How Parents Can Help With Their Children's Learning & Homework
Your child will probably have homework on most nights. If you notice that you child is never doing homework, ask questions to find out why. There are things you can do that will help your child do assigned homework and that result in learning.
Communicate with your child about school. This includes talking to him/her about friends, activities, and assignments.
Show enthusiasm about school and homework.
Set realistic goals for your child, and then focus on one at a time.
Help your child get organized. Break down assignments into smaller, more manageable parts. Set out needed items (clothes, homework, permission slips, etc.) the night before to avoid last-minute rushing around in the morning.
Provide a quiet study corner in your home complete with paper, markers, a ruler, pencils, and a dictionary.
Never do your child's homework!
Check with your child's teacher about correcting homework.
Expect, and praise genuine progress and effort. An opinion: don't praise or otherwise reward your child for doing what you and he know is expected. This practice leads you down a slippery slope, often with bad consequences.
Be specific when you do praise something.
Focus on your child's strengths in school.
Build associations between what is taught and what your child already knows and understands.
Incorporate concrete materials and examples whenever possible. Try to help your child learn about the subject in more than one way, using as many senses as possible.
Hints To Support Your Child's Learning
Encourage learning at home.
Demonstrate that education is important and talk with your child about school work.
Stress that good grades take hard work.
Establish daily homework routines, and find a regular time and place for homework.
Provide good nutrition, and encourage ample exercise and sleep. Alert minds rely on healthy bodies.
Limit television viewing. When your child watches television, help make it a learning experience. Discuss what you are watching, and connect it to school work.
Encourage and participate with your child in "hands-on" activities (board games, arts and crafts, etc.)
Encourage your child to read from various sources. Help your child look up words in a dictionary or use other reference materials, such as encyclopedias or the Internet.
Praise your child's efforts and successes in school.
Make yourself available to assist with your child's homework, but do not do the work for him/her.
Check your child's homework for accuracy. You can catch problem areas and provide explanations and assistance.
Encourage your child to organize thoughts. Have your child begin every writing assignment with an outline of major ideas.
Encourage children to always re-check for mistakes.
Carroll Junior High School Parental Involvement Policy
Carroll Junior High School is a strong advocate of promoting partnerships that will increase parental involvement as well as participation in the promotion of social, emotional, and academic growth of children. When schools work together with families to support learning, children are inclined to succeed not just in school, but throughout life. Parental participation in school improves student learning. Participation of parents and families is critical to the educational process throughout a child's entire academic career.
CARROLL JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL PARENT INVOLVEMENT PROVISIONS
1. Carroll Junior High School will recruit and organize parent help and support as classroom volunteers to help teachers (class parents). Individual teachers will solicit parent volunteers to assist with manipulatives during a lesson, for example, on an as needed basis. Parent volunteers will also serve as chaperones for school related events
2. Carroll Junior High School will help families establish home environments to support children as students by offering suggestions for home conditions that support learning. These suggestions will be offered through the school newsletter.
3. Carroll Junior High School will design effective forms of communications with families about school programs and their children's progress. Parents and students may pick-up report cards with conferences on improving grades during parent/teacher conference night. A school newsletter will be sent to parents every two months. Mail-o-grams will be sent home to parents of students showing excellent progress during the nine weeks. Teachers will make immediate telephone contact with parents regarding disciplinary problems in the classroom.
4. Carroll Junior High School will provide information and ideas to families about how to help students at home with homework and other curricular activities by sponsoring an across the curriculum "Family Night." The Family Night will occur once each semester.
5. Carroll Junior High School will include parents in school decisions by organizing a PTA/PTO organization.
6. Carroll Junior High School will integrate resources from the community to strengthen school programs, student learning and development by establishing school/business partnerships (adopt-a-school, classroom guest speakers, assembly guest speakers).