There was a helpful article in the September 3 issue of The Clarion Ledger on parents and homework (“Parents, homework: Don’t dot the i’s or cross the line”). Numerous educators and psychologists were interviewed by Susan Felt of The Arizona Republic who wrote the article. Here are some of the recommendations given for parents of students with homework.

1. Remember, it’s your children’s homework, not yours.

2. Assign a special place that helps define for the child that this is his or her responsibility. Make sure that it is away from common areas, such as the living room or kitchen table.

3. Help them with study skills such as organizing their environment, having folders for assignments, breaking a report into sections, taking breaks and proofreading their work. Psychologist Marlo Archer encourages parents to try to avoid looking for perfection, however, which could lead to constant opportunities for failure and criticism.

4. Offer assistance, but limit the number of questions to three a night, with answers not exceeding 10 minutes. Give a deadline to finish assignments.

5. A parent’s job is not to do the homework but to check and see that it has been fully completed following the instructions given.

6. Make sure that your child gets a break after school. He or she needs a little downtime.

7. Make frequent, short check-ins with your child when he or she is doing homework. These help keep him or her on task and focused.

According to psychologist John Rosemond, “people in the business and corporate world are pointing out more and more kids coming out of college lacking a work ethic. They lack the ability to hang in there with a task that is demanding and to get something through to completion.” Rosemond adds that “having to do independent work at home establishes a tolerance for frustration, and it develops the child’s positive attitude toward his ability to solve problems and to learn to be responsible for himself”.