While homework goes fairly smoothly at our home, I wonder if there any things we can do to make it even better? What about some New Year's resolutions suggestions? - For Change
Answer: While a year ends in December, the school year is not quite at the halfway point. Why don't you take the following quiz with your children to see if there are any aspects of the homework process in your household that can be improved? A "yes" answer shows a problem or potential problem area where you might wish to make a New Year's resolution to turn things around.
1. Do your children usually do their homework in front of the television?
2. Do your children interrupt their homework time frequently for phone calls?
3. Does everyone in the house watch television or do some other very pleasurable activity while the children are doing their homework?
4. Are your children constantly staying up past their bedtime to finish their homework?
5. Do your children do homework whenever the mood strikes them (no definite time)?
6. Are your children constantly searching for supplies?
7. Is the homework/study area in a place that is very distracting, such as in the center of a major traffic pattern in your home?
8. Do you ever do your children's homework for them?
9. Are projects always last-minute activities?
10. Do your children frequently forget to bring books home or forget to return assignments to school?
11. Do your children rarely know what their homework assignments are?
12. Do you frequently disagree with your children when helping them with their homework?
13. Do your children require constant attention when doing their homework?
14. Do your children fail to organize their homework time?
15. Do your children fail to spend homework time reviewing what they have learned?
Caution: When you decide to work on eliminating homework hassles, it's best to concentrate your attention on just one or two of the biggest problem areas at a time. Above all else, don't ever let homework issues ruin family relationships.