Keystone Magazine Learning the Keystone Way 2015-2016 EN | Page 53

A
ll children are different; they learn in different styles
and at different rates. Their brains are still developing,
and will still be till their early 20s. I have two boys,
and they were very different from each other. My
older son would come home, and all he wanted to
do was play. He did not want to do his homework, or
read a book. He just wanted to go outside and play. He was a chal-
lenge for me. So, I went to the school, and got a lot of suggestions
on how to work with my son. They gave me some ideas back then,
and I’ll share them with you.
Timing is Everything!
There were times when I felt I would pull my hair out, and be frus-
trated as a parent. I would ask my son, “Do you have homework?”
He would reply, “No! I don’t have any.” But I knew that he did, or
he’d say, “Oh, I finished my homework at school.” This might be a
familiar situation for a lot of parents. A lot of times our kids are just
overwhelmed, which is something I have realized from experience,
and with my son. By the time I realized that he was struggling so
much, he was frustrated and had given up. And that daily struggle
even affected my relationship with my son. So I received a book
titled, Homework Without Tears by Lee Canter. And this book says
that instead of asking your child, “Do you have homework?” you
must set a specific time for homework. This is a workable first step.
Signs to Watch Out For
One of the things that is often highlighted in discussions about
children’s academic performance is behaviors to watch for. When
they start to get overwhelmed, they stop doing their homework.
You might start to see a lack of performance in their grades. You
might see that they are no longer motivated. You might see frus-
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