teacher note to parents about homework not done

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Letter To Parents About Homework Not Done

By Mubashir

July 4, 2024

A “Letter to Parents About Homework Not Done” is a formal communication sent by a teacher to the parents of a student who has not completed their homework assignment. The purpose of this letter is to inform the parents about the situation and to request their assistance in ensuring that the student completes their homework in the future.

In this blog article, we will share several templates, examples, and samples of “Letter to Parents About Homework Not Done” letters. These letters can be used by teachers as a starting point for writing their own letters. By providing these templates, we hope to make it easier for teachers to communicate with parents about homework completion and to encourage students to take responsibility for their schoolwork.

Letter to Parents Regarding Incomplete Homework

Dear Mr. and Mrs. [Parents’ Last Name],

I am writing to inform you that your child, [Child’s Name], has not completed their homework assignment for [Subject]. The assignment was due on [Due Date].

[Child’s Name] has been struggling with this particular topic, and I have been providing them with additional support during class. However, they have not yet demonstrated a full understanding of the material.

I believe that completing this homework assignment is essential for [Child’s Name]’s success in this class. It will help them to reinforce the concepts they have learned and prepare them for future lessons.

I would appreciate it if you could encourage [Child’s Name] to complete the assignment as soon as possible. They can access the assignment on our class website or by contacting me directly.

I am available to provide additional support if needed. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Sincerely, [Your Name]

How to Write a Letter to Parents About Homework Not Done

Homework is an essential part of a child’s education. It helps them to reinforce what they have learned in class, and it can also help them to develop important study skills. However, there are times when a child may not be able to complete their homework. If this happens, it is important to write a letter to the child’s parents to explain the situation.

Be Honest and Direct

The first step in writing a letter to parents about homework not done is to be honest and direct. Explain the reason why the homework was not completed, and be sure to take responsibility for the situation. Do not make excuses or try to blame the child. Instead, focus on what you can do to help the child complete their homework in the future.

Offer Solutions

In addition to explaining the reason why the homework was not completed, you should also offer solutions. This could include providing extra help during class, setting up a study schedule, or providing access to additional resources. Be sure to be specific in your suggestions, and make sure that they are realistic and achievable.

Be Respectful

It is important to be respectful of the parents’ time and concerns. Keep your letter brief and to the point, and be sure to use a polite and professional tone. Avoid using jargon or technical terms that the parents may not understand.

Once you have sent the letter, be sure to follow up with the parents. This could involve calling them to discuss the situation further, or meeting with them in person. Be sure to keep the parents updated on the child’s progress, and be willing to make adjustments to your plan as needed.

Additional Tips

Here are a few additional tips for writing a letter to parents about homework not done:

• Write the letter in a timely manner.
• Proofread the letter carefully before sending it.
• Be open to feedback from the parents.
• Work together with the parents to find a solution that works for everyone.

Writing a letter to parents about homework not done can be a difficult task, but it is important to be honest, direct, and respectful. By following these tips, you can write a letter that will help the parents to understand the situation and work with you to find a solution.

FAQs about Letter To Parents About Homework Not Done

What should be included in a letter to parents about homework not done.

A letter to parents about homework not done should include the following information:

• A clear statement that the student has not completed their homework.
• The specific assignment(s) that were not completed.
• The date(s) on which the assignment(s) were due.
• The consequences for not completing the homework.

How should a letter to parents about homework not done be written?

A letter to parents about homework not done should be written in a clear, concise, and respectful tone. It should be free of judgment or blame. The focus should be on working together with the parents to help the student succeed.

What are some tips for writing a letter to parents about homework not done?

• Keep it brief and to the point.
• Be clear and specific about the problem.
• Avoid using judgmental or accusatory language.
• Focus on the student’s needs and how you can work together to help them succeed.

What should I do if a parent does not respond to a letter about homework not done?

• Call the parent to follow up.
• Email the parent again.
• Send a note home with the student.

What are some resources that can help me write a letter to parents about homework not done?

• The National Education Association (NEA)
• The American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
• The National Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
• Your school district’s website

Reach out to us for a consultation.

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Homework Letter to Parents | Email Templates

As a teacher, communicating with parents about the homework expectations for their children is crucial for fostering a successful learning environment. Crafting a homework letter that is both informative and engaging can be a challenging task. That’s why we’ve created a list of homework letter-to-parents templates that you can use to effectively communicate with parents about the assignments, expectations, and goals for their child’s homework. In this article, we’ll go over the key elements of a successful homework letter, and provide you with a customizable template that you can use for your classroom.

The key elements of an effective homework letter to parents include

• A clear introduction that establishes your purpose and goals for the homework,
• A detailed explanation of the assignments, expectations, and grading policies,
• A schedule outlining when homework is due, and a section dedicated to answering frequently asked questions or addressing concerns.
• Additionally, adding information or resources about how parents can support their child’s learning at home and providing resources for additional support can also be helpful.

These elements will help ensure that parents are well-informed about their child’s homework and can effectively support their child’s academic success.

Example of detailed Homework letter to parents

I hope this email finds you, your child, and in good health. I wanted to take the time to talk about the value of homework and how it may aid in your child’s development as we begin the new school year. I’ve designed a template for a homework letter to parents that I’ll be using this year to assist keep you informed about your child’s homework requirements.

The homework template was created to give you succinct, clear information about the homework assignments, goals, and expectations for your child. It will also include a schedule explaining when homework is due, as well as a part devoted to addressing any worries you might have or frequently asked questions.

I’ll explain how the assignment helps your child learn in the introduction, as well as its purpose and goals. You can have a clear grasp of what is expected of your child by reading the thorough explanation section. This section defines the assignments, expectations, and grading guidelines. You may assist your child manage their time by giving them the due dates as per the timetable area.

I have also included some resources to help your child’s learning at home. You can learn how to support your child’s academic success.

I am aware that parents and students alike may find the topic of homework to be difficult, which is why I am providing this homework letter. I hope that this template will make it easier for you to support your child’s learning by having a clear understanding of the homework expectations.

If you have any questions or concerns about the homework letter to parents template, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. I am always available to discuss your child’s academic progress and answer any questions you may have.

Thank you for your continued support in your child’s education.

Homework letter to parents templates

• Dear parent, This is a reminder that it is your child’s responsibility to bring their homework assignments home. We encourage you to make sure your child has their work ready with them each day so we all spend less time on this task and more time on teaching. Missing homework assignments may result in a lower grade for the assignment or even being taken out points from the report card altogether. Please see attached a list of missing homework assignments from your child’s class.
• Dear Parent, We are writing to inform you that we have not received homework from your child for the following subjects [list]. If we do not receive this assignment by 2024, your child will receive a zero grade on all assignments until the missing homework is submitted. We thank you in advance and appreciate your help with this matter.
• Dear parent, we noticed that your child did not hand in his/her homework. We will do our best to ensure your child does not miss out on learning from this lesson. Please ensure that your child brings home their homework next week. Thank you for your time and cooperation.
• Dear Parent, It is important that your child complete their homework on time each night. Please help them by discussing the importance of homework completion and encouraging it to be done every night. Thank you.
• Dear Parent, It has been brought to our attention that your child has been missing homework. We are asking that you remind your child of the importance of homework. Please ensure it is being completed daily, as this greatly helps your child in the classroom. Thank you for your time and cooperation.
• Dear parents, Please see below a list of your child’s missing homework assignments. Please check if there are any questions you may have and then sign the form at the end. We apologize for any inconvenience. Thank You,
• Dear Parent, Your student has not turned in the homework assignment. Please see that they bring it with them tomorrow. If you have any questions or concerns please contact me at [number]. Thank you for your time. Sincerely,
• Dear parent, this is our weekly homework reminder. We would appreciate it if you could check and make sure that your children have their homework completed. That way, they will be capable of focusing on school work instead of struggling to complete missing assignments in class. Thank you for your help.
• Dear Parent, your child has been marked absent for missing homework. Please see the attached document for more information.
• Dear Parent, I am sending this email to notify parents that the assignment [name] was not turned in. I hope that the assignment will be returned soon.
• Dear Parent, We noticed that you missed the lesson titled [name] on Monday. This lesson was designed to help your child develop a better understanding of grammar and sentence structure, which are crucial skills to learn as they grow into successful adults. To access this lesson again and complete the homework assignment please visit the link. If you have any questions or concerns during this process please do not hesitate to contact me. 

More Simplestic Templates: 

• Email to parents about academic concerns
• Positive Email to Parents from Teacher: 15 Example Emails

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Sample Letter to Parents about Missing Homework

School offices usually make sure that they have templates for all correspondence that they need to send to the board, suppliers, vendors, and parents.

These templates are then customized so that they can be used in any situation.

The most important correspondence within these is the one between the school and parents.

Since it is the school’s duty to keep the parents abreast of things happening at school, particularly with their children, it is important to be able to communicate with them in writing.

One of the most common problems in schools is missing homework. In the event that a student has come to school without his or her homework (especially if he or she has been doing this a lot), an administrator or a teacher will be required to write to the parents and inform them.

Sending in a formal letter stating the details of the situation including how many times it has happened and how you feel it can be managed, is imperative.

The thing about writing letters to parents pointing out missing homework is that every situation is different, so predefined templates may not work.

If you have found yourself to be in a situation such as this, you will need to know exactly what it is that you need to write in such a letter.

Here is an example:

Sample Letter to Parents About Missing Homework

Debra Morris School Administrator St. Peter’s School 81 Upland Road Essex Junction, VT 18302 Tel: (000) 222-2222

April 7, 2022

Mrs. Patricia Wright 22 Hillcrest Road Essex Junction, VT 01560

Dear Mrs. Wright:

This is with reference to your daughter, Amelia Wright, who is a Grade 4 student at St. Peter’s School. It has come to my attention that Amelia has been erratic in bringing her homework to school for a few months now, despite several reminders in her homework diary.

I have personally looked through Amelia’s previous files and see no inclination of a problem of this sort in the past. She has been a great student during the 3 years which is why this matter is of great concern to me. Since this is not a fleeting matter, I suggest that you look into why her homework is missing so often.

The homework that she has missed in the last 3 weeks is attached to this letter. I suggest that you supervise her and ensure that homework is put in her school bag. If there is anything that I can do to provide assistance during this time, please feel free to get in touch with me.

Debra Morris

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Students Email Their Parents About Missing Work

In my last blog post titled, “ Stop Taking Grading Home ,” I explained how I use the Station Rotation Model to provide students with real-time feedback as they work instead of taking grading home. I had one teacher ask me what I do when a student arrives at my teacher-led station and has not done the work required. That’s a great question, so I wanted to share my very simple strategy with my readers.

If students have fallen behind on a formal essay, large scale assignment, or project , I require that they begin their session with me at the teacher-led real-time feedback station by writing their parents an email to explain why they have not completed the work they were assigned. They must CC me on the email, use the formal business letter format, and propose a specific action plan to catch up on their work.

This strategy is so simple but so effective! Students are rarely asked to take ownership of and responsibility for their work. Typically, a parent does not realize there is a problem until a zero is entered into a gradebook or report cards are mailed home. Requiring students to contact their parents and take responsibility for their work at various check-points along the process creates an incentive for students to prioritize their school work. This strategy also takes the responsibility off of the teacher, who is typically the person tasked with reaching out to the parents when there is an issue.

The most rewarding part of this strategy are the conversations that take place between parents and their children. Because I am CCed on the initial email, parents typically “reply all” and keep me in the loop as they dialogue with their child. I love the questions parents ask in their follow-up emails, like “Why weren’t you able to complete this part of the assignment when it was due? How are you using your class time? What can I do at home to support you in getting your work done?” I see so much value in encouraging students to have these conversations with their parents.

As soon as I adopted this strategy, more students completed their work on time and several parents thanked me for keeping them in the loop about their child’s progress, or lack thereof.

At the start of this school year, I posted a blog titled “ Who is doing the work in your classroom? ” where I said I planned to try to flip my thought process to make sure students were the ones working because the people doing the work are the ones learning. Each time I was tempted to say, “I could…” I challenged myself and my co-teacher to flip the statement and instead make it a question like “How can students…?” This shift in is what led, in part, to having students email their parents. I remember saying to my co-teacher, “We should email the parents of students who’ve fallen behind on their essays.” Her response was, “Why not make them do it?” Thank goodness for her reminders!

So, whenever you feel daunted by all you have to do as an educator, ask yourself how you can make your students do more of the work in your classroom. From that work will come real learning.

59 Responses

Admirable idea/strategy. Are you keeping statistical evidence on its effectiveness? I love the fact that it puts the ownership right where it belongs. I like it.

I have not spent much time comparing data from this year to last year, but I definitely could. This is just one of many shifts I’ve made this year so I’m not sure comparing data would help me to identify the impact of this one strategy given how much has changed in my approach.

Or…your students could track the data??

I agree with Vicki Healy. However, what do you have student do when there is no email for a parent?

If the station is near the phone – you could have the student call home.

I’ll check it out. Thanks, Sylvia!

I’m still reflecting on the strategy. It is borderline punitive, “if you do not do this…then I will tell your parents.” Have you considered sitting down with student and determining why they did not do the assignment before contacting parents? If this intervention doesn’t work, I can see getting parents involved but bringing them into the situation prematurely seems to destroy any relationship and trust a student has with you.

I work closely with my students throughout the entire process of a piece of writing or a project. We have many conversations daily about what they are working on, where they are at, and what they need from me to be successful. Those conversations are fundamental to my real-time feedback approach to assessment, so these parent emails are not premature. They are designed to inform parents of their progress, or lack thereof, and encourage students to take ownership of that progress. Because I do not use a traditional gradebook (as described in prior posts) this is an important strategy to pull parents into the conversation about their child’s progress.

Your strategy incorrectly assumes that all students have control over their learning environment and productivity.

What about those students whose ineffective parents prevent them from completing or submitting work. How do you avoid making home worse for those kids? Even if the kid has good parents, that doesn’t mean those parents have the skills necessary to help students improve their writing productivity or proficiency.

You also assume that all kids produce writing at the same pace. Have you thought about asking students to log their progress during class and monitoring their writing strategies? Building metacognition will more effectively improve all students’ writing.

How can you make your learning environment more conducive to that child making progress?

Your comment about all of the assumptions I’m making about my kids suggests that you may not be familiar with my work or my approach to teaching. I wonder if after reading a bit more about my work and my current program if you would be asking me to think about how I can make my learning environment more conducive to supporting my students in making progress.

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In the State of California it is MANDATORY that parents are notified if their student will fail a class. If not it is illegal to give a student a failing grade. This strategy not only help students realize it is their responsibility to complete the required work, but meets that requirement. Great job Catlin!

It doesn’t have to be punitive if you make sure the student emails a plan to correct the issue. At that point it is a progress report and action plan for correction.

What do you do for those without email or internet?

I’ve only got one parent without email, so we do a phone call instead.

I really like your blog comments. They are a great reminder for educators to keep students accountable and parents informed along the way. I once, early in my career, had a wise principal ask me” who is doing all the work, Heather? You or the students? I stopped. I love email idea. Cheers from a retired senior science teacher.

Thank you for the comment, Heather!

I have had my students call their parents and do a similar thing using a script for years. It’s highly effective. The kids hate it, the parent love it and it saves me time! I find that the kids work harder to avoid having to call home again. I love the email idea ? I think I will try that next year! Thank you for sharing.

Jen, I would love to see a sample of your phone call script.

I have done this for the past 3 years and find it works exceptionally well. Like you, I do it for major items, not every little thing, unless there’s been a string of incomplete work. It gets them to take responsibility and reflect on their learning skills and time management, and it keeps parents informed as well. I find it has also greatly reduced the amount of students who were coming to class unprepared or with incomplete work. I have not found it to negatively impact the relationship I have with students as I very clearly set the parameters at the beginning of the year and I don’t use it excessively or all the time, only for bigger items. I always try and find out what the backstory is first as well, to help brainstorm solutions and what they could do to avoid these situations in the future (ex. Time management and learning skill strategies). We also spend time at the beginning of the year learning to organize and manage our weekly schedules and figure out where the gaps are to get homework done but also to have fun and relax It may not be every students’ favorite strategy (what grade 6 student likes being held accountable?), but, like parenting, I think that we need to make good decisions for our students or help them make good decisions, whether they’re always popular or not. We’re not there to be their best friends, we’re adults there to support and guide them, and of course also have fun and learn from each other. Anyhow, just my two cents, but it sounds like it’s working for you! Thank you for sharing!

I definitely don’t do it for everything either, Steph.

I just do it for the big stuff. The stuff I’d want to know about as a parent.

Thanks for sharing how you approach using this with your kids!

What age group do you do this with? Secondary or intermediate ? Seems like a good strategy.

Hi Valerie,

I teach 9-10 grade. I feel like this is definitely a secondary strategy.

This is a thought provoking idea. I teach 7th grade and always look for ways to promote self-efficacy and responsibility. I would say that 50% of my students’ parents do not have emails. It’s a battle to communicate effectively. I wonder how your strategy would work via text message? I group text including parent and myself could serve the same purpose. I am so glad I came across your article today.

Thank you, Mary

If your parents are open to that, I’d definitely try it, Mary.

Emailing parents sounds like a really interesting strategy! I’m going to give it a shot. As for texting, it works really well in my room actually. I use Google Voice so the number is anonymous but works through all my devices and email. I definitely recommend it.

I also use a Google Voice number for some school-related things. (I’m outside the US now so it won’t work for everything.) . I really love that balance of reachability/anonymity of Google Voice. I get all the texts and voicemail transcriptions right away even though the number is not forwarded to my cell phone.

Catlin, I am constantly fed and encouraged by your work. Thank you very much for blogging about it. I am sorry there are some who just don’t “get it” or who comment without looking at the big picture. I am so glad you started a podcast, too!

Thank you for your kind words! I’m thrilled you enjoy my blog and my new podcast.

Happy New Year!

We have a system where we can use email to text parents and the responses come back to our email accounts. It is excellent for things like following up on attendance as parents are much more likely to respond to a text than an email.

When I was in high school (early 90s), my Latin teacher had a policy that if you did not complete your homework, you had to write a note to your parents explaining why. Those notes were then saved until parent teacher night. It was the only class for which i consistently did my homework. I knew what I was supposed to do. I knew there was no good reason why I couldn’t do it. She just held me accountable differently than my other teachers.

[…] Love this idea from Caitlin Tucker for addressing missing assignments — Students Email Their Parents About Missing Work […]

[…] I just love my class! We did lots of team building and getting to know you activities today and not much meat. I learned a LOT about some of my kiddos! One of them is even PERFECT (just ask him!) One of the things we did today was the sticky note posters – you know which ones. They are all over Pinterest. Students Email Their Parents About Missing Work. […]

Catlin, This blog post is fantastic. I love the idea of using the station rotation model for teacher led realtime feedback and putting the ownership of the learning on the students. Your solution to the homework issue is brilliant. Students learn responsibility, the connection to home is strengthened, and the teacher load is reduced.

Thanks for all your inspiration. We will be sharing this out to our teachers.

We are hoping to see you when you are in Nebraska this summer!

Ann Feldmann .

Thank you, Ann!

Moving assessment and feedback into the classroom has been incredible. Some teachers whether it’s too “idealistic,” but I think that has more to do with teachers feeling like they need to grade every single assignment. I’ve been much more strategic about what we spend our time assessing/discussing.

I’m excited to be in NE this July to work with teachers on blended learning!

Hi- I’m very intrigued by this idea, but I’m wondering how you get students to write an email when they won’t do their assigned work. Do you have to sit there with them while they write the email? I can’t see my students who refuse to do homework doing this. I love the idea if putting the responsibility on the student instead of me having to contact parents when they fall behind, but I’m wondering what this looks like in practice. Thanks!

Hi Kristen,

My students cycle through my teacher-led station as they work on large scale assignments and receive regular feedback from me. Most of the kids who have to write their parents have done some of the work but not all of it. They sit in my teacher-led station and write their email and don’t get to move onto the next station until I receive the CCed version in my inbox.

I do something similar to this in my classroom. I like that students are held accountable and parents are kept in the loop of what is happening in the classroom. As a parent, I would want to be informed. Success in schools involves parents, teachers and students to be involved 100%.

I love that you are encouraging the students to take ownership for their work, while still keeping parents informed. I can see how it would be a huge help with work completion! Thanks for sharing. I can’t wait to try it with my students!

Simple yet important idea….putting it on students opens up communication among all parties involved. I do this with certain projects (via phone call because our district has restrictions on who elementary students can email). I can see them emailing me and I forward it on to parents. Thanks for the tip!

This is a great idea. What a fantastic way to keep students accountable, but also bring the parents into the classroom. As a secondary teacher myself I find myself not involving parents as much as I would like and this would be a great way to get them more informed about your classroom as well as holding the students accountable. Love it!

Thank you for this clearer picture on how I can better handle missing assignments with my students! Our Principal asks for an email to be sent home letting parents know our student hadn’t completed an assignment. This idea helps my middle schoolers become more accountable for their actions and learning all while completed the required task of notifying parents about the missing assignment. Great idea!

You’re welcome, Phillip!

Students taking responsibility for their learning…AMEN!! Providing a path for students to have open communication with the parents about their learning is so valuable!! Thanks for the GREAT blog post!

I’m waiting for your book to arrive and will be implementing many of your ideas next year. I’m wondering how many students you have through the day? Next year I’ll have 38 in each class for 51 minutes. It’s taken me a long time to conference with kids individually this year and am worried about how I’m going to make this happen on a bigger scale next year with such big classes and short periods.

Hi Marianne,

I’m piloting a program where I am actually co-teaching English, science, and technology, so I have 60 students at a time. My co-teacher and I work in block periods, which does give me a lot of time to work with them. 38 is a lot of kids and 51 minutes is not a lot of time. If I was trying to tackle that, I’d probably plan a 5 station rotation lesson that would extend over the corse of a week. Unfortunately, that means I’m only meeting with one group a day, but I could still work with students in small groups or pull them to work individually. It would make keeping all of my feedback/assessment in class more challenging. I’d have to use technology strategically and really keep all of my feedback super focused.

What do you do about parents who are not involved/supportive of their students and emailing/calling is not going to have an effect one way or the other. I have a group of kids this year who are VERY apathetic toward any kind of work. Unfortunately, the parents are the same way. I know that they are capable of doing the work, they just won’t. I have tried all year to find what motivates them and honestly nothing works! Thoughts?

At that point, Melissa, there isn’t much more I can do. My job is to keep the parents in the loop, but I cannot make a parent follow through. I typically focus my attention on communicating with the students in those cases where I know the parents aren’t involved.

with the advancement of technology of course we also have to upgrade tricks and teaching strategies. and that’s a good, simple but effective strategy

Great idea! I am interested in starting this process in my own classroom. Just curious as to how you began? Did you send home a letter explaining the process and ask for parent emails? If so, could I possibly see an example?

Again, great idea and thank you for sharing! Its extremely important for students to take ownership of their own learning and progress!

Students know their parents’ email addresses. Since they write the emails and CC me, I did not need to collect them. Unfortunately, I cannot share a student email for privacy reasons. Typically, the emails begin with an explanation of what the assignment is, where they should be in terms of progress, where they actually are, and how they plan to catch up. Their action plan is the most important part of the email and must be specific with timelines.

Catlin, I really like this idea. How do they email their parents? Do they compose the email using your email address? I don’t know that many of my students have their own email…but then again, I have never asked.

Hi Danielle,

My students have a school email, so they just compose their emails and CC me. You could have them compose messages using your Remind.com account if they are too young for email.

That is an excellent idea! Thanks, Catlin. I do use Remind every year.

[…] also read about Catlin Tucker’s system of having students email their parents about missing work, and I think it sounds like a productive way to spend some of those minutes next to […]

[…] Students Email Their Parents About Missing Work. In my last blog post titled, “Stop Taking Grading Home,” I explained how I use the Station Rotation Model to provide students with real-time feedback as they work instead of taking grading home. I had one teacher ask me what I do when a student arrives at my teacher-led station and has not done the work required. That’s a great question, so I wanted to share my very simple strategy with my readers. If students have fallen behind on a formal essay, large scale assignment, or project, I require that they begin their session with me at the teacher-led real-time feedback station by writing their parents an email to explain why they have not completed the work they were assigned. […]

I’m curious to know if anyone has tried this with behavior?

This works wonderfully with behavior, homework, classwork or anything. I’ve always used it. I dont usually do emails. I do phone calls, during class, in the hallway, on the spot.

Acting crazy? Call your dad. Cant turn in assignments? Call your dad.

Disrupting my classroom? Call your dad. Oh, your dad is at work and can’t be disrupted? Well all the other students and teachers in the school are trying to work and you’re disrupting them, so…

Catlin, I do something similar using Remind. However, I am the one reaching out to the parents. I love the instant responses I usually get using Remind. I wish there was a way to send a Remind message and CC someone at the same time. I’d love to have them send the message. I was the same way and my kids knew that when it came down to it and they weren’t getting things done that a Remind message would be sent. It didn’t hurt our relationships at all. I really think it strengthened it.

For some of my parents without email, I had students record an audio message from the students and texted it to the parents. I agree it would be nice to have a CC feature in Remind to allow students to initiate that communication with parents and include the teacher.

I also agree with your comment about this strategy strengthening relationships with students. It’s their learning journey, they should be responsible for articulating what is going well and what is not. Ultimately, I think kids understand that.

Take care! Catlin

Has anyone given any thought to how this policy might play out for kids in an abusive family situation? I can easily imagine a scenario in which a kid gets beaten for missing a homework assignment that was already difficult to complete because of a chaotic or abusive home life.

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Letter to Teacher from Parent (Sample Notes & Letters)

As a parent, you’ll often first meet your child’s teacher on the initial day of school, and perhaps subsequently during occasions like parent-teacher conferences or school events. But what if you need to reach out to them directly? Writing a letter or an email is a straightforward way to establish that connection, be it to address questions, voice concerns, or extend gratitude. So, when’s the appropriate time to pen that letter? What’s the best tone and phrasing to use? Should you opt for an email or a traditional letter? And should your approach be formal or lean towards the casual? In this article, we’ll guide you step by step, ensuring you’re well-equipped to craft an impactful letter to your child’s teacher.”

Letter to Teacher from Parent (Templates)

A Letter to a Teacher from a Parent

A Letter to a Teacher from a Parent is a written communication in which parents or guardians convey concerns, provide updates, seek clarification, or offer feedback regarding their child's academic or behavioral progress in school. Typically, this letter is used when a parent wishes to establish direct contact with the teacher to discuss any pressing issues, celebrate achievements, or coordinate efforts to support the child's learning journey.

Thank You Letter to Teacher from Parent

A Thank You Letter to Teacher from Parent is a written expression of gratitude from a parent towards a teacher for their dedication and support towards the child's educational journey. Often used after significant milestones, achievements, or at the end of an academic term, these letters recognize the teacher's efforts, highlight specific instances where the teacher made a difference, and strengthen the bond between parents, teachers, and students.

When to Write a Letter to Your Child’s Teacher

Before you put pen to paper or start typing, it’s crucial to determine the right occasion for reaching out to your child’s teacher. Here are some typical scenarios when it would be appropriate to send a letter or an email:

• Introduction Letter : Especially pertinent if your child is transferring mid-year. It’s an opportunity to provide a brief introduction of both you and your child.
• Addressing Special Needs or Circumstances : For instance, if your child requires daily medication during school hours or has a condition like diabetes.
• Excuse Letters : To explain missed class time or instances of tardiness.
• Appreciation Notes : To acknowledge and thank the teacher for a particular gesture or effort that was kind, noteworthy, or went above and beyond.
• Addressing School-related Issues : If there’s a specific problem or incident in school that you feel needs attention.
• Academic Concerns : To discuss grades or subjects your child seems to be struggling with.
• Behavioral Inquiries : To seek insights on how your child is performing or behaving, especially if you have concerns.
• Engaging in Your Child’s Learning : To learn more about a topic they’re studying and to understand how you can support their learning at home.

How to email your child’s teacher

Most teachers have an official email at the school. If they didn’t include email information for parents in the regular beginning of the school year packets most kids bring home, you can call the office and ask. The secretary at the front desk should know or be able to find out for you. Follow the steps below to email your child’s teacher.

• Confirm from the teacher if he/she is comfortable communicating via email. This will help in ensuring you receive timely feedback.
• Start the email with a positive comment. Appreciate the way the teacher have helped your child or how much your child is fond of the teacher.
• The correct email address of the teacher
• Use a clear subject which includes your child’s name
• Greeting, should be polite and refer to the teacher by the name your child uses.
• Introduce yourself and your child ensure you indicate your names.
• Have a brief statement of the matter in question.
• Request for information if need be.
• Request for a meeting if need be.
• Have a polite ending and sign your email
• Consider when to write an email. Why not use a letter, a text or call the teacher? It’s important to understand the circumstances under which to use an email. An email can be used as evidence of communication and it’s fast compared to letters. The teacher can respond to an email even during non-teaching times.
• Collect necessary information that you need to include in the email. This will help to write a comprehensive email that is clear and direct to the point. If there is need to show prove of pictures or other documents, ensure you attach to the mail. If the email is for enquiry, ensure the information you are seeking is not in the school website.
• Keep the email as brief as possible. Long emails are tedious to read. Ensure you are precise and to the point.
• Keep the tone positive and respectful. Aim to keep the language calm. For example, if you are discussing a learning issue stick to the facts. Don’t use accusing words like “my child is not getting attention.” Rather say “I have realized my child has lost interest in drawing, which he likes doing. I will appreciate your support. Can you set up a meeting we discuss this in detail.”
• Be honest in your email. It’s important to note children are honest and any untruthful information in your letter may be discovered by what the child might say.
• Proofread your email to ensure there are no error and you have covered everything you wanted in the mail before sending it.
• End on a nice note. Thank the teacher for the good work and taking time to read your mail. Say that you look forward to hearing her/his thoughts.
• Don’t copy the principal. Just include other teachers if they are concerned with the subject in relation to your child.
• Don’t expect an instant response; especially on weekends, holidays or evening. Teachers have families and other personal issues to attend to and they might not be able to respond during non-working hours.

How to write a letter/note to your child’s teacher

Email is typically the best form of contact these days. However, you may need to handwrite a note now and then for tardiness and thank you letters. Remember always to use your best handwriting. Here is an easy-to-use process for writing a letter or note to your child’s teacher.

• Use clean paper. Personalized stationery is a good option, but avoid flashy colors and backgrounds unless it’s a thank you note, which is more informal.
• Choose a writing implement that won’t smudge.
• Put the date at the top of the page in your best handwriting.
• Use the same format for writing a letter as you would for an email.
• When you sign at the bottom, use your signature and put a printed version of your name below.
• Proofread everything and make corrections. You can re-write on a new sheet of paper if you feel necessary.
• Tri-fold the paper for a tidy, finished appearance.

Sample Letter to Teacher from Parent Requesting a Meeting

Dear Mrs. Jones,

I hope this letter finds you well. I am David Clark, Jane Smith’s father. Recently, I’ve observed some challenges Jane is facing with her performance in Language Arts this semester. As her parent, I’m eager to understand more and provide support at home.

Would it be possible for us to arrange a meeting at a time that’s convenient for you? I’m keen to understand the topics being covered in class and any specific areas where Jane might be struggling. Your insights would be invaluable in helping her outside of school hours.

Additionally, if you have any strategies or suggestions that might help keep her motivated and focused, I’d greatly appreciate your advice. Together, I believe we can provide the support Jane needs to excel.

Thank you for your time and understanding. I’ve included my contact number below for ease of coordination.

Warm regards,

David Clark

01-123-3434554

Letter to teacher from parent for sick leave

30th April 2022

310 Grove Street. Apt.12

Mrs. Woodley

The Greenland School

School lane 5th street

Dear Madam,

Ref: Sick Leave for Jude Hill

My name is Linda Hill mother to Jude Hill. My daughter is a student at your school in Greenland School and in grade four (4). I am writing this letter to request for leave for my child who is not feeling well. She got tonsolitis last night and the doctor gave her three (3) sick days off for resting.

She therefore won’t be able to attend her classes for the next three days. I would like to kindly request you grant her leave for the mentioned days for her recovery.

Attached to this letter please find the doctors note.

Thanks in advance for your support.

Yours sincerely

Linda Hill, Jude’s mother

Letter to Teacher from Parent about Vacation

Ref: Request for Three Days Leave for Vacation

My name is Linda Hill mother to Jude Hill who is a student in your school Greenland grade four (4). Am writing to request you grant her vacation leave for three days from 1st April to 3rd April 2022, we attend her elder brother’s wedding.

This is an important occasion for the family to attend and Jude is a maid in her brother’s wedding. I will ensure she works hard to cover the time she will be away from school on her studies.

I will be highly obliged if you grant her permission.

Thanks in advance and hoping to hear from you soonest.

Linda Hill, Mother to Jude Hill

Letter to Teacher from Parent about Homework

Ref: Homework

My name is Mr. Smith father to Michael Smith. Am writing this letter to apologize on behalf of my son who was not able to complete his homework on Wednesday. This was caused by an emergency we got at home. His younger sister got a small accident which prompted us to rush her to hospital.

We got home quite late and Michael was not able to do his home.

Kindly accept my sincere apology on his behalf.

I am obliged for continued support on his learning

Mr. Smith, Michael’s Father

Letter to Teacher from Parent about Child’s Behavior

Ref: Apology for My Child Behavior

My name is Linda Hill mother to Chris Hill a student in your school in grade four. Am writing this to apologize for his uncalled behavior during the school sports day.

It came to my attention that my son behaved so rudely towards his teacher on that day. Kindly accept my sincerer apology, I promise this will not happen again. His father and I have spoken to him and he has well apologized for the misconduct.

We highly regret that this happened and once again I promise it won’t happen again.

Kindly accept our sincerer apology.

Yours faithfully

Mrs. Hill, Chris mother

Letter to teacher from Parent about another Child’s Behavior

Ref: Abusive Student in Your Class

I am Mrs. Hill mother to Susan Hill a student in your school class five (5). It has come to my attention that there is a student in the same class with my daughter who is using abusive language towards her. The student’s name is George Lucas.

I would like you to investigate the same allegation and warn the student to stop the misconduct. This has affected her relationship with boys her age.

You support on the above issue will be highly appreciated before things get out of hands.

Thanks in advance as you plan yo address this issue.

Yours truly

Susan Hill’s Mother Mrs. Hill

Letter to Teacher from Parent about Child’s Grade/Progress

30th March 2022

Ms. Clinton

City Montessori School,

Aligani, Lucknow

Ref: Hillary Performance in the Last Semester

My name is Mr. Lucas father to Hillary Lucas who is a student in you school grade 5. I ensure my son does his homework and assignments on time.

In the last semester I came to realize his grades really went down. This is despite him completing his assignment and homework correctly and on time. He is a quick learner and have a good grasping attitude of the subjects.

I am really worried regarding her performance on the last test he did. I would appreciate to know what really happened and how we can help him back to his performance.

Kindly advise me if we can have a meeting to further discus this in details. I will appreciate to know what I can do from my side to help him improve his grades.

Awaiting your response.

Mr. Lucas Hillary Lucas’ Father

Letter to Teacher from Parent about Bullying

The Principal

Ref: Our Child Being Bullied in School

I am Lucas’s mother who is a student in your school grade 4S. It unfortunate to learn that my son is being bullied in school by three boys in grade 6F. These are Matthew, Sam and Steven. Lucas reported to me about being bullied the first time three weeks ago. He was harassed by the said boys during lunch time and they took his lunch. I assured him it’s a one off thing, but he came back last Tuesday 15th March claiming the same boys teased him calling him “dwarf.”

Yesterday Lucas came home with his school bag zip ripped off. He explained that this was due to the boys tossing him around after classes as he was walking towards the school bus. This is really upsetting him, making him hate school. It has become a struggle in the morning for him to wake up and prepare for school.

As his mother am very worried and request to school to take the necessary action against the boys and ensure this comes to a stop.

I would appreciate an opportunity to come over and discuss the matter further and see how we can help my son recover.

Your support will he highly appreciated.

I will appreciate to hear from you as soon as possible.

Ms. Hill Lucas’ mother

Thank You Letter/Note from Parent

Dear Ms. Susan

I personally write to thank for your support towards my son Collins Smith. I appreciate your support very much. You have been very patient with him and even staying with him when he extend classes to catch up with his studies.

Kindly accept my gratitude for your support and continue with the same spirit. Your support has helped him to improve on his grades tremendously.

Once again am grateful

Mrs. Smith Collins Smith mother

Letter to Teacher from Parent Requesting for a Meeting

3rd April 2022

Greenland School

Ref: Requesting for a Meeting

My name is Susan Smith mother to Jude smith in grade 6. Jude is currently experiencing emotional drain due to the loss of his father which has affected him so much. This was due to his dad prolonged sickness which really drained the family. As a result we have organized for counselling session for him early in the morning Tuesdays and Wednesday. This may cause him to be a bit late for classes on those particular days.

Am writing to request a meeting with you and one or two of his teachers to further discuss the above matter. I will appreciate to have the meeting as soon as possible. Please advise on your availability.

Please contact me on 0733 4504506 or through email: [email protected]

Susan Smith Jude’s Mother

Introduction Letter to Teacher from Parent about Child

Ref: Introduction of Grace Michael

Am excited for the start of 2021-2022 academic year. My daughter grace will be joining your class, she really liked you and this is so exciting to her. She is a smart kid with very good grades. She like reading and writing poems. She likes school as this is a place, she is able to express herself and make many friends.

While Grace is a sharp student, she does not like being confronted in public. This makes her to withdraw and go quite for the rest part of the day. This makes her scared.

She loves signing and writing poems and considering you are a music teacher this is what makes her so excited to be in your class.

I hope you will accord her the support she needs to better her grades and to maintain her good performance.

Looking forward for a great academic year.

Yours grateful

Mrs. Michael Grace’s mother

Letter to Teacher from Parent about First Day of School

1st March 2022

Ref: First Day of School

I am Mrs. Williams’ mother to Stephen Williams. Am excited to write to you about our son’s first day in school.

From his feedback it was exciting, and you helped him to settle in class well and adjust to the new environment.

He liked making new friend and learning the school history.

Once again, we are grateful and appreciate your positive attitude towards our son.

Mrs. Williams Stephen’s mother

Thank You Letter to Teacher from Parent at the End of the Year.

Ref: Appreciation

Am Mrs. Williams mother to Stephen Williams. Am writing to express our gratitude for our son improved performance. By the beginning of the year we had our fears on how he will perform in consideration of his previous grade performance.

With your support and encouragement, he has really improved and his character has changed too, from a very preserved child to be outspoken and be able to speak his mind out. In the same year he started playing soccer.

We really appreciate the good work you have done in his life and hope this will continue even in the following year.

Once again thank you.

How to Deliver Hand-Written Letters

There are three easy ways to give a letter to a teacher. First, you can mail it to the school in their name. This method takes the longest since mail may need days or even weeks to arrive.

The other two ways to get a handwritten letter to the teacher are hand delivery. You can opt to send the note to school with your child. The downside to sending letters with a kid is that they can get lost, forgotten, or dirty along the way. Finally, you can deliver the letter yourself. This creates a personal connection and allows you to thank the teacher or ask additional questions.

Dos and Don’ts When Writing to Child’s Teacher

Teachers often have thirty or more students. Even if they have a teacher’s aid, it’s still hard to keep track of everyone. If you don’t speak up and communicate with your child’s teacher, they won’t know you need to talk to them. However, there are good and bad ways to compose a letter. Here are a few tips for what you should and should not do when writing to the teacher.

• Use a formal tone for the letter and be polite
• Be proactive
• Use a handwritten letter for a more personal touch and an email for other occasions
• Remain concise and stay on topic
• Edit out anything unnecessary
• Ask questions
• Offer to help or work together if your child is having any difficulties
• Be patient and give them plenty of time to respond

Don’t

• Talk down to the teacher
• Be negative
• Use rude language
• Forget to spellcheck and use proper grammar
• Make demands
• Lay blame or issue accusations

Final Thoughts

Writing a letter or email to your child’s teacher can be frustrating, especially when you barely know them. Luckily, you can create a fantastic, easy-to-read message that the teacher will appreciate with the right tips and format. Keep your letters brief, courteous, and to the point for the best results. The clearer you are about what you want or need from them, the more positive and helpful the results are likely to be.

How did our templates helped you today?

Opps what went wrong, related posts.

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Thank you for your feedback.

10 Messages Every Teacher Should Send To Parents

Recognizing parents’ challenges can turn things around for a troubled family and transform child’s behavior and performance at school.

What Are The Messages That Every Teacher Should Send To Parents?

contributed by ClassTag

One of the most important things we’ve learned as an education technology company so far is this: tools don’t work independently.

It’s about informing and empowering teachers and families to make the most of them. In the past year, we’ve seen many teachers who connected with 100% of the parents, gained access to keen classroom volunteers, and organized more events than ever. How did they achieve this level of success?

We’ve analyzed our 100 most engaged classrooms to find out. After much thought and number crunching, we discovered that our top early adopters mastered five elements of parent-teacher partnership. Two-way communication, developing parent-teacher relationships, providing support at school and home, and community building all contribute to the academic success of students.

But… where to begin? While we believe that all of the elements are important, one that teachers can easily act upon is establishing effective communication. We know that teachers and parents want to share experiences and stay connected, but many teachers are at a loss about what kind of messages to share. Over time, many become discouraged and stick to the minimum effort route: a couple of conferences per year and an occasional note.

Our past survey indicated that 40% of teachers rank “a supportive family” as “the number one factor in achieving student success” even ahead of their own teaching skill; this is simply not good enough.

Effective communication with families can be a game-changer for parent involvement, with a positive ripple effect on long-term relationships and community. With these ten key messages, you will have an inventory of ideas at your fingertips that you can start implementing right away and come back to it from time to time.

1. Your child has successes that we can share.

In the past, teachers contacting parents would most likely mean a child misbehaving or having learning difficulties. The key to successful communication is sharing frequent positive messages to build trust and, over time, a happy school climate. Holding a weekly reading competition or choosing a ‘Student of the Week’ and sharing their successes with parents creates an atmosphere that makes parents comfortable and willing to partner with you should the problems arise.

2. Your child has ‘lightbulb’ moments you should know about.

When homework assignments and grades are parents’ only insights into academic activities, they miss out on the learning process and have trouble understanding how to best support their child. Teachers can keep parents in the loop about key takeaways and ‘lightbulb moments’ from a class and encourage families to create learning moments outside school, too. This can be done by telling stories, giving examples relating to what they’ve learned at school, critiquing rather than criticizing, and giving children the freedom to fail.

3. Your child went somewhere. Ask them about it.

Sharing a heart-warming story or fun photos from the trip helps parents feel connected to their child’s experiences and school activities. This is especially important for parents whose work or circumstances make it challenging for them to get involved in person.

4. You can help your child learn by…

Most parents would love to support their kids’ learning at home, but expectations and curriculum have gone through many changes since they’ve been students themselves. This is where a teacher can lead the way and share effective learning support strategies.

Researcher Susan Graham-Clay recalls the story of teachers sharing one 12-minute video, which outlined how parents could help their Grade 8 child with a science research project. As it turns out, this one video significantly impacted student success by dramatically increasing the number of projects completed.

5. Here are some questions to ask your child…

Most parents would love a deeper insight into their child’s school life, but they notoriously get stuck on questions to ask, other than “How was school today?” (See “ Alternatives To How Was School Today ?”)

The teacher can help parents overcome this challenge by recommending open-ended questions. Teaching parents the importance of  “wh” questions: why, what, who or where questions will help them motivate their child to go beyond dry facts and think more deeply. Instead of asking: “Did you like your class today?” try asking: “What was your favorite part of your class? What was the most interesting/ the hardest task today?”

6. Here are some alternatives to homework

Recommend activities outside of school that help families bond around the current learning topics: taking their children with them to vote, swapping roles (the parent is the student while the child explains a topic), and discussing a newspaper article together.

7. Thank you.

Want to share your appreciation of parent support?  Pinterest is a great source of ideas for tokens of appreciation that can be shared with parents, but acknowledging parents’ efforts does not have to involve gifts, obviously. Thanking particularly involved parents in a class newsletter will boost their confidence and give a sense of achievement while encouraging others to follow suit.

8. Your child is heard in my classroom.

One way to do so is to acknowledge special moments for individual students. There are few things a parent will appreciate more than a teacher taking time to share a glimpse of a child’s development: a witty comment they’ve made, or a creative way they approached a particular problem.

9. I know home life can be busy.

So start by recognizing individual areas for family support.  Sharing special moments opens a channel to honest and direct one-to-one communication with a parent, which over time can build trust to discuss other important issues. Recognizing parents’ challenges can turn things around for a troubled family and transform a child’s behavior and performance at school.

10. I’ll work with you. Here’s how.

Educators often have years or decades of experience, while parents dropping off their child to school for the first time really don’t know what to expect. Clarity about why and how specific recommendations empower parents to make informed decisions about how to engage and realize the value and impact of their support. Sometimes even a simple encouragement, saying that by attending school events you show your child you value education goes a long way.

We talked about the ‘why’ and the ‘what’ of parent communications, and now we are down to the ‘how.’

First, frequency and consistency are key. We’ve learned that in our most engaged classrooms, teachers and parents make an effort to communicate often, with both sides feeling encouraged and comfortable with initiating the exchange. In this environment, teachers’ recommendations are valued and applied at home, while parents, in turn, are present and contributing at school.

Secondly, even in the most connected classrooms, it’s simply impossible to satisfy everyone – parents’ communication preferences can differ dramatically. Most engaged teachers love that technology can give parents options to customize the frequency and types of updates, empowering them to participate in the communication on their terms.

Lastly, the importance of in-person communication is something one cannot stress enough. Teachers who successfully engage families don’t miss opportunities for spontaneous in-person interactions at drop-off or pick-up , arrange home visits, or organize valuable parent workshops.

What kind of messages made a particular difference in your classroom? Have you experienced a positive impact of frequent sharing?

Vlada Lotkina is the CEO of ClassTag , a simple and powerful communication and scheduling platform that brings research-based practices to help teachers turn parents into partners and improve the quality of family support in education.

TeachThought is an organization dedicated to innovation in education through the growth of outstanding teachers.

Smart Classroom Management

A Simple, Effective Homework Plan For Teachers: Part 1

So for the next two weeks I’m going to outline a homework plan–four strategies this week, four the next–aimed at making homework a simple yet effective process.

Let’s get started.

Homework Strategies 1-4

The key to homework success is to eliminate all the obstacles—and excuses—that get in the way of students getting it done.

Add leverage and some delicately placed peer pressure to the mix, and not getting homework back from every student will be a rare occurrence.

Here is how to do it.

1. Assign what students already know.

Most teachers struggle with homework because they misunderstand the narrow purpose of homework, which is to practice what has already been learned. Meaning, you should only assign homework your students fully understand and are able to do by themselves.

Therefore, the skills needed to complete the evening’s homework must be thoroughly taught during the school day. If your students can’t prove to you that they’re able to do the work without assistance, then you shouldn’t assign it.

It isn’t fair to your students—or their parents—to have to sit at the dinner table trying to figure out what you should have taught them during the day.

2. Don’t involve parents.

Homework is an agreement between you and your students. Parents shouldn’t be involved. If parents want to sit with their child while he or she does the homework, great. But it shouldn’t be an expectation or a requirement of them. Otherwise, you hand students a ready-made excuse for not doing it.

You should tell parents at back-to-school night, “I got it covered. If ever your child doesn’t understand the homework, it’s on me. Just send me a note and I’ll take care of it.”

Holding yourself accountable is not only a reminder that your lessons need to be spot on, but parents will love you for it and be more likely to make sure homework gets done every night. And for negligent parents? It’s best for their children in particular to make homework a teacher/student-only agreement.

3. Review and then ask one important question.

Set aside a few minutes before the end of the school day to review the assigned homework. Have your students pull out the work, allow them to ask final clarifying questions, and have them check to make sure they have the materials they need.

And then ask one important question: “Is there anyone, for any reason, who will not be able to turn in their homework in the morning? I want to know now rather than find out about it in the morning.”

There are two reasons for this question.

First, the more leverage you have with students, and the more they admire and respect you , the more they’ll hate disappointing you. This alone can be a powerful incentive for students to complete homework.

Second, it’s important to eliminate every excuse so that the only answer students can give for not doing it is that they just didn’t care. This sets up the confrontation strategy you’ll be using the next morning.

4. Confront students on the spot.

One of your key routines should be entering the classroom in the morning.

As part of this routine, ask your students to place their homework in the top left-hand (or right-hand) corner of their desk before beginning a daily independent assignment—reading, bellwork , whatever it may be.

During the next five to ten minutes, walk around the room and check homework–don’t collect it. Have a copy of the answers (if applicable) with you and glance at every assignment.

You don’t have to check every answer or read every portion of the assignment. Just enough to know that it was completed as expected. If it’s math, I like to pick out three or four problems that represent the main thrust of the lesson from the day before.

It should take just seconds to check most students.

Remember, homework is the practice of something they already know how to do. Therefore, you shouldn’t find more than a small percentage of wrong answers–if any. If you see more than this, then you know your lesson was less than effective, and you’ll have to reteach

If you find an assignment that is incomplete or not completed at all, confront that student on the spot .

Call them on it.

The day before, you presented a first-class lesson and gave your students every opportunity to buzz through their homework confidently that evening. You did your part, but they didn’t do theirs. It’s an affront to the excellence you strive for as a class, and you deserve an explanation.

It doesn’t matter what he or she says in response to your pointed questions, and there is no reason to humiliate or give the student the third degree. What is important is that you make your students accountable to you, to themselves, and to their classmates.

A gentle explanation of why they don’t have their homework is a strong motivator for even the most jaded students to get their homework completed.

The personal leverage you carry–that critical trusting rapport you have with your students–combined with the always lurking peer pressure is a powerful force. Not using it is like teaching with your hands tied behind your back.

Homework Strategies 5-8

Next week we’ll cover the final four homework strategies . They’re critical to getting homework back every day in a way that is painless for you and meaningful for your students.

I hope you’ll tune in.

If you haven’t done so already, please join us. It’s free! Click here and begin receiving classroom management articles like this one in your email box every week.

What to read next:

• A Powerful Way To Relieve Stress: Part One
• A Simple Exercise Program For Teachers
• How To Give Effective Praise: 6 Guidelines
• How To Make Your Routines More Effective
• 3 Misconceptions Of Effective Classroom Management

21 thoughts on “A Simple, Effective Homework Plan For Teachers: Part 1”

Good stuff, Michael. A lot of teachers I train and coach are surprised (and skeptical) at first when I make the same point you make about NOT involving parents. But it’s right on based on my experience as a teacher, instructional coach, and administrator the past 17 years. More important, it’s validated by Martin Haberman’s 40 years of research on what separates “star” teachers from “quitter/failure” teachers ( http://www.habermanfoundation.org/Book.aspx?sm=c1 )

I love the articles about “homework”. in the past I feel that it is difficuty for collecting homework. I will try your plan next year.

I think you’ll be happy with it, Sendy!

How do you confront students who do not have their homework completed?

You state in your book to let consequences do their job and to never confront students, only tell them the rule broken and consequence.

I want to make sure I do not go against that rule, but also hold students accountable for not completing their work. What should I say to them?

They are two different things. Homework is not part of your classroom management plan.

Hi Michael,

I’m a first-year middle school teacher at a private school with very small class sizes (eight to fourteen students per class). While I love this homework policy, I feel discouraged about confronting middle schoolers publicly regarding incomplete homework. My motive would never be to humiliate my students, yet I can name a few who would go home thinking their lives were over if I did confront them in front of their peers. Do you have any ideas of how to best go about incomplete homework confrontation with middle school students?

The idea isn’t in any way to humiliate students, but to hold them accountable for doing their homework. Parts one and two represent my best recommendation.:)

I believe that Homework is a vital part of students learning.

I’m still a student–in a classroom management class. So I have no experience with this, but I’m having to plan a procedure for my class. What about teacher sitting at desk and calling student one at a time to bring folder while everyone is doing bellwork or whatever their procedure is? That way 1) it would be a long walk for the ones who didn’t do the work :), and 2) it would be more private. What are your thoughts on that? Thanks. 🙂

I’m not sure I understand your question. Would you mind emailing me with more detail? I’m happy to help.

I think what you talked about is great. How do you feel about flipping a lesson? My school is pretty big on it, though I haven’t done it yet. Basically, for homework, the teacher assigns a video or some other kind of media of brand new instruction. Students teach themselves and take a mini quiz at the end to show they understand the new topic. Then the next day in the classroom, the teacher reinforces the lesson and the class period is spent practicing with the teacher present for clarification. I haven’t tried it yet because as a first year teacher I haven’t had enough time to make or find instructional videos and quizzes, and because I’m afraid half of my students will not do their homework and the next day in class I will have to waste the time of the students who did their homework and just reteach what the video taught.

Anyway, this year, I’m trying the “Oops, I forgot my homework” form for students to fill out every time they forget their homework. It keeps them accountable and helps me keep better track of who is missing what. Once they complete it, I cut off the bottom portion of the form and staple it to their assignment. I keep the top copy for my records and for parent/teacher conferences.

Here is an instant digital download of the form. It’s editable in case you need different fields.

Thanks again for your blog. I love the balance you strike between rapport and respect.

Your site is a godsend for a newbie teacher! Thank you for your clear, step-by-step, approach!

I G+ your articles to my PLN all the time.

You’re welcome, TeachNich! And thank you for sharing the articles.

Hi Michael, I’m going into my first year and some people have told me to try and get parents involved as much as I can – even home visits and things like that. But my gut says that negligent parents cannot be influenced by me. Still, do you see any value in having parents initial their student’s planner every night so they stay up to date on homework assignments? I could also write them notes.

Personally, no. I’ll write about this in the future, but when you hold parents accountable for what are student responsibilities, you lighten their load and miss an opportunity to improve independence.

I am teaching at a school where students constantly don’t take work home. I rarely give homework in math but when I do it is usually something small and I still have to chase at least 7 kids down to get their homework. My way of holding them accountable is to record a homework completion grade as part of their overall grade. Is this wrong to do? Do you believe homework should never be graded for a grade and just be for practice?

No, I think marking a completion grade is a good idea.

I’ve been teaching since 2014 and we need to take special care when assigning homework. If the homework assignment is too hard, is perceived as busy work, or takes too long to complete, students might tune out and resist doing it. Never send home any assignment that students cannot do. Homework should be an extension of what students have learned in class. To ensure that homework is clear and appropriate, consider the following tips for assigning homework:

Assign homework in small units. Explain the assignment clearly. Establish a routine at the beginning of the year for how homework will be assigned. Remind students of due dates periodically. And Make sure students and parents have information regarding the policy on missed and late assignments, extra credit, and available adaptations. Establish a set routine at the beginning of the year.

Thanks Nancie L Beckett

Dear Michael,

I love your approach! Do you have any ideas for homework collection for lower grades? K-3 are not so ready for independent work first thing in the morning, so I do not necessarily have time to check then; but it is vitally important to me to teach the integrity of completing work on time.

Also, I used to want parents involved in homework but my thinking has really changed, and your comments confirm it!

Hi Meredith,

I’ll be sure and write about this topic in an upcoming article (or work it into an article). 🙂

Overall, this article provides valuable insights and strategies for teachers to implement in their classrooms. I look forward to reading Part 2 and learning more about how to make homework a simple and effective process. Thanks

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Teachers, You Must Send This Letter Home on the First Day of School!

I wish I could take credit for this teaching gem that I am about to share with you. My sister (who started teaching five years before I did) shared this letter with me before my first year of teaching. For the next 12 years, I made sure to send it home on the very first day of school.

This letter serves many purposes, but perhaps the most important reason to send it home is to let parents know (from the very first day of school) that you value their input. Parents need to feel “heard” and that their “voice” is welcome. When you send this letter home, you are giving them this great opportunity to communicate with you in an appropriate way. It also offers parents a sense of relief to fill you in on the details of their child; just knowing that they have shared this with you will prevent future communication issues.

Aside from establishing a positive relationship with parents, this letter really helps you to get to know your students better. There have been years where I had 36 students in my class!!! When I read these letters (many are sent back within the first few days of school), I get to know my students so much faster. BONUS: You get to learn a lot about the parents as well, which is helpful for future communication.

This letter also establishes communication boundaries. It lets the parents know that these letters will be read and addressed during conferences. There is no need for you to follow up until that time.

If you are not sending something like this home on the first day of school, I really urge you to! You will find that this simple act will not only inform you about your students, but it will also set the stage for positive home-communication for the rest of the school year! Click HERE for an editable version of this letter.

P.S. Have you joined Flow Reading Fluency Digital yet? Prepared to be blown away! You won’t believe how easy this program makes improving reading fluency and comprehension.

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Dear Parents: Please Stop Asking Teachers To Give Your Kids Homework

If your kid’s teacher isn’t assigning homework, it’s for a good reason.

If I could change one thing about my past teaching, it would be homework. As in, I would never assign it. I’m just not convinced that the positives outweigh the negatives, and I’m not alone. Many teachers (even entire districts) are getting on the no homework train. Not everyone agrees, and some of the most vocal opponents of homework bans are parents. In fact, many parents seem to positively associate homework with teacher and/or school quality. I have school-age kids, and I can understand the discomfort around uprooting tradition. But since when has “that’s the way we’ve always done it” been a good reason to continue with a practice? Fellow parents, it’s time to take a long, hard look at homework.

Homework just isn’t that beneficial

Repeat after me: There is no conclusive evidence that homework improves student achievement. The research (not to mention how it gets interpreted) is mixed at best. But what stands out to me from the research is this: There is no correlation between academic achievement and homework for elementary students and a moderate correlation for middle and high school, which diminishes as more homework is assigned. So while you can probably make a case that there are benefits for older students doing homework (but no more than one and a half to two hours a day), there’s no reason your kindergartner should be coming home with it.

There are other ways of finding out what your child is learning

“How else am I supposed to know what they’re teaching my child?” It’s a valid concern. But homework isn’t your only window into what your child is learning. Familiarize yourself with the standards for your child’s grade level, which are readily available online. You can also learn about what’s normal for your child’s age (cognitively, social-emotionally, and physically) with a book like Yardsticks . Make sure you read the communications that come home via class newsletters or are posted by your child’s teacher on school apps, as those typically have “what we’re working on” information. Reviewing the corrected work that comes home is also a great way to see what’s being taught and how your child is performing.

Parents aren’t experts on content or pedagogy

You are your child’s first teacher, and that’s important. However, unless you have an education degree, you don’t have the same level of expertise as a trained teacher. Non-teachers sometimes make the mistake of assuming that because they went to school, they know how a classroom should be run. And that’s just not the case. You have only to attempt “new math” to see that. So another benefit of not sending homework home is somewhat of a protective one. For example, we don’t want you introducing the traditional algorithm for addition with regrouping before we’ve had a chance to ensure that our students understand what’s going on mathematically in the process using manipulatives and visuals.

It sets kids up for poor work-life balance

Given its lack of proven benefit, homework is an unnecessary stressor. And it is stressful. Stephanie Donaldson-Pressman ,  clinical director of the New England Center for Pediatric Psychology and contributing editor to a study on homework, cites “a plethora of evidence that it’s detrimental to their attitude about school, their grades, their self-confidence, their social skills, and their quality of life.” It also sends the message to kids that it’s normal to work after school hours, setting them up for having their boundaries abused when they enter the workplace.

Homework is a burden on many families

If you’re a parent who’s clamoring for more homework, try to remember that not all families are in the same situation as you. Many parents are concerned with meeting their families’ basic needs. Not everyone works a 9-5 schedule. Even for those who do, not all of us are thrilled about coming home after a long day at work and having to fight with our kids to get their homework done (much less complete some elaborate science project or book report diorama that we all know they’re not doing on their own). By pushing your own agenda, you’re potentially marginalizing other families in your own school community. If it’s that important to you, come up with your own, but don’t drag everyone else with you.

What families can spend their time on instead

• Reading to and with your children and listening to them read
• Encouraging them to pursue passion projects
• Providing space for unstructured play
• Participating in extra-curricular activities that boost social-emotional skills and well-roundedness
• Eating dinner together as a family
• Keeping consistent bedtime routines that help everyone get a good night’s sleep so they are ready to work and learn the next day

To find out when more open letters like this are posted, sign up for our newsletters !

Plus, check out dear parents, please remember we’re on the same team ..

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How to Make Up a Good Excuse for Your Homework Not Being Finished

Last Updated: April 10, 2024 Fact Checked

Choosing an Excuse

Delivering the excuse, potential consequences, moving forward, expert q&a.

This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff . Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 378,895 times. Learn more...

If you did not finish your homework, you may want to find an excuse to avoid being penalized. There are a variety of excuses, from blaming technology to your busy schedule, that sounds like a plausible reason for failing to complete an assignment. When you settle on an excuse, work on delivering the excuse in a believable fashion. However, try to be careful moving forward. You do not want to lie habitually, as this reflects poorly on you as a student. In the future, try to make sure your assignments are done on time.

• This is a great excuse if you had a paper you needed to type and print. It may also work if you have homework you had to do online. You could say you did the whole assignment, but then your internet cut out and you couldn't save anything.
• It might be a bad idea to claim your printer stopped working. Your teacher may request you e-mail him/her the assignment instead, which you won't be able to do if you never did it. Teachers may also suggest you should have printed an assignment at a local library or FedEx instead of coming in with nothing.

• If your parents are divorced, for example, you can claim you were at your mom's last night but left your textbook with your dad this weekend. Many teachers are sympathetic to children from divorced homes. Your teacher may take pity on you if you use an excuse like this. [2] X Research source
• Do you have any younger siblings? You could claim you had to babysit your little sister and she got sick, resulting in your being distracted from your homework. [3] X Research source

• You can try running around in the playground or hallways before class. This can help you look flushed and warm. If you look sick, your teacher will be more likely to believe you.
• However, keep in mind some teachers may require a note from your parents in the event of illness. If your teacher typically demands proof of sickness, you may want to avoid using this excuse.

• Avoid saying you left your homework at home. Your teacher may request you call your mom or dad to have it delivered to the school. This will reveal you are lying.
• Try not to use this excuse more than once or twice a term; otherwise, your teacher may see you as disorganized and be less sympathetic towards you if you need to make other excuses in the future.

• Be careful using this excuse if you're not busy. If you're usually late for classes and do not engage in many extracurricular activities, your teacher may catch onto the fact you're lying.

• Never lie you were absent on the day the homework was set. One glance of the register is all it takes for your teacher to see right through this excuse.

• If your teacher is particularly strict, be prepared to answer a lot of questions. A stricter teacher is likely to grill you, poking holes in your excuse. For example, say you claim you couldn't turn in your online math homework because your internet cut out. A strict teacher might respond with something like, "Then why didn't you go do your homework at a coffee shop?" Have a response ready. Try something like, "My mom was working and there was no one to drive me." [7] X Research source
• Do you know anything about your teacher's personal interests? This can help you gauge what excuse may work for this person. For example, you know your chemistry teacher is the oldest of 7 children. He may be more sympathetic to a story about how watching your younger siblings kept you from getting your work done. [8] X Research source

• Stick to only the important details. For example, say you're planning on claiming your piano recital got out late, and this is why you didn't finish your math homework. Do not go overboard with the details. Simply say, "A few students played their solos too long, so we didn't get done until 9:30 and it was a 45-minute drive home." Do not say, "Chester Mifflin spent 25 minutes on his routine when we were only given 10, and then Lisa Gregory was a little late getting up on stage..." The longer your lie, the more unbelievable it sounds. Most people would not remember this much detail.
• If your teacher presses you for specifics, you can improvise as needed but avoid excessive detail. For example, your teacher might ask, "How long did the recital run over?" Do not say, "It was supposed to run until 8:30 but it was 9:23 when we got out." Instead, say something somewhat vague, like, "I'd say about 45 minutes."

• Take a few deep breaths before going into the room to help yourself stay calm.
• Make eye contact with your teacher most of the time.
• Be conscious of what you're doing with your body. Try to avoid fidgeting excessively.

• Refer to the syllabus for that class. There may be a section about honesty that goes over the consequences of lying to a teacher.
• You should also look at your school's handbook if you have a copy. See if there are any sections about what happens if you breach academic honesty policies.
• Consequences can vary from teacher-to-teacher. In some cases, you may only get a strict talking to. However, some teachers may be required to report these kinds of behaviors to the principal and your parents. This could land you in more serious trouble both at home and at school.

• It may depend on the assignment. Late work may not be accepted, but if the assignment is only worth 10 points, is this really a big deal? However, if the assignment is worth 15% of your grade, it may be worth it to ask for an extension.
• Talk to other students who've had this teacher in the past. How has this teacher reacted to late or missing work? Some teachers may accept late work for lower points. Some teachers may allow you to turn in work late if it's your first time. If this is the case, it may be a good idea to simply admit you didn't do the assignment.

• You can make a pro and con list for each scenario. Write down the possible benefits and possible drawbacks of each option. For example, you can write on the top of a piece of paper "Lying To My Teacher" and then have two columns, one for "pro" and one for "con." Under "pro," you may write something like, "Assignment is worth a lot of points - an extension could help my overall grade." Under "con," you could write, "If Ms. Davies finds out I'm lying, she will report it to the principal and I'll get detention for a week."
• Weigh the pros and cons. If the pros outweigh the cons heavily for one option, this may be the right choice for you.

• Do your homework every day after school. Do not do anything else, like playing video games or playing outside, before finishing your work.
• Write down all the assignments you have to do. Make sure to write down an assignment after a teacher mentions it. This way, you won't forget.

• If you habitually struggle to get your homework done and have an overall inability to concentrate, this can be a symptom of Attention Deficit Disorder. Talk to your parents about getting tested for ADD.

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• ↑ https://helpfulprofessor.com/homework-excuses/
• ↑ https://www.brighthubeducation.com/study-and-learning-tips/51072-10-best-homework-excuses/
• ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/extreme-fear/201005/top-ten-secrets-effective-liars

About This Article

While lying too often could reflect badly on you as a student, if you need a good excuse for your homework not being finished, say you lost it. Just don’t use this excuse often, since your teacher will think you’re unorganized. If the homework was on the computer, try blaming technology. Say your computer crashed or your internet was down. Alternatively, claim you were ill last night and had to rest. Only do this if you don’t think your teacher will call your parents to check or ask for a sick note. If you have a sibling that doesn’t go to your school, you can say they were ill and you had to look after them. Or, if you do a lot of things outside of school and have lots of homework to do, pretend you were too busy and ran out of time. For more tips, including how to make your excuse more convincing, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Positive Notes Home – Parent Communication Templates

Updated:  29 Jun 2023

Use this editable template to share information with parents and guardians about academic improvement, positive behavior and more!

Editable:  Google Slides

Non-Editable:  PDF

Pages:  1 Page

Grades:  PK - 5

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Use Positive Postcards and Glow Notes to Foster Communication With Families

Save time with this set of ready-to-print templates to highlight the positive actions of the students in your class. Whether it is for following directions the first time given, giving their best effort or having a positive attitude, this set of positive notes will help you when it is time to let parents know of progress within the classroom. This downloadable resource comes with “Glow Notes” and Positive Postcards to highlight a job well done. Simply check the box of the action that you want to recognize the student for, add a note and send it on its way. There are 5 different options to choose from, both with variations of color and black and white.

Print, Prep and Send!

Use the dropdown icon on the Download button to choose between the PDF or editable Google Slides version of this resource. 

Whether you send a note home digitally or a hard copy with the student, parents will be eager to see the great things their child did at school during the day!

This resource was created by Lisamarie Del Valle, a teacher in Florida and a Teach Starter Collaborator. 

Don’t stop there! We’ve got more activities and resources that cut down on lesson planning time:  

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Positive parent notes - doodles.

Let your students and their parents know when they have done particularly well or shown good behavior with a Positive Parent Note.

Back to School – Parent Information Slide Templates

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Student Gift Tags – Your Future's So Bright I Have to Wear Shades

Brighten your students' end of year when you give them special end of year student gifts wearing these 'Future So Bright' student gift tags!

End-of-Year Student Gift Tags – We Had a Ball This Year

Have a ball making end of year gifts for students with our printable student gift tags.

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Blow your students away with fun end of year gifts wearing these adorable end-of-year gift tags!

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The Pathway 2 Success

Solutions for Social Emotional Learning & Executive Functioning

20+ Homework Strategies for Parents

December 13, 2022 by pathway2success Leave a Comment

Homework can be a big source of frustration for kids and parents at home. Even more, it can be a challenge that carries over from home to school when the child doesn’t complete the work and is behind in class.

If your child is struggling with homework, read through these strategies and give some a try. As a note, not every single strategy is going to work for every child. To start, pick a few and give them a try. See what works and what doesn’t. Then, move forward together.

If you are an educator looking for strategies for kids, these can help you too. You might even want to pass them along to families to give strategies and support along the way.

Homework Strategies for Home:

Set up a binder organization system. First and foremost, it’s helpful to set your child up with a binder organization system that works for them. This might look different for different learners. One option is having one binder for every class/subject plus a dedicated homework binder. This is ideal for kids who are switching classes and have a good ability to keep track of different binders. In each binder, add a pocket folder and extra paper. In the homework binder, have your child add their homework agenda (read more about that below), a pencil pouch, and a pocket folder just for homework. If this system is too much, consider having one larger binder that contains a homework folder and all classes. You can separate the classes with dividers. While setting up a system most definitely takes time and planning, it helps keep things more orderly in the future.

Use a homework folder. A dedicated homework folder is key to making sure pages get brought home to finish and find their way back to the classroom to be turned in. Using a pocket folder, label one side of the folder “to do” and one side “done.” Explain that assignments that need to be completed, will go on the “to do” side, while pages that are finished will stay in “done.” It’s advisable to purchase a name brand folder to help make sure it lasts a bit longer and stays in the binder. Another tip is to go to the store with your child and let them choose the folder design. There are many different folders with everything from kittens to race cars. Letting the child choose the folder helps them be part of the organization process and might encourage a bit more buy-in. You can use this free homework binder template to get yourself started, or you can make your own!

Teach organization skills on an ongoing basis. Since a big part of completing homework is about organization, it’s important to teach and practice these skills often. Talk about where things should go in the house, take a 5-minute organization break when you need it, and model what organizing materials looks like. If your child struggles significantly with organization, consider reading up more on interventions for organization challenges .

Set up a homework spot. Choose one spot in the house where your child can productively accomplish work on a regular basis. This might be a downstairs office or just the kitchen table. Most importantly, aim to make it consistent and distraction-free.

Have kids use a homework log or agenda. A homework log or agenda is a dedicated place to write homework every day. Often, schools provide homework logs with spots for kids to write work down. If this works, great! Sometimes, though, one isn’t provided or the space might be too small for a child to write in. If that’s the case, you can make your own or use a journal. The key is to set it up so that your child has one spot to write homework down every single day.

Keep the homework area stocked and organized. Keep extra pencils, coloring utensils, and paper ready to go when your child needs it. Having materials organized and stocked will reduce time your child goes looking for it when they need it for an assignment.

Check over the homework log together. Before starting homework, spend a few minutes going over the homework log with your child. Ask them to show you and tell you what assignments they have to do tonight. This is also a great time for positive reinforcement when all homework assignments are clearly outlined, or constructive criticism when they are not. For example, you might say, “I noticed you wrote down ‘study’ under math. What do you think might be more helpful than that for next time?” Then, talk about how you could write down the chapters or topics to study. This homework log check also helps build accountability for your child.

Find alternative ways to check homework. Kids and teens aren’t always perfect about writing their assignments down. Check to see if your child’s teacher has a website where homework is listed. Bookmark the site and have your child use it when they forget to write assignments down. It’s important that it becomes their responsibility to check. If a teacher website isn’t an option, have a homework buddy from class that your child can touch base with. Again, this should be your child’s responsibility when possible. The idea is to teach your child that it is actually easier just to write it down correctly in class the first time!

Be a motivator. It’s no secret that homework isn’t often a favorite activity for kids and teens. Help make it easier by providing encouragement and support in a positive way. You can even start with practicing some positive self-talk and positive affirmations .

Use a timer. A timer can be a valuable tool to help set boundaries and allow breaks. Choose an amount of time that your child should be working, such as 20 minutes. Set the timer and make this a working time. Once the timer goes off, allow a 5 or 10 minute break before heading back to work. A visual timer can be especially helpful in this case because it shows kids and teens just how long they have left until they get their next break. Of course, a simple timer on the oven works, too.

Keep distractions away. We all know that kids and teens love their cell phones. The truth is that these devices are extremely distracting during working times. Make it an expectation that electronics stay away during homework time. Of course, it’s important to mention that this might be incredibly difficult for some kids at first. Work at it to make it a habit for the long-term.

Schedule breaks. It’s healthy to take breaks during long working sessions. Plan to take a break after each course assignment, or after a period of time. Of course, the number of breaks is going to vary greatly depending on your child.

Plan homework times. When it comes to homework, routine is a big part of the puzzle. Plan and schedule daily homework times when possible. Aim for shortly after your child gets home from school if that’s an option. This can allow a short break but still the time to finish the work they need to before dinner and night-time routines. Again, this is going to vary depending on every family situation, since parent work schedules and sports might interfere. If that’s the case, choose any time that works for you. It’s most important to stick with it so that it becomes a routine.

Model focused work. When it’s homework time, model what focused work looks like. While your child is working on assignments, read a book, do crossword puzzles, write in a journal, or complete some work of your own!

Build in choice. Give kids some say when it comes to homework! This will help them feel more empowered and independent. You can let them choose which assignment to start first or how they’d like to start a project. A little bit of choice can go a long way.

Create a homework checklist. Help your child create a daily checklist for homework each day. Encourage them to list out everything they need to accomplish on a piece of paper. Then, prioritize what is most important and start there. Have them check off each assignment on the checklist as they go. This can be done on paper or on a mini whiteboard.

Find a homework buddy. Make sure your child has a friend or classmate they can reach out to when they need homework support. This can be beneficial if they don’t know the assignment or have a question on a specific problem.

Be flexible. If your child wants to do homework a little bit differently than you would recommend, let them try. For example, maybe your child needs to spread out and work on the floor. Perhaps they might really do better while listening to music. These are all recommendations, strategies, and ideas, but remember that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Be open-minded and find what works for your child.

Recognize when something is taking too long. You know your child best. If he or she spending two hours on a homework assignment, consider taking a look at it together. Provide support and encourage strategies to help them move along. When nothing seems to work, you can also consider adding a note to the back of the page and sending an email to the teacher letting them know the challenges you encountered.

Check homework when finished. Depending on the needs of the child, it may be important to check over and review homework together. Not only it is important to check for completion, but for quality of work. If work isn’t done well, it is worth going back and having your child add or fix what they need to. Eventually, the goal is that they will learn that it’s just easier to do it right the first time!

Plan fun activities after homework. Family game time, watching a favorite show, or heading out for ice cream are all great ways to naturally reward being finished with work.

Develop a home incentive plan. If completing homework is continually a struggle and you suspect motivation is the culprit, consider an incentive or reward plan. Talk with your child about what they would like to earn, such as a movie night with friends or a weekend sleepover. Come up with the terms (such as homework completed every night for a week) and make it happen. The goal with an incentive plan is to develop positive habits and create independence.

Keep in touch with teachers. Remember to stay in contact with your child’s teachers. They are often a source of helpful tips and strategies, but they can’t provide that information if they don’t know your child is struggling. When talking to your child’s teacher about homework challenges, be specific about the difficulties you are seeing an open-minded to trying some strategies. Avoid the blame game. It’s always best when families work with schools on homework issues. If issues continue, do your best to document them and request a face-to-face meeting to discuss further and come up with ideas. Using actual homework samples might also be helpful.

Be a united front with teachers. Even if homework becomes a source of frustration, it’s helpful to remember to act as a united front with your child’s teachers. Certainly, it’s helpful to voice your concerns (and even frustrations) with your child’s teacher privately, but doing it in front of the child can send the wrong message. Again, working together always works best.

Remember to start with just a few strategies, give them a fair shot, and see where they take you. The goal is always that your child can complete the homework independently and feel successful. This may take time, practice, and changing up the strategies along the way, but homework success is possible!

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Home » Letters » Apology Letters » Apology Letter To Teacher For Not Doing Homework – Homework Not Done Letter to Teacher

Apology Letter To Teacher For Not Doing Homework – Homework Not Done Letter to Teacher

Table of Contents:

• Sample Letter

Live Editing Assistance

How to use live assistant, additional template options, download options, share via email, share via whatsapp, copy to clipboard, print letter, sample apology letter for not doing homework.

To, The Class Teacher, __________ (Department), __________ (Name of the School), __________ (School’s Address)

Date: __/__/____ (Date)

Subject: Apology for not doing homework

Respected Sir/Madam,

With due respect, My name is __________ (Name of the Student), studying in class/department __________ (Name of the Class/Department), and my roll number is __________ (Roll Number Issued).

I am writing this letter to apologize for not doing the homework which was assigned on __________(Date) and the expected submission date was __________(Submission date). The reason for not doing the homework was __________ (Reason- sickness/ parents not well/ lights went out/ forgot my books at a friend’s place, any other reason).

I would like to pardon myself for my actions. I promise this will not be repeated and I will complete my homework by the next class.

Yours Faithfully/Sincerely, __________ (Name of the Student)

Live Preview

The Live Assistant feature is represented by a real-time preview functionality. Here’s how to use it:

• Start Typing: Enter your letter content in the "Letter Input" textarea.
• Live Preview: As you type, the content of your letter will be displayed in the "Live Preview" section below the textarea. This feature converts newline characters in the textarea into <br> tags in HTML for better readability.

The letter writing editor allows you to start with predefined templates for drafting your letters:

• Choose a Template: Click one of the template buttons ("Start with Sample Template 1", "Start with Sample Template 2", or "Start with Sample Template 3").
• Auto-Fill Textarea: The chosen template's content will automatically fill the textarea, which you can then modify or use as is.

Click the "Download Letter" button after composing your letter. This triggers a download of a file containing the content of your letter.

Click the "Share via Email" button after composing your letter. Your default email client will open a new message window with the subject "Sharing My Draft Letter" and the content of your letter in the body.

Click the "Share via WhatsApp" button after you've composed your letter. Your default browser will open a new tab prompting you to send the letter as a message to a contact on WhatsApp.

If you want to copy the text of your letter to the clipboard:

• Copy to Clipboard: Click the "Copy to Clipboard" button after composing your letter.
• Paste Anywhere: You can then paste the copied text anywhere you need, such as into another application or document.

For printing the letter directly from the browser:

• Print Letter: Click the "Print Letter" button after composing your letter.
• Print Preview: A new browser window will open showing your letter formatted for printing.
• Print: Use the print dialog in the browser to complete printing.
• Address the teacher respectfully using "Respected Sir/Madam."
• Mention the student's name, class/department, roll number, the date when the homework was assigned, the expected submission date, and the reason for not completing it.
• Yes, assure the teacher that the situation won't happen again and promise to complete the homework by the next class.
• Yes, provide a genuine reason for not completing the homework to convey sincerity and accountability.
• End the letter with a polite closing such as "Yours Faithfully/Sincerely," followed by the student's name.

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• sample apology letter to teacher for not doing homework in English
• apology letter to teacher for homework not done

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