson and/or extends a student's learning.
We believe that successful completion of daily homework assignments depends on the cooperation of students, teachers, parents and administrators. Accordingly, listed below are the responsibilities of each group.
1. STUDENTS: Students must take their assignment book to every class each and every day. Assignments will be written in the proper place in the homework book as they are given by the teacher. Each page will have the current date on top in the space provided. Each night, students must do their home work and show their homework assignment book to a parent.
2. TEACHERS: Teachers will post homework assignments in a specific place every day. They will periodically check assignment books to insure compliance with the above procedure. If a student misses an assignment or doesn't complete it properly, the teacher will follow with a consequence (such as a homework slip, the loss of recess, etc.). Teachers who feel certain students need daily monitoring of the homework book will do this and will notify the parents and other staff, if appropriate.
3. PARENTS: Parents are expected to set a consistent time for their child to do homework. Check and sign the homework book every night to make sure that the assignments listed are completed. Also, look for notes and important handouts that the teacher might include in the book.
4. ADMINISTRATORS: Students who fail to follow these procedures may be referred to the Principal or Assistant Principal. If the problem continues, a meeting with parent and child will be convened.
STUDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO READ FOR PLEASURE NIGHTLY
HELPING YOUR CHILD WITH HOMEWORK
THE TIME AND THE PLACE:
1. Your attitude is crucial; let your child know that you think homework is important.
2. Children need to relax too - play with friends, watch TV, participate in extracurricular activities - but you may have to set the balance of work and play. Make sure your child has plenty of time for homework. And remember, it may be helpful to keep the TV off until work is finished.
3. Stop and think about what goes on in your household after school. (What time does everyone get home? Is your child tired at the end of the day? Does he/she have more energy before or after eating?) Sit down together with your child and try to set aside the best times for homework and other activities.
4. Help your child choose a place to work. Some children may need to find their own quiet place to study. Others can be more productive working at the kitchen table.
5. If you cannot be there, you can still help. You can use the phone. If it is difficult for your child to call you, try to set up a time when you can call home. See if a neighbor or relative can be your back-up person. And plan to go over any problems with your child when you can be together.
HOW MUCH SHOULD I HELP?
1. Offer to help, but DO NOT DO THE WORK FOR YOUR CHILD. Instead, try to think of ways to help your child manage the homework. Read the assignment with a younger child to make sure he/she understands it. Ask your child to look over the work and decide how long he/she thinks it will take. Help older children break long-range assignments into manageable pieces so they don't feel overwhelmed.
2. Cut down on conflict; don't nag or argue. Recognize the limits of your child's ability and knowledge (sometimes parents are too demanding of their children) and be aware of the limits of your own patience (if you're starting to get annoyed, stop for a while). If problems do arise, see if someone else - a friend or an older child can help.
3. Make sure you offer lots of encouragement and praise! Instead of telling your child she got an answer wrong, ask how she came up with it and try to help her find her own mistakes.
4. Speak with the teacher if your child is still having a problem. Teachers don't want children to fail, they want success and a positive feeling about learning!
Interesting HW Websites
There are a wealth of interesting and helpful homework web sites. We have noted some below, however it is important for parents to check sites first and see which ones might be most helpful for your child.
Ask Jeeves for Kids allows the user to ask questions in plain English and takes them to a web site that will answer the question.
First Gov For Kids is the US government portal site that provides a gateway to hundreds of federal and other web sites for use by kids.
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