Taking the Stress Out of Homework

A practical, stress-reducing guide to help parents navigate the challenges of homework with their children--for success at school and beyond--from two experienced teachers and the founders of Teachers Who Tutor.

In their sought-after tutoring business, veteran teachers Abby Freireich and Brian Platzer hear the frustrations of parents daily as they struggle to find the right balance in helping their child with homework. For parents and kids alike, homework can become a source of dread, and in some families, it can give rise to conflict. But, as Abby and Brian explain, navigating the minefield of homework is important to kids' success in life: the homework not only supports what kids are learning each day, but it can also help build their confidence and lifelong skills like self-responsibility.

Abby and Brian's approach puts executive functioning-or the ability to plan and organize-at the center of their philosophy to encourage students to break free of the "let's get to the answer already so that we can be done with the assignment" mindset and build complex thinking. As they illustrate, the job of parents is to help kids form strong and healthy homework habits, so that they become self-sufficient both at school and beyond. Taking the Stress Out of Homework demystifies the learning process by breaking down for parents exactly when-and how-to help children help themselves.

Whether your child's issue is time management, or their sticking point is organization or a specific topic, Abby and Brian know that different kids need different tools, and they cover solutions across all disciplines and address a range of stressful scenarios. Using real-life stories from their many years as educators, they walk parents through how to address anxiety around homework and support their child with reading, writing, and math, and they offer strategies for standardized test taking. Their goal is to help parents create an effective system so that homework doesn't just get done, but it does its job and helps kids become successful learners for life.

Auteur

Abby Freireich and Brian Platzer are weekly education columnists for The Atlantic, and have appeared as experts in The New York Times, on Good Morning America, CBS, CNN, NPR, the CBC, and elsewhere. They both are classroom teachers, tutors, and parents. In addition, they are the co-founders and directors of Teachers Who Tutor, New York City's only tutoring organization that pairs students with classroom teachers.