HW-overload

 If you're feeling overloaded or overwhelmed by HW, here's a quick checklist of some good places to start:


 * Check whether you are __prioritizing__ well. For example, are you doing HW that's due tomorrow before HW that's due next week?


 * Check whether you are doing your HW with your __undivided attention__. For example, your HW time will be a lot longer if you are on Facebook while you are doing an assignment and it actually takes you an hour to do 25 minutes of HW. You will generally work a lot faster when you are fully focused on what you are doing.

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 * Check whether you are fully understanding what your HW is __when you write it down at school__. Nothing slows down your HW like sitting down to do an assignment and realizing you're not actually sure exactly what you are supposed to do. If you notice this being a problem, you can start taking more care to make sure that in class you understand, and write down clearly, the details of each assignment.
 * Before concluding that "there's just too much HW," ask your Advisor, or a teacher, for __help__ figuring out __why__ you're struggling with the HW load. For example, perhaps if you could just do fewer Math problems, or maybe if your Advisor sat down to help you plan your work week, or maybe if you created a better "quiet work space" at home, suddenly you wouldn't feel nearly as overloaded. There's a lot your teachers and parents/guardians can do to help, but only if you speak up and say, "I need help."

 Some excellent resources that expand on these ideas can be found below. The bottom line is: It's not BPC's intention for any student to spend more than an average of 90 minutes/night on HW, so if you find yourself spending more than an average of 90 minutes/night on HW, try some of the suggestions noted on this page and then if you still find yourself overloaded __tell us so that we can help__!

Looking for more tips? Check out these resources:

One site, GlobalScholar, offers the following list of ways to break down your homework assignment, saving you time and frustration.
 * Assess the assignment. Which assignment needs to be completed first? Ask yourself:
 * //Will other students need my part to complete their work next class period (most important!)//
 * //Is this assignment due the next class so that the teacher can see what I've learned before he or she moves on?//
 * //Can I complete part of a larger project so that the entire thing is not left to the "last minute"?//
 * Clear your work space and remove all distractions
 * Get in a good warm up - start with the simple problems.
 * If you can’t solve the problem, put a star by it and move on to the next one. You can save your most difficult problems for the end. This way, by the time you have completed the remainder of the assignment, you may have remembered how to solve the more difficult problems, or you have provided yourself with a nice outline to go over with the teacher the next day.
 * Don’t spend more than 5 minutes on challenging problems – come back to them later or make an appointment to talk to the teacher.
 * Review your assignment and seek help if you are unable to finish - SEE STRATEGIES BELOW

Five Key Skills for Academic Success (greatschools.org) Including:

 * 1) Organization
 * 2) Time Management
 * 3) Prioritization
 * 4) Concentration
 * 5) Motivation

Top Ten Homework Tips for Parents (Public School Review)
===__TRACK YOUR HOMEWORK__: It can help you, and it can help your Advisor help you, if you spend a week or two really tracking the time you spend on HW. Here's a ready-made "HW tracking journal" you can print and use any time...===