How to Avoid Daily Homework Challenges

There’s no way around it — with school comes homework! Each year as our kids advance from one from one grade to the next, the homework load increases and gets more rigorous. Do any of these sound familiar?

» Scenario 1: Your second grader has a spelling test to study for, plus math homework to complete. She is frustrated and tired after a day at school followed by soccer practice. You are exhausted and overwhelmed at the end of the day! You’re trying to help her while also dealing with your other kids, getting dinner prepared and getting ready for a work meeting you have the following day. You’re both tired and on edge.

» Scenario 2: Your middle school student has an English essay to write on a book that he didn’t really understand. Although he’s had the assignment for three weeks, you just found out about it and are at the end of your rope trying to figure out how to help him get it done without doing it for him. Of course he also has homework to do in three other classes!

» Scenario 3: Your high school junior is on stress overload. In addition to an upcoming test in her AP US History course, she’s working on a term paper for English and struggling in her advanced math class. A lead in the school play, she has rehearsals three days a week after school, plus she volunteers at a preschool four hours a week. When you try to talk to her about how she’s going to get it all done, she snaps back at you, stomps off to her room and slams the door.

We’ve all been there. We want our kids to have full and meaningful childhoods, but sometimes the expectations we and their schools put on them, not to mention the pressure they put on themselves, can be overwhelming and dangerously stressful. It should come as no surprise that a recent study, commissioned by the Better Sleep Council, showed that the biggest cause of stress for children is homework, coming in ahead of other stressors such as low self esteem, bullying and parental expectations. The study concluded that 74% of teens are stressed out by demands related to their homework — on average they have about 15 hours worth per week. It can negatively affect kids in their lives away from school, with a lack of sleep and other health issues such as headaches, weight loss and stomach problems. Students struggle to balance their homework with extracurricular activities as well as make time for socializing with their friends and family.

Homework is not just a stressor for students in middle school and high school. Even elementary school students see their share of homework and also struggle to stay on top of all their work while still having time for friends, family and extracurricular activities. A common standard for how much homework students should have is the “10-minute rule,” meaning 10 minutes of homework per grade level per night. So a first grader should average 10 minutes of homework a night and a senior (12th grader) 120 minutes. A study done by The American Journal of Family Therapy in 2015, found that children in the first grade averaged 30 minutes a night of homework — up to three times the amount of homework recommended by the 10-minute rule. And kindergartners, who aren’t supposed to have any homework at all, are getting almost as much homework as a third grader is supposed to get.

The reality of today’s world, however, is that homework is a significant part of all students’ lives. In order to help ease the stress and other negative health factors that homework can create, it’s important that parents stay involved. Author Jessica Lahey recommends that if they have concerns about how much time their children are spending on their homework, parents should examine how and where they are doing the homework and whether that might be contributing to the problem. For example, are students distracted by their phones, TVs, music or other electronics? Is there too much noise in the surrounding area? Also, parents need to make sure that students aren’t so over-scheduled with extracurricular activities that they don’t have the time or energy to complete their homework. Parents of younger children should also not hesitate to speak to teachers if they are concerned that the homework is just too overwhelming. They should encourage their older kids to speak directly with their teachers if they feel their homework is taking longer than it’s supposed to.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, if understanding and completing homework has become too overwhelming and difficult for your student, consider hiring professional help. Many parents work with their students and help them manage and complete their work. This can be effective especially with younger children. However, there are pitfalls that can arise in this situation:

• » You might end up doing too much of the homework yourself rather than just guiding your student and letting him/her do the work.
• » Arguments and battles with your children flare up as you both stress out over getting the work done.
• » You might find that the homework is too difficult for you to understand, particularly as students get into middle and high school.

When understanding and completing the work becomes too much for your students and you are unable to provide sufficient support on your own, hiring a professional tutor can be a lifesaver. A qualified tutor will not only have a firm understanding of the material being taught, but will also work with your student, making sure he or she fully comprehends the work and understands how to complete the homework. Tutors provide more than academic assistance — in most cases, they will also encourage your student and help raise his or her confidence and self esteem.

There are professional tutors who will come to your home to meet with your student. While this can be convenient, you run the risk of your child being distracted with all the normal activities and distractions at home, such as noisy siblings, the television, other electronics, the kitchen, pets and so on. Consider hiring a tutor at a professional academic tutoring center such as Synergy Academics in West Hills, CA. The Center is highly conducive to homework tutoring and completion. Students work one-on-one with a professional tutor in private rooms or cubicles, free from distractions and noise. Tutoring sessions can be scheduled around your and your child’s busy schedules, whether that’s after school, in the evenings or on the weekends. Synergy Academics is also able to find you a tutor for last minute emergencies — for example, if you realize your child needs help on homework that’s due the next day or he has to cram last minute for an upcoming exam.

Synergy Academics also operates a daily after school Study Center which is always proctored by a professional tutors. Students can work on their homework in a quiet, distraction-free environment and get help when necessary. You can pair up your one-on-one tutoring session with an hour the study center or consider signing up for unlimited study center time. Get more information about our Study Center here and be sure to take advantage of our special ”Book An Hour Get An Hour” promotion here!

Call us today if you would like more information or to sign up with one of our tutors, (818) 888-8665.