you are going to give a talk about school homework

Does Homework Really Help Students Learn?

A conversation with a Wheelock researcher, a BU student, and a fourth-grade teacher

“Quality homework is engaging and relevant to kids’ lives,” says Wheelock’s Janine Bempechat. “It gives them autonomy and engages them in the community and with their families. In some subjects, like math, worksheets can be very helpful. It has to do with the value of practicing over and over.” Photo by iStock/Glenn Cook Photography

Do your homework.

If only it were that simple.

Educators have debated the merits of homework since the late 19th century. In recent years, amid concerns of some parents and teachers that children are being stressed out by too much homework, things have only gotten more fraught.

“Homework is complicated,” says developmental psychologist Janine Bempechat, a Wheelock College of Education & Human Development clinical professor. The author of the essay “ The Case for (Quality) Homework—Why It Improves Learning and How Parents Can Help ” in the winter 2019 issue of Education Next , Bempechat has studied how the debate about homework is influencing teacher preparation, parent and student beliefs about learning, and school policies.

She worries especially about socioeconomically disadvantaged students from low-performing schools who, according to research by Bempechat and others, get little or no homework.

BU Today  sat down with Bempechat and Erin Bruce (Wheelock’17,’18), a new fourth-grade teacher at a suburban Boston school, and future teacher freshman Emma Ardizzone (Wheelock) to talk about what quality homework looks like, how it can help children learn, and how schools can equip teachers to design it, evaluate it, and facilitate parents’ role in it.

BU Today: Parents and educators who are against homework in elementary school say there is no research definitively linking it to academic performance for kids in the early grades. You’ve said that they’re missing the point.

Bempechat : I think teachers assign homework in elementary school as a way to help kids develop skills they’ll need when they’re older—to begin to instill a sense of responsibility and to learn planning and organizational skills. That’s what I think is the greatest value of homework—in cultivating beliefs about learning and skills associated with academic success. If we greatly reduce or eliminate homework in elementary school, we deprive kids and parents of opportunities to instill these important learning habits and skills.

We do know that beginning in late middle school, and continuing through high school, there is a strong and positive correlation between homework completion and academic success.

That’s what I think is the greatest value of homework—in cultivating beliefs about learning and skills associated with academic success.

You talk about the importance of quality homework. What is that?

Quality homework is engaging and relevant to kids’ lives. It gives them autonomy and engages them in the community and with their families. In some subjects, like math, worksheets can be very helpful. It has to do with the value of practicing over and over.

What are your concerns about homework and low-income children?

The argument that some people make—that homework “punishes the poor” because lower-income parents may not be as well-equipped as affluent parents to help their children with homework—is very troubling to me. There are no parents who don’t care about their children’s learning. Parents don’t actually have to help with homework completion in order for kids to do well. They can help in other ways—by helping children organize a study space, providing snacks, being there as a support, helping children work in groups with siblings or friends.

Isn’t the discussion about getting rid of homework happening mostly in affluent communities?

Yes, and the stories we hear of kids being stressed out from too much homework—four or five hours of homework a night—are real. That’s problematic for physical and mental health and overall well-being. But the research shows that higher-income students get a lot more homework than lower-income kids.

Teachers may not have as high expectations for lower-income children. Schools should bear responsibility for providing supports for kids to be able to get their homework done—after-school clubs, community support, peer group support. It does kids a disservice when our expectations are lower for them.

The conversation around homework is to some extent a social class and social justice issue. If we eliminate homework for all children because affluent children have too much, we’re really doing a disservice to low-income children. They need the challenge, and every student can rise to the challenge with enough supports in place.

What did you learn by studying how education schools are preparing future teachers to handle homework?

My colleague, Margarita Jimenez-Silva, at the University of California, Davis, School of Education, and I interviewed faculty members at education schools, as well as supervising teachers, to find out how students are being prepared. And it seemed that they weren’t. There didn’t seem to be any readings on the research, or conversations on what high-quality homework is and how to design it.

Erin, what kind of training did you get in handling homework?

Bruce : I had phenomenal professors at Wheelock, but homework just didn’t come up. I did lots of student teaching. I’ve been in classrooms where the teachers didn’t assign any homework, and I’ve been in rooms where they assigned hours of homework a night. But I never even considered homework as something that was my decision. I just thought it was something I’d pull out of a book and it’d be done.

I started giving homework on the first night of school this year. My first assignment was to go home and draw a picture of the room where you do your homework. I want to know if it’s at a table and if there are chairs around it and if mom’s cooking dinner while you’re doing homework.

The second night I asked them to talk to a grown-up about how are you going to be able to get your homework done during the week. The kids really enjoyed it. There’s a running joke that I’m teaching life skills.

Friday nights, I read all my kids’ responses to me on their homework from the week and it’s wonderful. They pour their hearts out. It’s like we’re having a conversation on my couch Friday night.

It matters to know that the teacher cares about you and that what you think matters to the teacher. Homework is a vehicle to connect home and school…for parents to know teachers are welcoming to them and their families.

Bempechat : I can’t imagine that most new teachers would have the intuition Erin had in designing homework the way she did.

Ardizzone : Conversations with kids about homework, feeling you’re being listened to—that’s such a big part of wanting to do homework….I grew up in Westchester County. It was a pretty demanding school district. My junior year English teacher—I loved her—she would give us feedback, have meetings with all of us. She’d say, “If you have any questions, if you have anything you want to talk about, you can talk to me, here are my office hours.” It felt like she actually cared.

Bempechat : It matters to know that the teacher cares about you and that what you think matters to the teacher. Homework is a vehicle to connect home and school…for parents to know teachers are welcoming to them and their families.

Ardizzone : But can’t it lead to parents being overbearing and too involved in their children’s lives as students?

Bempechat : There’s good help and there’s bad help. The bad help is what you’re describing—when parents hover inappropriately, when they micromanage, when they see their children confused and struggling and tell them what to do.

Good help is when parents recognize there’s a struggle going on and instead ask informative questions: “Where do you think you went wrong?” They give hints, or pointers, rather than saying, “You missed this,” or “You didn’t read that.”

Bruce : I hope something comes of this. I hope BU or Wheelock can think of some way to make this a more pressing issue. As a first-year teacher, it was not something I even thought about on the first day of school—until a kid raised his hand and said, “Do we have homework?” It would have been wonderful if I’d had a plan from day one.

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Senior Contributing Editor

Sara Rimer A journalist for more than three decades, Sara Rimer worked at the Miami Herald , Washington Post and, for 26 years, the New York Times , where she was the New England bureau chief, and a national reporter covering education, aging, immigration, and other social justice issues. Her stories on the death penalty’s inequities were nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and cited in the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision outlawing the execution of people with intellectual disabilities. Her journalism honors include Columbia University’s Meyer Berger award for in-depth human interest reporting. She holds a BA degree in American Studies from the University of Michigan. Profile

She can be reached at [email protected] .

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There are 81 comments on Does Homework Really Help Students Learn?

Insightful! The values about homework in elementary schools are well aligned with my intuition as a parent.

when i finish my work i do my homework and i sometimes forget what to do because i did not get enough sleep

same omg it does not help me it is stressful and if I have it in more than one class I hate it.

Same I think my parent wants to help me but, she doesn’t care if I get bad grades so I just try my best and my grades are great.

I think that last question about Good help from parents is not know to all parents, we do as our parents did or how we best think it can be done, so maybe coaching parents or giving them resources on how to help with homework would be very beneficial for the parent on how to help and for the teacher to have consistency and improve homework results, and of course for the child. I do see how homework helps reaffirm the knowledge obtained in the classroom, I also have the ability to see progress and it is a time I share with my kids

The answer to the headline question is a no-brainer – a more pressing problem is why there is a difference in how students from different cultures succeed. Perfect example is the student population at BU – why is there a majority population of Asian students and only about 3% black students at BU? In fact at some universities there are law suits by Asians to stop discrimination and quotas against admitting Asian students because the real truth is that as a group they are demonstrating better qualifications for admittance, while at the same time there are quotas and reduced requirements for black students to boost their portion of the student population because as a group they do more poorly in meeting admissions standards – and it is not about the Benjamins. The real problem is that in our PC society no one has the gazuntas to explore this issue as it may reveal that all people are not created equal after all. Or is it just environmental cultural differences??????

I get you have a concern about the issue but that is not even what the point of this article is about. If you have an issue please take this to the site we have and only post your opinion about the actual topic

This is not at all what the article is talking about.

This literally has nothing to do with the article brought up. You should really take your opinions somewhere else before you speak about something that doesn’t make sense.

we have the same name

so they have the same name what of it?

lol you tell her

totally agree

What does that have to do with homework, that is not what the article talks about AT ALL.

Yes, I think homework plays an important role in the development of student life. Through homework, students have to face challenges on a daily basis and they try to solve them quickly.I am an intense online tutor at 24x7homeworkhelp and I give homework to my students at that level in which they handle it easily.

More than two-thirds of students said they used alcohol and drugs, primarily marijuana, to cope with stress.

You know what’s funny? I got this assignment to write an argument for homework about homework and this article was really helpful and understandable, and I also agree with this article’s point of view.

I also got the same task as you! I was looking for some good resources and I found this! I really found this article useful and easy to understand, just like you! ^^

i think that homework is the best thing that a child can have on the school because it help them with their thinking and memory.

I am a child myself and i think homework is a terrific pass time because i can’t play video games during the week. It also helps me set goals.

Homework is not harmful ,but it will if there is too much

I feel like, from a minors point of view that we shouldn’t get homework. Not only is the homework stressful, but it takes us away from relaxing and being social. For example, me and my friends was supposed to hang at the mall last week but we had to postpone it since we all had some sort of work to do. Our minds shouldn’t be focused on finishing an assignment that in realty, doesn’t matter. I completely understand that we should have homework. I have to write a paper on the unimportance of homework so thanks.

homework isn’t that bad

Are you a student? if not then i don’t really think you know how much and how severe todays homework really is

i am a student and i do not enjoy homework because i practice my sport 4 out of the five days we have school for 4 hours and that’s not even counting the commute time or the fact i still have to shower and eat dinner when i get home. its draining!

i totally agree with you. these people are such boomers

why just why

they do make a really good point, i think that there should be a limit though. hours and hours of homework can be really stressful, and the extra work isn’t making a difference to our learning, but i do believe homework should be optional and extra credit. that would make it for students to not have the leaning stress of a assignment and if you have a low grade you you can catch up.

Studies show that homework improves student achievement in terms of improved grades, test results, and the likelihood to attend college. Research published in the High School Journal indicates that students who spent between 31 and 90 minutes each day on homework “scored about 40 points higher on the SAT-Mathematics subtest than their peers, who reported spending no time on homework each day, on average.” On both standardized tests and grades, students in classes that were assigned homework outperformed 69% of students who didn’t have homework. A majority of studies on homework’s impact – 64% in one meta-study and 72% in another – showed that take home assignments were effective at improving academic achievement. Research by the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) concluded that increased homework led to better GPAs and higher probability of college attendance for high school boys. In fact, boys who attended college did more than three hours of additional homework per week in high school.

So how are your measuring student achievement? That’s the real question. The argument that doing homework is simply a tool for teaching responsibility isn’t enough for me. We can teach responsibility in a number of ways. Also the poor argument that parents don’t need to help with homework, and that students can do it on their own, is wishful thinking at best. It completely ignores neurodiverse students. Students in poverty aren’t magically going to find a space to do homework, a friend’s or siblings to help them do it, and snacks to eat. I feel like the author of this piece has never set foot in a classroom of students.

THIS. This article is pathetic coming from a university. So intellectually dishonest, refusing to address the havoc of capitalism and poverty plays on academic success in life. How can they in one sentence use poor kids in an argument and never once address that poor children have access to damn near 0 of the resources affluent kids have? Draw me a picture and let’s talk about feelings lmao what a joke is that gonna put food in their belly so they can have the calories to burn in order to use their brain to study? What about quiet their 7 other siblings that they share a single bedroom with for hours? Is it gonna force the single mom to magically be at home and at work at the same time to cook food while you study and be there to throw an encouraging word?

Also the “parents don’t need to be a parent and be able to guide their kid at all academically they just need to exist in the next room” is wild. Its one thing if a parent straight up is not equipped but to say kids can just figured it out is…. wow coming from an educator What’s next the teacher doesn’t need to teach cause the kid can just follow the packet and figure it out?

Well then get a tutor right? Oh wait you are poor only affluent kids can afford a tutor for their hours of homework a day were they on average have none of the worries a poor child does. Does this address that poor children are more likely to also suffer abuse and mental illness? Like mentioned what about kids that can’t learn or comprehend the forced standardized way? Just let em fail? These children regularly are not in “special education”(some of those are a joke in their own and full of neglect and abuse) programs cause most aren’t even acknowledged as having disabilities or disorders.

But yes all and all those pesky poor kids just aren’t being worked hard enough lol pretty sure poor children’s existence just in childhood is more work, stress, and responsibility alone than an affluent child’s entire life cycle. Love they never once talked about the quality of education in the classroom being so bad between the poor and affluent it can qualify as segregation, just basically blamed poor people for being lazy, good job capitalism for failing us once again!

why the hell?

you should feel bad for saying this, this article can be helpful for people who has to write a essay about it

This is more of a political rant than it is about homework

I know a teacher who has told his students their homework is to find something they are interested in, pursue it and then come share what they learn. The student responses are quite compelling. One girl taught herself German so she could talk to her grandfather. One boy did a research project on Nelson Mandela because the teacher had mentioned him in class. Another boy, a both on the autism spectrum, fixed his family’s computer. The list goes on. This is fourth grade. I think students are highly motivated to learn, when we step aside and encourage them.

The whole point of homework is to give the students a chance to use the material that they have been presented with in class. If they never have the opportunity to use that information, and discover that it is actually useful, it will be in one ear and out the other. As a science teacher, it is critical that the students are challenged to use the material they have been presented with, which gives them the opportunity to actually think about it rather than regurgitate “facts”. Well designed homework forces the student to think conceptually, as opposed to regurgitation, which is never a pretty sight

Wonderful discussion. and yes, homework helps in learning and building skills in students.

not true it just causes kids to stress

Homework can be both beneficial and unuseful, if you will. There are students who are gifted in all subjects in school and ones with disabilities. Why should the students who are gifted get the lucky break, whereas the people who have disabilities suffer? The people who were born with this “gift” go through school with ease whereas people with disabilities struggle with the work given to them. I speak from experience because I am one of those students: the ones with disabilities. Homework doesn’t benefit “us”, it only tears us down and put us in an abyss of confusion and stress and hopelessness because we can’t learn as fast as others. Or we can’t handle the amount of work given whereas the gifted students go through it with ease. It just brings us down and makes us feel lost; because no mater what, it feels like we are destined to fail. It feels like we weren’t “cut out” for success.

homework does help

here is the thing though, if a child is shoved in the face with a whole ton of homework that isn’t really even considered homework it is assignments, it’s not helpful. the teacher should make homework more of a fun learning experience rather than something that is dreaded

This article was wonderful, I am going to ask my teachers about extra, or at all giving homework.

I agree. Especially when you have homework before an exam. Which is distasteful as you’ll need that time to study. It doesn’t make any sense, nor does us doing homework really matters as It’s just facts thrown at us.

Homework is too severe and is just too much for students, schools need to decrease the amount of homework. When teachers assign homework they forget that the students have other classes that give them the same amount of homework each day. Students need to work on social skills and life skills.

I disagree.

Beyond achievement, proponents of homework argue that it can have many other beneficial effects. They claim it can help students develop good study habits so they are ready to grow as their cognitive capacities mature. It can help students recognize that learning can occur at home as well as at school. Homework can foster independent learning and responsible character traits. And it can give parents an opportunity to see what’s going on at school and let them express positive attitudes toward achievement.

Homework is helpful because homework helps us by teaching us how to learn a specific topic.

As a student myself, I can say that I have almost never gotten the full 9 hours of recommended sleep time, because of homework. (Now I’m writing an essay on it in the middle of the night D=)

I am a 10 year old kid doing a report about “Is homework good or bad” for homework before i was going to do homework is bad but the sources from this site changed my mind!

Homeowkr is god for stusenrs

I agree with hunter because homework can be so stressful especially with this whole covid thing no one has time for homework and every one just wants to get back to there normal lives it is especially stressful when you go on a 2 week vaca 3 weeks into the new school year and and then less then a week after you come back from the vaca you are out for over a month because of covid and you have no way to get the assignment done and turned in

As great as homework is said to be in the is article, I feel like the viewpoint of the students was left out. Every where I go on the internet researching about this topic it almost always has interviews from teachers, professors, and the like. However isn’t that a little biased? Of course teachers are going to be for homework, they’re not the ones that have to stay up past midnight completing the homework from not just one class, but all of them. I just feel like this site is one-sided and you should include what the students of today think of spending four hours every night completing 6-8 classes worth of work.

Are we talking about homework or practice? Those are two very different things and can result in different outcomes.

Homework is a graded assignment. I do not know of research showing the benefits of graded assignments going home.

Practice; however, can be extremely beneficial, especially if there is some sort of feedback (not a grade but feedback). That feedback can come from the teacher, another student or even an automated grading program.

As a former band director, I assigned daily practice. I never once thought it would be appropriate for me to require the students to turn in a recording of their practice for me to grade. Instead, I had in-class assignments/assessments that were graded and directly related to the practice assigned.

I would really like to read articles on “homework” that truly distinguish between the two.

oof i feel bad good luck!

thank you guys for the artical because I have to finish an assingment. yes i did cite it but just thanks

thx for the article guys.

Homework is good

I think homework is helpful AND harmful. Sometimes u can’t get sleep bc of homework but it helps u practice for school too so idk.

I agree with this Article. And does anyone know when this was published. I would like to know.

It was published FEb 19, 2019.

Studies have shown that homework improved student achievement in terms of improved grades, test results, and the likelihood to attend college.

i think homework can help kids but at the same time not help kids

This article is so out of touch with majority of homes it would be laughable if it wasn’t so incredibly sad.

There is no value to homework all it does is add stress to already stressed homes. Parents or adults magically having the time or energy to shepherd kids through homework is dome sort of 1950’s fantasy.

What lala land do these teachers live in?

Homework gives noting to the kid

Homework is Bad

homework is bad.

why do kids even have homework?

Comments are closed.

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Coursework/GPA

Everyone struggles with homework sometimes, but if getting your homework done has become a chronic issue for you, then you may need a little extra help. That’s why we’ve written this article all about how to do homework. Once you’re finished reading it, you’ll know how to do homework (and have tons of new ways to motivate yourself to do homework)!

We’ve broken this article down into a few major sections. You’ll find:

• A diagnostic test to help you figure out why you’re struggling with homework
• A discussion of the four major homework problems students face, along with expert tips for addressing them
• A bonus section with tips for how to do homework fast

By the end of this article, you’ll be prepared to tackle whatever homework assignments your teachers throw at you .

So let’s get started!

How to Do Homework: Figure Out Your Struggles 

Sometimes it feels like everything is standing between you and getting your homework done. But the truth is, most people only have one or two major roadblocks that are keeping them from getting their homework done well and on time. 

The best way to figure out how to get motivated to do homework starts with pinpointing the issues that are affecting your ability to get your assignments done. That’s why we’ve developed a short quiz to help you identify the areas where you’re struggling. 

Take the quiz below and record your answers on your phone or on a scrap piece of paper. Keep in mind there are no wrong answers! 

1. You’ve just been assigned an essay in your English class that’s due at the end of the week. What’s the first thing you do?

A. Keep it in mind, even though you won’t start it until the day before it’s due  B. Open up your planner. You’ve got to figure out when you’ll write your paper since you have band practice, a speech tournament, and your little sister’s dance recital this week, too.  C. Groan out loud. Another essay? You could barely get yourself to write the last one!  D. Start thinking about your essay topic, which makes you think about your art project that’s due the same day, which reminds you that your favorite artist might have just posted to Instagram...so you better check your feed right now. 

2. Your mom asked you to pick up your room before she gets home from work. You’ve just gotten home from school. You decide you’ll tackle your chores: 

A. Five minutes before your mom walks through the front door. As long as it gets done, who cares when you start?  B. As soon as you get home from your shift at the local grocery store.  C. After you give yourself a 15-minute pep talk about how you need to get to work.  D. You won’t get it done. Between texts from your friends, trying to watch your favorite Netflix show, and playing with your dog, you just lost track of time! 

3. You’ve signed up to wash dogs at the Humane Society to help earn money for your senior class trip. You: 

A. Show up ten minutes late. You put off leaving your house until the last minute, then got stuck in unexpected traffic on the way to the shelter.  B. Have to call and cancel at the last minute. You forgot you’d already agreed to babysit your cousin and bake cupcakes for tomorrow’s bake sale.  C. Actually arrive fifteen minutes early with extra brushes and bandanas you picked up at the store. You’re passionate about animals, so you’re excited to help out! D. Show up on time, but only get three dogs washed. You couldn’t help it: you just kept getting distracted by how cute they were!

4. You have an hour of downtime, so you decide you’re going to watch an episode of The Great British Baking Show. You: 

A. Scroll through your social media feeds for twenty minutes before hitting play, which means you’re not able to finish the whole episode. Ugh! You really wanted to see who was sent home!  B. Watch fifteen minutes until you remember you’re supposed to pick up your sister from band practice before heading to your part-time job. No GBBO for you!  C. You finish one episode, then decide to watch another even though you’ve got SAT studying to do. It’s just more fun to watch people make scones.  D. Start the episode, but only catch bits and pieces of it because you’re reading Twitter, cleaning out your backpack, and eating a snack at the same time.

5. Your teacher asks you to stay after class because you’ve missed turning in two homework assignments in a row. When she asks you what’s wrong, you say: 

A. You planned to do your assignments during lunch, but you ran out of time. You decided it would be better to turn in nothing at all than submit unfinished work.  B. You really wanted to get the assignments done, but between your extracurriculars, family commitments, and your part-time job, your homework fell through the cracks.  C. You have a hard time psyching yourself to tackle the assignments. You just can’t seem to find the motivation to work on them once you get home.  D. You tried to do them, but you had a hard time focusing. By the time you realized you hadn’t gotten anything done, it was already time to turn them in. 

Like we said earlier, there are no right or wrong answers to this quiz (though your results will be better if you answered as honestly as possible). Here’s how your answers break down: 

• If your answers were mostly As, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is procrastination. 
• If your answers were mostly Bs, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is time management. 
• If your answers were mostly Cs, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is motivation. 
• If your answers were mostly Ds, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is getting distracted. 

Now that you’ve identified why you’re having a hard time getting your homework done, we can help you figure out how to fix it! Scroll down to find your core problem area to learn more about how you can start to address it. 

And one more thing: you’re really struggling with homework, it’s a good idea to read through every section below. You may find some additional tips that will help make homework less intimidating. 

How to Do Homework When You’re a Procrastinator  

Merriam Webster defines “procrastinate” as “to put off intentionally and habitually.” In other words, procrastination is when you choose to do something at the last minute on a regular basis. If you’ve ever found yourself pulling an all-nighter, trying to finish an assignment between periods, or sprinting to turn in a paper minutes before a deadline, you’ve experienced the effects of procrastination. 

If you’re a chronic procrastinator, you’re in good company. In fact, one study found that 70% to 95% of undergraduate students procrastinate when it comes to doing their homework. Unfortunately, procrastination can negatively impact your grades. Researchers have found that procrastination can lower your grade on an assignment by as much as five points ...which might not sound serious until you realize that can mean the difference between a B- and a C+. 

Procrastination can also negatively affect your health by increasing your stress levels , which can lead to other health conditions like insomnia, a weakened immune system, and even heart conditions. Getting a handle on procrastination can not only improve your grades, it can make you feel better, too! 

The big thing to understand about procrastination is that it’s not the result of laziness. Laziness is defined as being “disinclined to activity or exertion.” In other words, being lazy is all about doing nothing. But a s this Psychology Today article explains , procrastinators don’t put things off because they don’t want to work. Instead, procrastinators tend to postpone tasks they don’t want to do in favor of tasks that they perceive as either more important or more fun. Put another way, procrastinators want to do things...as long as it’s not their homework! 

3 Tips f or Conquering Procrastination 

Because putting off doing homework is a common problem, there are lots of good tactics for addressing procrastination. Keep reading for our three expert tips that will get your homework habits back on track in no time. 

#1: Create a Reward System

Like we mentioned earlier, procrastination happens when you prioritize other activities over getting your homework done. Many times, this happens because homework...well, just isn’t enjoyable. But you can add some fun back into the process by rewarding yourself for getting your work done. 

Here’s what we mean: let’s say you decide that every time you get your homework done before the day it’s due, you’ll give yourself a point. For every five points you earn, you’ll treat yourself to your favorite dessert: a chocolate cupcake! Now you have an extra (delicious!) incentive to motivate you to leave procrastination in the dust. 

If you’re not into cupcakes, don’t worry. Your reward can be anything that motivates you . Maybe it’s hanging out with your best friend or an extra ten minutes of video game time. As long as you’re choosing something that makes homework worth doing, you’ll be successful. 

#2: Have a Homework Accountability Partner 

If you’re having trouble getting yourself to start your homework ahead of time, it may be a good idea to call in reinforcements . Find a friend or classmate you can trust and explain to them that you’re trying to change your homework habits. Ask them if they’d be willing to text you to make sure you’re doing your homework and check in with you once a week to see if you’re meeting your anti-procrastination goals. 

Sharing your goals can make them feel more real, and an accountability partner can help hold you responsible for your decisions. For example, let’s say you’re tempted to put off your science lab write-up until the morning before it’s due. But you know that your accountability partner is going to text you about it tomorrow...and you don’t want to fess up that you haven’t started your assignment. A homework accountability partner can give you the extra support and incentive you need to keep your homework habits on track. 

#3: Create Your Own Due Dates 

If you’re a life-long procrastinator, you might find that changing the habit is harder than you expected. In that case, you might try using procrastination to your advantage! If you just can’t seem to stop doing your work at the last minute, try setting your own due dates for assignments that range from a day to a week before the assignment is actually due. 

Here’s what we mean. Let’s say you have a math worksheet that’s been assigned on Tuesday and is due on Friday. In your planner, you can write down the due date as Thursday instead. You may still put off your homework assignment until the last minute...but in this case, the “last minute” is a day before the assignment’s real due date . This little hack can trick your procrastination-addicted brain into planning ahead! 

If you feel like Kevin Hart in this meme, then our tips for doing homework when you're busy are for you. 

How to Do Homework When You’re too Busy

If you’re aiming to go to a top-tier college , you’re going to have a full plate. Because college admissions is getting more competitive, it’s important that you’re maintaining your grades , studying hard for your standardized tests , and participating in extracurriculars so your application stands out. A packed schedule can get even more hectic once you add family obligations or a part-time job to the mix. 

If you feel like you’re being pulled in a million directions at once, you’re not alone. Recent research has found that stress—and more severe stress-related conditions like anxiety and depression— are a major problem for high school students . In fact, one study from the American Psychological Association found that during the school year, students’ stress levels are higher than those of the adults around them. 

For students, homework is a major contributor to their overall stress levels . Many high schoolers have multiple hours of homework every night , and figuring out how to fit it into an already-packed schedule can seem impossible. 

3 Tips for Fitting Homework Into Your Busy Schedule

While it might feel like you have literally no time left in your schedule, there are still ways to make sure you’re able to get your homework done and meet your other commitments. Here are our expert homework tips for even the busiest of students. 

#1: Make a Prioritized To-Do List 

You probably already have a to-do list to keep yourself on track. The next step is to prioritize the items on your to-do list so you can see what items need your attention right away. 

Here’s how it works: at the beginning of each day, sit down and make a list of all the items you need to get done before you go to bed. This includes your homework, but it should also take into account any practices, chores, events, or job shifts you may have. Once you get everything listed out, it’s time to prioritize them using the labels A, B, and C. Here’s what those labels mean:

• A Tasks : tasks that have to get done—like showing up at work or turning in an assignment—get an A. 
• B Tasks : these are tasks that you would like to get done by the end of the day but aren’t as time sensitive. For example, studying for a test you have next week could be a B-level task. It’s still important, but it doesn’t have to be done right away.
• C Tasks: these are tasks that aren’t very important and/or have no real consequences if you don’t get them done immediately. For instance, if you’re hoping to clean out your closet but it’s not an assigned chore from your parents, you could label that to-do item with a C.

Prioritizing your to-do list helps you visualize which items need your immediate attention, and which items you can leave for later. A prioritized to-do list ensures that you’re spending your time efficiently and effectively, which helps you make room in your schedule for homework. So even though you might really want to start making decorations for Homecoming (a B task), you’ll know that finishing your reading log (an A task) is more important. 

#2: Use a Planner With Time Labels

Your planner is probably packed with notes, events, and assignments already. (And if you’re not using a planner, it’s time to start!) But planners can do more for you than just remind you when an assignment is due. If you’re using a planner with time labels, it can help you visualize how you need to spend your day.

A planner with time labels breaks your day down into chunks, and you assign tasks to each chunk of time. For example, you can make a note of your class schedule with assignments, block out time to study, and make sure you know when you need to be at practice. Once you know which tasks take priority, you can add them to any empty spaces in your day. 

Planning out how you spend your time not only helps you use it wisely, it can help you feel less overwhelmed, too . We’re big fans of planners that include a task list ( like this one ) or have room for notes ( like this one ). 

#3: Set Reminders on Your Phone 

If you need a little extra nudge to make sure you’re getting your homework done on time, it’s a good idea to set some reminders on your phone. You don’t need a fancy app, either. You can use your alarm app to have it go off at specific times throughout the day to remind you to do your homework. This works especially well if you have a set homework time scheduled. So if you’ve decided you’re doing homework at 6:00 pm, you can set an alarm to remind you to bust out your books and get to work. 

If you use your phone as your planner, you may have the option to add alerts, emails, or notifications to scheduled events . Many calendar apps, including the one that comes with your phone, have built-in reminders that you can customize to meet your needs. So if you block off time to do your homework from 4:30 to 6:00 pm, you can set a reminder that will pop up on your phone when it’s time to get started. 

This dog isn't judging your lack of motivation...but your teacher might. Keep reading for tips to help you motivate yourself to do your homework.

How to Do Homework When You’re Unmotivated 

At first glance, it may seem like procrastination and being unmotivated are the same thing. After all, both of these issues usually result in you putting off your homework until the very last minute. 

But there’s one key difference: many procrastinators are working, they’re just prioritizing work differently. They know they’re going to start their homework...they’re just going to do it later. 

Conversely, people who are unmotivated to do homework just can’t find the willpower to tackle their assignments. Procrastinators know they’ll at least attempt the homework at the last minute, whereas people who are unmotivated struggle with convincing themselves to do it at a ll. For procrastinators, the stress comes from the inevitable time crunch. For unmotivated people, the stress comes from trying to convince themselves to do something they don’t want to do in the first place. 

Here are some common reasons students are unmotivated in doing homework : 

• Assignments are too easy, too hard, or seemingly pointless 
• Students aren’t interested in (or passionate about) the subject matter
• Students are intimidated by the work and/or feels like they don’t understand the assignment 
• Homework isn’t fun, and students would rather spend their time on things that they enjoy 

To sum it up: people who lack motivation to do their homework are more likely to not do it at all, or to spend more time worrying about doing their homework than...well, actually doing it.

3 Tips for How to Get Motivated to Do Homework

The key to getting homework done when you’re unmotivated is to figure out what does motivate you, then apply those things to homework. It sounds tricky...but it’s pretty simple once you get the hang of it! Here are our three expert tips for motivating yourself to do your homework. 

#1: Use Incremental Incentives

When you’re not motivated, it’s important to give yourself small rewards to stay focused on finishing the task at hand. The trick is to keep the incentives small and to reward yourself often. For example, maybe you’re reading a good book in your free time. For every ten minutes you spend on your homework, you get to read five pages of your book. Like we mentioned earlier, make sure you’re choosing a reward that works for you! 

So why does this technique work? Using small rewards more often allows you to experience small wins for getting your work done. Every time you make it to one of your tiny reward points, you get to celebrate your success, which gives your brain a boost of dopamine . Dopamine helps you stay motivated and also creates a feeling of satisfaction when you complete your homework !  

#2: Form a Homework Group 

If you’re having trouble motivating yourself, it’s okay to turn to others for support. Creating a homework group can help with this. Bring together a group of your friends or classmates, and pick one time a week where you meet and work on homework together. You don’t have to be in the same class, or even taking the same subjects— the goal is to encourage one another to start (and finish!) your assignments. 

Another added benefit of a homework group is that you can help one another if you’re struggling to understand the material covered in your classes. This is especially helpful if your lack of motivation comes from being intimidated by your assignments. Asking your friends for help may feel less scary than talking to your teacher...and once you get a handle on the material, your homework may become less frightening, too. 

#3: Change Up Your Environment 

If you find that you’re totally unmotivated, it may help if you find a new place to do your homework. For example, if you’ve been struggling to get your homework done at home, try spending an extra hour in the library after school instead. The change of scenery can limit your distractions and give you the energy you need to get your work done. 

If you’re stuck doing homework at home, you can still use this tip. For instance, maybe you’ve always done your homework sitting on your bed. Try relocating somewhere else, like your kitchen table, for a few weeks. You may find that setting up a new “homework spot” in your house gives you a motivational lift and helps you get your work done. 

Social media can be a huge problem when it comes to doing homework. We have advice for helping you unplug and regain focus.

How to Do Homework When You’re Easily Distracted

We live in an always-on world, and there are tons of things clamoring for our attention. From friends and family to pop culture and social media, it seems like there’s always something (or someone!) distracting us from the things we need to do.

The 24/7 world we live in has affected our ability to focus on tasks for prolonged periods of time. Research has shown that over the past decade, an average person’s attention span has gone from 12 seconds to eight seconds . And when we do lose focus, i t takes people a long time to get back on task . One study found that it can take as long as 23 minutes to get back to work once we’ve been distracte d. No wonder it can take hours to get your homework done! 

3 Tips to Improve Your Focus

If you have a hard time focusing when you’re doing your homework, it’s a good idea to try and eliminate as many distractions as possible. Here are three expert tips for blocking out the noise so you can focus on getting your homework done. 

#1: Create a Distraction-Free Environment

Pick a place where you’ll do your homework every day, and make it as distraction-free as possible. Try to find a location where there won’t be tons of noise, and limit your access to screens while you’re doing your homework. Put together a focus-oriented playlist (or choose one on your favorite streaming service), and put your headphones on while you work. 

You may find that other people, like your friends and family, are your biggest distraction. If that’s the case, try setting up some homework boundaries. Let them know when you’ll be working on homework every day, and ask them if they’ll help you keep a quiet environment. They’ll be happy to lend a hand! 

#2: Limit Your Access to Technology 

We know, we know...this tip isn’t fun, but it does work. For homework that doesn’t require a computer, like handouts or worksheets, it’s best to put all your technology away . Turn off your television, put your phone and laptop in your backpack, and silence notifications on any wearable tech you may be sporting. If you listen to music while you work, that’s fine...but make sure you have a playlist set up so you’re not shuffling through songs once you get started on your homework. 

If your homework requires your laptop or tablet, it can be harder to limit your access to distractions. But it’s not impossible! T here are apps you can download that will block certain websites while you’re working so that you’re not tempted to scroll through Twitter or check your Facebook feed. Silence notifications and text messages on your computer, and don’t open your email account unless you absolutely have to. And if you don’t need access to the internet to complete your assignments, turn off your WiFi. Cutting out the online chatter is a great way to make sure you’re getting your homework done. 

#3: Set a Timer (the Pomodoro Technique)

Have you ever heard of the Pomodoro technique ? It’s a productivity hack that uses a timer to help you focus!

Here’s how it works: first, set a timer for 25 minutes. This is going to be your work time. During this 25 minutes, all you can do is work on whatever homework assignment you have in front of you. No email, no text messaging, no phone calls—just homework. When that timer goes off, you get to take a 5 minute break. Every time you go through one of these cycles, it’s called a “pomodoro.” For every four pomodoros you complete, you can take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes.

The pomodoro technique works through a combination of boundary setting and rewards. First, it gives you a finite amount of time to focus, so you know that you only have to work really hard for 25 minutes. Once you’ve done that, you’re rewarded with a short break where you can do whatever you want. Additionally, tracking how many pomodoros you complete can help you see how long you’re really working on your homework. (Once you start using our focus tips, you may find it doesn’t take as long as you thought!)

Two Bonus Tips for How to Do Homework Fast

Even if you’re doing everything right, there will be times when you just need to get your homework done as fast as possible. (Why do teachers always have projects due in the same week? The world may never know.)

The problem with speeding through homework is that it’s easy to make mistakes. While turning in an assignment is always better than not submitting anything at all, you want to make sure that you’re not compromising quality for speed. Simply put, the goal is to get your homework done quickly and still make a good grade on the assignment! 

Here are our two bonus tips for getting a decent grade on your homework assignments , even when you’re in a time crunch. 

#1: Do the Easy Parts First 

This is especially true if you’re working on a handout with multiple questions. Before you start working on the assignment, read through all the questions and problems. As you do, make a mark beside the questions you think are “easy” to answer . 

Once you’ve finished going through the whole assignment, you can answer these questions first. Getting the easy questions out of the way as quickly as possible lets you spend more time on the trickier portions of your homework, which will maximize your assignment grade. 

(Quick note: this is also a good strategy to use on timed assignments and tests, like the SAT and the ACT !) 

#2: Pay Attention in Class 

Homework gets a lot easier when you’re actively learning the material. Teachers aren’t giving you homework because they’re mean or trying to ruin your weekend... it’s because they want you to really understand the course material. Homework is designed to reinforce what you’re already learning in class so you’ll be ready to tackle harder concepts later.

When you pay attention in class, ask questions, and take good notes, you’re absorbing the information you’ll need to succeed on your homework assignments. (You’re stuck in class anyway, so you might as well make the most of it!) Not only will paying attention in class make your homework less confusing, it will also help it go much faster, too.

What’s Next?

If you’re looking to improve your productivity beyond homework, a good place to begin is with time management. After all, we only have so much time in a day...so it’s important to get the most out of it! To get you started, check out this list of the 12 best time management techniques that you can start using today.

You may have read this article because homework struggles have been affecting your GPA. Now that you’re on the path to homework success, it’s time to start being proactive about raising your grades. This article teaches you everything you need to know about raising your GPA so you can

Now you know how to get motivated to do homework...but what about your study habits? Studying is just as critical to getting good grades, and ultimately getting into a good college . We can teach you how to study bette r in high school. (We’ve also got tons of resources to help you study for your ACT and SAT exams , too!)

These recommendations are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links, PrepScholar may receive a commission.

Ashley Sufflé Robinson has a Ph.D. in 19th Century English Literature. As a content writer for PrepScholar, Ashley is passionate about giving college-bound students the in-depth information they need to get into the school of their dreams.

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Are You Down With or Done With Homework?

• Posted January 17, 2012
• By Lory Hough

The debate over how much schoolwork students should be doing at home has flared again, with one side saying it's too much, the other side saying in our competitive world, it's just not enough.

It was a move that doesn't happen very often in American public schools: The principal got rid of homework.

This past September, Stephanie Brant, principal of Gaithersburg Elementary School in Gaithersburg, Md., decided that instead of teachers sending kids home with math worksheets and spelling flash cards, students would instead go home and read. Every day for 30 minutes, more if they had time or the inclination, with parents or on their own.

"I knew this would be a big shift for my community," she says. But she also strongly believed it was a necessary one. Twenty-first-century learners, especially those in elementary school, need to think critically and understand their own learning — not spend night after night doing rote homework drills.

Brant's move may not be common, but she isn't alone in her questioning. The value of doing schoolwork at home has gone in and out of fashion in the United States among educators, policymakers, the media, and, more recently, parents. As far back as the late 1800s, with the rise of the Progressive Era, doctors such as Joseph Mayer Rice began pushing for a limit on what he called "mechanical homework," saying it caused childhood nervous conditions and eyestrain. Around that time, the then-influential Ladies Home Journal began publishing a series of anti-homework articles, stating that five hours of brain work a day was "the most we should ask of our children," and that homework was an intrusion on family life. In response, states like California passed laws abolishing homework for students under a certain age.

But, as is often the case with education, the tide eventually turned. After the Russians launched the Sputnik satellite in 1957, a space race emerged, and, writes Brian Gill in the journal Theory Into Practice, "The homework problem was reconceived as part of a national crisis; the U.S. was losing the Cold War because Russian children were smarter." Many earlier laws limiting homework were abolished, and the longterm trend toward less homework came to an end.

The debate re-emerged a decade later when parents of the late '60s and '70s argued that children should be free to play and explore — similar anti-homework wellness arguments echoed nearly a century earlier. By the early-1980s, however, the pendulum swung again with the publication of A Nation at Risk , which blamed poor education for a "rising tide of mediocrity." Students needed to work harder, the report said, and one way to do this was more homework.

For the most part, this pro-homework sentiment is still going strong today, in part because of mandatory testing and continued economic concerns about the nation's competitiveness. Many believe that today's students are falling behind their peers in places like Korea and Finland and are paying more attention to Angry Birds than to ancient Babylonia.

But there are also a growing number of Stephanie Brants out there, educators and parents who believe that students are stressed and missing out on valuable family time. Students, they say, particularly younger students who have seen a rise in the amount of take-home work and already put in a six- to nine-hour "work" day, need less, not more homework.

Who is right? Are students not working hard enough or is homework not working for them? Here's where the story gets a little tricky: It depends on whom you ask and what research you're looking at. As Cathy Vatterott, the author of Rethinking Homework , points out, "Homework has generated enough research so that a study can be found to support almost any position, as long as conflicting studies are ignored." Alfie Kohn, author of The Homework Myth and a strong believer in eliminating all homework, writes that, "The fact that there isn't anything close to unanimity among experts belies the widespread assumption that homework helps." At best, he says, homework shows only an association, not a causal relationship, with academic achievement. In other words, it's hard to tease out how homework is really affecting test scores and grades. Did one teacher give better homework than another? Was one teacher more effective in the classroom? Do certain students test better or just try harder?

"It is difficult to separate where the effect of classroom teaching ends," Vatterott writes, "and the effect of homework begins."

Putting research aside, however, much of the current debate over homework is focused less on how homework affects academic achievement and more on time. Parents in particular have been saying that the amount of time children spend in school, especially with afterschool programs, combined with the amount of homework given — as early as kindergarten — is leaving students with little time to run around, eat dinner with their families, or even get enough sleep.

Certainly, for some parents, homework is a way to stay connected to their children's learning. But for others, homework creates a tug-of-war between parents and children, says Liz Goodenough, M.A.T.'71, creator of a documentary called Where Do the Children Play?

"Ideally homework should be about taking something home, spending a few curious and interesting moments in which children might engage with parents, and then getting that project back to school — an organizational triumph," she says. "A nag-free activity could engage family time: Ask a parent about his or her own childhood. Interview siblings."

Instead, as the authors of The Case Against Homework write, "Homework overload is turning many of us into the types of parents we never wanted to be: nags, bribers, and taskmasters."

Leslie Butchko saw it happen a few years ago when her son started sixth grade in the Santa Monica-Malibu (Calif.) United School District. She remembers him getting two to four hours of homework a night, plus weekend and vacation projects. He was overwhelmed and struggled to finish assignments, especially on nights when he also had an extracurricular activity.

"Ultimately, we felt compelled to have Bobby quit karate — he's a black belt — to allow more time for homework," she says. And then, with all of their attention focused on Bobby's homework, she and her husband started sending their youngest to his room so that Bobby could focus. "One day, my younger son gave us 15-minute coupons as a present for us to use to send him to play in the back room. … It was then that we realized there had to be something wrong with the amount of homework we were facing."

Butchko joined forces with another mother who was having similar struggles and ultimately helped get the homework policy in her district changed, limiting homework on weekends and holidays, setting time guidelines for daily homework, and broadening the definition of homework to include projects and studying for tests. As she told the school board at one meeting when the policy was first being discussed, "In closing, I just want to say that I had more free time at Harvard Law School than my son has in middle school, and that is not in the best interests of our children."

One barrier that Butchko had to overcome initially was convincing many teachers and parents that more homework doesn't necessarily equal rigor.

"Most of the parents that were against the homework policy felt that students need a large quantity of homework to prepare them for the rigorous AP classes in high school and to get them into Harvard," she says.

Stephanie Conklin, Ed.M.'06, sees this at Another Course to College, the Boston pilot school where she teaches math. "When a student is not completing [his or her] homework, parents usually are frustrated by this and agree with me that homework is an important part of their child's learning," she says.

As Timothy Jarman, Ed.M.'10, a ninth-grade English teacher at Eugene Ashley High School in Wilmington, N.C., says, "Parents think it is strange when their children are not assigned a substantial amount of homework."

That's because, writes Vatterott, in her chapter, "The Cult(ure) of Homework," the concept of homework "has become so engrained in U.S. culture that the word homework is part of the common vernacular."

These days, nightly homework is a given in American schools, writes Kohn.

"Homework isn't limited to those occasions when it seems appropriate and important. Most teachers and administrators aren't saying, 'It may be useful to do this particular project at home,'" he writes. "Rather, the point of departure seems to be, 'We've decided ahead of time that children will have to do something every night (or several times a week). … This commitment to the idea of homework in the abstract is accepted by the overwhelming majority of schools — public and private, elementary and secondary."

Brant had to confront this when she cut homework at Gaithersburg Elementary.

"A lot of my parents have this idea that homework is part of life. This is what I had to do when I was young," she says, and so, too, will our kids. "So I had to shift their thinking." She did this slowly, first by asking her teachers last year to really think about what they were sending home. And this year, in addition to forming a parent advisory group around the issue, she also holds events to answer questions.

Still, not everyone is convinced that homework as a given is a bad thing. "Any pursuit of excellence, be it in sports, the arts, or academics, requires hard work. That our culture finds it okay for kids to spend hours a day in a sport but not equal time on academics is part of the problem," wrote one pro-homework parent on the blog for the documentary Race to Nowhere , which looks at the stress American students are under. "Homework has always been an issue for parents and children. It is now and it was 20 years ago. I think when people decide to have children that it is their responsibility to educate them," wrote another.

And part of educating them, some believe, is helping them develop skills they will eventually need in adulthood. "Homework can help students develop study skills that will be of value even after they leave school," reads a publication on the U.S. Department of Education website called Homework Tips for Parents. "It can teach them that learning takes place anywhere, not just in the classroom. … It can foster positive character traits such as independence and responsibility. Homework can teach children how to manage time."

Annie Brown, Ed.M.'01, feels this is particularly critical at less affluent schools like the ones she has worked at in Boston, Cambridge, Mass., and Los Angeles as a literacy coach.

"It feels important that my students do homework because they will ultimately be competing for college placement and jobs with students who have done homework and have developed a work ethic," she says. "Also it will get them ready for independently taking responsibility for their learning, which will need to happen for them to go to college."

The problem with this thinking, writes Vatterott, is that homework becomes a way to practice being a worker.

"Which begs the question," she writes. "Is our job as educators to produce learners or workers?"

Slate magazine editor Emily Bazelon, in a piece about homework, says this makes no sense for younger kids.

"Why should we think that practicing homework in first grade will make you better at doing it in middle school?" she writes. "Doesn't the opposite seem equally plausible: that it's counterproductive to ask children to sit down and work at night before they're developmentally ready because you'll just make them tired and cross?"

Kohn writes in the American School Board Journal that this "premature exposure" to practices like homework (and sit-and-listen lessons and tests) "are clearly a bad match for younger children and of questionable value at any age." He calls it BGUTI: Better Get Used to It. "The logic here is that we have to prepare you for the bad things that are going to be done to you later … by doing them to you now."

According to a recent University of Michigan study, daily homework for six- to eight-year-olds increased on average from about 8 minutes in 1981 to 22 minutes in 2003. A review of research by Duke University Professor Harris Cooper found that for elementary school students, "the average correlation between time spent on homework and achievement … hovered around zero."

So should homework be eliminated? Of course not, say many Ed School graduates who are teaching. Not only would students not have time for essays and long projects, but also teachers would not be able to get all students to grade level or to cover critical material, says Brett Pangburn, Ed.M.'06, a sixth-grade English teacher at Excel Academy Charter School in Boston. Still, he says, homework has to be relevant.

"Kids need to practice the skills being taught in class, especially where, like the kids I teach at Excel, they are behind and need to catch up," he says. "Our results at Excel have demonstrated that kids can catch up and view themselves as in control of their academic futures, but this requires hard work, and homework is a part of it."

Ed School Professor Howard Gardner basically agrees.

"America and Americans lurch between too little homework in many of our schools to an excess of homework in our most competitive environments — Li'l Abner vs. Tiger Mother," he says. "Neither approach makes sense. Homework should build on what happens in class, consolidating skills and helping students to answer new questions."

So how can schools come to a happy medium, a way that allows teachers to cover everything they need while not overwhelming students? Conklin says she often gives online math assignments that act as labs and students have two or three days to complete them, including some in-class time. Students at Pangburn's school have a 50-minute silent period during regular school hours where homework can be started, and where teachers pull individual or small groups of students aside for tutoring, often on that night's homework. Afterschool homework clubs can help.

Some schools and districts have adapted time limits rather than nix homework completely, with the 10-minute per grade rule being the standard — 10 minutes a night for first-graders, 30 minutes for third-graders, and so on. (This remedy, however, is often met with mixed results since not all students work at the same pace.) Other schools offer an extended day that allows teachers to cover more material in school, in turn requiring fewer take-home assignments. And for others, like Stephanie Brant's elementary school in Maryland, more reading with a few targeted project assignments has been the answer.

"The routine of reading is so much more important than the routine of homework," she says. "Let's have kids reflect. You can still have the routine and you can still have your workspace, but now it's for reading. I often say to parents, if we can put a man on the moon, we can put a man or woman on Mars and that person is now a second-grader. We don't know what skills that person will need. At the end of the day, we have to feel confident that we're giving them something they can use on Mars."

Read a January 2014 update.

Homework Policy Still Going Strong

Ed. Magazine

The magazine of the Harvard Graduate School of Education

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Talking to Teenagers… About School and Homework

• Post author: Courtney Harris Coaching
• Post published: October 16, 2018
• Post category: Talking with Teenagers
• Post comments: 2 Comments

Fall is here! This means that back to school routines have been in place for several weeks. Alternatively, things may still be in flux as your teen is struggling to find a routine that fits. By now, teachers have likely sent progress reports or updates home, and maybe you’ve even received an “FYI your kid is not meeting expectations” e-mail that has you feeling all kinds of things. And it’s all okay!

October is a great time to refresh and renew the ways you’re supporting your teen in building a healthy relationship with their school life.  Your teenager is in the thick of figuring out how they want to show up, and you are standing witness, doing your best to encourage a healthy, productive level of investment in education and learning.

This is a lot. (And I know YOU know this.)

Looking at the Whole Experience

Some parents I talk to express worry about “the kind of student” their child is. Others are embarrassed. Many feel helpless, uncertain of how to help their child invest in school and their future. On the other hand, other parents don’t know how to help their teen relax and find balance as they obsess about perfection. It’s tiring trying to hold all of this as a parent or caregiver. 

Likewise, teens share that they’re stressed out. Meeting the expectations of school, family, culture, extracurricular programs, and their future (aka college or professional goals) can feel impossible. Some teens hit a wall and shut down. Others amp it up, striving to be the best. The end result is the same as what you may be experiencing, exhaustion. 

So, what can you do now to provide huge support for the short and long-term? Keep reading for 6 Strategies for Talking to Teenagers About School and Homework.

6 Strategies for Talking to Teenagers About School and Homework

1. help your teen find and define their “ why .”.

School and homework will be more meaningful and sustainable when your child has an authentic purpose. Support them in considering “why” and “how” questions: “ How does school support you in growing towards your goals? Why is homework important or supportive? How does school benefit you?” And so on.  Additionally, make space for your teen to explore potential career and creative interests. Help them research their goals and dreams; talk together about the ways their academics today impact (and support) their goals for the future. By now, your teenager knows your opinions and expectations; thus, I encourage you to refrain from sharing advice in these conversations– unless they ask for it.

2. Talk about different learning needs.

Help your child become aware of their own learning styles; normalize this conversation! You might ask questions like, “How do you receive new information best?” (Ex: auditory, written, hands-on, etc.) Together, explore and research tools that support these preferences and needs. For example, your teen might like to try apps for recording lectures, typing notes instead of handwriting, listening to audio books while reading the text, or different note-taking styles. Ask where they learn/study best: “Where in the classroom/school do you feel most focused?” (in the front of the room, in small groups, etc.) If your child has an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) or a 504, ensure that they are ACTIVE parts of their annual meetings, have an open relationship with their case manager, and are well aware of their accommodations and modifications. Teens can tape a copy of these in their planner for quick reference. E-mail me  directly if you’d like to talk more specifically about IEPs and 504s. At first, as you ask these questions, you might get a shoulder shrug or an “I don’t know”, but over time, and with your support and modeling, your teenager will become more in tune with their own thinking.

3. Promote self-advocacy.

As early as possible, help your child understand the concept of seeking help, speaking up, and voicing their needs to their teachers. Discuss appropriate times to do this (before or after class, during tutorials, before or after school, and sometimes by e-mail). Give them conversation starters and role play or practice as needed. When you have conversations using strateies #1 and #2 with your teen, you are supporting them in critical thinking and self-awareness. Their reflections become excellent material to share with their teachers. Ultimately, as your teen voices their needs, they build trust and safety in their learning environments.

4. Always come back to routines .

Systems help us stay on track, emphasize efficiency, and promote stability. Establish routines for homework (for example, no screens unless required for assignments), nutritious snacks, breaks, studying, and organization. Balance is important when it comes to routines; thus, build in breaks and time to decompress. For example, one family I work with snacks and relaxes for 20 minutes after arriving home. They also take 15-minute exercise breaks after each 40-minute chunk of work time. All work stops for dinner at 7:00pm. I often encourage children and teens to use timers to increase accountability, promote self-sufficiency, and deepen investment in the process; your teenager’s buy-in is crucial to mantaining family routines over time. Finally, consider creating a common google calendar or visual schedules on a chalkboard to support communication and commitment to routines within the family.

5. Focus on growth over time, not perfection.

For children who present type-a/perfectionist tendencies (that’s me!) extra academic pressure can be harmful. It can push them deep into overwork and overwhelm. For our children who present apathetic or defeated attitudes, perfection feels impossible, so giving up might feel like the only option. Where you put value, as parents and caregivers, impacts your children. As you focus primarily on growth and continued improvement, your child is likely to feel encouraged, yet not over-pressured. Small wins, small improvements matter; celebrate those!

6. Support your teen in making choices for themselves.

When it comes to your teen’s time outside of school, encourage them to make choices for engaging with their passions and interests. These may boost their “why!” Opportunities include school-sponsored groups (like video game or creative writing club), athletics inside or outside of school, study groups, church or community groups (like volunteering), and even part-time jobs. If your child shares an idea or requests to join a new activity, do your best to support it. Express interest in their motivation for joining. “What gets you excited about this club?” “What do you have to contribute to the group?” Incorporate the routines conversation from strategy #3; check in with your teen’s and the family’s capacity to manage new commitments and consider adjustments that might be made. (Added bonus: These are all resume and college application builders too!)

Finally, you may also find yourself (and your teen) wanting extra support. Together, you and your family can build individual support system maps to support you throughout the year.  Here’s to continued growth in the 2018-2019 school year and beyond!

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Very Informative post. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us. Best Certified Teen Life Coach

thanks so much for being here!

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• Speaking exams
• Typical speaking tasks

Oral presentation

Giving an oral presentation as part of a speaking exam can be quite scary, but we're here to help you. Watch two students giving presentations and then read the tips carefully. Which tips do they follow? Which ones don’t they follow?

Instructions

Watch the video of two students doing an oral presentation as part of a speaking exam. Then read the tips below.

Melissa: Hi, everyone! Today I would like to talk about how to become the most popular teen in school.

Firstly, I think getting good academic results is the first factor to make you become popular since, having a good academic result, your teacher will award you in front of your schoolmates. Then, your schoolmates will know who you are and maybe they would like to get to know you because they want to learn something good from you.

Secondly, I think participating in school clubs and student unions can help to make you become popular, since after participating in these school clubs or student union, people will know who you are and it can help you to make friends all around the school, no matter senior forms or junior forms.

In conclusion, I think to become the most popular teen in school we need to have good academic results and also participate in school clubs and student union. Thank you!

Kelvin: Good evening, everyone! So, today I want to talk about whether the sale of cigarettes should be made illegal.

As we all know, cigarettes are not good for our health, not only oneself but also other people around. Moreover, many people die of lung cancer every year because of smoking cigarettes.

But, should the government make it illegal? I don’t think so, because Hong Kong is a place where people can enjoy lots of freedom and if the government banned the sale of cigarettes, many people would disagree with this and stand up to fight for their freedom.

Moreover, Hong Kong is a free market. If there's such a huge government intervention, I think it’s not good for Hong Kong’s economy.

So, if the government wants people to stop smoking cigarettes, what should it do? I think the government can use other administrative ways to do so, for example education and increasing the tax on cigarettes. Also, the government can ban the smokers smoking in public areas. So, this is the end of my presentation. Thank you.

It’s not easy to give a good oral presentation but these tips will help you. Here are our top tips for oral presentations.

• Use the planning time to prepare what you’re going to say. 
• If you are allowed to have a note card, write short notes in point form.
• Use more formal language.
• Use short, simple sentences to express your ideas clearly.
• Pause from time to time and don’t speak too quickly. This allows the listener to understand your ideas. Include a short pause after each idea.
• Speak clearly and at the right volume.
• Have your notes ready in case you forget anything.
• Practise your presentation. If possible record yourself and listen to your presentation. If you can’t record yourself, ask a friend to listen to you. Does your friend understand you?
• Make your opinions very clear. Use expressions to give your opinion .
• Look at the people who are listening to you.
• Write out the whole presentation and learn every word by heart. 
• Write out the whole presentation and read it aloud.
• Use very informal language.
• Only look at your note card. It’s important to look up at your listeners when you are speaking.

Useful language for presentations

Explain what your presentation is about at the beginning:

I’m going to talk about ... I’d like to talk about ... The main focus of this presentation is ...

Use these expressions to order your ideas:

First of all, ... Firstly, ... Then, ... Secondly, ... Next, ... Finally, ... Lastly, ... To sum up, ... In conclusion, ...

Use these expressions to add more ideas from the same point of view:

In addition, ... What’s more, ... Also, ... Added to this, ...

To introduce the opposite point of view you can use these words and expressions:

However, ... On the other hand, ... Then again, ...

Example presentation topics

• Violent computer games should be banned.
• The sale of cigarettes should be made illegal.
• Homework should be limited to just two nights a week.
• Should school students be required to wear a school uniform?
• How to become the most popular teen in school.
• Dogs should be banned from cities.

Check your language: ordering - parts of a presentation

Check your understanding: grouping - useful phrases, worksheets and downloads.

Do you think these tips will help you in your next speaking exam? Remember to tell us how well you do in future speaking exams!  

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Talking about school: why children sometimes find it hard

‘How was school?’ is a big question. To answer, your child has to sum up a whole day, and that’s hard for children (and even adults!) to do.

A child might really want to say, ‘My day was so jam-packed with ideas and classes and social stuff that I don’t know where to start’. So it’s easier just to say, ‘OK’.

Some children feel their school experiences are private, so they might not want to share them. This is a typical part of school-age development as children start to shape their own identities and social worlds. But your child still needs to know you’re available when they’re ready to talk.

Why talking about school is important

Talking with your child about the school day  shows you’re interested in what’s going on in their life. This interest boosts your child’s mental health, happiness and wellbeing. It can also have a very positive effect on your child’s behaviour and achievement. It shows your child that you value school and education, which encourages them to value it too.

Talking together about school also  helps you get to know more about what’s expected of your child at school , how they learn and how they handle challenges. It can help you understand when your child is feeling less interested in school or having problems.

When you’re in touch with your child’s feelings about school, you’re more likely to see problems before they get too big. This way you can work on overcoming challenges together.

And talking about school issues – like school projects or friendship problems – is also a great chance for you to express your family values about things like teamwork, respect for self and others, friendships, relationships, problem-solving and so on.

If your child is having problems at school, you can start by  talking with their teacher . You might also like to read our article on  problems at school: children 9-18 years .

Strategies for talking about school with your child

When your child first gets home from school in the afternoon, they’ll probably be tired and hungry or thinking about other things. So easing the transition from school or after-school activities to home can help your child feel more like talking.

It’s best to avoid asking your child a lot of questions straight away – this can be overwhelming for your child. You can just let your child know that you’re glad to see them, and talk about non-school topics for a while. Younger children will probably also like unpacking their bags and going through any notes before you ask about school.

Saving questions about homework for later on can also take the pressure off!

Every afternoon or evening will be different. Even if your child usually likes to share their day with you, there’ll be days when they don’t want to talk. Sometimes it’s a matter of sensing your child’s mood and picking the right moment. Some days there might not be a right moment at all, and that’s OK.

Simple, positive and specific questions about parts of the day can get your child talking. It’s good to use questions that invite more than a ‘yes’, ‘no’ or ‘OK’ response. For example:

• What’s the news from school today?
• What was fun?
• What did you like best at school today?
• What does your classroom look like at the moment?
• What did you do in class after recess?
• Who did you hang out with today?
• What subjects did you do today?
• What topics are you working on in science at the moment?

Tips for talking about school with primary school children

These tips can help you get a conversation going:

• Make time to talk. This can often be when you’re doing something with your child. For example, your child might like to talk when you’re walking the dog or preparing dinner together.
• Give your child your full attention if they want to talk with you about their day.
• Take seriously whatever your child tells you. For example, you can say things like, ‘That’s really interesting. Then what happened?’ or ‘And how do you feel about that?’
• Use respectful language when you talk about the school and teachers with or in front of your child. For example, ‘I can see that’s frustrating, but Ms Adams is your teacher and you need to speak respectfully to her’, or ‘Yes, that seems unfair, but perhaps you don’t know the whole story’.
• Use  active listening techniques . These can help you pick up on your child’s feelings and work out whether they want to talk.

Your child’s behaviour and communication style might seem to change overnight when they start school. Suddenly everything’s ‘awesome’, or they’re rolling their eyes at everything you say. Your child is learning all kinds of new things from their friends and teachers, so this is part of developing a unique identity.

Ideas for talking about school with secondary school children

As your child develops into the teenage years, they might want more privacy and time to themselves, which can make it harder to talk about school. But this isn’t the end of your warm, close relationship – it’s just that getting some distance from you is how your child becomes a more independent individual.

Stay connected Staying connected to your child can help you balance respect for their  independence and  privacy with your need to keep in touch with their life. It can also help you pick up on the moments when your child is ready to talk.

Ask about links between schoolwork and future plans At this age, your child might be more open to talking about the links between their schoolwork and what they want to do when they finish school.

So rather than asking about your child’s day-to-day activities, you could try focusing on future plans. For example, ‘How’s the webpage you were designing in information technology coming along? Are you still thinking you might want to get into web design after school?’

Look out for signs of problems Even if you usually have a good relationship with your child, they might not always tell you when they’re having a tough time. If your child is upset or nervous about discussing school or refuses to answer a question, there might be a problem at school.

If you’re worried, you could try talking to other adults who know your child. You could also make an appointment with your child’s year coordinator or the school counsellor to talk about what’s going on.

Stay calm around tricky topics Conversations with your child about school might bring up  tricky topics . Try to stay calm, listen without judgement and focus on how your child is feeling. This is a great chance for you to be supportive and show your child that you value their honesty.

If your child doesn’t want to talk with you about a tricky topic, it might help to find another adult for them to talk with. You could suggest someone they trust and feel comfortable with, like a relative, friend, teacher or counsellor.

25 school conversation questions

School conversation questions.

25 discussion questions about school for speaking lessons. This is an easy topic for all students to relate to. Note that if you use this worksheet in a working adults class, you will need to change some of the questions to past tense.

Difficult terms to pre-teach for this speaking activity include – canteen, excursion, field trip, punishment, attend, dress code, skip (class), gotten, and modern.

The school conversation questions are –

How do you get to school? How long does it take you to get there?

What are your favourite subjects? Which subjects do you like the least?

What hours do students go to school in your country?

What breaks does your school have? How long are they for?

Do you get report cards? What kind of marks do you usually get?

Does your school have a canteen? What is the food like there?

Who usually makes your school lunch? What food do you often take to school?

Have you ever been on a school excursion or field trip? Where did you go?

If you could change one thing about your school, what would it be?

What kinds of punishment do bad students get at your school?

What do you think makes a good teacher? Describe your favorite teacher.

About how many students attend your local school?

Does your school have a dress code? What can’t you wear to school?

Do students ever cheat on exams at your school? How do they do it?

What sport ing activities can you do at your school? Are you good at any?

Is there any bullying or fighting at your school? What kinds of things happen?

Have you ever skipped class or a day at school? Why did you do it?

What are some of the classroom rules at your school?

Do you think that any subjects are a waste of time? Which ones and why?

Have you ever gotten into trouble at school? What did you do wrong?

What kinds of things make your teachers angry ?

Do you think you will be friends with some of your classmates forever? Who?

Is your school modern? What kinds of facilities does it have?

What foreign languages can you study at your school?

School idioms

Once you have completed the school conversation questions with your class, you may want to introduce them to these interesting school idioms.

A person who is old school is old fashioned and or like things from an earlier time in history more than now.

If you school somebody at something you teach them. This is usually used as a slang term if somebody beats another person badly at an activity or shows much more knowledge about something than the other person.

When people talk about the school of hard knocks , they are referring to learning lessons from difficult times in life.

The teacher’s pet is the teacher’s favourite student in a class.

A schoolboy error is a very simple or basic mistake that only a very inexperienced person would make.

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25 happiness conversation questions

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Talking with Your Child About School or College

Sample dialogues for parents seeking to motivate their child through school..

Posted July 3, 2021 | Reviewed by Vanessa Lancaster

Do you have a hands-folded child, ever quietly engaged in school except when shooting their hand up in response to the teacher’s question? Does your child eagerly do homework, including the extra credit?

Then this post isn’t for you. It’s for parents whose child is more likely to say, “This homework is stupid,” or “I hate school!”

Here are two sample dialogues. The first embeds common complaints about school. The second dialogue addresses a common issue faced by parents of a college-bound teen . I Intersperse undergirding principles.

Replying to “I Hate School!”

This is difficult because it’s such a broad complaint.

Child: I hate school

Parent: What do you hate about it?

Child: Everything

Parent: Is school too hard or too easy?

Offering a choice encourages a reluctant person to continue the conversation.

Child: It's too easy and too boring . Why do we need to know how to graph an ellipse?

Parent: Why might the math experts have decided that all kids need to know that?

Throwing the question back at the child makes it more likely that s/he will buy the explanation.

Child: I have no idea

Parent: Could it be because they believe it will make you a better thinker?

Child: That’s silly

Parent: Whether or not they’re right, do you feel that striving for a good grade is worth it?

Note that the question was framed neutrally rather than as a leading question such as “You want a good grade, don’t you?" The former is more likely to generate a thoughtful response and perhaps compliance.

The child shrugs.

The parent wisely realizes that's about as much assent as is likely. If the parent waited for the child to say, "You're right," it might be a long wait.

The parent didn’t lose sight of the child’s broad-brush statement, “I hate school:"

Parent: Why else do you hate school?

Child: The kids are mean.

Parent: What do you mean?

Before moving to solutions, the parent clarified the problem, both for her sake and the child's. Asking the child to verbalize it can help crystallize the problem. Of course, this principle is also valid when an adult tells you about a problem.

Child: They steal kids’ lunch, beat kids up at recess.

Parent: All kids do that?

Child: (rolling his eyes) No.

Parent: Do they do that to you?

Child: Sometimes.

Parent: Do you do anything to provoke them?

Child: They call me wimpy, and Einstein and they know I’m not as strong as they are.

Parent: Do you make them feel stupid in class?

The parent had hoped the child would hypothesize a cause, but when s/he didn’t, it’s appropriate to posit a possible cause, especially if posed as a question.

Child: When they give a stupid answer, the teacher often calls on me. She knows I’ll give a better one.

The parent, appropriately deciding not to tell the child to be quieter in class, shifts to looking for another solution, even if it just addresses the symptom.

Parent: Do you tell the recess supervisor about it?

Child: She just tells them to “Stop it,” and then when she’s not looking, they beat me up worse.

Parent: Well, which of these do you think is wise ? Tell the teacher, avoid those kids, try to make friends with them, take karate so you can beat the hell out of one of them, and maybe they’ll leave you alone?

Again, offering choices is often wise.

Child: I’m too chicken to fight them.

Parent: Can you try to avoid them?

Child: I guess.

Again, it's usually too much to expect a child to agree and say, “Thank you. I’ll do that.” Planting seeds is as much as can be expected, especially from the first conversation about a problem.

Responding to “I have plenty of time to do my college applications.”

Parent and child often argue about preparing for college: taking advanced placement courses, doing impressive extracurriculars, studying for the SAT, picking colleges to apply to, and completing the applications.

Parent: Would you please get started on your college applications?

Child: The more you pressure me, the more I won’t do it.

Parent: So I’m between a rock and a hard place: If I leave you alone, you don’t do it. If I pressure you, you don’t do it.

Child: I will .

The child privately recognizes the parent’s dilemma, but, again, it’s unrealistic to expect the child to say, “You’re right.”

Parent: When I ask you to get started on term papers, you say you'll get it done, but you wait until the last second, and so you have to cram to get it done.

The parent is right to invoke the child’s track record even if it generates defensiveness. It plants a needed seed.

Child: And I usually get an A or a B.

Parent: There’s no grade inflation in college application essays.

That’s pretty tough on the kid. It implies that the child’s good grades weren’t really earned, but sometimes tough love is needed.

Child: So I end up at SUNY Stony Brook instead of SUNY Binghamton, big deal.

Parent: You say that now.

Child: You tell me not to care about brand names, and now you tell me to care about Binghamton vs. Stony Brook?

The child used a powerful rhetorical ploy: using the opponent’s argument against the parent and implying hypocrisy. That forces the parent to dig deeper to find a stronger argument.

Parent: You're right. Because it’s higher-stakes than a school assignment, if you let yourself really get into it, you’ll benefit, whether or not you end up at a community college, Cornell, or Columbia. The colleges’ differences, even between Columbia versus SUNY, are small. More important, writing a college application can be a growth experience, maybe the most potentially beneficial so far in your life. Do it well, and you’ll get to know yourself better.

Child: (rolls eyes.)

Again, seeds were planted.

As in all endeavors, excellence in parenting is defined by nuance: when to be declarative, when interrogative? When to use a light hand, when to impose tough love? The good news is that in the absence of extremely restrictive or extremely laissez-faire parenting, most kids’ behavior will end up as it was meant to be: the combination of genetics , education , and peer influence. You can relax – at least a bit.

I read this aloud on YouTube.

A previous post ways to talk with your child about death and dying.

Marty Nemko, Ph.D ., is a career and personal coach based in Oakland, California, and the author of 10 books.

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At any moment, someone’s aggravating behavior or our own bad luck can set us off on an emotional spiral that threatens to derail our entire day. Here’s how we can face our triggers with less reactivity so that we can get on with our lives.

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4 Strategies for Developing Confident Student Speakers

Consistent support and low-stakes opportunities to practice go a long way to help students overcome the challenges of speaking in front of a group.

I belted out the opening line to Marc Antony’s funeral speech from The Tragedy of Julius Caesar , leaping up the stairs to the stage in my school’s auditorium. Thirteen ninth-grade students dressed in togas sat in the front rows, mouths agape, as they witnessed their goofy teacher unexpectedly launch into the 35-line monologue they had all just beautifully performed. 

Confession: I was nervous walking onto that stage—I sometimes get uncomfortable in the (literal) spotlight. To normalize feelings of anxiety during a performance, I revealed those emotions to my class afterward. 

Public speaking is hard, and it can be extremely daunting for our most introverted students ; however, with modeling and practice, I believe that teachers can cultivate confident speakers.

Strategy 1: Provide Direct Instruction

A poster inspired by Erik Palmer’s work on public speaking ( PVLEGS : Poise, Voice, Life, Eye Contact, Gestures, Speed) hangs in the back of my classroom. Well before we launch into a study of the funeral orations from Caesar , I explicitly teach those skills. I demonstrate for students appropriate eye contact—the speaker locks eyes briefly with individual audience members and scans the room as she speaks, establishing a connection with her audience. The speaker might also speed up his voice for a certain effect or raise his arms to command the attention of his audience.

Strategy 2: Provide Public Speaking Models

After we spend a class closely reading and analyzing the two funeral orations by Marc Antony and Brutus, I play clips of the speeches from the two film adaptations. We watch the performances and think about PVLEGS: Which speaking moves does each actor utilize in his performance? Which actor delivers the stronger performance and why? After we watch and students share their observations with partners, we discuss and debate the merits of each performance. 

When my classes work on memorizing and performing the monologues, I ask them to study the models and even borrow some of the actors’ techniques. They consider: Do I want to take an angrier approach to the Antony speech like Marlon Brando? Should I adopt a regretful tone like Jason Robards’ Brutus? This type of close viewing could be applied to any speaking performance. On a related note, I also hope that I serve as a public speaking model for my students as I stand in front of my English classes daily.

Strategy 3: Acknowledge and Coach through Anxiety

I remember stumbling through my senior research presentation in high school, well before the advent of interactive whiteboards and Google Slides. I’m vulnerable with my students about my former public speaking struggles. I want them to know that they’re not alone, and through practice and repetition, their self-doubt and fear can transform from an eardrum-rupturing siren into a quiet background hum.

I give a few bits of advice to nervous speakers as they prepare for any public speaking activity. First, I urge them to “practice, practice, practice!” If they know their stuff, they’ll be much more confident on game day. I also find that most students who report feeling very nervous while speaking don’t always appear nervous to others. Sharing this anecdotal evidence with them helps students tune out their inner critics and feel more calm. I also find lots of opportunities to confer with reluctant speakers and give them plenty of encouragement. This fosters stronger connections with my students and boosts their confidence. 

Strategy 4: Provide Lots of Low-Stakes Speaking Opportunities 

My Caesar unit usually takes place in the second semester, when students have had plenty of low-stakes speaking opportunities. In almost every class, I ask students to turn and talk to their partners to share a sentence from a quickwrite or to check in on their current drafts. Earlier in the year, I coach them on how to effectively talk to their partners, and the process quickly becomes routine. An effective technique to get all students speaking, even if it’s a quick response, is the whip-around. Teacher Marcus Luther asks a question with a short, one-word answer. He then goes around the room and has each student answer aloud, followed by a debrief with partners or groups. 

My favorite low-stakes speaking activity is the Pop-Up Debate , which teacher Dave Stuart Jr. invented and has been writing about for years. In this activity, the class is presented with a question, and they spend 10 minutes writing an answer to it. After that, the debate begins, and students simply “pop-up” at their desks to enter into the conversation. In my experience, this activity can transform a usually quiet class into an engaged one. Secondary students love to argue, even about literature! 

Flexibility, Support, and Incentives Develop Strong Speakers 

In many ways, the memorized funeral oration is the most high-stakes speaking task my ninth-grade honors students participate in throughout the year. I give a grade for this assessment, but to take the focus off of grades and to place that focus on improvement instead, I provide students with a few crutches to lean on. 

First, if students forget a line, a friend acts as a prompter in the pit with the text ready. Students can also revise the performance if they choose to. I tell students that they can redo the performance if it doesn’t go as planned. At the end of the class, if time allows, a handful of students always choose to give it another shot. I find that this also takes the pressure off. I think of it like a writing assignment; students can always revise a paper to improve it. Finally, I give them extra credit for wearing togas, which adds to the fun of the special day.

In a recent article in The Atlantic , “ End the Phone-Based Childhood Now ,” author Jonathan Haidt reports that Gen Z students are more anxious, shy, and risk-averse than the children of the past, which he attributes to social media and the introduction of the smartphone. Risk-taking, Haidt argues, “promote[s] competence, maturity, and mental health.” Public speaking, a type of risk-taking, can be very frightening for some of our students, but if teachers provide them with speaking opportunities each day, month, and school year, perhaps we can help mold them into confident, healthy young adults who venture into the world as strong public speakers. 

Thank you to my former department chair, Janet Matthews, for the Julius Caesar performance activity.

The Hearty Soul

After-School Restraint Collapse is a Real Thing- This is How to Deal With It

Posted: May 15, 2024 | Last updated: May 15, 2024

What Is After-School Restraint Collapse?

In short, it's when a child comes home after a full day of school and suddenly gets crabby, loud, confrontational, and teary-eyed. Even adults can get this way after a long day of work . (Just replace "school" with "work " and reminisce about all the times you came home and exploded on your partner or started ranting at your pet!)

Picture it like a bubble… When kids are at school , they usually want to have fun with their friends, stay out of detention or off of the "thinking chair," and be on the teacher's good side. It seems pretty easy until someone trips them at recess or gets them in trouble or keeps bugging them in all sorts of different ways – kids are creative!

It takes a lot not to retaliate when those things happen… to stay calm, be forgiving, and keep the peace. If you've ever tried to do the same in hopes of keeping a job or salvaging a friendship, you know how it feels to bottle up so much. And since home is a safe place for children and adults alike, it's where the after-school restraint collapse tends to happen.

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The Symptoms: What After-School Restraint Collapse Looks Like

" Children experience this in various ways, " says Stacy Haynes, CEO and counseling psychologist at Little Hands Family Services. [1] " Some children have a complete meltdown that involves temper tantrums [or] refusal of parent directions while others just withdraw or are quiet for a while after school."

According to psychotherapist Nancy Brooks, it happens most to children aged 12 and under. " When they come home from school they will regress emotionally," Brooks says. [1] " They will act younger than their age and whine, cry, throw tantrums, act needy, moody, and generally have a meltdown. They will look at behave as if they are exhausted."

Most likely, they are . However, parenting educator and registered psychologist , Vanessa Lapointe believes after-school restraint collapse has to do with more than just fatigue. Have you heard of defensive detachment ? Basically, your child needed you when something happened at school, but you weren't there…

"Now you're there, but the initial flood of relief is quickly subsumed by a tidal wave of defensive detaching – they're angry and push you away," explains Lapointe. [2] "It's like when a parent and child reunite after the child has gone missing in a grocery store. The parent will have a few seconds of clutching relief as they hug their child and then bam! Defensive detachment kicks in with anger as they admonish their now-found child."

4 Simple Ways to Make the Transition from School to Home Easier for Everyone

As people who probably have days where we suffer from after-work restraint collapse, it's important to show our kids or grandkids empathy when they show the symptoms above. Fortunately, many kids will have these episodes less and less as they mature and become more emotionally resilient. For now, here are some ways to cope with and remedy kids' after-school restraint collapses. [1-3]

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Give them time to decompress

Instead of asking all about their day the moment they walk through the door, wait a little bit. Let them unpack their bags, go to the bathroom, grab a snack… whatever! They were just at school for six hours ( more if they attend before and/or after-school programs) and probably don't want to talk about school just yet. Give it some time… Anyway, kids usually end up bringing significance even on their own.

Let them get active

If a kid shows interest in an active sport or hobby, try your best to foster it early on. Physical activity, though it seems counterintuitive after a long day, will help release endorphins, re-energize their minds, and make them more alert!

Homework can wait

Again, let's not reintroduce "school " so quickly after leaving the building. Maybe homework doesn't need to be completed before dinner. Waiting until after they refuel with a nutritious meal will likely allow their brain to function better and complete their homework quickly.

Lead by example

If you feel after-work restraint collapse coming on, practice what you preach and try the practical tips above. Kids learn by looking at their parents and caregivers so if you start throwing tantrums, they probably will, too!

After-school restraint collapse is a real thing – for kids and adults. What it boils down to is trying to foster a safe home environment that will allow your child to walk through those doors and feel the calm, loving, and supportive haven they're so fortunate to have.

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• Marcoux, H. (2018, September 07). After-school restraint collapse is real-here’s how to help your child. Retrieved from  https://www.mother.ly/child/if-your-child-falls-apart-after-school-theres-a-good-reason-why
• Seto, C. (2018, September 12). After-school restraint collapse is a real thing-here’s how to deal with it. Retrieved from  https://www.todaysparent.com/kids/school-age/after-school-restraint-collapse-is-a-real-thing-heres-how-to-deal-with-it/
• Nair, A. (2016, September 21). 7 Ways to Help Your Child Handle “After School Restraint Collapse”. Retrieved from  https://community.today.com/parentingteam/post/7-ways-to-help-your-child-handle-after-school-restraint-collapse

The post 4 Ways to Help Your Child Handle After-School Restraint Collapse appeared first on The Hearty Soul .

What it boils down to is trying to foster a safe home environment that will allow your child to walk through those doors and feel the calm, loving, and supportive haven they're so fortunate to have.

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What I’ve Learned From My Students’ College Essays

The genre is often maligned for being formulaic and melodramatic, but it’s more important than you think.

By Nell Freudenberger

Most high school seniors approach the college essay with dread. Either their upbringing hasn’t supplied them with several hundred words of adversity, or worse, they’re afraid that packaging the genuine trauma they’ve experienced is the only way to secure their future. The college counselor at the Brooklyn high school where I’m a writing tutor advises against trauma porn. “Keep it brief , ” she says, “and show how you rose above it.”

I started volunteering in New York City schools in my 20s, before I had kids of my own. At the time, I liked hanging out with teenagers, whom I sometimes had more interesting conversations with than I did my peers. Often I worked with students who spoke English as a second language or who used slang in their writing, and at first I was hung up on grammar. Should I correct any deviation from “standard English” to appeal to some Wizard of Oz behind the curtains of a college admissions office? Or should I encourage students to write the way they speak, in pursuit of an authentic voice, that most elusive of literary qualities?

In fact, I was missing the point. One of many lessons the students have taught me is to let the story dictate the voice of the essay. A few years ago, I worked with a boy who claimed to have nothing to write about. His life had been ordinary, he said; nothing had happened to him. I asked if he wanted to try writing about a family member, his favorite school subject, a summer job? He glanced at his phone, his posture and expression suggesting that he’d rather be anywhere but in front of a computer with me. “Hobbies?” I suggested, without much hope. He gave me a shy glance. “I like to box,” he said.

I’ve had this experience with reluctant writers again and again — when a topic clicks with a student, an essay can unfurl spontaneously. Of course the primary goal of a college essay is to help its author get an education that leads to a career. Changes in testing policies and financial aid have made applying to college more confusing than ever, but essays have remained basically the same. I would argue that they’re much more than an onerous task or rote exercise, and that unlike standardized tests they are infinitely variable and sometimes beautiful. College essays also provide an opportunity to learn precision, clarity and the process of working toward the truth through multiple revisions.

When a topic clicks with a student, an essay can unfurl spontaneously.

Even if writing doesn’t end up being fundamental to their future professions, students learn to choose language carefully and to be suspicious of the first words that come to mind. Especially now, as college students shoulder so much of the country’s ethical responsibility for war with their protest movement, essay writing teaches prospective students an increasingly urgent lesson: that choosing their own words over ready-made phrases is the only reliable way to ensure they’re thinking for themselves.

Teenagers are ideal writers for several reasons. They’re usually free of preconceptions about writing, and they tend not to use self-consciously ‘‘literary’’ language. They’re allergic to hypocrisy and are generally unfiltered: They overshare, ask personal questions and call you out for microaggressions as well as less egregious (but still mortifying) verbal errors, such as referring to weed as ‘‘pot.’’ Most important, they have yet to put down their best stories in a finished form.

I can imagine an essay taking a risk and distinguishing itself formally — a poem or a one-act play — but most kids use a more straightforward model: a hook followed by a narrative built around “small moments” that lead to a concluding lesson or aspiration for the future. I never get tired of working with students on these essays because each one is different, and the short, rigid form sometimes makes an emotional story even more powerful. Before I read Javier Zamora’s wrenching “Solito,” I worked with a student who had been transported by a coyote into the U.S. and was reunited with his mother in the parking lot of a big-box store. I don’t remember whether this essay focused on specific skills or coping mechanisms that he gained from his ordeal. I remember only the bliss of the parent-and-child reunion in that uninspiring setting. If I were making a case to an admissions officer, I would suggest that simply being able to convey that experience demonstrates the kind of resilience that any college should admire.

The essays that have stayed with me over the years don’t follow a pattern. There are some narratives on very predictable topics — living up to the expectations of immigrant parents, or suffering from depression in 2020 — that are moving because of the attention with which the student describes the experience. One girl determined to become an engineer while watching her father build furniture from scraps after work; a boy, grieving for his mother during lockdown, began taking pictures of the sky.

If, as Lorrie Moore said, “a short story is a love affair; a novel is a marriage,” what is a college essay? Every once in a while I sit down next to a student and start reading, and I have to suppress my excitement, because there on the Google Doc in front of me is a real writer’s voice. One of the first students I ever worked with wrote about falling in love with another girl in dance class, the absolute magic of watching her move and the terror in the conflict between her feelings and the instruction of her religious middle school. She made me think that college essays are less like love than limerence: one-sided, obsessive, idiosyncratic but profound, the first draft of the most personal story their writers will ever tell.

Nell Freudenberger’s novel “The Limits” was published by Knopf last month. She volunteers through the PEN America Writers in the Schools program.

The New York Times

The learning network | 163 questions to write or talk about.

163 Questions to Write or Talk About

A word cloud created from all the questions compiled below.

Updated, June 20, 2017 | Looking for more lists of student questions? Try these:

• 650 Prompts for Narrative and Personal Writing
• 401 Prompts for Argumentative Writing

We’ve posted a fresh Student Opinion question nearly every weekday for almost three years now. Here are the 163 we asked during the 2011-12 school year.

Each question is based on content from that week’s New York Times, and all of them are still open to comment by anyone from ages 13-25.

Teachers tell us they use our questions to help students practice writing persuasively, as inspiration for lessons, as jumping-off points for class discussions and debates — or just to encourage engagement with current events and with students from classrooms around the world.

Given the emphasis in the Common Core Standards on both reading informational texts and writing arguments, having your students answer our question daily can help address several literacy goals at once. And since we don’t allow last names, and we read every comment before we post it to make sure it conforms to our standards , The Learning Network is also a secure place for students to post.

And, because this blog and all the Times articles we link to on it are accessible without a digital subscription , each linked article is free to read.

Below, 163 recent questions, with bonus links at the end to nearly 250 more. How will you use them?

• Do Apps Help You or Just Waste Your Time?
• Do You Keep a Diary or Journal?
• Should Schools Offer Cash Bonuses for Good Test Scores?
• Would You Like to Take a Class Online?
• Are Children of Illegal Immigrants Entitled to a Public Education?
• What Is Your Personal Credo?
• How Do You Personalize the Things You’re Required to Have at School?
• Should Students Be Required to Take Drug Tests?
• Do You Participate in Class?
• Do Attractive People Have Advantages Others Don’t?
• What Motivates You?
• Do You Support Affirmative Action?
• What Role Does Television Play in Your Life and the Life of Your Family?
• Why Do You Write?
• How Do You Use Facebook?
• What Journey Do You Most Want to Make?
• What Are You Afraid Of?
• What Have You Made Yourself?
• Do You Trust Your Government?
• What Are Your Favorite Cartoons?
• Who Is Your Role Model?
• Does Pop Culture Deserve Serious Study?
• Do You Have Good Manners?
• What Causes Should Philanthropic Groups Finance?
• Should Fertilized Eggs Be Given Legal Personhood?
• What Challenges Have You Set for Yourself?
• Have You Experienced Sexual Harassment?
• Do Leaders Have Moral Obligations?
• Would You Want to Be Home-Schooled?
• Do Presidential Candidates Need to Be Good Debaters?
• Do You Shop at Locally Owned Businesses?
• Are You a Brand?
• Do You Sympathize With the Occupy Wall Street Movement?
• What Do You Read, and How Do You Read It?
• Should People Be Allowed to Obscure Their Identities Online?
• Which Is More Important: Talent or Hard Work?
• Do Your Parents Support Your Learning?
• What Are You Grateful For?
• What Time Should Black Friday Sales Start?
• What Are You Good At?
• Do Photoshopped Images Make You Feel Bad About Your Own Looks?
• When in Your Life Have You Been a Leader?
• What Would You Put in Your Emergency ‘Go-Bag’?
• What Artists or Bands of Today Are Destined for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
• Which Republican Candidate Will Win the Presidential Nomination?
• What’s Next for Computing?
• What New Emoticons Does the World Need?
• Should the Morning-After Pill Be Sold Over the Counter to People Under 17?
• Are We Losing the Art of Listening?
• Do You Discuss Religion With Friends?
• What Places in Your Past Do You Appreciate More Now, From a Distance?
• Would You Consider Deleting Your Facebook Account?
• Is It Wrong to Sell Store-Bought Pastries at a Bake Sale?
• What Will You Remember Most From 2011?
• Have You Ever Interacted With the Police?
• Can You Be Good Without God?
• What’s Your Favorite Holiday Food Memory?
• How Are You Spending the Holiday Break?
• Do You Make New Year’s Resolutions?
• Do You Have a Signature Clothing Item?
• Do Your Teachers Use Technology Well?
• What Would Your Personal Mascot Be?
• What Is Your Favorite Place?
• What if Your Parent Ran for President?
• What Game Would You Like to Redesign?
• What’s Your Favorite (Printable) Slang Term?
• Should Charities Focus More on America?
• What Is the Right Amount of Group Work in School?
• Given Unlimited Resources, What Scientific or Medical Problem Would You Investigate?
• Who Would You Share Your Passwords With?
• Do You Think You’re Brave?
• What Is Your Most Memorable Writing Assignment?
• What Would You Like to Learn on Your Own?
• What’s Your Response to Obama’s Third State of the Union Address?
• What Are the Best Movies You Saw in 2011?
• Should the Dropout Age Be Raised?
• How Should You Handle the End of a Friendship?
• Do You Have a Blog?
• Do You Watch the Super Bowl?
• Do You Cook?
• Do College Rankings Matter?
• Do You Like Being Alone?
• What Story Does Your Personal Data Tell?
• How Would You Make Over Your Mall?
• How Do Male and Female Roles Differ in Your Family?
• Should Home-Schoolers Be Allowed to Play Public School Sports?
• Do You Eat Too Quickly?
• Who Inspires You?
• Are You a Novelty-Seeker?
• Would You Rather Attend a Public or a Private High School?
• How Much Information Is ‘Too Much Information’?
• Should Companies Collect Information About You?
• What Do You Eat During the School Day?
• What Are Your Favorite Young Adult Novels?
• What Kind of Feedback Helps You Improve?
• What Are Your Family Stories of Sacrifice?
• What’s the Racial Makeup of Your School?
• Fluent in Vocal Fry, Creaky Voice or Uptalk?
• What Would You Name Your Neighborhood?
• Can Kindness Become Cool?
• What Is Your Reaction to the Rush Limbaugh Controversy?
• What Have You Done to Earn Money?
• What Questions Do You Have About How the World Works?
• What Are Your Favorite Junk Foods?
• How Well Do You Think Standardized Tests Measure Your Abilities?
• How Important Is It to Have a Driver’s License?
• Do Social Media Campaigns Like Kony 2012 Stunt or Stimulate Real Change?
• How Do You Feel About Zoos?
• Would You Quit if Your Values Did Not Match Your Employers?
• Should the R Rating for ‘Bully’ Be Changed?
• Are Antismoking Ads Effective?
• Where Is the Line Between Truth and Fiction?
• How Productive and Organized Are You?
• What’s the Coolest Thing You’ve Ever Seen in a Museum?
• What Is Your Reaction to the Trayvon Martin Case?
• What Can Other Schools Learn — and Copy — From Your School?
• What Do You Hope to Be Doing the Year After You Graduate From College?
• What Small Things Have You Seen and Taken Note of Today?
• Do You Know How to Code?
• What Movies, Shows or Books Do You Wish Had Sequels, Spinoffs or New Episodes?
• What Would You Do If You Won the Lottery?
• Do You Want to Write a Book?
• How Do You Celebrate Spring?
• Do You Spend Too Much Time on Smart Phones Playing ‘Stupid Games’?
• How Do You Archive Your Life?
• Should Couples Live Together Before Marriage?
• What Is Your Fantasy Vacation?
• Is It Ethical to Eat Meat?
• What Things Did You Create When You Were a Child?
• When Did You Last Have a Great Conversation?
• Why Do You Share Photos?
• What Leader Would You Invite to Speak at Your School?
• What Have You And Your Family Accomplished Together?
• Is TV Too White?
• How Necessary Is a College Education?
• How Much Does Your Life in School Intersect With Your Life Outside School?
• How Important Is Keeping Your Cool?
• Do You Prefer Your Tacos ‘Authentic’ or ‘Appropriated’?
• What’s Cluttering Up Your Life?
• When Have You Ever Failed at Something? What Happened as a Result?
• What Teacher Do You Appreciate?
• Do You Prefer Your Children’s Book Characters Obedient or Contrary?
• When Should You Feel Guilty for Killing Zombies?
• How Should Parents Address Internet Pornography?
• Does Mitt Romney’s High School Bullying Matter?
• Is TV Stronger Than Ever, or Becoming Obsolete?
• When Is It O.K. to Replace Human Limbs With Technology?
• How Far Would You Go for Fashion?
• How Often Do You Interact With People of Another Race or Ethnicity?
• What Would Your Fantasy Road Trip Be Like?
• Would You Consider a Nontraditional Occupation?
• How Full Is Your Glass?
• What’s On Your Summer Reading List?
• What’s Your Comfort Food?
• What Cuts Should Cash-Strapped Schools Make?
• When Do You Become an Adult?
• Who Would Be the Ideal Celebrity Neighbor?
• How Close Are You to Your Parents?
• How Do You Keep Up With the News?
• What Advice Would You Give to Somebody Who Just Started Dating?
• What Is Your Opinion About the Morning-After Pill?
• Do You Have a Job?
• When Should Juvenile Offenders Receive Life Sentences?

Not Enough? Here are 150 Student Opinion questions from 2011, as well as 55 and another 40 from 2010.

Comments are no longer being accepted.

Thank you very much for compiling this list. I also teach English as a Second Language and many of these questions are good topics for discussion.

Emotions are the subjective feelings and in today’s scenario we are running after many materialistic things but the truth is we will get satisfaction by fulfilling our emotions,today world is in a need of emotion that is ‘FAITH’. why people are crying for love, care, truth……all because what we are missing today is absence of faith. Have Faith n Have Life!

This list is great! I teach EAP and some of the questions are perfect for essay prompts. It will be nice to cycle in some new topics instead of constantly recycling the standards.

//www.quirkyesl.com

I use these questions as journal topics for Summer Reading and for debate and discussion for English and English as a Second Language. They’re great!

It´s a great oportunity you give to teachers and people that deals with adolescents, to work with good questions that find intelligent information we can trust. Many thanks.

Many of these prompts are helpful, but those that yield only yes/no responses, such as “Do you watch the Superbowl?” may not allow for a significant depth of discussion.

By replacing some of the “do you” phrasing with “why” and moving the focus away from the self, the result will be a bit more effective:

Draft: Do you watch the Superbowl?

Revised: Why do people watch the Superbowl? Why should people watch the Superbowl? Why do you watch the Superbowl?

Hi Mindy–We pose an initial question, usually in the simplest form we can ask it, mostly to catch students’ attention. Once you click into each post, however, you’ll see that the headline question gets much more nuanced. We often follow up with five or six related questions, and almost never find that students simply answer “yes” or “no.” On that particular question, for instance, we got 200 responses in which students wrote about family rituals, fan loyalty, and the Super Bowl’s role in our culture. –Katherine

Ahhhh! That’s much better! Good! : )

I’m afraid of spiders, clowns, and dragonflies. Im afraid of looking our my window at night. I’m afraid of not passing my classes and getting into the college of my dreams. Mostly I’m afraid of not being accepted by people and not having a good relationship with my parents. By parents I mean my mom, dad, and stepdad. I’m afraid that once people get to know me they won’t accept me. I have an odd personality. I’m usually very shy around new people and when I’m around my friends I’m the loudest one. I have a numerous amount of strong opinions and I wouldn’t be afraid to ague with you until you see my point. I hold back from too many people because I don’t think I’m good enough or because if I think I am good enough then they will find something wrong with me.I think I have a good enough relationship with my mom, but there are things I’m just not sure about telling her. I’m sure I’m not the only one who doesn’t tell their mom certain thing because you think they will be mad or even judge you when all you really want and need is their advice and opinion. As of now I have no relationship with my dad. He was never around when I was growing up. Life is short and I want that relationship with him, but when ever I let him come back into my life he just walks right back out. He expects me to just stand here with open arms and welcome him back every single time. He thinks he can come and go as he pleases, and I’m tired of expecting something different and getting hurt yet again. Is it odd that I’m afraid of letting him back into my life, but also of not having him in my life? With my stepdad I’m scared I’m letting my faulty relationship with my biological dad stop me from building one with my stepdad. Who knows if my fears make sense. They are my fears and they make me who I am.

Is it really fair for a man or woman who has prosthetics to compete in the Olympics? Most people would say no… But why isn’t it fair? He’s as much of a person as anyone else. Many people thinks it is unfair because he may have an advantage over the other Olympians. This issue hits close to home because I had an aunt who recently passed away, and throughout her whole life people always told her that she couldn’t do certain things because she was disabled. My aunt had cerebral palsy, she had full function of her brain but was in a wheelchair. She challenged people constantly; she graduated from high school, pursued a college degree, and was even published in a poetry book for adults. She had just as much feeling and drive as someone who isn’t disabled and so does Oscar Pistorius. All Pistorius wants is to prove that he can compete with the best of athletes. He definitely proved that. Now I’m assuming the question is: Should Pistorius be given an even shot at a medal as the other Olympians? I believe he should be given an even shot, but to an extent. Yes, he has trained as hard as everyone else. Yes, he can run as fast as them. Yes, he has just as much drive. But he doesn’t have calves that burn with every step pushing forward for the gold. In my opinion he does deserve a chance to compete with the other Olympians but only in the shorter races that do not need more muscle endurance. In a way he does deserve a chance but maybe give him limits to what he can compete in. After all, he is a person just like me and you

Thanks for this great collection of ideas and issues! I am an English teacher and I find this extremely helpful not only for my students when they’re stuck for ideas, but also for myself. There lots of issues I’d now love to learn more about.

Thank you very much for your well organized and creative ideas for conversation. I have used some of them in our English course in Brazil. Success! Cristina

This is exactly the kind of help I need to have a conversation. I am so bad at thinking of things to talk about.

In fact, I was so desperate I created a page of questions for times when I need a question, but just can’t think of any

it’s simple, but if you want, it’s here > //deepconversationtopics.com/

These Questions Are Amazing for Writing a Paragraph or Debates. I was just Finding such a new topics!! These topics Are Great!! (y)

I, too, work with ESL students, and pages like these come in very handy when in need of some variation. Thank you.

I thing we all have to believe the creed we think is the best for us and the one will make us better people.

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Supporting school transitions

Resources to help pupils, schools, parents and carers to cope with the changes and transitions they experience during their time at school.

This resource covers:

Practical tips and tools to help pupils, schools, parents and carers to manage changes and transitions throughout their time at school.

Transition resources for school staff

Find your feet: staff webinar.

Transitioning from primary to secondary school is a particularly significant change for children. Learning about change and how to cope with it will help them with this particular transition and prepare them for many other changes and challenges they will face in life.

To support school staff, we've created a webinar that focuses on how you can help your pupils through the change from primary to secondary school.

Transition activities for pupils

Our pupils' resources will help young people learn how to cope with the changes associated with moving from primary to secondary school.

Find Your Feet pupil resource pack

Document type: PDF Document size: 16.6MB

Transitions activities for year 6 pupils

Document type: PDF Document size: 1.3MB

Transitions activity for year 7 pupils

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Find Your Feet: Transitioning to secondary school

We created a film that reassures children that they’re not alone when it comes to their worries about secondary school, that there are ways to cope with change and there are people to talk to when things get difficult.

Transition tips for parents

If your child is transitioning from year 6 to year 7 or going through a significant change in their life, take a look at our ten tips for parents to help their children cope with change. Going through change can be scary or challenging, but sometimes it's just the small things, like showing interest in your child's hobbies, that can make a difference.

Document type: PDF

Document size: 6.3MB

Find Your Feet: Parent webinar

Watch our webinar about how you can support your child through the change from primary to secondary school.

Whether you love the page or think something is missing, we appreciate your feedback. It all helps us to support more young people with their mental health.

Please be aware that this form isn’t a mental health support service. If you or a young person you work with is in crisis right now and wants to talk to someone urgently, find out who to contact on our   urgent help page .

Please note:

This form is not a mental health support service. We cannot reply to this. If you or a young person you know is at immediate risk of harm, call 999 and ask for an ambulance or go to your nearest A&E. If you are worried about the mental health of a young person you work with, you can signpost them to our website or suggest they contact one of these helplines: Childline (for under 19s) on 0800 11 11; or Samaritans on 116 123.

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Related resources

If you're looking for more resources to help support your pupils with transitions and changes, take a look at our related resources.

Transitioning from school to further education

Self-care support over the summer holidays

Supporting schools through the pandemic

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Chiefs' Harrison Butker blasted for commencement speech encouraging women to be homemakers

Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker has aggravated one of the internet's biggest culture wars by telling a class of college graduates that one of the “most important” titles a woman can hold is homemaker.

During a commencement speech last weekend at Benedictine College, a Catholic liberal arts school in Atchison, Kansas, the NFL player railed against abortion, Pride month and Covid-19 lockdown measures.

Drawing the most viral backlash this week, however, was a section of his speech in which he addressed the female graduates specifically — telling them that it’s women who have had “the most diabolical lies” told to them.

“How many of you are sitting here now, about to cross this stage, and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career? Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world,” Butker said. “But I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.”

The criticisms that followed took aim at Butker as well as the NFL.

"Hey @NFL — If you want to continue to grow your female fan base and any other marginalized group (straight white men are already watching your product), come get your boy," wrote Lisa Guerrero, a former NFL sideline reporter and now an investigative journalist for "Inside Edition."

He went on to tell the graduates that his wife would agree that her life “truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother.” It is her embrace of this role, he said, that made his own professional success possible.

Butker’s comments share similarities with some of the more extreme ideas around gender roles that have gained traction in communities that promote “ tradwife ” lifestyles or other relationship dynamics that center on traditional gender roles .

“Listen, there’s nothing wrong with his wife being a homemaker. Homemakers are wonderful, that’s not the point,” filmmaker Michael McWhorter, known by his more than 6 million TikTok followers as TizzyEnt, said in a video response. “The point is he seemed to be acting as if you should be ashamed if you don’t want to be a homemaker, or, ‘I know what you really want to do is just stay home and have babies.’"

The speech was the latest incident to add fuel to the flames of this increasingly vocal cultural battle, much of which is playing out online. While many prominent right-wing men have voiced such beliefs before, they’re usually confined to internet forums, podcasts and other online communities where these ideologies thrive.

A spokesperson for Butker did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Benedictine College and the Kansas City Chiefs did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A spokesperson for the NFL told People Magazine that Butker "gave a speech in his personal capacity" and his "views are not those of the NFL as an organization."

"The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger," a spokesperson told the publication.

Butker, who is teammates with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, further drew surprise and criticism when he quoted Kelce’s girlfriend, Taylor Swift, whose monumental career success as a global pop star has inspired college courses .

“As my teammate’s girlfriend says, ‘familiarity breeds contempt,’” he said, drawing murmurs from the crowd as he used the “Bejeweled” lyric as an analogy for why Catholic priests should not become “overly familiar” with their parishioners.

In the days since his speech, a Change.org petition for the Chiefs to dismiss Butker for “discriminatory remarks” has garnered nearly 19,000 signatures.

“These comments reinforce harmful stereotypes that threaten social progress,” the petition stated. “They create a toxic environment that hinders our collective efforts towards equality, diversity and inclusion in society. It is unacceptable for such a public figure to use their platform to foster harm rather than unity.”

Those who criticized Butker’s speech online include actor Bradley Whitford as well as DJ and rapper (and self-proclaimed Swiftie ) Flavor Flav .

But his speech was also lauded by some on the religious right, including conservative sports media personalities such as Clay Travis and Jason Whitlock , who defended Butker’s statements toward women.

“Not a word Harrison Butker says here should be remotely controversial. He’s 100% correct,” former NFL wide receiver T.J. Moe posted on X . “Those trying to convince women that being assistant VP of lending & intentionally childless at age 40 is more fulfilling than making a family and home are evil.”

Sports and culture commentator Jon Root also posted that Butker “exposed the lies that the world has been telling women.” Women, he wrote, are wrongly encouraged to climb the corporate ladder, view children as a “burden” and see marriage as “not worth pursuing.”

Still, a deluge of viewers online took issue with his attitude toward women and the LGBTQ community. Many women also rejected the premise that they would be happier staying at home in lieu of paid work, even if they do have a husband and children.

“I am moved. I actually had no idea that my life began when I met my husband,” neurosurgeon Betsy Grunch, known as Ladyspinedoc on TikTok, said sarcastically in a TikTok video . “It did not begin when I graduated magna cum laude from the University of Georgia with honors. It certainly did not begin when I graduated with a 4.0 GPA, Alpha Omega Alpha, from medical school. And I had no idea that it did not begin when I completed my residency in neurosurgery.”

Angela Yang is a culture and trends reporter for NBC News.