Homework and Health

Works4Me presents weekly practical classroom tips from real experts -- your colleagues!

1. Student Homework Responsibility

From Sondra Schiffelbein, a fourth grade teacher at Alta Brown Elementary School in Garden City, Kansas:

"To help students be responsible for their homework, I devised a letter to the parents on which the students must fill in the blanks. The first paragraph starts, 'I am writing this letter to you because I chose not to do my homework. I was supposed to turn in my assignment on...' The second paragraph starts, 'I chose not to do it because...' The last paragraph states, 'I need to bring my completed homework tomorrow and this note that has been signed by you. I also have to miss one recess per day that I don't return the homework and this signed letter.' The student, teacher and parent signs and dates the letter, and I make a copy. I put the copy in the student's file as documentation. If the letter does not get returned, the parents are called."
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2. Foul Language Policy

From Kimberly Fandiņo, a high school teacher:

"When I hear an offensive word, I just politely say, 'language please' to the individual. Normally, the student will immediately apologize. If I have time to continue the conversation I may add, 'remember that a good vocabulary is a sign of great intelligence. Show me how smart you are and find some alternatives to those adjectives.' I say these things in a smiling, teasing sort of way and get very good responses from high school kids. If someone is belligerent or in my face, I normally will ask them politely if they want to take care of it now or if we need to invite the principal in for a discussion about vocabulary choices. It's only once in a blue moon that I am taken up on the second option. Our school policy is that swearing intentionally without stopping after a reminder equals in-school suspension. Swearing repeatedly with intent to upset people, and/or swearing at a staff member results in automatic out-of-school suspension."
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3. Question of the Week: Healthy Lessons

From the NEA Today writers:

"It's a new start to a new year. What are you teaching and doing with your students to promote healthy habits? How have you incorporated good health and exercise into your classroom?"
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4. Homework Limits

Heard Last Week in the Works4Me Lounge:

"Do any of you have a homework policy for your school or grade level? As an administrator, we encourage any homework that reinforces the skill learned at school. At times though, our students have an abundance of homework. Sometimes our parents and our teachers (that are parents) complain. Do you have suggestions about how to keep the homework to a certain amount of time? Does your school have a policy on homework?"
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