Homework is work set by the teacher for the educational improvement of the student but accomplished in the home and under the supervision of the parent. Teachers have responsibility for setting meaningful homework tasks with obvious educational benefits to the student. It is the students’ responsibility to ensure tasks are completed to the best of their ability and in accordance with set deadlines and expectations. Homework is completed at home, however, and parents have responsibility for providing an environment in which concentration can be achieved and a positive attitude to improvement cultivated. Homework is often employed inappropriately by teachers and parents who collude in what is popularly referred to as “busy work”: that is, work that is time consuming but not educationally valuable. Teachers set work completion exercises and parents are content to send their children off to the isolation of their bedrooms for periods of time to complete such tasks. True improvement requires much more of all of us. The best possible structure for learning involves a single student and a single teacher. This can be observed in professionals who are assigned mentors to teach them and meet their individual needs or driving instructors who teach only one student at a time. Unfortunately state spending does not allow for such preferential treatment as a norm within schools but this can be achieved by parents at home with their children. Homework, therefore, is set with parental assistance in mind. This is a common practice during student attendance at primary school but happens far less frequently when students reach secondary school. It makes sense that students will make greater progress with the involvement of their parents than if they are simply sent away to manage on their own. Parents are a fantastic resource for their children and the individualisation they can bring to an educational experience should not be underestimated. Who knows a child better than their parent? Parents are not expected to supplant the role of the teacher. When helping their child with homework they act more as coaches or personal trainers in the way they provide encouragement and keep them on track within a structure supplied by the teacher.
