Homework

Over the last 2 weeks I have been spending time talking to students who failed a class in the first quarter.  For all of you, the new quarter is your chance to reset and refocus.  As I have been talking to students about plans for turning around their grades in classes, one topic that has come up over and over again is homework.

I get it... for some of you, doing work at home is not always a top priority.  Either you tend to tell yourself that you'll do it the next day, that it isn't really that important, or that you forget about it completely, but then it isn't working out the way you had wanted.

Homework has value because it is practice.  Your teachers are not assigning homework to you just because they think it is fun.  They are trying to extend your learning to make sure you know and understand the concepts being covered in class.  Being able to spend your time learning and fully understanding the material is worth the investment of your time and energy.

So let's talk for a second about those top reasons students have been citing about why they haven't been doing their work...

- I'll do it the next day... Saving your work to finish during academic prep or lunch sounds like a viable option, but if you have been saving your work and it isn't getting done, then it is time to rethink your approach.  Getting through the work rather than having it hang over your head will take away the pressure and allow you to feel the success of having your work completed.

- It really isn't that important... I get it - in some of your classes homework is weighted really low compared to other assignments or tests and so it doesn't always feel as if the work is worthwhile, but here is the reality - Every Point Matters!  Especially if your grades aren't where you want them to be.  But think about it for a moment.  If homework is worth 10% of your grade and you don't do it then you're already starting with a 90% in your class and the only way you could earn a 90% would be if you get a perfect score on every other assignment outside of your homework.  And, let's be honest, if you aren't doing the homework to practice and develop a deeper understanding of the material, then it isn't realistic that you will be able to earn a perfect score on all of your other classwork and tests.

- You forgot about the work... if this is you then it is time to get organized and keep a planner or use an app for tracking your assignments.  Your head is the place to think - not the best place to try to keep track of all of your work that needs to be done.  This is especially the case when you take into consideration all of the long-term assignments and projects which you have to keep track of throughout the year.

The reality is a few students also mentioned that they are struggling with homework because they try, but aren't sure of what to do.  If that is you, then I need to stress the importance of doing the best that you can on what you know and then using your academic prep, lunch or before/ after school time to meet with your teacher or the academic assistants to ask questions to make sure you learn and understand the material.  I actually see this struggle as a possible strength because if you are trying the assignments and are able to seek help to learn the specific components that you weren't sure about then you will have a much richer understanding of the material than anyone who didn't even attempt the work in the first place.

I know that homework is not particularly fun.  I know you have other things happening in your life that can make dedicating the time to complete work a challenge.  But school is your job.  You need to maximize your learning and take care of this responsibility by doing your homework on a regular basis so that you don't fall behind and then have to dig out of a hole.  I am confident that if you do, you will see the reward in your grade and most importantly in your learning and understanding of the material.