Cloudy with a chance of homework

Scattered homework showers are in the forecast this week now that we are heading into the second week of a new quarter.

The importance of this essential teaching tool, homework, is widely studied and articulated, but frankly, the additional Math practice and nightly reading are not the lessons about which I write. Consider the following as you begin or continue inculcating a Christian view of schoolwork at home this year. Here is how I approach it in my home:

1. Begin with instilling in children a Biblical view of work

A vocation by God: In our day/culture, for 13 years (K-12), God gives a child a calling to formal schooling. Part of this calling requires that school comes home with our child at times. Therefore, homework is part of our child(ren)’s calling before God; homework is part of the holy gift of work which God gave man in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 1:28).
The goodness of work: Because of the Fall of Adam and Eve, sin entered the world and the good work became difficult and became a temptation to sin through laziness, grumbling, worship of work, greed, excuse making, and frustration. We must beware of these traps and seek to glorify God in, through, and with our work rather than sin against God through our work (Gen. 3:17-20).
Our aim: “Whatever we do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him “(Col. 2:17).
Virtue in work: “The soul of the sluggard desires and has nothing, but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat” (Prov. 13:4). “The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor” (Prov. 12:24).
“In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty” (Prov. 14:23).

2. Affirm these principles aloud, gently, and firmly to your child

“This is your work. It is your calling. It is not mine. My calling is to help, to encourage, to inspire, to advise, and to nurture. Make no mistake. God has designed this work for you. Do it well and to His glory.”
“You shall teach these diligently to your children…” (Deut. 6:7a).

3. Correct & discipline your children accordingly when they neglect the above

Have them re-write sloppy and or hasty work at times.
Insist they re-read the question and describe in detail when they claim they are stuck.
Take privileges away from them to show them the poverty, enslavement, and destructive nature of slothful behavior.
“He who spares the rod, hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him” (Prov. 13:24).
“God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline…For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Heb. 12:7&11).

4. Model good working habits and cast a vision for working

Some of us working adults have homework. Perhaps, you can do your work while the student is doing his? Perhaps, you take care of the bills and the budget so that you are nearby. When the household is at work, I am certain your child will feel part of something bigger – a family at work.
One reason parents choose a private Christian school is because they desire assistance in training their children in good work habits. Ask the teacher for helpful hints on how to work wisely with a specific task assignment. For instance, they might have specific ideas for specific subjects that may help limit your child’s time spent on homework.
Sometimes you must encourage your child to ask other children for hints on how they study or work.
“Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed” (Prov. 15:22).
Share your methods and successful habits. There are times that I am very deliberate about how my children should study. Sometimes, my wife and I have made games out of studies: “A wise son hears his father’s instruction” (Prov. 13:1a).
“Train up a child in the way he should go…” (Prov. 22:6). Show your child how to manage his or her time. Show them how you prioritize things. It is one thing to tell them to take “one bite at a time” of the big elephant; show them how you have done it.

5. Cultivate habits of the mind

No complaining. God has given me this good work. “Do everything without complaining or grumbling” (Philippians 2:14a).
Just like we are, our children are prone to self-deceit. How often will we say we’ve studied something when we have not completely studied? Have you ever been half prepared for a Bible study or a Sunday school class?
First, identify with your child. You sin. Then, exhort them to confess this to God and repent (make a fresh start). Sometimes, as our children are repenting of being lazy, we are doing the same thing! Repentance is a CORE ingredient to developing godly work habits.
The mind needs training: instruct your child to focus diligently on the work for 30 minutes and then they can have a 10-minute break. Repeat this process several times a night if possible.
Has your student studied the teacher? What does the teacher emphasize verbally? What did the teacher emphasize on the last test?
Has your student tried to draw connections when studying? Does he or she ask himself the Five W questions while reading?
Does your child do better when he is competing? Give the child a goal or challenge to foster his studying.
Have you trained your child to ask questions politely when he or she has not understood the question? Have you trained your child to chase down a teacher after school to ask a question more privately? Have you trained your child to ask a teacher for additional help or an additional explanation to clarify a lesson?
Before your child asks for help in studying for a test, ask them if they have studied the material. If they answer in the affirmative, then ask then what they did to study. If they do not give a satisfactory answer be sure to challenge them to get back to their work. My dad was the master of discerning if I had really tried hard to do my work; he often sent me back to my room to try and again, “and this time, pay closer attention.” Be sure to be sensitive to understanding if they know how to study. Many children do not know how to study and may need to ask a teacher for explicit help in how to study.
Honesty (back to that self-deceit thing): When children are asked, “Do you have homework?” They often will not include “reading” or “studying” in their answer, “No.” So, you must be clear with them on an honest answer: “I have to study for a test on Friday; I do have a long-term project I can work on; Next week my Creative Writing journal is due; I have one quiz to prepare for tomorrow, but no, I do not have homework tonight.” The truth is that they do have some homework: studying and working ahead. This will make them wise sowers of their gifts and labor which will bear great fruit when we get close to holidays and the ends of a quarter!

6. Cultivate appreciation for the work and calling they have now

“Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men” (Prov. 22:29). Their work now matters for how their future bosses and customers will view them.
“A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul…” (Prov. 13:19). If I had a quarter for each grammar school student who has told me they want to be a veterinarian, I’d be able to fund the construction of the next ACS school building. Desiring to be a vet/doctor/lawyer/professional is a good thing, but the diligent work and the attitude toward the work is equally as important to accomplishing this professional goal. The desire is not sweet without the sweat equity invested by the person. Thomas Edison once said, “Success is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration.” Successfully enjoying the glow of the incandescent light bulb, Thomas Edison had it sweet indeed.

7. Cultivate a proper view of rest

God calls us to work six days and rest on the seventh. If we seriously take this admonition and apply it, we will thoroughly need the rest of the Sabbath, and the Sabbath will be a joy to us. Sometimes, we work so hard at entertaining ourselves on the weekends that we find that we have made the weekend a different kind of work rather than prioritizing a Sabbath rest. I double dog dare you to challenge your children to get homework done on Saturdays rather than on Sunday nights.

8. Ora et labora, “pray and work.”

Finally, if you have read all the way to the end of this article, I applaud your efforts in developing and applying a Christian view of homework!