LITTLE Johnny sits at the back of the class, unable to answer the teacher’s questions.
He thinks he is stupid and that little Amy is clever because she knows all the answers.
What he doesn’t realise is that Amy does her homework with her family every night.
American comedian Rob Delaney ignited a lively debate when he tweeted: “Why do they give seven-year-olds so much homework in the UK and how do I stop this?
I want my kid frolicking and drawing and playing football.”
Fellow celebrities Gary Lineker and Jason Manford agreed.
Piers Morgan disagreed, calling the arguments “lazy parenting”.
I have to disagree too with Mr Delaney and his supporters.
Homework is essential for a child’s education because revisiting the day’s learning is what helps to make it stick.
So Catastrophe star Rob and Gary Lineker are wrong in attacking compulsory home-work in primary schools.
Sure, you’ll get the odd exceptionally bright pupil who will excel just through what she learns at school, despite not having that support at home.
But this is very rare.
Teaching is not just the teacher’s job.
It takes a village to raise a child.
Children learn all the time and the environment surrounding them determines how much they learn.
Enriching time
Genes play a part in how clever a child is, but how hard they work also matters.
Work hard and you’ll learn lots.
Work less and you’ll learn less.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking homework is for a child to do on their own.
When parents use homework to bond and learn together with their child, the child understands that Mum and Dad value learning.
And because a child wants to please their parents, the child’s interest in their home-work will grow, year on year.
These children can see the benefit of homework and will enjoy doing it because it makes them feel better about themselves.
Everyone loves to feel successful.
Ten years ago, author Malcolm Gladwell introduced the idea that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert in something.
We get better at what we practise, whether it’s football or maths.
Our brains have a working memory and a long-term memory.
If your times tables are stored in your long-term memory, you will quickly be able to calculate what it will cost to buy 12 apples instead of two.
If that knowledge isn’t there, you’ll have to resort to counting on your fingers.
The more knowledge stored in long-term memory, the better equipped you’ll be to think imaginatively and solve complex problems.
Homework revisits what you learn at school to cement it into your long-term memory.
I do agree that some home-work is pointless.
Silly craft projects that involve gluing things together, which the parent will inevitably end up doing, hold no value for me.
I also understand why some parents don’t like homework — they feel that it’s a battle.
Parenting is hard.
I get that.
But we need to stop thinking of homework as a chore that the child is sent off to do, cutting into the parent’s precious time with them.
It shouldn’t be the case on Sunday night that Mum says: “Oh God, it’s homework time — let’s get it over with.”
Instead, learning should be part of daily life, and an enriching time for both the parent and the child.
Reading with your child for 20 minutes should not be a chore.
Asking them to count peas on their plate should not be hard work.
While you’re out in the street, talk to them about the world around them.
This is the sort of homework that is often set for very young children and it can be done without making it feel like a formal lesson.
It doesn’t need to be half an hour sitting at a desk.
It can just be ten minutes of enjoyable time together.
Homework can be written down but can also be spoken or done online, leaving little marking for the teacher.
Secondary-school homework can help you learn with your child.
You can learn some French again or be reminded of the beauty of Shakespeare!
How wonderful is that?
By scaffolding the support at home, you can gradually wean them off it, just like taking off bike stabilisers.
Eventually, they learn to work independently, so that when they get to GCSEs, they will be in the habit of doing their homework each night.
If you don’t get them into the homework habit from an early age, you risk having a battle with a stroppy teen as they approach their exams.
And no parent wants that.
Those who are against homework will argue that their children have no time for other hobbies.
This is nonsense.
Children generally finish school at 3.15pm, and younger ones tend to go to bed at about 8pm.
That’s nearly five hours of free time.
Are they really spending it playing hockey or going to Brownies?
I doubt it.
Half an hour of homework in five hours of spare time is a drop in the ocean, leaving lots of time for other things.
most read in opinion
The real worry for parents should be how much time children are spending on social media — something that is so very dangerous and takes up hours of their time, unlike homework.
Katharine Birbalsingh is head of Michaela Community School, North London, and has been dubbed the country’s “strictest head teacher”.
She introduced an ultra-disciplined approach to learning called Tiger Teaching.
Linkhttps://textbacklinkexchanges.com/lazy-parents-dont-do-homework-with-their-children-but-those-who-do-foster-a-love-of-learning/
News Pictures ‘Lazy’ parents don’t do homework with their children but those who do foster a love of learning
You don’t have to pack away your bikini just because you’re the wrong side of 20. These body-beautiful stars reveal their secrets to staying in shape and prove you can smoulder in a two-piece, whatever your age. Read on and be bikini inspired!
TEENS
Hayden Panettiere
Size: 8
Age: 18
Height: 5ft 1in
Weight: 8st
To achieve her kick-ass figure, Hayden – who plays cheerleader Claire Bennet in Heroes – follows the ‘quartering’ rule. She eats only a quarter of the food on her plate, then waits 20 minutes before deciding whether she needs to eat again.
Hayden says: “I don’t have a model’s body, but I’m not one of those crazy girls who thinks that they’re fat. I’m OK with what I have.”
Nicollette says: “I don’t like diets – I see it, I eat it! I believe in eating healthily with lots of protein, vegetables and carbs to give you energy.”
kim cattrall
Size: 10-12
Age: 52
Height: 5ft 8in
Weight: 9st 4lb
SATC star Kim swears by gym sessions with Russian kettle bells (traditional cast-iron weights) and the South Beach Diet to give her the body she wants. To avoid overeating, Kim has a radical diet trick – squirting lemon juice on her leftovers – so she won’t carry on picking.
Kim says: “I am no super-thin Hollywood actress. I am built for men who like women to look like women.”
https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/NINTCHDBPICT000437074610.jpg?strip=all&w=960
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