Responding To Requests For More Homework (Core Inspiration by Laura Santos)

In my ideal teacher world, the school day would be longer and homework would be eliminated. Unfortunately that world is not yet a reality...but there are big changes being made in our district that give me a strong hope. In the mean time, homework in my classroom is very straight forward.

Our Homework Routine 

Each afternoon, my students fill out their homework planner, which consistently lists the following assignments:

• Reading: 20 minutes or more each night
• Math: problems that correlate to the skill taught in class that day. On the back side of their homework assignment are the problems they completed successfully in class. If they ever doubt their ability to solve their math problems at home, they can simply flip the page over and see a visual reminder that they can do it. It's a built-in confidence booster. 
• Work Work: Students select one activity from our Wacky Work Work Menu nightly. 
• Other: This is where students record reminders if they need to bring items to school the following day. For example: "Wear P.E. shoes tomorrow" or "Bring library book tomorrow". Their parents also receive a text via Remind for these notes. 

I have the benefit of working at a school where parent participation is extremely high. I am so grateful for this because I know when my students head home each night, they will be asked follow up questions about their day, be given time to read each night, and have someone there to answer any questions they may have about homework.

Responding To Requests For More Homework

One challenge of working with highly-educated and supportive parents are the multiple requests for additional homework. My response to these requests is as follows:

Your child has spent six hours or brain power learning new academic skills and enriching their education. When they get home, they need time to unwind, time to focus on reading for pleasure, for exploring their hobbies and interests, and most importantly, time for outdoor exploration. If you want to further enrich your child's already highly-enriched education journey, provide them time to do these things.

So far, that response has worked like a charm. It's what I truly believe in my heart and I think sharing that with my parent community helps them feel connected to my teaching philosophy. Hopefully it continues to work until the day I can finally do a happy dance because homework has been eliminated completely! Fingers crossed. :)

To learn about more about my teaching philosophy and take a peek at other daily routines in my classroom, visit Core Inspiration by Laura Santos.