by May Plaige

Created on: February 01, 2009

Nobody is perfect, and teachers are no exception to that rule. Sometimes, even the best teachers have a hard time reaching every single student in their classroom, especially in schools experiencing overcrowding. When your child is one of the children that a teacher failed to reach, it can leave him or her feeling inadequate, and leave you frustrated. Fear not, for in situations like this, it is still possible for you to fill in the gaps and help your child learn. In fact, your child will probably gain a better understanding of their class material with the help of the personalized attention you will provide.

The first thing you can do is establish a "homework zone" in your house where you can sit next to your child as they work on their homework. It is better to sit next to your child rather than across a table from them, so a long desk or even the dining room table can work well in this situation. The homework zone should be an uncluttered place of relatively little distraction, allowing your child to focus their attention on their homework and understand that when sitting in the zone with you, it is time to get homework done. Even if you are busy and have to get up periodically, you should be able to come and stand next to your child to ensure that they are progressing through their assignment and that they know you are there to answer any questions.

Once you have a "homework zone," ask your child to list what homework assignments they have that night. Prioritize the list according to their preference, or, if you are pressed for time, ask them which homework they think will be the hardest and tackle that first. Your child will probably pick the subject they least understand as the hardest, and it will be your job to first look at the assignment and any corresponding textbook pages and make sure that you understand the subject. (This can actually be surprisingly hard for subjects that have been long forgotten by parents!)

If, after looking through the textbook and looking over the assignment, you aren't sure you're clear on how to complete the assignment, DO NOT try to work it out with your child if they are truly lost and confused. You may wind up trying something wrong that looks right at first, and by the time you realize it isn't correct your child will have internalized the method you've been using. It can be extremely difficult for children to unlearn something once they've seen it appear to work, so instead of risking this, get online and do a Google

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