"I was too busy to do my homework."

I have heard this statement many times in my years of teaching, and I reply with the same statement every time, "school comes first." As spring sports start up, and other events pile in to our schedules, we forget to make time for homework. It is vital that students finish the year strong.

In this month the fourth graders will finish their New Jersey projects and reports, have a poetry exhibition project, complete multi-digit multiplication and division, gain understanding in geometry concepts of volume and 3-d solids, complete several more Spelling units, and finish their study of the book Little House on the Prairie.

There are also Firefly concerts, Spring concerts, and a holiday weekend.

Please help your student budget their time well. Chunk out their assignments for them so they aren't finishing entire units of Spelling, or long reading assignments in one night. Perhaps each Monday, create a chart for the week showing what should be completed each night, so the student can check off what they've finished. The feeling of accomplishment will be rewarding.