Often, teachers hear the complaint that children refuse to do their work or they spend hours trying to get out of it. This creates a confrontational environment, which is exasperating to both the parent and child.

Sometimes, the perspective of the parent gives a silent message of annoyance that there is one more thing to deal with in our already overly busy days. So, let's change the perspective.

Just for a change, let us look at homework as a daily conference on what your child is doing during his/her school day.

Homework will tell you if your child understands what was taught that day, for that is what homework is about... follow-up on what has been taught in class. It will give you a clear picture of the areas in which your child is having success and those in which they may be struggling. (If you have concerns, share them with your childs teacher.)

It is a time for sharing their day. If you have "homework" of your own (bills, reading the mail etc.), this is a great time to do that. Creating an environment that treats homework as just part of a normal day and giving it the time and attention that is needed can make it a pleasant part of the day.

To make it easier for you and your child:

• Establish a time and place for homework to be done.
• Have all the tools ready. (This alleviates those delay tactics like spending fifteen minutes locating a pencil.)
• Listen to your child's questions.
• Compliment them for their hard work. If they get stuck, encourage them to try to figure it out. Ask questions that lead them in the right direction, but don't do it for them... unless of course you want to have it become your homework every day.
• Enrich the experience by sharing your own learning experience and taking the opportunity to do a little teaching (and learning) of your own.
• Encourage them to do good quality work because this helps them to acquire standards that will carry over to other academic endeavors such as tests.
• Establish that doing homework is not negotiable.