If there is one thing your child will learn in Jr. High, it is that homework completion is extremely important and that it also has a major impact on their grades. If your son or daughter's progress report wasn't quite what you had hoped for, the first step to take is to find out if they have been turning in their homework assignments. A simple phone call or e-mail to the teacher will give you this information. If this seems to be the problem keep reading.

Jr. High students often want more freedom from their parents and say they don't need or want supervision over their school work. Our response to this is that this freedom must be earned. Until your child shows that they will complete and turn in their homewok on a regular basis, they need a parent's supervision. Here are a few steps to take to help your child learn responsible homework habits:

- Check their assignment book daily. Remember that you can check the teachers calendar for homework assignments.

- Make sure your child has a quiet place to study without distractions. Contrary to what they may tell you, they really don't learn best in front of the television.

- Provide encouragement and assistance if needed, but don't do the assignment for them. Your student needs practice using problem solving skills. It's okay to give hints, but they need to figure the answers out for themselves.

- Look over their assignments and ask questions about what they are learning.

- Take a look at their binder each night and make sure they have organized their papers by subject. Their binder should have a seperate section for each class. Make sure that they also put their homeowk assisgnments in the proper section. You would be surprised how many students complete their assignments, but can't find it by the time they are supposed to turn it in.

- Encourage students to study a little each night for upcoming tests. They will be much more likely to remember the information than if they wait until the night before the test.

- Praise your child for working hard and completing assignments. Try to stay positive and give constructive advice rather than criticizing.

- Keep in touch with your child's teachers and contact the counselor if you need more help.