 |
| Chaz relaxing at Grandma's house |
You know, sometimes I think homework can be an overkill. My son wasn't coming home till 4pm every day from school. Then he had to do homework for up to an hour. He had about an hour of playtime till dinner, then chores, then reading time, then bedtime. An hour of playtime is not a lot for a kid in the elementary years. Add Aspergers in the mix and you can get some meltdowns. It was in the middle of the school year that I finally told Chaz not to worry about his homework. He's gone 9 hours a day as it is so I knew he was in serious need of downtime to unwind and be refreshed for the next day. I had to tell the school when they called that it was no longer going to be expected of him. I've known some parents to get it written into their child's IEP plan so that is definitely my aim. Does it affect his grades? I'm sure it does some. Instead of being an A+ student, he now gets A's and B's. Is that a good trade? I'll take it. Less meltdowns, less stress, happier Chaz, peaceful house. I've seen such a huge change in Chaz since taking away that added stress. I figure that if they have my kids for 9 hours a day and can't get in enough teaching time, then that's something they need to work on. No, I don't think the answer is taking away playtime where kids run off their energy. Of course I trust his teachers and principal. They are great people. But I'm Chaz's mom and ultimately responsible for his well being all together.
One day I had enough when I was seeing meltdowns increasing since he was getting more homework. Then I noticed how little of unwinding time he had. I know some might feel it's an extreme approach but seeing Chaz maintain good grades and be a lot more relaxed was definitely worth it.
I agree 110% with you. Even in middle school I had it written into his IEP to limit the homework. It does do wonders -- although his twin brother who is in regular classes sometimes gets mad HE is the one with all the homework. I will continue to fight with the district to limit the work @ home because like you - ultimately we are the ones to have to deal with it after a long day of them being in school and having to work very hard to control themselves. When they walk thru that door I can usually immediately tell what type of day they had and believe me when they had a rough one -- homework is the last thing I want to have to deal with.
ReplyDeleteWould you eve consider homeschooling? Here are some benefits to homeschooling children with Autism:
ReplyDeletehttp://mymommyhoodjourney.blogspot.com/2011/05/homeschooling.html
More reasons:
http://mymommyhoodjourney.blogspot.com/2010/09/homeschooling_14.html
http://mymommyhoodjourney.blogspot.com/2011/02/our-philosphy-on-homeschooling.html
I know homeschooling isn't for everyone, but just wanted to share an option! :) ~Mandie
We did homeschool Chaz a couple of years but when I needed a new IEP plan, I had to enroll him in a charter school. They are so amazing. :) I've had a lot of bad experience at other schools so I was really scared at first. Was shocked at how much this school has done for Chaz. If it ever changes though, I will take him back home and homeschool.
ReplyDelete