Putting Homework in the Child’s Hands

Homework… it can be such a tricky topic! There is little research that shows homework being effective for children in elementary-aged classrooms. Upon a quick Google search, “Is homework effective for elementary-aged students?” There are pages of results full of articles denying that homework is academically effective. 

So as a teacher or a parent with higher-ups enforcing homework in the classroom, what can you do? 

Change the role of homework, stop seeing it as academic advancement, and start seeing it as an opportunity for students to build their self-awareness, self-fulfillment, and responsibility. And we do this by putting the homework in the child’s hands. 

This means as teachers we are encouraging parents to remind, but not nag, about the homework. 

It means, if possible, grading based on completion and participation instead of correctness. 

It means giving the responsibility of the homework, completion, and bringing it back and forth from home to school, to the child and not the teachers or the parents. 

It’s doing our best to teach them the intrinsic motivation of learning and practicing by watching them accomplish more and do better with the work they have put into their studies. 

It can also mean starting the conversation with your principal and superintendent about the research on homework in younger grades and seeing if you can help change school policies. 

In the end, putting the homework in the child’s hands and letting them take control of their learning can bring them more benefits later than actually doing the homework will.

11 Jokes to Use in the Classroom

Jokes in the classroom are important, you can read more about it from our earlier post here. Try these fun jokes in your classroom and let us know how they go! 

Why was 7 afraid of 8?
Because 7, 8 (ate), 9!

What did one wall say to the other wall?
I’ll meet you at the corner!

What do you call an illegally parked frog?
Toad!

What’s worse than finding a worm in your apple?
Finding half of a worm in your apple!

Why are fish so smart?
Because they live in schools!

Which teachers have the greenest thumbs?
The Kinder GARDEN teachers

Why was the geometry class always so tired?
Because they were all out of shape

Why didn’t the skeleton go to the school dance?
Because he had no BODY to go with!

What is a cat’s favorite color?
Puuuurrrple

What did the teacher do when she got to the beach?
She tested the water

What vegetables do librarians like?
Quiet peas.

A Place For Jokes in the Classroom

When I was in sixth grade I had a teacher who would take the time every single day to read the Joke of the Day in the newspaper. Every day, without fail. 

We all looked forward to hearing the joke of the day and sometimes we would have a fun discussion about the joke, too. 

It was the very first thing we did in his classroom each day and it set the tone for the remainder of the school day. 

Laughing and joking immediately puts your mind at ease, it tells your body, “I am safe here, this place is okay.” This is why some people like to joke around when they are in dangerous or stressful situations, they are trying to trick their bodies into thinking they are safe and okay. 

School can feel stressful and scary for many students, but starting the school year, and even just your day, in a setting where joking and laughing and great discussions are held tells the mind, “This is somewhere we like to be. This is safe.”

If you’re not already doing something similar to Joke of the Day or adding humor into your classrooms or schools, I would strongly suggest finding a way to implement it. 

It’s a simple, easy way to tell your students that they are welcome, safe, needed, and happy in their environment. 

Do you do a joke of the day in your classroom? 

Photo by Katerina Holmes: https://www.pexels.com/photo/cheerful-black-teacher-with-diverse-schoolkids-5905918/

Talking to Students About Current World Events

The world is a heavy place right now. With wars raging in Ukraine, Israel, and multiple other places dotted across the globe, there is a lot to process. There is also a lot out there throughout the media to sift through, some facts being truthful and some unfortunately not. 

How do we talk to our students about these heartbreaking events going on right now? Especially in a day and age where teachers can easily be attacked for what is said in the classroom. 

Teach your students how to find factual sources. No need to lead them to specific news websites or bring up current events if it’s not on the schedule. But in almost every classroom, a lesson on how to find and cite factual sources is relevant. Help them to decipher the information on their own, if their parents allow. 

Remind your students that they are safe. Allow them to use your classroom as a safe space emotionally and remind them of all the safety protocols around your school that keep it physically safe as well. 

Just listen. Sometimes, human beings don’t need someone else to pass facts and opinions back and forth. Not everyone is out there looking for a debate. Sometimes, people just need a listening ear. No words are needed, just validating feelings and thoughts and turning into a listening ear. 

Stick to facts. If the topic of wars, presidential elections, or something else comes up in your classroom, stick to the facts. There is a time and place for debate and opinions, but to stay on the safe side, the classroom is not this place. Stick to facts when students have worries or questions, and refer them to school counselors when and if needed. 

We as humans need the time and space to process everything going on around us. It seems as if every day there is something new going on to add to our worry list. But as teachers, we can put on a strong face and support our students who have heavy hearts and are struggling during this time. 

What other tips would you add to this list?

What We’re Looking For in a 2024 Scholarship Applicant

Our 2024 scholarship is officially open and taking applications! You can see our 2023 winners, as well as all past winners, here.

The Honors Graduation scholarship program is specifically for graduating high school teens with the intention of attending a college, university, or trade school the following school year. Our scholarship platform is project-based, with building a better future for your own community at the center of it.

Our scholarship becomes increasingly competitive each year, and our winners are submitting better community projects each time. So what exactly are we looking for in our 2024 scholarship applicants?

Community-Based Projects: Projects that directly impact and influence the immediate community and better the people and environment.

Community-Driven Students: We’re looking for students active in their community and students driven to see it grow, change, and better.

Students that Care: We are seeking out students who care about their community, their project, and the people they are serving.

Students Fighting for a Change: Anyone can look around and see a problem. They might even have a way to solve the problem. We’re looking for problem solvers. The students who not only see the problem and come up with the solution but also act on it, too. The students that are fighting for a change.

We cannot wait for the 2024 applications to be submitted next spring so we can read more about the problems teens see in their communities and their ideas and actions to alleviate those issues. Together we truly can build a better future!

What is the National Book Award?

This article is part of a blog series highlighting each book award to learn more about what each of them means. Check out more about this blog series and other posts included here.

What is the National Book Award? Oh, I am so glad you asked! Let me tell you! I love their mission statement right away when you click on their website

“The mission of the National Book Foundation is to celebrate the best literature published in the United States, expand its audience, and ensure that books have a prominent place in our culture.” 

  • Celebrate literature published within the U.S.
  • Expand its audience
  • Ensure that these books have a prominent place in our culture

The winners and finalists receive a medal to be placed on the cover of their book. 

Photo from nationalbook.org

There are multiple categories for receiving a National Book Award including, fiction, non-fiction, poetry, translated literature, and young people’s literature. The 2023 National Book Award will be announced next month! The 2022 National Book Award Fictional Writing Award was given to Tess Gunty for her book The Rabbit Hutch.

A Pumpkin for Everyone

The annual first-grade field trip to the pumpkin patch is coming up. All students in the first grade are allowed to go as long as permission slips have been signed.

However, in order to pick a pumpkin out at the end of the field trip, a $5 fee must be paid by a certain date.

$5 for a school field trip isn’t a huge ask for parents… but for some parents, it’s everything. It’s more than they can give to allow their child the simple indulgence of picking a pumpkin at the end of the field trip.

On the day of the event, several kids will leave the farm with a small pumpkin.

And several will walk away empty-handed.

Maybe the parent forgot to send the money. Maybe the parent truly could not afford the money. Maybe the money was swapped with a 5th grader at recess for a candy bar, I don’t know the circumstances.

But what I did know was that some kids would be walking away without a pumpkin. And my heart broke for those students, regardless of the why.

So we sent an extra $20. It wasn’t much. It may not even cover every single child in the classroom that didn’t pay the $5 fee.

But I’m helping how and when I can, and I’m working hard to teach my children to do the same.

To find the friend on the playground who doesn’t have anyone else to play with and invite them into your game.

To notice the classmate feeling down and ask how you can help.

Because school is really cool, and we are there to learn how to read and add up numbers. But we’re also there to learn how to be really awesome human beings full of empathy and service.

So pay the extra field trip money.

Send a second sandwich in their lunch for someone who needs it.

Donate the dry-erase markers.

Because when our kids see us treating others in schools this way, they’ll turn around and do the same.