Homework: the amount is irrelevant
When my daughter was in Grade One, her homework consisted of taking home some arts and crafts to tell the parents what they had done that day. On really ambitious days, the most strenuous academic activity was to add two single-digit numbers together. I have friends in Asian countries whose kids of the same grade are bringing home 15 minute homework assignments from no fewer than 6 or 7 subjects that must be done and checked by the next day. If the family is diligent, it can all be done by 7pm, followed by dinner, bath, a bit of free time and then bed just before 10pm. If the schedule is missed, then a cascade of events will happen resulting in the child waking up late and immediately falling behind in school with incomplete homework. Somewhere in between these extremes must be a happy medium.
While this article isn’t a debate about which school system is better or whether the Finnish policy to ban homework is right, the discussion really is the importance of augmenting what the school system provides to keep learning fun, yet relevant. Too little stimulation, children will be bored and see little value in school as their minds will wander. Too much expectation and they will be burdened with all the associated pressures to succeed. We are lucky in that the current school system my daughter attends strikes the right balance between creative approach to teaching and adhering to the standard curriculum. The most important aspect is also not overlooked: good teachers are essential in engaging the students at the right level with the right materials. Again, we are fortunate enough that her class size is small enough so teachers have the freedom to explore and adapt teaching modalities.
Bring the class curriculum into your lives. What they are told in the classroom, cannot be the total sum of that topic. Girls’ minds are different than boys. They like stories, arts, relationships, logic and associations. Even Marie Curie’s work on radioactivity was based on passion and serendipity.
But the school can only do so much. The rest of it (arguably, most of it) has to be done at home. The best way to augment the teaching curriculum is to obtain the syllabus and find out what the students are going to be learning that year and by when. If they are learning about oceans, take them to the aquarium so they can see for themselves what they have heard from the teacher. If they are learning about volcanoes, look up documentaries and watch them together. Bring the class curriculum into your lives. What they are told in the classroom, cannot be the total sum of that topic. Make it fun and make it relevant.
If they have homework, do it together; don’t do it for them. This type of strategy strengths the parent/child bond and sets the child up to achieve. If you are also doing a course and have homework (or even work from the office), try to carve out quiet time and do it together at the kitchen table. You’re setting up good habits.
Above all, make sure you read to your child for at least 15 minutes a day. Books don’t have to be bedtime stories anymore. They can be pages from a picture encyclopedia. Make this a regular habit and occasionally make mistakes when you read to them, so they can actively call you out when they follow along in the text. This type of reading accelerates their word recognition.
Regardless of how much homework your child receives from school, it is independent of the time you, as a dad, should be helping your daughter at home on all subjects. Doing this will also give you insights into what subjects she likes, dislikes and what she struggles with. Girls’ minds are different than boys. They like stories, arts, relationships, logic and associations. Hard sciences and mathematics have these facets and perspectives also, so don’t unconsciously stream your daughter into traditional subjects and roles. Even Marie Curie’s work on radioactivity was based on passion and serendipity. Who knows what your daughter is capable of in this century!