5 Ways Parents Can Help With Homework
Things Teachers Wish Parents Would Do to Help With Homework
By Amanda Morin, About.com Contributing Writer
It's not just your kids who need your help with homework; teachers need your help too. While you may have prepared at home by setting up a homework space, coming up with a homework plan and a plan to make sure it gets into the teacher's hands, there are a few other, more subtle things that your child's teacher needs you to do for homework to be successful.
What You Need to Know About Homework
•Read the homework policy. Teachers know that parents feel like they are drowning in all the paperwork that comes home from school and, if they can help it, won't add unnecessary notices to the pile. However, the homework policy is a memo that parents really ought to read to avoid questions and confusions further down the line. Homework policies outline the important details such as whether or not an assignment will be accepted late, what percentage of your child's grade is based on homework, what resources are considered acceptable for research or even whether assignments need to be written in pen or pencil.
•Ask your child daily about homework. Many students forget to write down homework assignments or wait until the last minute to complete a long-term project. Asking every day about your child's homework (and framing the question so you get more than "Yeah, I have homework") not only shows your child you're invested in his academic success, but also gives you a chance to run him back to school for books he may need, provide help with a tough assignment or help him plan out a schedule for approaching for a long-term project.
•Talk to the teacher if your child is spending too much time on or struggling with assignments. Believe it or not, your child's teacher doesn't want her to spend hours toiling over her homework. The assignment should, for the most part, be practicing a skill she's already learned, preparing for the next day's class or a test or working on a project that goes hand-in-hand with something being learned in class. Homework really shouldn't be that hard and if your child's teacher is sticking to the National Education Association's recommended 10-minute rule, shouldn't take much more than 10 minutes for each grade level she's finished. (i.e. first grade=10 minutes, second grade=20 minutes, etc.) If your child is struggling she may need some extra help or a specialized homework plan that reduces her amount of homework
•Supervise, brainstorm and encourage, but not create, your child's project. How many times have you seen a science fair project that you know is too sophisticated for a third grader to have done by himself? Your child's teacher has probably seen plenty of projects just like them. The point of a project is to teach students to plan, organize and present information all by themselves, not to have the best or most attractive finished product. It's okay to help come up with ideas and to buy supplies, but resist the urge to step in and simply be there for your child.
•Look over completed homework. This one's pretty self-explanatory. Check over your child's homework when he's done with it. The purpose is not only to make sure he's actually done it, but also to make sure it's been done well. Some children rush through assignments and make careless mistakes, while others may misunderstand the directions and do the assignment completely wrong. These are things a quick homework check can help to catch.
MY THOUGHTS
this is very important for us to realize. homeworks are supposed to be for the kids to practice what they already learned in school. teaching a new skill or principle is the teachers job. at home, we're supposed to provide more practice for retention. homeworks are alsoour windows to what's happening in school.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Tips for Families: what's happening at day care
12 Things That Happen at Daycare That You Don't Know About, Mom
Your Child May Be Calling the Daycare Teachers “Mommy”
Your Child May Sit in a Wet Diaper for Longer Than She’s Used To
Hand Washing is Less of a Rule, More of a Happenstance
Children May Be Getting Their Teeth Brushed After Meals
Your Child Might be Watching TV
Your Child May Behave Very Differently at Daycare Than He Does at Home
The Child Care Instructors Are Trying to Wean Your Child Off the Blanket, Paci or Bottle
The Kids are Being Moved from Room to Room, So There is Never an Accurate Head Count Or a Consistent Student-to-Teacher Ratio
Unmarked Matching Sippy Cups are Often Confused with Each Other and Mixed Up
That Separation Anxiety Your Daughter Exhibited When You First Dropped Her Off? Not Even an Afterthought
A Staffer Is Using Certain Religious Terms with Your Child, or Teaching Him Religious Values
Daycare Workers are Often Underpaid and Required to Do Additional Work, So There Maybe a High Turnover
Kids, especially young ones, often transfer feelings of affection from one person to another -- and the language that goes with it. If your children spend all day with someone who is feeding them, changing them, hugging them and treating their boo-boos, it’s perfectly normal for your child to attach the name usually reserved for that role -- “mommy” -- to that person. Often the daycare worker will be embarrassed that she’s been given this name, however, and forgo telling the parent.
What to do: Don’t take it personally. It doesn’t mean your child loves you less, or wants to pack a bag and move in with “Miss Kathy.” She may just be confused about who mommy really is. Consider it a bonus that your child is being well-cared for and loved.
You can sniff out a wet diaper -- or feel one -- almost upon impact, but in daycare your child might be sitting in a soggy nappie for an hour or two before it’s changed. Depending on the center, diapers may be changed every two to four hours -- which means if Little Mimi makes a wee-wee right after the Huggies have been checked, she’ll be damp for a while.
What to do: If your child is getting diaper rashes, your first line of defense is a heavy coating of diaper cream in the morning before drop off. Also, talk to your daycare provider -- often the changing schedules are simply guidelines, and the staff won’t mind giving your baby’s bum more frequent feel tests.
According to the medical journal, Infectious Diseases in Children, one-third of daycare facilities surveyed had "poor hand washing techniques and no policy for hand washing before eating or after playing outside." A sick child sucks his fingers (and who are we kidding? -- there are sick children in daycare), then puts those fingers on a toy, on a paintbrush, in the playdough, another child touches it and -- bingo! We’ve got a viral sniffle.
What to do: Inquire, inquire, inquire. Ask about hand-washing procedures and rules, and ask to see the sink where it all happens. Is there clean and available soap? Clean towels and proper waste disposal? Are workers required to wash hands after changing a diaper? Do the children scrub up before snacks and meals? There should be rules, and if there aren’t, offer to make some or ask that some be made.
Children May Be Getting Their Teeth Brushed After Meals Your Child Might be Watching TV
Your Child May Behave Very Differently at Daycare Than He Does at Home
In January, a Massachusetts law passed requiring daycare centers to help children brush their teeth after meals due to a recent study that found an increase in children's tooth decay. While the mandate isn’t exactly sweeping the nation, other centers are following suit. The centers even provide the brushes, caps and paste.
What to do: Enjoy the extra brushing! Even though the rule is to brush twice a day, in the morning and evening, some dentists also recommend a good cleaning after meals and snacks.
Your Child Might be Watching TV Your Child May Behave Very Differently at Daycare Than He Does at Home
What to do: Let everyone at the center know you want feedback -- good or bad. Otherwise, if the staff doesn't know you want details about tantrums, tears, or turmoil, you might be left in the dark.
Personnel have different shifts throughout the day, so you could drop off little Tommy smiling and placid, then and pick him up the same way -- but never talk to the staff member who, in the middle of the day, had to remove him from the lunch table because he didn’t like the color of his lunch-table chair. If she didn’t have time to write you a note describing the episode, you might never know about your kid's behavior glitches.
What to do: Let everyone at the center know you want feedback -- good or bad. Otherwise, if the staff doesn't know you want details about tantrums, tears, or turmoil, you might be left in the dark.
Some daycare centers don’t allow bottles or blankets because they carry germs, are extra things to keep track of and are often a crutch for socializing. Parents usually consider this a bonus -- and appreciate the help in weaning their kid off the ba-ba or paci completely.
What to do: Think your kid’s paci is a must-have transition tool that helps comfort him or her in your absence? Then be sure to inquire about or pick a daycare center that allows pacifiers, bottles, blankets or stuffies. However, try not to alleviate separation anxiety with a new item -- especially the paci -- it can be harder to give up as your kid gets older.
The Kids are Being Moved from Room to Room, So There is Never an Accurate Head Count Or a Consistent Student-to-Teacher Ratio Unmarked Matching Sippy Cups are Often Confused with Each Other and Mixed Up
That Separation Anxiety Your Daughter Exhibited When You First Dropped Her Off? Not Even an Afterthought
A Staffer Is Using Certain Religious Terms with Your Child, or Teaching Him Religious Values
Daycare Workers are Often Underpaid and Required to Do Additional Work, So There Maybe a High Turnover
Kids, especially young ones, often transfer feelings of affection from one person to another -- and the language that goes with it. If your children spend all day with someone who is feeding them, changing them, hugging them and treating their boo-boos, it’s perfectly normal for your child to attach the name usually reserved for that role -- “mommy” -- to that person. Often the daycare worker will be embarrassed that she’s been given this name, however, and forgo telling the parent.
What to do: Don’t take it personally. It doesn’t mean your child loves you less, or wants to pack a bag and move in with “Miss Kathy.” She may just be confused about who mommy really is. Consider it a bonus that your child is being well-cared for and loved.
Filed Under: child care, day care
You can sniff out a wet diaper -- or feel one -- almost upon impact, but in daycare your child might be sitting in a soggy nappie for an hour or two before it’s changed. Depending on the center, diapers may be changed every two to four hours -- which means if Little Mimi makes a wee-wee right after the Huggies have been checked, she’ll be damp for a while.
According to the medical journal, Infectious Diseases in Children, one-third of daycare facilities surveyed had "poor hand washing techniques and no policy for hand washing before eating or after playing outside." A sick child sucks his fingers (and who are we kidding? -- there are sick children in daycare), then puts those fingers on a toy, on a paintbrush, in the playdough, another child touches it and -- bingo! We’ve got a viral sniffle.
Stacey Bradford, a mother in New York City with two daughters, ages four and 10 months, discovered that her first daycare center was violating a state health code that limited each classroom to 10 children in the under-2 age group (ratios vary from state to state, and from at-home daycares to larger ones). “I realized that there were 18 children at times, but they were being moved from room to room so you couldn’t tell how many there were,” she says.
What to do: Drop in at unexpected times, without warning to check the ratio of your daycare. You can say, "I just wanted to say hi to Stella!" Count the teachers and the children in the room and if the numbers are out of whack, speak to the director. If the problem continues? Look elsewhere. “You can find quality places that will take care good of your child and follow the rules,” says Bradford.
Unmarked Matching Sippy Cups are Often Confused with Each Other and Mixed Up
Some centers provide sippy cups for the children to make it easier for parents to pack up and get out the door in the morning. Sometimes they're matching and unmarked. The toddler snack table can be chaotic sometimes, and another kid might pick up another child’s cup and take a sip -- and we all know how quickly an object can travel from a gimme-gimme hand to a drooling mouth.
What to do: Ask if you can leave a labeled cup at the school for your child (also offer to take it home at night to wash it). This will ensure that at the least your kid will be given the same cup every day. Now, if only we could control those little snatchers...
The person who took your crying, kicking child from your arms in the morning may not be the one who signs her out to you in the afternoon. So you wonder -- how long did the crying last? Often no time at all -- the minute you hit the door she was off playing and laughing with friends. You leave the daycare with the image of her forlorn face and end up thinking that's how she looks all day. When in fact she does an immediate 180 and plays her heart out until you pick her up.
What to do: Call the center when you get to work and ask how your kid is doing. Most of the time, you’ll hear that your child started whistling Dixie the minute you drove away. If not, you can continue to check in and won’t have to wonder.
A Staffer Is Using Certain Religious Terms with Your Child, or Teaching Him Religious Values Daycare Workers are Often Underpaid and Required to Do Additional Work, So There Maybe a High Turnover
What to do: Certain companies such as KinderView based in Boston, Mass., will place cameras in daycare centers that parents can watch from any computer during the day. Many daycares are welcoming these cameras into their centers because they put parents at ease, and parents enjoy the audio/visual connection they get. They are also able to spot any practices or behaviors that make them uncomfortable -- either from the staff or the children. Knowing you’re watching will put them on their best behavior, and make the staff more open to feedback. There might be a logical explanation or reason for any behavior you might find sketchy.
Daycare Workers are Often Underpaid and Required to Do Additional Work, So There Maybe a High Turnover
Daycare workers make an average of $7 to $10 per hour, less than their counterparts who participate in "back to college" programs, says Sara Lisa Raff, an educational consultant and early childhood education instructor for a “back to college” program. Raff says she sees very high turnover in childcare staff. “I knew of one daycare that had almost no cleaning staff and left the teachers to do much of the cleaning during after school hours,” she says.
What to do: The staff is arguably the most important factor when choosing a daycare. Talk to the director and all the personnel and ask how long they’ve been there, and get a feel for how much they really like their jobs. Ask if they give bonuses, their vacation and benefits policies and any other indications of morale. Based on their answers, you can decide if that specific daycare will give your child a sense of security and consistency.
MY THOUGHTS
i can imagine how difficult it could be to leave your child in the hands of stangers - even if they are professional hands. the advice in this article are meant to lessen our anxiety.it pays to take heed.
Your Child May Be Calling the Daycare Teachers “Mommy”
Your Child May Sit in a Wet Diaper for Longer Than She’s Used To
Hand Washing is Less of a Rule, More of a Happenstance
Children May Be Getting Their Teeth Brushed After Meals
Your Child Might be Watching TV
Your Child May Behave Very Differently at Daycare Than He Does at Home
The Child Care Instructors Are Trying to Wean Your Child Off the Blanket, Paci or Bottle
The Kids are Being Moved from Room to Room, So There is Never an Accurate Head Count Or a Consistent Student-to-Teacher Ratio
Unmarked Matching Sippy Cups are Often Confused with Each Other and Mixed Up
That Separation Anxiety Your Daughter Exhibited When You First Dropped Her Off? Not Even an Afterthought
A Staffer Is Using Certain Religious Terms with Your Child, or Teaching Him Religious Values
Daycare Workers are Often Underpaid and Required to Do Additional Work, So There Maybe a High Turnover
Kids, especially young ones, often transfer feelings of affection from one person to another -- and the language that goes with it. If your children spend all day with someone who is feeding them, changing them, hugging them and treating their boo-boos, it’s perfectly normal for your child to attach the name usually reserved for that role -- “mommy” -- to that person. Often the daycare worker will be embarrassed that she’s been given this name, however, and forgo telling the parent.
What to do: Don’t take it personally. It doesn’t mean your child loves you less, or wants to pack a bag and move in with “Miss Kathy.” She may just be confused about who mommy really is. Consider it a bonus that your child is being well-cared for and loved.
You can sniff out a wet diaper -- or feel one -- almost upon impact, but in daycare your child might be sitting in a soggy nappie for an hour or two before it’s changed. Depending on the center, diapers may be changed every two to four hours -- which means if Little Mimi makes a wee-wee right after the Huggies have been checked, she’ll be damp for a while.
What to do: If your child is getting diaper rashes, your first line of defense is a heavy coating of diaper cream in the morning before drop off. Also, talk to your daycare provider -- often the changing schedules are simply guidelines, and the staff won’t mind giving your baby’s bum more frequent feel tests.
According to the medical journal, Infectious Diseases in Children, one-third of daycare facilities surveyed had "poor hand washing techniques and no policy for hand washing before eating or after playing outside." A sick child sucks his fingers (and who are we kidding? -- there are sick children in daycare), then puts those fingers on a toy, on a paintbrush, in the playdough, another child touches it and -- bingo! We’ve got a viral sniffle.
What to do: Inquire, inquire, inquire. Ask about hand-washing procedures and rules, and ask to see the sink where it all happens. Is there clean and available soap? Clean towels and proper waste disposal? Are workers required to wash hands after changing a diaper? Do the children scrub up before snacks and meals? There should be rules, and if there aren’t, offer to make some or ask that some be made.
Children May Be Getting Their Teeth Brushed After Meals Your Child Might be Watching TV
Your Child May Behave Very Differently at Daycare Than He Does at Home
In January, a Massachusetts law passed requiring daycare centers to help children brush their teeth after meals due to a recent study that found an increase in children's tooth decay. While the mandate isn’t exactly sweeping the nation, other centers are following suit. The centers even provide the brushes, caps and paste.
What to do: Enjoy the extra brushing! Even though the rule is to brush twice a day, in the morning and evening, some dentists also recommend a good cleaning after meals and snacks.
Your Child Might be Watching TV Your Child May Behave Very Differently at Daycare Than He Does at Home
What to do: Let everyone at the center know you want feedback -- good or bad. Otherwise, if the staff doesn't know you want details about tantrums, tears, or turmoil, you might be left in the dark.
Personnel have different shifts throughout the day, so you could drop off little Tommy smiling and placid, then and pick him up the same way -- but never talk to the staff member who, in the middle of the day, had to remove him from the lunch table because he didn’t like the color of his lunch-table chair. If she didn’t have time to write you a note describing the episode, you might never know about your kid's behavior glitches.
What to do: Let everyone at the center know you want feedback -- good or bad. Otherwise, if the staff doesn't know you want details about tantrums, tears, or turmoil, you might be left in the dark.
Some daycare centers don’t allow bottles or blankets because they carry germs, are extra things to keep track of and are often a crutch for socializing. Parents usually consider this a bonus -- and appreciate the help in weaning their kid off the ba-ba or paci completely.
What to do: Think your kid’s paci is a must-have transition tool that helps comfort him or her in your absence? Then be sure to inquire about or pick a daycare center that allows pacifiers, bottles, blankets or stuffies. However, try not to alleviate separation anxiety with a new item -- especially the paci -- it can be harder to give up as your kid gets older.
The Kids are Being Moved from Room to Room, So There is Never an Accurate Head Count Or a Consistent Student-to-Teacher Ratio Unmarked Matching Sippy Cups are Often Confused with Each Other and Mixed Up
That Separation Anxiety Your Daughter Exhibited When You First Dropped Her Off? Not Even an Afterthought
A Staffer Is Using Certain Religious Terms with Your Child, or Teaching Him Religious Values
Daycare Workers are Often Underpaid and Required to Do Additional Work, So There Maybe a High Turnover
Kids, especially young ones, often transfer feelings of affection from one person to another -- and the language that goes with it. If your children spend all day with someone who is feeding them, changing them, hugging them and treating their boo-boos, it’s perfectly normal for your child to attach the name usually reserved for that role -- “mommy” -- to that person. Often the daycare worker will be embarrassed that she’s been given this name, however, and forgo telling the parent.
What to do: Don’t take it personally. It doesn’t mean your child loves you less, or wants to pack a bag and move in with “Miss Kathy.” She may just be confused about who mommy really is. Consider it a bonus that your child is being well-cared for and loved.
Filed Under: child care, day care
You can sniff out a wet diaper -- or feel one -- almost upon impact, but in daycare your child might be sitting in a soggy nappie for an hour or two before it’s changed. Depending on the center, diapers may be changed every two to four hours -- which means if Little Mimi makes a wee-wee right after the Huggies have been checked, she’ll be damp for a while.
According to the medical journal, Infectious Diseases in Children, one-third of daycare facilities surveyed had "poor hand washing techniques and no policy for hand washing before eating or after playing outside." A sick child sucks his fingers (and who are we kidding? -- there are sick children in daycare), then puts those fingers on a toy, on a paintbrush, in the playdough, another child touches it and -- bingo! We’ve got a viral sniffle.
Stacey Bradford, a mother in New York City with two daughters, ages four and 10 months, discovered that her first daycare center was violating a state health code that limited each classroom to 10 children in the under-2 age group (ratios vary from state to state, and from at-home daycares to larger ones). “I realized that there were 18 children at times, but they were being moved from room to room so you couldn’t tell how many there were,” she says.
What to do: Drop in at unexpected times, without warning to check the ratio of your daycare. You can say, "I just wanted to say hi to Stella!" Count the teachers and the children in the room and if the numbers are out of whack, speak to the director. If the problem continues? Look elsewhere. “You can find quality places that will take care good of your child and follow the rules,” says Bradford.
Unmarked Matching Sippy Cups are Often Confused with Each Other and Mixed Up
Some centers provide sippy cups for the children to make it easier for parents to pack up and get out the door in the morning. Sometimes they're matching and unmarked. The toddler snack table can be chaotic sometimes, and another kid might pick up another child’s cup and take a sip -- and we all know how quickly an object can travel from a gimme-gimme hand to a drooling mouth.
What to do: Ask if you can leave a labeled cup at the school for your child (also offer to take it home at night to wash it). This will ensure that at the least your kid will be given the same cup every day. Now, if only we could control those little snatchers...
The person who took your crying, kicking child from your arms in the morning may not be the one who signs her out to you in the afternoon. So you wonder -- how long did the crying last? Often no time at all -- the minute you hit the door she was off playing and laughing with friends. You leave the daycare with the image of her forlorn face and end up thinking that's how she looks all day. When in fact she does an immediate 180 and plays her heart out until you pick her up.
What to do: Call the center when you get to work and ask how your kid is doing. Most of the time, you’ll hear that your child started whistling Dixie the minute you drove away. If not, you can continue to check in and won’t have to wonder.
A Staffer Is Using Certain Religious Terms with Your Child, or Teaching Him Religious Values Daycare Workers are Often Underpaid and Required to Do Additional Work, So There Maybe a High Turnover
What to do: Certain companies such as KinderView based in Boston, Mass., will place cameras in daycare centers that parents can watch from any computer during the day. Many daycares are welcoming these cameras into their centers because they put parents at ease, and parents enjoy the audio/visual connection they get. They are also able to spot any practices or behaviors that make them uncomfortable -- either from the staff or the children. Knowing you’re watching will put them on their best behavior, and make the staff more open to feedback. There might be a logical explanation or reason for any behavior you might find sketchy.
Daycare Workers are Often Underpaid and Required to Do Additional Work, So There Maybe a High Turnover
Daycare workers make an average of $7 to $10 per hour, less than their counterparts who participate in "back to college" programs, says Sara Lisa Raff, an educational consultant and early childhood education instructor for a “back to college” program. Raff says she sees very high turnover in childcare staff. “I knew of one daycare that had almost no cleaning staff and left the teachers to do much of the cleaning during after school hours,” she says.
What to do: The staff is arguably the most important factor when choosing a daycare. Talk to the director and all the personnel and ask how long they’ve been there, and get a feel for how much they really like their jobs. Ask if they give bonuses, their vacation and benefits policies and any other indications of morale. Based on their answers, you can decide if that specific daycare will give your child a sense of security and consistency.
MY THOUGHTS
i can imagine how difficult it could be to leave your child in the hands of stangers - even if they are professional hands. the advice in this article are meant to lessen our anxiety.it pays to take heed.
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