Frequently Asked Questions

My son is sick. He can't do his assignments.

He can make them up later in the week. If he's sick for a while, we'll figure out which assignments he has to make up and which he will have to skip.

My son was sick but well enough to do homework, but he didn't know his assignments

You can get the English assignments from the Middle School Office. He can call a friend for them. They are also posted on this website on the Assignments page.

My son got a homework notice. It wasn't his fault he missed the assignment--something came up at home.

I don't send homework notices home as a punishment. They are information. Send in a signed note if he can't do his homework, and he can make it up later.

Why do you send homework notices home?

I don't want to wait until report cards come out to let you know.

Why did you give him a detention for three missed assignments?

Boys are trying to be more independent when they get to this age, and are experimenting with making their own choices. Some choices work well, others don't. A homework detention is a signal that the choice to avoid homework or to stay disorganized is not a good one.

Is it all right if my son types his homework instead of hand-writing it?

Sure. I like being able to understand what I'm reading! I will ask him to use an ordinary plain font in standard 10 or 12 point size and to double space.

Is it all right if my son hand-writes his homework instead of typing it?

Sure. I can read almost anybody's handwriting. I would prefer he didn't use odd ink colors, especially yellow. Blue or black ink or pencil is readable.

My son has a question he would like to ask you, but he doesn't want to bother you. Can I ask it for him?

Go right ahead. I won't tell. Please don't pretend he's writing to me himself, though. Oh, go ahead, you can if you like, but I know the difference between the way a sixth grader writes and they way his father or his mother writes, and it always gives me a chuckle. Keep in mind that he will be startled if, in person, I tell him the answer a question he didn't know he asked.

My son struggles with organization.

In the sixth grade, we expect your son to use the school's assignment book and to keep his papers organized in binders. We don't expect you to do it for him. However, it helps if he knows we're all on the same side. One thing that works is having both teacher and parent initial the assignment book every day, so that you can see what his assignments are. Another is insisting that he put his homework in his English binder when it is finished, and put his English binder in his backpack. Usually these two things work. If they don't, call me or I'll call you and we'll work on it. Every child is different.

How can you expect him to read a half an hour every night? He doesn't have time.

Time spent reading--reading anything--improves the ability to read. Reading ability is connected with success in school. He can read anything and he can read anywhere, but he has to average a half hour a day. If you can't figure out how to help him do that, talk to me and we'll work it out.

Why don't you correct every error he makes in his writing?

I concentrate on at most three mistakes at a time in homework assignments, and I ask him to correct those mistakes and hand the work back in. The research tends to show that going mad with a red pen may be gratifying (if time-consuming) for a teacher, but doesn't teach students to find and correct their persistent errors. Instead, it overwhelms them.

You don't really give very much homework compared to other teachers, and it tends to be fairly easy.

1. The research indicates time spent on homework is not closely correlated with achievement for middle schoolers, although it is useful for building good habits. 2. Your son also has homework from their other classes, and I know that. 3. I expect him to be reading for half an hour a night. 4. My homework is designed to reinforce concepts learned in class, not to learn new ones. 5. I want him to develop good homework habits, and I hold him extremely accountable for this very easy homework.

Why do you do so much writing in school instead of sending projects home?

1. Projects done at home tend to be easy for some, hard for others. I want them to be moderately difficult but achievable for everyone. I can individualize more in the classroom. 2. It's easier for me than it is for many of you to let your son feel his way through an assignment. He learns better and is more independent if he gets to make his own choices and make his own mistakes. 3. He's learning to peer edit and to take feedback from others. 4. Middle school boys are very social, and this way they learn to make their relationships productive. 5. I can give your son individual guidance and feedback when he's writing in class, instead of marking his work with red pen and tossing it back with a grade.

Why do you have him memorize and recite a poem every month?

"The sudden accessibility of information deadens memory and may even make its functions seem obsolete. But to memorize is to possess something, whether it be a sonnet or a succession of kings, by making it an almost physical part of you, a kind of invisible companion." --Billy Collins, "On Slowing Down," commencement address at Choate Rosemary Hall, 2003.

To memorize a poem is to own it for yourself. Poetry is one of the richest and oldest forms of literature, and the ability to recite a poem from memory connects your son to Beowulf and The Iliad as well as to Eminem and Mos Def.

Besides, it teaches your son to speak loudly and clearly, to be expressive, and to perform in front of others.

My son will be out of school for more than a few days. Can you give him his work in advance?

I'll do my best. However, part of why you send your son to school is so that he can have the benefit of interaction with his peers and the guidance of a teacher. I can't send that home. Also, I change assignments and classwork depending on what is happening with your son, his classmates, the school, and the world in general, so don't be too surprised if it turns out he did something unecessary or missed something everyone else did. Being out of school is being out of school, and it has consequences. I'll be happy to help him get caught up when he comes back, though!