The Homework Battle: Who Owns the Problem? 

If homework has become a nightly struggle in your house, you’re not alone. Many parents find themselves reminding, nagging, checking, correcting, and sometimes even completing homework just to get it finished. What starts as wanting to help can quickly turn into frustration for everyone. The question to ask is simple: Whose homework is it? The answer is: Your child’s. That doesn’t mean parents step away completely. It means shifting from owning the homework to supporting the learner.

When Parents Own the Homework

It’s easy to fall into the trap of becoming the homework manager. You may find yourself:

• Constantly reminding your child to start.
• Sitting beside them for the entire assignment.
• Correcting every mistake.
• Arguing about unfinished work.
• Staying up late to make sure everything gets done.

While these actions come from a place of love, they can unintentionally teach children that homework is the parent’s responsibility instead of their own.

What Does Support Look Like?

Supporting your child means creating an environment where they can be successful while allowing them to take ownership of their learning.

Parents can:

• Provide a quiet place to work.
• Help establish a consistent homework routine.
• Make sure needed supplies are available.
• Answer questions when asked.
• Encourage effort and perseverance.
• Communicate with the teacher when concerns arise.

Notice that none of these involve doing the work for your child.

Let Natural Consequences Teach

It can be difficult to watch your child forget an assignment or choose not to complete homework. However, experiencing the natural consequence at school is often a more powerful teacher than repeated reminders at home. When children are allowed to experience the results of their choices in a supportive environment, they begin developing responsibility, organization, and problem-solving skills.

Instead of Nagging, Ask Questions

Rather than saying:

• “Did you finish your homework yet?”
• “Go do your homework right now!”
• “You never remember anything!”

Try asking:

• “What’s your plan for getting your homework done tonight?”
• “What do you need before you get started?”
• “Is there anything you’re confused about?”
• “How can I support you while you work?”

These questions encourage children to think through their own responsibilities instead of relying on constant reminders.

Resist the Urge to Fix Everything

If your child forgets a folder, misses a problem, or struggles with an assignment, pause before stepping in. Ask yourself if this something my child can solve independently? Children build confidence by solving problems—not by having adults solve every problem for them. Sometimes the best support is simply believing they can figure it out.

Long-Term Projects Are Different

Not all homework is due the next day. As students move through elementary school, they’ll begin receiving larger assignments such as book reports, research projects, science experiments, or presentations that are completed over several days or even weeks. These assignments can feel overwhelming, especially for children who struggle with planning, organization, or executive functioning skills. This is one area where parents can provide valuable support without taking ownership of the project.

Instead of reminding your child every day or completing parts of the project yourself, help them break the assignment into smaller, manageable pieces. Sit down together when the project is assigned and ask questions like:

• “When is it due?”
• “What are the different parts of this project?”
• “What could you finish today?”
• “How much time do you think each step will take?”

Then, encourage your child to write those smaller tasks on a calendar or checklist. For example, a book report might be divided into reading the book, taking notes, writing a rough draft, revising, creating a final copy, and practicing an oral presentation.

As the days go by, your role becomes checking in rather than taking over. Instead of asking, “Did you finish your project?” try asking, “What step are you working on today?” This simple shift keeps the responsibility with your child while showing that you’re available to help them stay on track.

Learning how to plan ahead, manage time, and complete work over several days is just as important as the final project itself. These executive functioning skills will benefit students throughout middle school, high school, college, and beyond.

Remember, the goal isn’t a perfect project created by a parent. The goal is helping your child learn the process of planning, organizing, and completing a larger assignment independently—skills that will last long after the project has been turned in.

Praise Effort, Not Perfection

Homework is practice. Mistakes give teachers valuable information about what students understand and what still needs to be taught. Instead of focusing only on getting every answer correct, praise behaviors like:

• Starting without being reminded.
• Staying focused.
• Asking thoughtful questions.
• Checking work independently.
• Persevering through a challenging assignment.

These habits build lifelong learners.

When Your Child Truly Needs Help

There is a difference between avoiding homework and being unable to complete it. If homework regularly leads to tears, takes far longer than expected, or seems far beyond your child’s abilities, reach out to the teacher.

Homework should reinforce classroom learning. It should not create overwhelming frustration. Together, families and teachers can determine whether assignments need additional support or modifications.

It may not eliminate every homework battle overnight, but it helps children learn one of life’s most important lessons: their education belongs to them, and they are capable of taking ownership of it.

Planning for Students with Special Needs

I often feel very privileged to have an amazing team of teachers that I work with every day. My team is dedicated, passionate, and willing to do whatever it takes to help our students grow. My school receives recognition for the way teachers support students with special needs. Families and elementary schools recommend my school to other families because of the amazing work we do to include students with special needs in the general education classroom while still providing the supports they need to succeed. 

Parents are the Students Best Advocates

Even though I think I work with some of greatest teachers, the strongest advocates I know for students with special needs are their parents. Even if your child is at an amazing school with amazing staff and teachers, it’s still important for parents to advocate for what they know is best for their child.

The amazing thing about the beginning of a new school year is that it allows families with students who have an IEP to review how the previous year went and to plan for the upcoming year. It’s important that families not wait for the school to reach out to the family. You know your child best, so be proactive and communicate your child’s needs!

Study Last School Year’s IEP to Plan for the New School Year

Here are some things you can do during in the next few weeks to prepare:

• Review your child’s IEP goals from the previous year. If your child was successful, how can you push him or her and the school to get to the next level in the upcoming year. If your child did not meet the IEP goals, determine where they fell short. Then, think about what you, your child, and/or the school needs to do to make that learning and growth happen next year.
• Look at the standards for the upcoming grade level for your child. You can find them just by Googling your state + K-12 Standards. They are dense, but try to read through them and think about what your child will need in order to access and master these standards. This is not about you being the expert. It is about making sure you are aware so you can advocate for your child.
• Talk to your child. Ask them about what they learned last year and what they hope to accomplish next year. Ask them what helped them feel successful and ask them what barriers they encountered. Use these conversations to help them learn how to improve and use the information to help you be a stronger advocate for your child.
• Practice IEP skills at home if you feel you can support your child.  If their IEP goals are behavioral, help them practice those skills; learning should not stop just because it’s a new school year. If the goals are academic, have your child engage in skills that are related to keep the learning fresh throughout the school year.  Keeping your child up to pace will help ensure they can hit the ground running in the fall.

10 Summer Outdoor Activities That Build English Language Skills

Summer is one of the most powerful seasons for growing language skills, especially for children learning English. As a teacher, I’ve seen firsthand how stepping outside can lower pressure, increase engagement, and create meaningful opportunities for authentic language use. Nature gives us built-in vocabulary, real experiences to talk about, and endless chances to practice listening and speaking in a natural way.

For students learning English, language grows best through real-life experiences, not just worksheets. Summer offers families a chance to build those experiences together. The best part? You don’t need anything fancy—just time outside, curiosity, and conversation.

Here are 10 simple, practical ways parents and grandparents can build English while enjoying the outdoors:

1. Take “talk walks”
   Go for a walk and intentionally talk about what you see, hear, and feel. Use simple, descriptive language: “The grass feels soft,” “I see a tall tree,” “The bird is flying.” Encourage your child to repeat or add on.
2. Name and describe everything
   Nature is full of vocabulary. Point out objects and describe them using color, size, and shape: “small rock,” “bright yellow flower,” “long stick.” This builds both vocabulary and sentence structure.
3. Use the “I notice, I wonder” strategy
   Say, “I notice the clouds are gray. I wonder if it will rain.” Then invite your child to try. This builds both expressive language and critical thinking.
4. Create a scavenger hunt
   Make a simple list: leaf, bug, flower, something smooth, something rough. As your child finds each item, have them say the word and describe it. This adds repetition and meaningful use of new words.
5. Practice verbs in action
   Summer is perfect for movement. Use action words while playing: run, jump, dig, pour, splash. Model sentences like, “You are running fast!” Verbs are essential for building strong sentences.
6. Tell simple stories about your day
   After being outside, talk about what you did in order: “First we walked, then we saw a dog, and last we played.” This helps children practice sequencing and past tense language.
7. Sing songs and rhymes outdoors
   Songs build rhythm, pronunciation, and memory. Try repeating simple songs while swinging, walking, or playing. Repetition helps language stick.
8. Ask open-ended questions
   Instead of yes/no questions, ask: “What did you see?” “Why do you think that happened?” “How did it feel?” Give your child time to respond, even if it takes a little longer.
9. Encourage home language connections
   If your family speaks another language, use it! Talk about nature in both languages. This strengthens overall language development and helps children make connections between words and ideas.
10. Model, don’t correct
    If your child makes a mistake, respond by modeling the correct sentence instead of correcting directly. For example, if they say, “Dog run fast,” you can respond, “Yes, the dog is running fast!” This keeps communication positive and supportive.

The goal isn’t perfection—it’s interaction. Language grows through connection, shared experiences, and conversation. When children feel relaxed and engaged, they are more willing to take risks and try new words.

So this summer, step outside. Slow down. Talk more. Listen closely. Whether you’re at a park, in your backyard, or just walking around the block, you’re creating powerful opportunities for language growth—one conversation at a time.

How Students Can Self-Assess Their Writing

In my previous blog post, I described how our primary grade students completed a 10-page report primarily in their own words on mud and soil. Our team then completed a Mud Report Student Evaluation for each student that highlighted their abilities to complete their mud report.

Five Mud Report Components

Listed below are the five questions that were used to evaluate each student with comments on each student’s report:

1. Did the student research and copy text on the internet and from books with ease?
2. Did the student write the report from multiple sources and combine information without help?
3. Did the student blend information from various sources and apply what was read to personal life experiences and other experiences?
4. Did the student work diligently with ease on the project?
5. Is the report’s content, spelling, punction, and printing easy to read?

Student Levels of Accomplishment

We them rated these skills at the following four levels of accomplishment on each report component with comments based on the common core standards for primary grade students:

Level 1 Learning Basics: Student researched and copied nonfiction text on a topic in books and on the internet with lots of help. Student wrote the report with difficulty and help. Content, spelling, punctuation, and printing were hard to read.

Level 2 Demonstrates Understanding: Student researched and copied nonfiction text on a topic in books and on the internet with some help. Student wrote the report and blended some information with some difficulty and help. Content, spelling, punctuation, and printing were sometimes hard to read.

Level 3 Modifying Basics: Student researched and copied nonfiction text on a topic in books and on the internet without help. Student wrote the report from multiple sources and blended and applied some information in the report. Student worked diligently with ease. Content, spelling, punctuation, and printing were easy to read.

Level 4 Emerging Expert: Student researched and copied nonfiction text on a topic in books and on the internet with ease. Student wrote the report from multiple sources and extensively blended and applied information in the report. Student worked diligently with ease. Content, spelling, punctuation, and printing were easy to read.

Students’ Responses to Their Evaluation Comments

As we completed a rating for each student, we qualified the rating with personalized comments that focused on specific skills achieved when completing various report assignments. Students were very excited when we described specific behaviors and skill building attributes to specific examples captured in their 10-page reports.

Most were shocked that we actually read their reports and took the time to show them how to punctuate their reports correctly. Many are still learning how to self-edit their work and are surprised that we observed this amount of detail in our review of their work. Other students could not believe that they were working beyond their grade level in writing. We explained that the more they were able to synthesize their work and apply their writing to daily experiences and observations, the higher level writing they were able to create independently.

Challenged students were very excited that they were able to complete this very demanding assignment regardless of how much help we provided them. They want to slow down, print more carefully, and learn to self-edit. I encouraged these students to read parts of a story or nonfiction information daily and practice rewriting small passages daily in a journal. Through practice, these students will become self-confident writers. The more students expose themselves to difficult articles and books, the more confident they will become when completing challenging assignments.

What We Learned

We have been using this assignment and customized rubric for three years with multiple classes. Each year we become more successful in increasing students’ skill levels at a faster pace than previous years. I think we just keep learning how to teach better and more confidently as we coach students to integrate nonfiction informational writing with daily life experiences and observations.

We Are Here to Help

If you and your students or children want to learn how to evaluate writing assignments, you may be interested in reading Student-Engaged Assessment: Strategies to Empower All Learners by Laura Greenstein and Mary Ann Burke. Our team is available to provide trainings to your schools and teachers. You can contact us on our blog site under the comments section on the lower part of the blog page. Also, if you are interested in a simplified approach to teaching students about mud at the first or second grade level, we have posted an online book link on Magnificent Magical Mud by Mary Ann Burke at the bottom of our blog site. This online book includes simple writing assignments for students and children. Much success in the great adventure of student led learning through self-assessment.

Kids Learn to Express Themselves Through Writing

During the last weeks of school, our primary grade students learned about various types of soil and mud when planting flowers, studying the uses of mud, and learning how to use computers for research in 10-page reports.

What the Students Researched

1. Learning how to write an introduction to the report
2. Writing about descriptions and uses for clay soil, loamy soil, and sandy soil
3. Planting a flower and writing about the type of soil used for planting
4. Listing the steps completed to make mud and plant a flower
5. Learning how to calculate how much water is needed for making mud in different quantities
6. Completing a soil and mud research checklist for added research in books and on the computer
7. Writing a book report on mud and soil uses
8. Writing a computer report on mud and soil uses
9. Completing a reflection questionnaire of what was learned
10. Creating a glossary of new vocabulary words used in the report

How Students Learned to Use Their Own Words

Throughout this project, students were encouraged to summarize what they read in their own words. Most students were successful in completing this task without teacher assistance:

1. When listing the steps to make mud and planting a flower
2. Completing a research checklist
3. Writing a report introduction
4. Writing a reflection of what they learned
5. Completing a glossary of new vocabulary words

When writing about various types of soil, most students preferred to copy the technical information. Many students did not copy every word in the informational text. Book reports were completed by students on a topic they wanted to learn more about. Various nonfiction reading level books were available for student use.

The computer report was the most challenging for students to complete. Most students had never summarized online technical resources and articles. Many started the assignment by copying text. As the students became more familiar with the online content, many were able to apply what they read to everyday life.

How to Support Challenged Students

When some students were very frustrated with an assignment, we used very basic reading samples and had students copy a couple of sentences. Next, we interviewed them and asked them how they might use this knowledge in their daily lives. We also created sentence frames. Sentence frames are very simple sentences that students can complete in their own words. For example, a sentence frame might state that clay soil is comprised of very fine mineral particles and is sticky. Then students can complete a sentence frame that says clay soil will ___________. We then ask students if they think clay soil will make a puddle or will soak into the ground. Students typically responded that clay soil makes a puddle because they experienced that result when making clay mud. Once students were able to talk about a challenging topic in their own words, they slowly became more confident in writing simple sentences about what they  learned. We also had capable students tutor and assist their more challenged peers. This one-on-one tutoring support was incredibly helpful as students could share more personalized help with their peers.

Student Led Evaluations

My next blog post will describe how we constructed a Mud Report Student Evaluation for each student that highlighted their competencies in five different areas. Nearly 53% of the students in our project received a Level 4 Emerging Expert Evaluation overall rating because they were able to complete work independently and wrote their report using their own words on several assigned pages.