letter to teacher about too much homework

How to Talk to Your Child's Teacher About Too Much Homework

5 ways to start a productive conversation about your student's workload.

By Tami Rogers

Published on: september 09, 2016.

At the start of this school year, a second-grade teacher in Texas sent a note home  to her students’ parents. It said: "After much research this summer, I am trying something new. I ask that you spend your evenings doing things that are proven to correlate with student success. Eat dinner as a family, read together, play outside and get your children to bed early."

The note went viral, the teacher has been praised and parent reaction was overwhelmingly positive. But is no homework a good idea and if it is, how should you suggest the idea to your child’s teacher?

Research backs her up

Dr. Harris M. Cooper , professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University , has been studying and researching the effects of homework for more than 25 years. 

His finding: There’s little to no evidence proving any amount of homework improves academic performance until at least middle school. In fact, too much homework actually has a negative effect  on a younger child’s attitude toward school.  

Cooper’s results come from more than 180 studies conducted between 1989 and 2006, and mirrors much of established research. Even the National Education Association recommends limiting after-class homework to 10 to 20 minutes a night for first-graders, adding 10 minutes to the total for each subsequent grade.

Homework doesn’t improve test scores

Many educators over the last 30 years have embraced a common myth: That giving more homework, beginning in elementary school, will help our children better compete internationally. But according to the Center for Public Education , information from international assessments shows little correlation between the amount of homework students do and test score improvement . Students in Japan and Finland, for example, are assigned less homework but still outperform U.S. students on tests.

What really matters: Our kids getting enough rest. That’s the best way to improve memory, focus, creative thinking, test performance and even school behavior. "If we want students to improve memory, focus, creative thinking, test performance and even school behavior, the answer is not more homework, the answer is more sleep," writes childhood research speaker and author Heather Shumaker  for Time .

Now, to talk to the teacher

Despite this research, many teachers still send homework home for younger grades. And while you may not be able convince the teacher to completely do away with homework, here are some tips on how to start a conversation.

1. Face-to-face is best.

While it may be easier to communicate via e-mail, this is a conversation you should have in person, if possible. It allows you to discuss your concerns and strategies in real time rather than going back and forth several times digitally.

2. Give it time.

Before you request a meeting, wait a few weeks after school starts so you have time to absorb and reflect upon how the homework is affecting your child and your family. When you do speak to the teacher, tell him or her why specifically (aka you’d like a meeting because your child is having difficulties with homework).

3. Keep the focus on your child.

Rather than putting blame on the teacher, keep the focus on what works best for your child. Statements like “You give way too much homework” are a sure way to make the teacher defensive and your meeting unproductive.

Stick with specific things of concern you’re seeing in your child like, “Alex is having trouble with some of the worksheets you’re sending home. They’re taking him over 45 minutes a night to complete when I know they’re only supposed to take 15. He often ends up in tears.” This will give the teacher a clear idea of what the specific problem is so you can work out an effective plan together.

4. Be solution-oriented.

Rather than just presenting the problem, think of some solutions ahead of time. Some could include: “I’ve found that Sophie responds better to homework when it involves things at home we can all get involved with. How about doing math problems like ‘Count how many eggs are in your refrigerator?’” Or, “Max is so excited about reading right now. We read to him every night for 30 minutes. Is it possible for that to replace his worksheets two days a week?”

5. Let the teacher know what works best for your family.

Explain clearly what your family situation is and what makes an excessive amount of homework stressful. Maybe you’re a single parent or have a spouse or partner who constantly travels for work. Perhaps you’re taking care of a sick parent on top of managing work and family life. Let the teacher know the circumstances so you both can come up with a plan that works for everyone concerned. 

And some homework for you? Be sure to follow up via e-mail and talk about what is working, changes you’ve noticed or whether a new plan needs to be put into place.

JOIN THE PARENTMAP COMMUNITY Get our weekly roundup of Seattle-area outings and parenting tips straight to your inbox.

Related Topics

• Preschoolers

Share this resource with your friends!

About the author.

Tami Rogers is a mom, award-winning writer, blogger and frequent contributor to parenting magazines and websites focused on the emotional well being of teens. She also is a regular contributor to Seniorly.com , a website dedicated to seniors and aging well.

‘Loneliness Epidemic’ Is Crushing Parents

The Surprising Diagnosis Caused by Kids' Screen Time

Want to Heal Your Child? Start by Healing Yourself

You might also like.

Wins, Losses and Life Lessons

Behavior + Discipline

An ages and stages guide to lying.

Tips to Help Kids Sleep When Summer Sizzles

Is Co-op Preschool Right for Your Family?

How To Write an Email to a Teacher About Homework

Communicating effectively with educators is a key skill for students. This article provides a step-by-step guide on how to write an email to a teacher about homework . Whether you have questions, need clarification, or are facing challenges with assignments, this guide helps ensure your communication is clear and appropriate.

Table of Contents

Preparing to Write the Email

Before composing your email, gather all relevant information about the homework in question. This includes the assignment’s details, deadlines, and specific areas where you need assistance. Organize your thoughts so your email is concise and to the point.

What to Include in The Email to Your Teacher About Homework

Email templates – emailing a teacher about homework, template 1: seeking clarification on homework.

I hope this email finds you well. I am [Your Name] from your [Class Name, Period/Session]. I am writing to seek clarification on the [specific aspect] of our current assignment, [Assignment Name], which is due on [Due Date].

I have reviewed the instructions, but I am still unclear about [specific part you are struggling with]. Could you please provide some additional guidance or examples?

Template 2: Requesting Extension Due to Illness

Dear Mr./Ms./Mrs. [Teacher’s Last Name],

My name is [Your Name], from your [Class Name, Period/Session]. I am writing to inform you that I have been unwell for the past few days and have been unable to complete the [Assignment Name] that is due on [Due Date].

Thank you for considering my request. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding in this matter.

Template 3: Asking for Help with Difficult Homework

Subject: Assistance Needed with [Assignment Name]

I am [Your Name] from your [Class Name, Period/Session]. I am reaching out because I am having difficulties with [specific aspect] of our homework assignment, [Assignment Name].

Despite reviewing the class notes and textbook, I am still struggling to understand [specific problem or topic]. I would appreciate any additional resources or guidance you could provide.

Yours sincerely,

Writing an email to a teacher about homework requires clarity, respect, and a willingness to seek solutions. By approaching your teacher with a well-structured email, you can effectively communicate your needs and foster a positive learning environment.

Home » Letters » School » Complaint Letter About Homework – Complaint Letter to School Principal from Parent

Complaint Letter About Homework – Complaint Letter to School Principal from Parent

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, complaint letter to principal from parents regarding excessive homework.

To, The Principal, _____________ (Name of the School), _____________ (Address)

Date: __ /__ /____

From, _____________ (Name of the Parent) _____________ (Address)

Subject: Complaint regarding excessive homework

Respected Sir/Madam,

With due respect, I am _________ (Name of the parent/guardian). My ward _______ (name) studies in your school in class ____________ (Class) , having roll number __________ (Roll number).

I am writing this letter to bring in your notice the excessive homework given to the ward by the teacher _____________ (Name of the teacher) in subject __________ (Name of the subject). This is not the first time I am noticing the amount of work given. I had ignored the tasks given earlier. But with the passage of time, it is becoming habitual.

Moreover, there is a fear which is being seeded in a child’s mind regarding the teacher. Therefore, impacting all the daily routines; he/she often ignores the playing session or any other fun activity.

Please do initiate a monitoring session regarding the same.

Yours _____________ (Faithfully/Sincerely) ______________ (Name) ______________ (Signature and Contact Details)

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.
• Yes, providing specific details, including the teacher's name, helps the school identify and address the issue effectively.
• Yes, including this information helps the school administration identify the student and address the concern promptly.
• If you don't receive a response within a reasonable timeframe, consider following up with the school administration either in person or through another written communication.
• Yes, you can request a meeting with the principal to discuss your concerns in more detail and explore potential solutions collaboratively.
• Yes, discussing the issue with other parents can help raise awareness and potentially strengthen your collective voice in addressing the problem.

By lettersdadmin

Related post, request letter to principal for permission to use laboratory – sample letter requesting access to laboratory, request letter for examination retake – sample letter to school principal requesting for a retake of examination, request letter to principal for additional study materials – sample letter requesting additional study materials, leave a reply cancel reply.

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Request Letter for Permission to Use School Library – Sample Letter Requesting Access to School Library

Privacy overview.

How Much Homework Is Too Much?

Are schools assigning too much homework.

Posted October 19, 2011

Timothy, a fifth grader, spends up to thirteen hours a day hunched over a desk at school or at home, studying and doing homework. Should his parents feel proud? Now imagine, for comparison's sake, Timothy spending thirteen hours a day hunched over a sewing machine instead of a desk.

Parents have the right to complain when schools assign too much homework but they often don't know how to do so effectively.

Drowning in Homework ( an excerpt from Chapter 8 of The Squeaky Wheel )

I first met Timothy, a quiet, overweight eleven-year-old boy, when his mother brought him to therapy to discuss his slipping grades. A few minutes with Timothy were enough to confirm that his mood, self-esteem , and general happiness were slipping right along with them. Timothy attended one of the top private schools in Manhattan, an environment in which declining grades were no idle matter.

I asked about Timothy's typical day. He awoke every morning at six thirty so he could get to school by eight and arrived home around four thirty each afternoon. He then had a quick snack, followed by either a piano lesson or his math tutor, depending on the day. He had dinner at seven p.m., after which he sat down to do homework for two to three hours a night. Quickly doing the math in my head, I calculated that Timothy spent an average of thirteen hours a day hunched over a writing desk. His situation is not atypical. Spending that many hours studying is the only way Timothy can keep up and stay afloat academically.

But what if, for comparison's sake, we imagined Timothy spending thirteen hours a day hunched over a sewing machine instead of a desk. We would immediately be aghast at the inhumanity because children are horribly mistreated in such "sweatshops." Timothy is far from being mistreated, but the mountain of homework he faces daily results in a similar consequence- he too is being robbed of his childhood.

Timothy's academics leave him virtually no time to do anything he truly enjoys, such as playing video games, movies, or board games with his friends. During the week he never plays outside and never has indoor play dates or opportunities to socialize with friends. On weekends, Timothy's days are often devoted to studying for tests, working on special school projects, or arguing with his mother about studying for tests and working on special school projects.

By the fourth and fifth grade and certainly in middle school, many of our children have hours of homework, test preparation, project writing, or research to do every night, all in addition to the eight hours or more they have to spend in school. Yet study after study has shown that homework has little to do with achievement in elementary school and is only marginally related to achievement in middle school .

Play, however, is a crucial component of healthy child development . It affects children's creativity , their social skills, and even their brain development. The absence of play, physical exercise, and free-form social interaction takes a serious toll on many children. It can also have significant health implications as is evidenced by our current epidemic of childhood obesity, sleep deprivation, low self- esteem, and depression .

A far stronger predictor than homework of academic achievement for kids aged three to twelve is having regular family meals. Family meals allow parents to check in, to demonstrate caring and involvement, to provide supervision, and to offer support. The more family meals can be worked into the schedule, the better, especially for preteens. The frequency of family meals has also been shown to help with disordered eating behaviors in adolescents.

Experts in the field recommend children have no more than ten minutes of homework per day per grade level. As a fifth- grader, Timothy should have no more than fifty minutes a day of homework (instead of three times that amount). Having an extra two hours an evening to play, relax, or see a friend would constitute a huge bump in any child's quality of life.

So what can we do if our child is getting too much homework?

1. Complain to the teachers and the school. Most parents are unaware that excessive homework contributes so little to their child's academic achievement.

2. Educate your child's teacher and principal about the homework research-they are often equally unaware of the facts and teachers of younger children (K-4) often make changes as a result.

3. Create allies within the system by speaking with other parents and banding together to address the issue with the school.

You might also like: Is Excessive Homework in Private Schools a Customer Service Issue?

View my short and quite personal TED talk about Psychological Health here:

Check out my new book, Emotional First Aid: Practical Strategies for Treating Failure, Rejection, Guilt and Other Evreyday Psychological Injuries (Hudson Street Press).

Click here to join my mailing list

Copyright 2011 Guy Winch

Follow me on Twitter @GuyWinch

Guy Winch, Ph.D. , is a licensed psychologist and author of Emotional First Aid: Healing Rejection, Guilt, Failure, and Other Everyday Hurts.

• Find a Therapist
• Find a Treatment Center
• Find a Psychiatrist
• Find a Support Group
• Find Online Therapy
• United States
• Brooklyn, NY
• Chicago, IL
• Houston, TX
• Los Angeles, CA
• New York, NY
• Portland, OR
• San Diego, CA
• San Francisco, CA
• Seattle, WA
• Washington, DC
• Asperger's
• Bipolar Disorder
• Chronic Pain
• Eating Disorders
• Passive Aggression
• Personality
• Goal Setting
• Positive Psychology
• Stopping Smoking
• Low Sexual Desire
• Relationships
• Child Development
• Self Tests NEW
• Therapy Center
• Diagnosis Dictionary
• Types of Therapy

At any moment, someone’s aggravating behavior or our own bad luck can set us off on an emotional spiral that could derail our entire day. Here’s how we can face triggers with less reactivity and get on with our lives.

• Emotional Intelligence
• Gaslighting
• Affective Forecasting
• Neuroscience

• Trying to Conceive
• Signs & Symptoms
• Pregnancy Tests
• Fertility Testing
• Fertility Treatment
• Weeks & Trimesters
• Staying Healthy
• Preparing for Baby
• Complications & Concerns
• Pregnancy Loss
• Breastfeeding
• School-Aged Kids
• Raising Kids
• Personal Stories
• Everyday Wellness
• Safety & First Aid
• Immunizations
• Food & Nutrition
• Active Play
• Pregnancy Products
• Nursery & Sleep Products
• Nursing & Feeding Products
• Clothing & Accessories
• Toys & Gifts
• Ovulation Calculator
• Pregnancy Due Date Calculator
• How to Talk About Postpartum Depression
• Editorial Process
• Meet Our Review Board

When Your Child Has Too Much Homework

• How Much Time Is Ideal?
• Time Management
• Set Up a Homework Corner
• Have a Homework Routine

Are you concerned about the amount of time your child spends on homework each evening? Perhaps you feel like your child is spending a lot of time on their homework, and they are not getting anything out of it.

If your child is overwhelmed by homework, you can help them by examining their habits to find the source of homework trouble. Once you have identified the root of the problem , you can guide your child to a solution.

1) Find Out How Much Time Your Child Should Be Spending on Homework

While there are no set rules on exactly how much homework a child should have, there are some guidelines to help you decide if the amount of homework is too much or just right. 

The most common guideline is the 10-minute rule, which states that a child should have about ten minutes of homework per night for each grade they are in.

With this rule, a first-grader would average 10 minutes of homework, a second grader would have 20 minutes per night, and so on.

The 10-minute rule is recommended by the National PTA and the National Educators Association. Keep in mind that it is a guideline—some high school classes and advanced work classes may have more homework than the general guideline.

Often, teachers will send home a letter explaining their homework policy in the first weeks of school. This policy will often include more personalized guidelines, including how much time homework should take each evening.

2) Check How Well Your Child Uses Their Homework Time

If you realize your child is spending more time on their homework than expected, you will need to do some troubleshooting to solve the problem. Is your child or teen sitting with their homework out, yet they are doing something else, like texting friends or watching a TV program. Check to make sure they are focused on their work during the time they are working.

You want to check this first hand.

Your child or teen may simply not be aware of how distractions can impact their homework time.

If you find your child is not focused on homework, use the following suggestions to help them stay focused during homework time.

3) Make Sure Your Child Has a Homework Corner at Home

Your child or teen will benefit from having a specific place where they can work on their homework. The area should be someplace that is comfortable to work, allows for an age-appropriate amount of parental supervision, and access to any needed supplies or resources.

Completing homework in a specific place will help reinforce habits.   Your child will get used to doing their work in that specific spot.

4 ) Have a Regular Homework Routine to Prevent Procrastination

Sometimes, school-age children will put off doing larger homework assignments rather than trying to complete them a few days before they are due. Rather than spending 10 to 20 minutes for several evenings on the large assignment, they will have to spend hours to get the work done.

Having a regular homework set time in their daily schedule will give them the time to work on their assignments on most days. Tweens and teens will need to make sure they keep track of the different due dates in their different subjects.

Work Straight Through or Take Breaks?  

Remember that 10-minute rule stated earlier? That rule would lead to an eighth-grade student doing 1 hour and 20 minutes of homework each night. High school students can expect even more time on homework.

If your child needs a break and tries to push through, they often find it difficult to maintain focus. They may be seated at the table, but their work will slow down or stop altogether.

Some children and teens are able to sit down and work straight through until their daily homework is completed. Others may find they need to take a short break every 40 minutes.

Some children or teens may also experience a condition that affects their ability to focus for long periods of time. Examples include ADHD, depression , and anxiety .

Children and teens who struggle with focusing for long periods of time will need to keep their abilities in mind when they plan to do their work. They may benefit from a distraction-free area, splitting homework time between before and after school or another creative arrangement that accounts for their needs.

5) Check for Reasons You Need to Follow up With the Teacher

Sometimes homework overload is not something that can be solved only at home.

Your child does not know how to do the assignment. If your child or teen does not know how to do the work, they may take a very long time trying to complete it. Sit down with your child and watch them try to do their work. Do they understand the directions for the assignment? Are they missing skills they need to complete the work?

If it is the first time your child has struggled to understand how to do the homework, encourage your child to discuss the problems with the teacher in the next class session. If your elementary or middle school child is starting to fall into a pattern of struggling with work, you will want to be included in the conversation over the struggle with the material. If your child is in high school, use your knowledge of your teen to decide if they should handle it completely on their own.

You want to let the teacher know quickly if your child cannot do the homework so that the teacher can help address any gaps in knowledge early.

Nationwide schools are adopting rigorous curricula that build from grade to grade. Missing a skill in one grade level can lead to missing building blocks for following years.

Fortunately, teachers can find ways to address gaps in learning. The earlier a teacher is aware of a gap, the faster the gap can be addressed before it becomes a larger gap in learning.

Your child takes an excessive amount of time to complete their homework. Perhaps your child does sit down every evening in a distraction-free area and focuses on their school work, only an assignment that should 10 minutes actually takes 40 minutes. Your child might be working hard and know what to do, but they are very slow, especially compared to other kids in their class.

This may be caused by a learning disability . Children with dyslexia may struggle to learn to read and then read very slowly.   Children with dyscalculia, a disability in math , may take an exceptionally long time to complete work involving numbers, estimation, and math.   Fortunately, there are teaching and learning methods that can help children with these issues once they have been diagnosed.

Your child has multiple assignments due at the same time. This is a situation that you may only expect in high school when you know your teen will have several different subjects and teachers, each with their own calendar of assignments. Teachers may assign a large project with a due date right before or after a break, believing it would be convenient for everyone to have it due. Sometimes school calendars have other days, like the midpoint in a quarter, that seems ideal to have work due.

It's often the convenience of certain dates in the schedule that can cause multiple assignments to be due in middle school. Children in elementary school who see different teachers throughout the day in an effort to individualize to skill level may be surprised to find themselves caught with too much work due at the same time.

Ideally, teachers will plan out large assignments far in advance of the due date so that even if multiple subjects require work to be turned in on the same day, children can plan ahead and work slowly. Sometimes, this doesn't happen.

Teachers are often somewhat isolated from one another in schools, each working in their own classrooms, so teachers may not even know that they are assigning work that will all be due at the same time.

If your child has a truly unreasonable amount of work due at once, talk with the teachers involved. Some schools have set policies limiting the number of large tests or projects that can be due on a single day. Even if your child's school does not have a specific policy, teachers may be able to change due dates or come up with a plan that will allow your child to get the work done without being overwhelmed.

A Final Word From Verywell

Learning to get homework done regularly can help your child develop a growth mindset, where they know that their hard work will lead them to learn and opportunity. Finding ways to overcome difficult periods in school will also help your child or teen learn that they can find ways to meet challenges and be successful in school.

National Education Association. Research spotlight on homework. NEA reviews of the research on best practices in education .

Xu J. Why Do Students Have Difficulties Completing Homework? The Need for Homework Management . J Educ Train Stud . 2013;1(1):98-105. doi:10.11114/jets.v1i1.78

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Other Concerns and Conditions With ADHD .

Hulme C, Snowling MJ. Reading disorders and dyslexia . Curr Opin Pediatr . 2016;28(6):731-735. doi:10.1097/MOP.0000000000000411

Kaufmann L, Mazzocco MM, Dowker A, et al. Dyscalculia from a developmental and differential perspective .  Front Psychol . 2013;4:516. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00516

By Lisa Linnell-Olsen Lisa Linnell-Olsen has worked as a support staff educator, and is well-versed in issues of education policy and parenting issues.

How To Respond When Parent Complains About Too Much Homework

Although I try to limit the amount of homework I assign to my students, I still get a few parents every year that complain that I'm asking too much of their sons or daughters. I've had a few of these conversations get very heated and unpleasant. How can I respond to these kinds of complaints, particularly when they seem so unreasonable?

You would choose to handle these different "reasons", in different ways. However, here are some pointers about what works and what doesn't.

How NOT To Respond To "Too Much Homework"

The natural teacher response is to say things like:

"You're the only parent that has complained about the homework load."

"We can't change the homework because there's simply not enough time in the day."

"I don't think thirty minutes a day of homework is out of line if we are concerned about the child's learning."

"I can't assign less homework to your child, when everyone else is doing fine."

While these responses may make sense to you, they don't work because, to the parent, it appears you are brushing off their concerns, and falling into that "expert" mode that parents also complain about. Worse, these kinds of responses just end up with more arguing, and don't generate positive conversations that might help the child.

The Tack To Take

Try to identify the parent's underlying concern.

Seek first to understand the underlying concern of the parent. You can't enter into problem-solving or "negotiation" without knowing where this complaint is coming from. Ask questions. For example: "Are you seeing Jane getting frustrated because the homework takes here so long?", or "How is the homework load affecting Jane?"

If you can find out what's underneath the complaint, the root cause, you may be able to find a solution that works for everyone and benefits the student.

Acknowledge The Concern Of The Parent

If you try to brush off the parental concern, you get nasty arguments. The parent wants to be heard, and in fact, deserves to be heard as part of the essential partnership needed to teach the child. It may be you aren't going to change the homework assignment, regardless. It may be that you think the parent is dead wrong, but you still need to treat the parent as a valued partner and invite input, albeit constructive input.

Use The Parental Concern As An Opportunity To "Investigate"

If you don't give the homework concern a serious hearing, you may be missing out on something important to the welfare of the child. That's why it's so important to listen and ask questions. Let's say the parent complains about the homework. If you ask the right questions, you might find that Jane takes ninety minutes to do the work at home, when in fact, her classmates take only about twenty minutes. That's something you need to know, because it may indicate a learning problem that can be remedied before it ends up putting Jane way behind. Perhaps there's some dyslexia, for example.

So, investigate first, rather than judge first. don't shut the conversation down. The side benefit here is to create a sense for the parent that you, the parent and the child are essentially on the same side and can work together. To build that, you need to listen, and not shut down the inputs of a parent.

NEW: March, 2016: What Are Kids Learning From The 2016 USA Election Campaign, and What Parents and Teachers Can Do About It

The Teaching Library Our hand-picked resources for teachers and school administrators

Dealing With Angry Parents Crossword Puzzle Have a little fun, and test yourself on techniques you can use to defuse upset parents with this exclusive free crossword puzzle.

Bacal's Never Ending Interview Page On Schooling, Teaching and Learning

Is Teacher Pay For Performance A Good Idea?

Things You MUST Know About Using Email To Contact Parents Email "seems" like a good option for communicating with parents, but it has limitations you should know about.

Coping With Verbal Threats From Parents To Teachers And Principals

Video Example Of A Teacher Effectively Dealing With An Angry Parent

Building Bridges Between Home & And School

PaperBack from Amazon USA

Amazon CANADA

From Barnes & Noble

Suggested retail price is $18.95 (U.S.)

In this series of articles we explain the issues with various sources and forms of educational research, and why and how it's easy to make the wrong education decisions unless you understand how research is done.

Part 1: Overview Of Educational Research, and What It's REALLY For.

Part 2: Understanding The Faults Of The Peer Reviewed Educational Journal Publishing System

Part 3: Pop Education Books: Often they look authoritative but beware of relying on their interpretations even if they look objective and accurate. (Kohn, Pink, Gladwell)

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.

Block Letter Format: Rules (with Examples)

Statement of Purpose Examples

Restaurant Apology Letter to Customers

Proof of Residency (Tennessee)

California Proof of Residency (CA)

Proof of Residency Texas

Proof of Residency Ohio

Proof of Residency VA (Virginia)

Thank you for your feedback.

Shopping Cart

The homework letter i send to school each year.

It seems that homework is a never-ending drama for children AND parents. If you’re like most parents of primary school-aged kids, homework creates tears and tantrums (sometimes the kids get worked up about it too!) and it takes far too much time!

Homework for primary school-aged children is consistently in the news but research shows that if the kids are in primary school, it actually has a negative impact on their learning outcomes. As a result, I’ve banned my children from doing homework before high school.

A few years ago, I wrote the letter below to my children’s teachers. I’ve used it every year since for all of my children in primary school.

Have a read and tell me what you think:

Dear Teacher

We are delighted to have our child in your classroom. She seems to be extremely happy with her class and is thrilled to have you as her teacher. Our child is a diligent and conscientious student with an amazing attitude. We trust that you are enjoying having her in your class, and that she is making a great contribution.

We are writing to share with you a (hopefully minor) conflict our family has with school policy. The issue is homework. As you will probably see, we have put a lot of effort into this letter, and we hope that you will take it seriously, and also recognise that we wish to make things better for all parties, and not more challenging. We also recognise and appreciate that you are a teacher who has our child’s best interests at heart, and hope that this will be the first of many constructive conversations we have around her learning this year.

Barring two exceptions which we’ll mention in a moment, we do not encourage homework in our home. The reasons for this are as follows:

1. Scientific: For young children (under around age 14-15 years) there is absolutely no scientific research which supports the inclusion of homework in their extra-curricular activities.

Indeed, “there is no evidence that any amount of homework improves the academic performance of [primary school] elementary students” (Cooper, 1989, p. 101). Cooper (one of the most respected homework researchers in the world) indicated that while he was personally pro-homework, there appears to be no academic advantage for children to do homework. In many studies the relationship between homework and “learning” (often defined as grades or standardised test scores) is negative.

2. Homework may add to your workload. We have sat through many parent/teacher meetings and heard teachers speak of scheduling challenges you face in terms of dealing with coordinating homework, marking homework, giving homework feedback, and so on.

3. Homework creates stress for our children. It might be tough for teachers, but I believe it’s even tougher for children, even when only in small amounts. And research has demonstrated that it “overwhelms struggling kids and removes joy for high achievers.” A 2002 study found a direct relationship between time spent on homework and levels of anxiety, depression, anger, and other mood disorders and issues.

4. Homework creates an extra burden on us as parents. With five children, a business, and myriad other priorities, this is one thing we believe is dispensable.

5. Homework creates family conflict.

6. Homework diminishes the time our children have for other activities. With 5 children, you can imagine that homework has the potential to occupy a significant component of our afternoons. We have the children involved in music lessons, sports, church activities, and more. Additionally, the children enjoy being children, by swimming in the pool, playing with friends, having free reading time, going shopping, contributing in our home with chores and cooking, and so on.

7. Homework is not inspiring. We are yet to meet a single child who enjoys homework. We believe that it may be the most reliable extinguisher of the flame of curiosity.

8. There is no evidence to support the belief that homework helps students develop the characteristics it is often suggested will be useful, such as ability to organise time, develop good work habits, think independently, and so on. It doesn’t seem to prepare them for “later” either. They can usually adapt pretty well when they turn 14 or 15 without having 8 years of practice under their belt before it all starts. Our eldest daughter is a single case-study testament to that.

9. Our position on homework can essentially be summarised by the following quote from a respected US professor of education: “Most of what homework is doing is driving kids away from learning.”

We mentioned two exceptions to our homework rule and these are the following;

1. Reading. We strongly encourage reading in our home. The children are encouraged to read every single day after school and before bed. However we strongly discourage placing minimum time limits on the reading or dictating the number of pages to be read. This removal of autonomy turns reading into a chore, rather than a pleasure. When we simply remind the kids that reading time needs to happen, they immerse themselves in books and often only resurface after our pleas to come to the dinner table reach a crescendo! (Often we get them in trouble for reading too much!)

We have seen that the best way to make students hate reading is to make them prove to us or others that they have read. On a related note, we discourage the use of rewards for behaviour – such as stars, goodies, etc. However, we DO let the children know that when they have completed a book we will gladly buy them another one immediately. This, they find, is highly motivating.

2. Our other form of “acceptable” homework is related to projects from school that interest the children. We actively encourage research, projects, and especially writing speeches. This helps the children in information gathering, critical thinking, logical formatting of content, and presentation skills. Plus it gets them actively “discovering” in their learning, and sinks much deeper than much other “busy” work.

The reality is, despite our feelings about homework, our children seem willing to complete it without our ever asking. However, we want you to be aware that we will not be actively encouraging homework unless it falls into the two categories described above. And this we do regularly anyway, whether you assign it or not. This is in no way meant to undermine you or make your job more difficult. In fact, we believe that it will make things easier for everyone and assist in the well-rounded positive developmental outcomes for our children.

Thanks so much for reading this. We hope that you can be understanding of our position, and are happy to discuss this with you if you have any concerns.

How do you deal with homework at your house? And would you send a letter like this to your kids’ teacher? Or do you think it’s going too far?

• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related Articles

Is Homework Helpful? The Homework Letter I Send To School Each Year

A few years ago, I wrote the below homework letter to my children’s teachers. I’ve used it every year since for all of my children…

Screens And Our Boys

Screens and our boys A 2019 report from Common Sense Media found that teenagers spend an astounding nine hours a day with digital technology. “Tweens”…

Digital Kids

So much internet ink has been spilled decrying the challenges of raising digital kids. And for a host of reasons, this hand-wringing is justified and…

Enough: Overcoming Anxiety, Perfectionism, & Self Loathing

Comparison. Competition. The perpetual feeling that “I’m not enough”. Something is happening to many of our kids. It’s happening at a level we haven’t seen…

Parenting an ADHD child

ADHD is one of the most provocative diagnoses that exists in the world of child and adolescent psychology. Tell someone that your child has ADHD…

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

Cancel reply

There was a problem reporting this post.

Block Member?

Please confirm you want to block this member.

You will no longer be able to:

• See blocked member's posts
• Mention this member in posts
• Invite this member to groups

Please allow a few minutes for this process to complete.

• Find Your PTI
• Job Openings
• PACT Project
• PATH Project
• PEN Project
• TEAM Project
• Statewide Webinars
• Ages 0-3 (ECI)
• Fact Sheets
• Independent Futures that Work! – RSA PTI
• Military Families
• School, Family, and Community Engagement Initiative

How to Talk With Your Child’s Teacher About Too Much Homework

Does your child struggle with too much homework? Many schools follow the National Education Association (NEA) rule of 10 minutes of homework per day, per grade level. But it can take kids with learning and attention issues much longer than that to get through their daily assignments.

So how do you talk to teachers about your child’s homework load? Here are some suggestions.

Find the right way and time to communicate.

Some teachers prefer to communicate by email. But that’s not always the best medium for talking through problems and solutions.

A face-to-face meeting with your child’s teacher can be easier and more productive. It lets you share information and discuss strategies in real time instead of going back and forth over email.

If meeting isn’t possible, you can set up a phone call for a time when both of you have an uninterrupted half hour. (You may also want to make sure you’re able to talk without your child in earshot.)

When you ask to speak with the teacher, tell her you’d like to meet because you’re noticing difficulties at home around homework. It will help her be prepared, and it gives her the chance to observe your child’s homework habits before you meet.

Communicate clearly.

Keep the focus on what your child is doing, not on what the teacher is doing or what the homework policies are. Be specific about what you’re noticing at home, but not critical of the teacher.

For instance, saying, “You’re giving so much homework that my son is spending hours trying to get it done” can sound like you’re blaming the teacher. Plus, it doesn’t give a clear picture of your child’s struggles.

Instead, try saying something like, “For some kids the amount of homework may not be a problem, but my son is spending over 30 minutes on each subject every night.”

Here are some examples of ways to be clear about what you’re seeing:

• “My child has trouble understanding the directions on the worksheets, and he’s spending an hour on them instead of 20 minutes.”
• “It’s hard for my child to organize his ideas, and it’s taking him the entire afternoon to get through all the short-answer questions.”
• “After two pages of math problems, my child loses focus. Getting him to finish the whole packet can take two hours.”
• “My child is a very slow reader and has to stay up very late just to finish the nightly reading assignment. Sometimes it makes him cry.”

If you’re not sure what the specific problem is, it’s OK to say so. You can talk through the issue together.

Be solution-oriented.

The ultimate goal is to find ways to make homework more manageable for your child. Ask the teacher what solutions she’s used in the past for kids with learning and attention issues.

Bring your own ideas and questions to the table, too. Don’t be afraid to ask things like:

• “What’s the maximum amount of time he should be spending on homework each night? Can an adult sign off on the unfinished portion of his assignment as long as he’s worked a certain amount of time?”
• “Are there alternate ways he can show what he’s learning?”
• “How can the workload be adjusted to meet his learning needs? Can he do fewer math problems if he’s able to show he knows the concept?”
• “What additional help can be provided in school? Is there an afterschool homework room or do you have office hours?”
• “Is there a way to make sure he understands what he’s supposed to with the assignment before he leaves school?”

If you’re suggesting certain strategies or supports for your child, be clear that’s what you’re doing. It’s better to say, “I’d like to ask you if you could make some changes for my child,” than “I think my child needs something different.”

Unless your child has homework accommodations in his IEP or 504 plan, the teacher doesn’t have to provide them. But she may be open to trying out some informal supports to see if they help.

If your child does have an IEP or 504 plan, and you want to discuss adding homework accommodations, ask for a team meeting. (You can also ask for one if your child already has accommodations, but the teacher doesn’t always use them or they’re not helping.)

Once you’ve agreed on a plan of action, arrange to check in with the teacher in a few weeks to talk over progress. If there hasn’t been much progress, talk about possible next steps such as intervention. It may be helpful to have your child evaluated for special education services.

The same is true if your child has made progress and you’d like to formalize the accommodations. You can also work on homework and study skills at home to help your child feel more confident.

Key Takeaways

• Suggesting solutions and keeping the focus on your child’s struggles can keep a meeting on track.
• Having specific examples of what “too much homework” looks like for your child can help the teacher find appropriate ways to help.
• If your child has an IEP, the IEP team can talk about formal accommodations to make homework easier to manage.

This article is from Understood.org , a great resource for information on learning and attention issues.

Author: Amanda Morin is a parent advocate, a former teacher and the author of The Everything Parent’s Guide to Special Education.

Reviewed by: Jenn Osen-Foss, M.A.T., is an instructional coach, supporting teachers in using differentiated instruction, interventions and co-planning.

Share This Page!

Related posts.

¿Listos para el regreso a clases? Serie de Videos en Facebook

Communicating Effectively with Your Child’s School District

Tips to communicate effectively.

Partners Resource Network

Phone: 409.898.4684

Toll Free: 1.800.866.4726

Email: [email protected]

Find us on Facebook

Recent posts.

• Calling all Military Families! Join us for a crucial Special Education Services Feedback Session hosted by PRN
• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act’s (IDEA’s) assistive technology (AT) requirements
• What Are Informal Removals and Why Do They Matter?

Because differences are our greatest strength

Signs your child may have too much homework

By Amanda Morin

Expert reviewed by Jenn Osen-Foss, MAT

Sometimes, even with good habits or a homework contract in place, kids who learn and think differently may have more work than they can handle.

The list below can help you figure out if your grade-schooler or middle-schooler is struggling with the homework load.

Kids with too much homework might:

Put off doing homework, to the point of not having time to finish it.

Not want to go to school or feel unprepared for class because homework isn’t done.

Ask for help before trying to do homework on their own.

Ask for help even if they understand the assignment and could do it on their own.

Not accept help when you offer it.

Count on you to make corrections instead of just checking their work.

Say they’ll finish homework in the morning before school.

Stay up past bedtime to get homework done.

Keep missing assignments.

“Forget” to bring homework home.

Drop afterschool activities because there’s not enough time.

Complain about headaches or other physical issues during homework time.

Cry about doing homework.

Argue about getting started on homework.

Yell at you when you try to help. (“Leave me alone!” “Why aren’t you helping me the way I need you to?”)

Worry about the consequences of not completing assignments.

Get angry, defensive, or upset when you ask about homework.

Not have (or make) time to hang out with friends.

Make negative comments about the work. (“Algebra is so dumb.” “I’m never going to need to know this!”)

Make negative comments about the teacher. (“The teacher is too hard on us.”)

Make negative comments about themselves. (“I’m so dumb. I’ll never be able to get all this work done.”)

Find out how to talk to your child’s teacher about too much homework . Learn what to do if your child says, “I’m dumb.” And get tips on how to help your child with homework .

Explore related topics

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

Not Your Average Mom

Always evolving.

An Open Letter To My Children’s Teachers Regarding Homework

September 19, 2014 by not your average mom 20 Comments

Dear Teachers,

I used to be one of you.

Overworked, underpaid, and underappreciated.

For ten years, up until I got married, I was an elementary school teacher.

Back in those single days, before I had kids of my own, I felt pretty strongly about homework.

Kids should have it.

They should get used to it.

I’m not really sure why I thought that.

Now that I’m a parent and I’m on the other side of the homework equation, things are different.

I still feel pretty strongly about it.

But not in the same way.

Homework sucks.

Kids shouldn’t have it.

Not much of it anyway.

My feelings on this matter aren’t due to laziness.

If you know me, you know that you’d have a difficult time finding someone who works harder than I do.

This aversion to homework is not about not wanting to work.

It’s about the value of time.

My time is valuable.

And so is my kids’.

Just because a human being is only five, or nine, or thirteen years old, it does not make his or her time less valuable than yours.

And I know you can relate.

There is never enough time in the day for a teacher.

And when some asshole sitting in an office in Washington D.C. or Hartford decides to add a useless standard or benchmark or whatever to the list of things you need to accomplish each day, it’s annoying.

Infuriating, even.

Those exams you have to take for your certification?

Imagine if, even after you passed them, you had to continue, for up to three hours nightly, in writing, to demonstrate that you had mastered those skills or memorized that information?

And once you were done with that, then you could get to all the other things you needed to get done?

Speaking of insanity, I’ve had my battles with that.

I’m no stranger to mental illness and depression.

And what I know about those things is that too much work can push you right over the edge.

I don’t want my kid to have to wait until she’s done a couple stints in the nuthouse to figure out that there has to be balance.

That all work and no play is really fucking dangerous.

That sleep and exercise and music and sports and family and friends and quite possibly therapy are all important components to being a healthy and productive and happy adult.

Sure, there are days you will have to spend more time on an assignment or project than others.

Studying for tests takes time.

There are some things that just need to be memorized.

And there are some things you need to practice.

If you don’t know how to read, that’s a problem.

If you can’t multiply three digit numbers because you don’t know your math facts, that’s not good.

If you are not meeting the basic requirements, then there will be a consequence.

That’s how real life is. I get it.

If you want to play varsity basketball but you can’t make a free throw to save your life, well, you’re gonna need to spend some extra time practicing free throws.

But if my kid has demonstrated mastery of all her math facts, why does she need to do multiplication worksheets when she gets home from school?

My eight-year-old’s time is just as important as anyone else’s, no matter what age he or she is.

So I’ll make a deal with you.

You teach my kids to read and write and add and subtract and some important stuff about history and science and some different ways in which they can solve problems because everyone has different ways of learning things and figuring shit out.

I, in turn, will teach my kid to not be an asshole at school, and how to strike a balance with all the other things that we adults realize are important for overall health and productivity out in the real world. Things like exercise, and the pursuit of our passions, and maintaining healthy relationships, and listening to our bodies, and getting rest, and  following through, and taking responsibility.

If my kid is really struggling with a subject or concept in school, let me know. I’ll help you out.

But take it easy on the homework.

And before you assign it, think about why you are asking my child to do it, and whether or not it’s even necessary.

Because if I have to spend too much time helping with that, well, then I can’t guarantee I’ll have enough time to work on those other things.

And I don’t know about you, but I’d rather send a healthy, rested, and well-rounded child into school than a tired, cranky and unbalanced asshole with a folder full of completed homework papers.

PLEASE CLICK THIS BANNER TO KEEP ME AT NUMBER ONE!

One click on the banner = one vote thank you, reader interactions.

September 19, 2014 at 11:31 pm

I was a Kindergarten/first grade teacher before becoming a stay at home mom and I completely agree with you. Often times the homework is just busy work. I think it’s more important that children have the chance to read books with their parents/guardians and play and socialize (they are pushing play out of the classrooms more and more). When I taught we had a “homework bingo” that families could pick and choose the amount of assignments per week. A lot more schools are actually doing away with homework.

September 20, 2014 at 12:29 am

Annabelle is no where near school-age and I completely agree with this!

September 20, 2014 at 12:56 am

My kids have homework pretty much every night

September 20, 2014 at 5:09 am

on a kinder/1st grade level…sending home homework is more about teaching responsibility than about practicing a skill. Teaching the child to be responsible enough to do it and get back to class with it, and teaching the parents their responsibility of checking the child’s folder every night, going over the work with their child, and signing off on the calendar to show they’ve checked on behavior as well. (I have many parents that never ever ever look at their child’s work, as them about it, or sign the folder to show they are interested in their child’s behavior.) If I could get a guarantee that they would “teach their kid not to be an asshole”, I’d GLADLY loosen up on what I expect from them. But at the early level, it’s more about training the parent to do what is right for their child..b/c many of them just dont know (or don’t care.) #sadbuttrue

September 20, 2014 at 4:05 pm

Robin Bobo, your job is to teach the children. Your job is not to train or judge the parents. If you are only sending stuff home to fill time with no educational benefit, then I am not going to waist my time or my child’s time. That is the point of the article.

September 20, 2014 at 5:28 pm

My job is to teach the whole child. Respect and responsibility is the biggest part of that, especially since the majority of today’s children get no training or instruction on it at home. It is not modeled for them so we have to teach it. They have to learn that aide them in becoming good academians as well.

September 20, 2014 at 5:37 pm

Glad that you are not my child’s teacher. I teach my children to be good and moral citizens. I send them to school to get instruction in academics. Teachers like you, even though with good intention, make my job harder.

September 20, 2014 at 5:57 pm

I wish I taught in a school district that had more parents like you. Sadly, your style of parenting is not the norm in a lot of areas. For a lot of our students, school is the only safe place they know and school personnel are the only adults that show them love and treat them respectfully. Your children are blessed.

September 20, 2014 at 5:38 pm

And it’s not judging…its equipping the parents to best help their child. Establishing routines of having a set time each night to go over what the child did in school that day, review work, work together on a homework assignment, get it back into the folder/backpack and returned to school…this is learning to be responsible and accountable. I send home nothing that is not educational as well. There is more to being educational than solving math problems or writing a report. I have high school children of my own doing homework as well, and believe me..I think a lot of it is baloney. Especially when they have to do 50 problems when 5 or 10 would show whether they have understanding of the concept. But helping parents learn how to help their children succeed IS part of my job. And it IS in the best interest of the child.

August 2, 2017 at 3:15 am

For kindergarten it seems to be okey with very moderate level of monthly assignment just as a token of taking responsibility from the sides of both the student and the parent.But what does it mean if in middle school and high school students are getting homework in such a volume each day that ultimately they are leaving aside even a mere reading of the text and only copying the answers from the text like machine in the school at periods when there is no teacher in the classroom,in their break time and also till midnight at home till before 15 days of exam to submit the copies in time.

September 20, 2014 at 6:52 am

Not the teacher’s fault. Common Core. It’s unreal.

September 20, 2014 at 7:31 pm

Thanks for the follow on Twitter! And I see we are neighbors…well the towns we live in are neighboring. 🙂 The homework thing gets me too. My kids are older, all teenagers. One is in private high school, one public, and one the middle school. The amount of homework that my public high school student gets is crazy…we’re talking all hours of the night crazy. She does varsity sports, she works part time, and tries to have a social life, but there just isn’t much time. And she has a mastery of the subjects…she’s a great student. But I wish she wasn’t up till 1 every night or falling asleep with her head in a book or on the computer. Seems like there should be a happy medium here.

September 20, 2014 at 7:33 pm

As an elementary teacher I give very little homework. I expect students to read nightly but not to record anything in writing – I do check-ins with them weekly to see what they’re reading. Any other homework is assigned Tuesday and due Tuesday. For Grades 1 – 2 it’s usually a math game to play. Grades 3-5 it’s a few math problems or something related to sci. / soc. studies. Students work hard all day, they don’t need to put in “overtime”.

September 20, 2014 at 10:19 pm

Homework was a way to learn and to fix concepts that we done at class, but…as my brother said: You’re all the bloody time doing homework…may be I was the only one who loved it. Things have changed and the way to teach has to do the same. Is still useful do such a big amount of homework? I don’t think so.

September 24, 2014 at 3:18 pm

I have to say I have been lucky with the teachers my oldest daughter has had, she gets homework daily but it’s usually just re-reading a few pages they read in school and a worksheet to practice her spelling words it takes us about 10-15 mins a day to get hers done, which compared to what I use to have when I was her age I’m not complaining. I also let her play for awhile before we sit down to do it, gives her a break to free her mind and be a kid for awhile.

September 19, 2016 at 12:37 pm

Parents arent going to do anything with their kids. Its a small minority that do. School is supposed to do everything-they figure why not give them something to do at home besides watch another rerun of Spongebob or Family Guy?

September 19, 2016 at 2:20 pm

Wow! I disagree. We don’t do technology or TV during the week. Thanks for the vote of confidence, though.

September 19, 2016 at 12:41 pm

I couldn’t agree more with all of the above ???? & I second the I would rather send in a healthy, rested, and well-rounded child into school than a tired, cranky and unbalanced asshole with a folder full of completed homework papers. #choosewisely #lovethispost

September 19, 2016 at 2:27 pm

Thanks, Erica!

September 20, 2016 at 5:06 pm

Yes. I’m the same, before teaching I thought “of course you need homework”, but it really is a pain in the butt for student and teacher and rarely makes a difference to the ongoing progress of the student. The only thing it’s good for is practice papers for older kids getting ready to pass big exams. Other than that it sucks.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This discussion is now closed.

• How do I get better at maths?
• GCSE Eng. Lang. paper 2 top tips!
• Biology, chemistry and maths
• Can somone mark my english lang paper 2 q5 for aqa please!!
• english language - how to improve fast
• English lang paper 2
• BHASVIC support and help?
• Gcses- all 8s and 9s
• How can i go from 3 to 6 English Language in 6 weeks
• How do you get a higher mark in a higher English critical essay?
• I got 9 A*'s in my GCSE's - Ask Me Anything
• I need help for my Deputy-Head Girl Application
• Is classroom AI good news for teachers and teaching assistants?
• English language A level coursework AQA
• English Language Paper 2 Q5 - Speech
• Is my teacher allowed to do this?
• Should I write a cover letter?
• maths department burning us out
• Is it common to feel stupid at the start of A levels?

Persuasive letter to teacher asking for less homework- How can I improve?

Related discussions.

Last reply 3 hours ago

Last reply 2 days ago

Last reply 6 days ago

Last reply 1 week ago

Last reply 2 weeks ago

Articles for you

English and history students share why they loved their degrees

Will artificial intelligence put legal graduates out of work?

Why industry placements are so important for business students

You don’t need to take a law conversion course for the SQE… but here’s why you should

Students are given too much Homework Leading to Negative Effects

This essay is about all the negative impacts on students of all grades who are given too much homework during the school year.

Throughout the school year, student’s live by a strict schedule that consists of school, extracurricular activities and homework. The amount of homework has intensified, students are getting less sleep during school nights, and the level of stress is at its highest peak. American teenagers are given too much homework during the school year, thus leading to unfavorable impacts mentally and physically. I have experienced in the past 2 years the stress, tiredness and isolation from family events due to being in high school. The load of homework I have received is ridiculous I have to miss family dinners and supporting my sister at her soccer and basketball games. I get about half the amount of sleep I used to get and my acne has gotten worse from all the stress. I feel that I’m not fully living my life and that I’m restricted by homework.

First of all, American teenagers are getting too much homework leading to unfavorable impacts mentally and physically such as spending less time with the people who are most important to you in life. A survey by the University of Phoenix in 2013 states “high school students had an average of 17.5 hours of homework every week and 3.5 hours from each teacher per week”. Considering if we go to school all day and have extracurricular activities then it leaves us very little time to spend with family and friends, causing us to miss the most important high school memories. The smallest moments when either you’re little sister or brother started talking or maybe your sister or brother shot the winning basket. Still you are stuck at home doing work, missing those priceless moments. The American College Health Association found, “the suicide rate among young adults, ages 15-24, has tripled since the 1950s and suicide is currently the second most common cause of death among students, these young people are often away from home”. School makes it very hard to spend any time with family because we either have presentations or essays to write. While these students are at school and are away from their family for too long they start to show signs of depression. Students with depression often turn to suicide to make everything go away and not have to deal with the stress anymore. At the same time that I believe having homework is good practice to learn the material. I believe that when every teacher gives out homework for practice it starts to piles up for the students. Moments in life should be cherished except for students who have too much homework they don’t get to cherish them, so many unfavorable impact mentally and physically cause students make them not enjoy life fully.

Secondly, American teenagers have too much homework that cause unfavorable impacts mentally and physically. Unfavorable impacts include the loss a lot of sleep for many students. I argue that students are losing sleep due to having a lot of homework. Supported by new research showing that “with lack of sleep students have a limited ability to learn, to listen, to concentrate and to solve problems”. Those are the basic principles of school this means it’s harder for us to do what is expected. The expectations are that we do all our homework no matter how much it must be done. Thus leading us to staying up late trying to finish the homework in order to succeed in the course. The school's new way of teaching is to get us to think about problems and solve without a guide. However with lack of sleep it isn’t easy to comprehend the task at hand if I’m so exhausted all the time. Data shows that “38% of teens have trouble falling asleep at night”. Moreover your mind doesn’t stop thinking right after you finish homework. Your mind is not relaxed which makes it hard to go to bed. Sleep is essential for the human body and with all of this homework students are getting it's hard for them to get the full 8 ½ hours they need to function. A lot of homework is a leading cause in having unfavorable impact mentally such as loss of sleep for students.

Furthermore, too much homework is given to American teenagers that causes unfavorable impacts mentally and physically. For instance the stress level has escalated in the past few years. The results of a survey by psychologist Norman Anderson showed,“the stress level between students a 5.8 out of 10 and adults with a 5.1 out of 10, that a 0.6 difference”. This shows just how stressed out we are today. We should be able to live life without being tied down because we are trying to finish homework late at night and causing a lot of stress. We also have pressure and expectations to finish our homework and turn it in when it’s due. “Factors that cause stress include academics, social pressure, post-secondary plans, family issues and finance”. Notice how the first two causes are school related such as finishing homework and the pressure of looking presentable. The social pressure that is put on girls to always look decent causes stress and then leads to acne. Stress causes acne for girls especially. This because we are supposed to have good skin otherwise we are not pretty and we stress out about our faces on top of everything else. This shows the unnecessary stress that we have on ourselves as students. Parents think that our lives aren’t as stressful compared to their lives such as dealing with bills and housework but recently experts suggest that school for us has increasingly become much more stressful. With all the expectations that students have today we put too much pressure on ourselves and cause us to be stressed out. Unfavorable impacts include stress and pressure about their academics and finishing homework on students isn’t good for their mental health.

To conclude, although teachers give too much homework may seem trivial, it is in fact crucial in terms of today’s concern over teen’s physiological and physical health. Some impacts include spending less time with family and friends while missing the important memories. Losing a lot of sleep making it harder to focus and learn. The level of stress has increased rapidly through the years. American teenagers are given too much homework during the school year has many unfavorable impacts mentally and physically.

Bidwell, Allie. "Students Spend More Time on Homework." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 27 Feb. 2014. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

Burden, Tanya. "Homework Anxiety: Survey Reveals How Much Homework K-12 Students Are Assigned and Why Teachers Deem It Beneficial." Homework Anxiety: Survey Reveals How Much Homework K-12 Students Are Assigned and Why Teachers Deem It Beneficial. University of Phoenix, 25 Feb. 2014. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

Burrell, Jackie. "College and Teen Suicide Statistics: What You Should Know." About.com Parenting. About, Inc, 15 Dec. 2014. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

Jayson, Sharon. "Teens Feeling Stressed, and Many Not Managing It Well." USA Today. Gannett, 11 Feb. 2014. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

National Sleep Foundation. "Teens and Sleep." - National Sleep Foundation. National Sleep Foundation, n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

@PsychToday. "Teen Stress: How Much Is Too Much?" Psychology Today. Sussex Publishers, 30 Sept. 2014. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

Eisele ELA 10 Honors 4th Hour

Alternative energy and why.

This letter is about alternative energy and why we should use it.

Campus Assault

The ever growing epidemic of sexual assault on college campuses. What are we doing wrong?

Anxiety, Stress and Fear of Failure Students Experience Daily.

Research shows that many students are suffering from the suffocating feelings of anxiety and failure due to the constant stress school inflicts on ...

Space Research and Development

Recently many Americans have been deterred from space R&D. Many say it is too expensive, dangerous, or improbable, however, there are many missed o...

Slaughter of The Innocent

Horse slaughter is a growing issue in our nation.

Arts Programs

An argument supporting the benefit of arts programs. Why the programs are being cut, why they should be saved, and the impact of the programs on th...

Cheaper College

College needs to be be cheaper in the USA because it will benefit us in the long run.

Affirmative action

Affirmative action gives people a false sense of diversity. In an attempt to achieve equality, universities have only created more unfair circumsta...

letter to president

Bullying in and out of schools

All letters from this group →

Teens Strive For Popularity

Popularity amongst teens is resulting in poor behavior choices and not focusing on "the big picture" in life

Dear Mr or Mrs President

National debt

Where Should the US Really Be Investing?

My letter is one that argues that the United States should withdraw a fraction of the funds from third world countries and focus more of it into ca...

Homework and it's Effect on Today's Generation

I believe that homework should be limited because it is useless, and a study hall should be implemented to aid students, like my peers and I, with ...

Girls Self Esteem

Why sexism needs to be eradicated.

The eradication of sexism needs to be enforced in our country because sexism creates disadvantages towards women in the workplace, it allows the de...

Individualized Education

A large part of our future is how we are brought up and how we are educated. How are we expected to help this nation/ be successful if not everyone...

Put an End to Degrading Women

Women face each day with chances of being sexualized, raped, degraded, and treated unequally. The US needs to put an end to the degrading of women ...

Domestic Violence and Abuse

My letter contains information about my opinion concerning physical and mental abuse to women and children.

All letters from this site →

College Sexual Assault

Sexual assault needs to stop

Minimum Wage, Not High Enough!

I strongly encourage a raise in the Federal Minimum Wage of the United States because it would greatly increase the tolerance of the people who are...

Gun Control

Gun control is a huge problem in the US, but we shouldn't be penalized for protecting our kids.

Stop Suicide With Me

This is about people committing suicide and this is a growing problem I want fixed so if you are interested read the paragraphs.

Animal Abuse

So many animals are suffering, and dying at the hands of cruel or irresponsible people. There is something you can do, however.

Save the Navajo!!

This letter is about a gold mine wall being washed away and now the don`t have clean drinking water.

Abortion should not be discussed only as a common American taboo, but it needs to be addressed as an adult conversation. Women and girls around th...

Poverty in the United States

The cost of living in big cities is having a toll on families by putting them in poverty.

Sports Injuries

Too many student athletes are being injured.

All letters from Michigan →

No Homework!

Homework i think there is too much of it.Please read if you want to stop homework.

School Improvement

The president needs to make sure schools improve

Too much homework

Why students should receive less homework on a daily basis

Free College Education

Persuasive Letter with reasons to have Free College Education.

sleep deprivation

As a student, I see many people struggle in school due to lack of sleep. I think its important we help understand the Sid effects of sleep deprivat...

Today's School System

The School System from one hundred years ago is no different from today's School system.

School system

The school system of the US is stressful.

The Benefits of Homogeneous Classes

This is for my home boi mr o'shell

School shooting

My essay is about school shooting and how it has greatly impacted out community today.

All letters about these issues →

Get the Reddit app

Dedicated to open discussion about all things teaching. Please read the rules before posting. Mail sent directly to mods instead of modmail will be ignored. ██████████ ██████████ Brand new & low karma accounts: please be aware your post may not show up and will need to be screened and manually approved. ██████████ ██████████ No crossposting - Please do not link posts from r/Teachers in other subs, and do not link posts from other subs here.

Am I giving too much homework?

I am a first year teacher and I teach fourth grade. Over the past month, I’ve had two moms emailed me saying that their child has too much homework.

This is their typical amount of homework:

read for 20 minutes every day

study their spelling words for the week (20)

memorize states and capitals for a given region (they have about 3 weeks)

study for any upcoming quizzes/tests

They normally have 15-20 math problems, as homework which they all typically finish in class, during independent work time.

Is this too much?