2) A school teacher is sure to take part in organizing celebrations of different kinds.

Traditions, holidays and rituals link the present with the past, help pass the knowledge, experience, wisdom, skills, habits and practices of the older generations to the new ones. So it seems necessary to make them part and parcel of the process of studies. I strongly feel that children, teenagers and young people should know and observe the traditions of their country. Holidays, traditions and rituals help pupils learn more about the history and culture of their country. Celebrating national and local holidays makes young people united and has a great impact on their character-shaping. To my mind, children should also know the origins of some holidays and the way they are celebrated in other countries. However, some people are convinced that while at school pupils should concentrate on such subjects as mathematics, physics, chemistry or foreign languages. We should adopt other people's experience and wisdom. And it is well-known that holidays, traditions and rituals hold them in full measure. The most important national traditions in child’s upbringing: Tusau Kesu After the baby's cradle and crawling stage, the scene is set for another celebration: when the baby begins to walk for the first time. Wealthier parents would butcher a cow for this celebration; less wealthy parents, a sheep. For the ceremony, black and white thread was prepared in advance to tie the baby's legs. The mother would ask one of the more energetic woman first to bind the baby; and then to cut the string. In this way the baby's first step would be toward his mother. Everybody would then wish the family great success for the baby's future. Here the reader might ask a question: Why use black and white thread instead of red or green? White is symbolized in this case to mean hopes for success without any obstacles. Black and white is associated with the concept of honesty, even to the level of taking a thread which does not belong to you. Cutting of such a thread meant if you see a person stealing something or an unpleasant situation, the watcher should try immediately to intervene. 

4) SPEAK ABOUT THE SCANDINAVIAN CONQUEST. Near the end of the Old English period the English language underwent a third foreign influence, namely the Scandinavian influence. Large numbers of Scandinavians settled in England. An indication of their number is the fact that more than 1,400 places in England bear Scandinavian names. Most of the settlers were Danes, and there was a considerable number of Norwegians in the southwest and north. Scandinavian farmers intermarried with the English. And in the districts where peaceful settlement took place, conditions were favorable for an extensive Scandinavian influence on Old English. In the following subsections we are going to deal with various aspects of this influence. Native words: king, queen (survived from the French influence) scholar, master- Latin. beef, mutton.- French

№10.

2) SPEAK ON YOUR ATTITUDE TO HOME EDUCATION TOUCHING UPON THE FOLLOWING PROBLEMS: Homeschooling. Most parents send their sons and daughters to school, but some of them choose home education for their children for some reason or other. Instead of going to school children are educated by their parents or professional tutors. Thousands of families in the UK are now practising home-education. Personally, I think that home schooling is an excellent alternative to traditional education. To my mind, it has a lot of advantages. Firstly, it is very convenient because you do not need to observe school hours, days or terms. Besides, you do not need to have a fixed timetable. Parents can provide a more personalized and adaptable learning environment for the child. Secondly, the family can spend more time together. Thirdly, children who have special educational needs are home educated when school cannot meet the child's needs. In general, home schooling gives you an opportunity to work on just what you want and when you want. School is not just about learning about subjects; it is also about learning social skills, making friends, dealing with conflict, building resilience, working as a team, cooperating with others, etc. Working at home may not give the same opportunities for developing these skills with more people.

• At school kids have to do tests and exams which show how well they are doing and what needs to be learned. These results can help them to continue with education, find work when they are older or go to university. Parents may be able to arrange for you to take the NAPLAN tests for primary school children if you live in Australia.

• Schools have specialized areas, like science labs, art rooms, sports fields, indoor sports areas, computer rooms, libraries etc. on the premises. At home you may have to go out to use facilities like these.

• In school there are rest times at recess and lunch which give kids the opportunity to socialize with other kids of different ages. School teams and clubs can give other opportunities for building skills, meeting other kids and learning in a safe environment after school. At home you may need to join early evening groups to be able to socialize with other kids. If you are having a bad day in school you can go home at the end of the day. If you are taught at home there is nowhere else for you to go. Kids learn from parents and teachers and from other kids at school. It can be hard for your 'teacher' and yourself to stick to a learning program and timetable at home.

• 4) SPEAK ABOUT THE SET-EXPRESSIONS OR PHRASEOLOGICAL UNITS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. Set expressions (fixed expressions, idioms) are the word-groups consisting of two or more words, combination of which is integrated as one unit with specialised non-literal meaning of the whole. Set expressions (fixed expressions, idioms) are the word-groups consisting of two or more words, combination of which is integrated as one unit with specialised non-literal meaning of the whole. While dressing for dinner, she built herself a most magnificent caste in the air of which she was the mistress. build castles in the air – idiom. to daydream; to make plans that can never come true. Ann spends most of her time building castles in Spain. I really like to sit on the porch in the evening, just building castles in the air.

№11.

2) FEE-PAYING SCHOOLS AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO STATE-MAINTAINED SCHOOLS. It is well known that a high percentage of students drawn from fee-paying schools that fill the elite universities, such as Oxbridge, due to the excellent examination results they deliver.  Consequently many parents switch their children to a fee-paying institution for A-level study.

In addition many parents choose to send their children to a local state primary, before putting them into a private day school at 11. The drawback is that they may have to pass exams, which they may not be prepared for, but plenty of people do transfer from the state sector to private at 11. A good guide may be to ask the primary school that you are considering for a list of secondary destinations, to see if they regularly send students to private schools. It's also worth considering tutoring for specific exams. A tutor can cost between £25 and £45 an hour, but that's a bargain compared with private school fees.

Pupil numbers at private schools have risen for the first time since the credit crunch, a survey has revealed. The figures show a north-south divide, with a 1.2% rise in London and the south-east masking a decline in the rest of the UK.

There were falls of 1.6% in the north of England and 1.9% in Wales, according to data gathered by the Independent Schools Council (ISC) from more than 1,200 UK private schools. Overall, the rise in the south-east contributed to a 0.1% national increase in private school pupil numbers to nearly 505,000 children. An increased proportion of children at fee-paying schools are non-British, the survey finds, up 5.8% to more than 26,000. There has been a sharp increase in Russian pupils, from around 800 five years ago to more than 1,700 this year. School fees rose by 4.5% last year, the survey shows. The average termly fee is now £3,903 at day schools and £8,780 at boarding schools. Around a third of pupils receive help with their fees.

Independent schools have consistently grown in size over the past 25 years, with the average school a third larger than in 1985, the survey finds. They have also become more diverse. There is a slightly higher proportion of ethnic minority pupils in private schools than in state schools. Just over a quarter of pupils in private schools are from ethnic minorities. When boarding schools are excluded, this proportion rises to 28.5%. The latest figures for state schools in England show 24.5% of pupils are from ethnic minorities. The government has urged private schools to back the academies programme, under which state schools become independent of local authorities and are funded directly from Whitehall. However, relatively few have responded to this call. Currently 19 schools sponsor academies while 14 are co-sponsors. The survey reveals that fewer than 1,000 private schools had partnerships with state schools, including sporting ties, and links involving music and drama. Among private school pupils going to university, 2.8% chose to leave the UK. Some 27% of schools reported an increase in the number of pupils going to overseas universities, while only 8% reported a decrease. The US was the most popular destination, attracting 45% of ISC pupils who went to overseas universities, the next most popular was Hong Kong, attracting 12%. The survey detects a slight shift away from single-sex education: 13% of the schools that were boys-only and 9% of the schools that were girls-only in 2007 had become co-educational by 2012.

4) THE BORROWED WORDS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. BORROWINGS AS THE MAIN SOURCE OF ENRICHING VOCABULARY Etymologically the vocabulary of the English language is far from being homogenous. It consists of two layers - the native stock of words and the borrowed stock of words. Numerically the borrowed stock of words is considerably larger than the native stock of words. Borrowed words or loanwords are words taken from another language and modified according to the patterns of the receiving language. When analyzing borrowed words one should distinguish between two terms - source of borrowing and origin of borrowing. The first term is applied to the language from which the word was immediately borrowed and the second - to the language to which the word may be ultimately traced. The closer the two interacting languages are in structure the easier it is for words of one language to penetrate into the other. The borrowed stock of words may be classified according to the nature of the borrowing itself as borrowing proper, loans translation and semantic loans. Loan translation or calque is a phrase borrowed from another language by literal word-for-word translation.

Semantic loan is the borrowing of the meaning for a word already existing in the English language.

№12.

2) WHAT WOULD YOU DO AT THE LESSON IF THERE WERE SOME ATTEMPTS TO RAG THE TEACHER BY BANGING DESK-LIDS, TITTERING OR SOME OTHER KINDS OF ROWDYISM? Every EFL/ESL teacher comes across badly-behaved children early in their career. Some are easy to handle, some are not but all should be dealt with quickly before the bad behavior spreads to other kids in the class. In my years of EFL teaching, I've discovered with most kids in my classes who are badly-behaved, it's often because they don't understand and feel stupid. Don't Reward Bad Behavior With More Attention - For most badly-behaved children in an EFL classroom, they're actually looking for attention. Sometimes starved for attention at home, they'll get it at school if they can, even if that means getting it by behaving badly. Constantly Move Around Your Classroom - The biggest mistake I see beginning EFL/ESL teachers make is to stand or worse, sit, at the front of the class for an entire period. Usually, kids who have problems understanding sit at the back of the class. Call Out The Bad Behavior And Not The Child - I've seen some EFL/ESL teachers berating kids so much, by the time they've finished the kid feels like a piece of dirt at the bottom of the teacher's shoe. That doesn't help anyone - child or teacher. Get To Know Each Child - When I start teaching a new class, I spend time over a few weeks getting to know the kids. I find out what their hobbies are, what they like to do, about their families and friends, and what they do on the weekends. Focus Your Classes On Their Interests - If I'm teaching children EFL or ESL, I always focus my classes on their interests. That means, if I'm going to teach a class about prepositions or the simple past tense, rather than teach a boring grammar class, I teach it in a way that grabs the childrens' attention as it's connected to their interests.

I've used lesson plans based on computer games, the latest music from Linkin Park, Rihanna or Nelly. I've created lessons based on movies they like or sports they play - anything to capture their attention. Plus, remember I told you most bad behavior comes from kids not understanding? They make much more of an effort to understand if the class actually looks like it's fun.

4) CHARACTERISTICS OF THE WORD AS A BASIC UNIT OF THE LANGUAGE. The definition of the word. Morphemes. Morphological classification of words. Word families. The word may be described as the basic unit of language. Uniting meaning and form, it is composed of one or more morphemes, each consisting of one or more spoken sounds or their written representation. Morphemes as we have already said are also meaningful units but they cannot be used independently, they are always parts of words whereas words can be used as a complete utterance (e. g. Listen!).

The word is the fundamental unit of language. It is a dialectical unity of form and content. Its content or meaning is not identical to notion, but it may reflect human notions, and in this sense may be considered as the form of their existence. Concepts fixed in the meaning of words are formed as generalised and approximately correct reflections of reality, therefore in signifying them words reflect reality in their content. Give a lexical analysis of the following sentence: The world should listen then as I am listening now (Shelley). Listen- listening. stem is listening is a verb forming suffix.

№13.

2) “MEN LEARN WHILE THEY TEACH “ is related to Professional development. Professional development is not a new concept, but it is becoming increasingly important. The continuing pace of change in materials science and engineering means that what we learned in our initial training courses soon becomes dated and irrelevant. It has been estimated that the half-life of technical knowledge is about seven years. In this new world, it is impossible for us to know all that there is to know, yet access to the knowledge base is increasingly readily available. So what will make us good materials technologists, rather than poor ones, is that our knowledge is more relevant, and more current, and is applied more efficiently and effectively. These are strong, compelling reasons for professional development skills, but there are many more! A better informed and more sophisticated public is demanding a higher duty of care and level of service from professionals. Linked to this is the increasing risk of claims for negligence from professionals deemed to have 'failed' in their duty or given poor advice. Within organisations, modern quality management systems demand that qualified people are in place to make decisions. Lifelong learning is the continued educational experience that utilizes non-credit academic courses, educational travel, and community service and volunteerism to fully engage the brain, heighten physical activity, and maintain healthy social relationships. Lifelong learning is like a health club for your brain. And an active mind can stimulate physical activity and keep your spirits high. It’s an all-around fantastic tool for better health.” Scientific experts agree. According to Paul Nussbaum, Ph.D., Clinical Neuropsychologist & International Consultant on Aging and Health Promotion, "In Learning Later, Living Greater.

3) HUMANISTIC EDUCATION teaches a wide variety of skills which are needed to function in today's world--basic skills such as reading, writing and computation, as well as skills in communicating, thinking, decision-making, problem-solving and knowing oneself. Humanistic education is a humane approach to education--one that helps students believe in themselves and their potential, that encourages compassion and understanding, that fosters self-respect and respect for others. Humanistic education deals with basic human concerns--with the issues throughout history and today that are of concern to human beings trying to improve the quality of life--to pursue knowledge, to grow, to love, to find meaning for one's existence. School should be a safe haven and kids should trust all of their administrators, teachers, and staff members. Educators should always strive to build positive, trusting relationships with their students. Some of these relationships take time to build and others are relatively easy. Respect is always the key. A teacher becomes so much more effective when they can earn a classes respect. There are several things that a teacher can do to lose their students’ respect. Doing any of these things can lead you on a path towards disaster. Have a Positive Attitude – An educator who has a positive attitude about their students and their job will be more effective. All of us have bad days, but we should still strive to remain positive even on our worst days. Be Consistent – Students must know what your expectations are on a daily basis. Be inconsistent will lose their respect and attention faster than just about anything. Be Fair – Treat every student the same when dealing with the same situation. Giving out a different set of consequences for the same actions will undermine your authority. Have a Sense of Humor - Having a sense of humor can be disarming. Students will naturally look forward to coming to your class and learning if they know that you aren’t uptight and rigid. Be Flexible – Teachers that aren’t flexible are setting themselves and their students up for failure. Things happen in life that is beyond anyone’s control. Be sensitive to every situation and be willing to adapt and veer from your scheduled plans when necessary.

4) WORD ORDER IN OLD ENGLISH, MIDDLE ENGLISH, AND MODERN ENGLISH. "Certainly, word order is critical in Modern English. Recall the famous example: The dog bit the man. This utterance means something totally different from The man bit the dog. In Old English, word endings conveyed which creature is doing the biting and which is being bitten, so there was built-in flexibility for word order

14.

2) “MY STUDENTS HAVE COME TO ME SO EMPTY-HANDED THAT I DO NOT KNOW WHERE TO START” . Evaluating students' writing is one of the most challenging tasks a language teacher may face. Essays are helpful in challenging students to express views on a given subject and should not be graded based on any general system. Other than just purely assigning numbers or letters for grades, essays are supposedly assessed with greater understanding that students differ in their efforts and accomplishments. The following are the tips on how to correct student essays effectively. Read essays at least twice.  Cover student’s name.   Make use of rubrics.  Use editing marks.  Take note of students’ mistakes. Include an end note.  Return assignments promptly.  Conclusion: It is perhaps challenging to correct and grade essays on any course or discipline. Assignments have different goals and expectations. Generally, no matter how divergent a student’s response is to the prompt, it is still worth some points, unless it is proven to have been plagiarized. Remember that students’ efforts deserve merits. Quite different from other types of tests, essays demand the teacher’s full attention to make sure that they are graded based on a standard set. It also requires teachers extra time to read, re-read, assess, and correct. Because this type of evaluation has long been considered subjective, many would think that grading might be based on how good a student’s image is to the teacher.

4) SPEAK ABOUT THE ADJECTIVE AND ITS GRAMMATICAL FEATURES. The category of intensity and comparison. An adjective is a word that defines, qualifies or modifies the meaning of a noun, or more rarely of a pronoun. It expresses the qualities or attributes of the word it qualifies. There are two main categories of adjectives: a) determining adjectives, and b)  descriptive adjectives .Types of Adjective. 1. Determining adjectives :Also called limiting adjectives, these are words that are more often referred to as determiners, and are dealt with elsewhere. There is a limited number of these words. They are notably possessive adjectives (such as my, their),  quantifiers (such as one, two, three, every, many), demonstrative adjectives (such as this or that),  interrogative adjectives (such as which). To learn about the use of these determining adjectives, please consult the appropriate pages. 2. Descriptive adjectives (such as big, English, wonderful) describe the permanant or perceived qualities of a noun; their number is unlimited. New descriptive adjectives enter the language every day, often in the fertile world of slang..  There are two categories of descriptive adjectives; . Analyze the following sentences: You were always more of a realist than Jon; and never so innocent. (Galsworthy) Look at her sitting there. Doesn't she make a picture? Chardin, eh? I've seen all the most beautiful women in the world; I've never seen anyone more beautiful than Madame Dirk Stroeve. (Maugham)

№15.

2) “THERE IS WARMTH AND IMMEDIACY IN CONTACT WITH ANOTHER HUMAN BEING, WHICH NO AMOUNT OF ELECTRONICS COULD EVER REPLACE.” There has been a great amount of discussion and debate surrounding the technology movement in education. Technology in education has changed the way we think, communicate, and share knowledge in the world. Opportunities to learn have opened doors to people all around the world. The changes are moving fast in education, and some have stated we can even replace teachers with computers. My personal and immediate answer is no. We cannot replace an effective teacher with a computer. Teachers are people who touch lives in ways that are immeasurable. Teachers make students laugh, encourage academic passion, mentor, and for some, they are the support and attention children do not receive at home. Teachers are the eyes that keep many kids safe, the ears that listen to stories and the hand that holds when preschoolers learn to cross the street. Computers are essential for 21st century skills, and they should play a great role in the classroom. They have changed the world around us, opened doors that were once closed, and provide various learning tools that never existed even 10 years ago. However, technology in the classroom should be an addition, not a replacement for teachers. The idea that computers can ever replace teachers and schools reveals a deep lack of understanding about the role leadership plays in student success. Computers cannot visit students' homes to get to know their families and engage them in their progress.

Computers cannot raise money and organize college visits to show students who have never left their communities what they're working toward. Technology is a tool, not a silver bullet. And like all tools, it can be helpful or harmful depending on how we use them. Children growing up in poverty need all the support and nurturing from adults that they can get. If we want a real revolution in education, we should make an all-out effort to attract and keep our best people in our schools. Technology can be a powerful force in that effort when guided by leaders who understand what students and teachers need to do their best. We can't outsource the human connections at the heart of the learning experience. Transforming the lives and learning of our children will take more than machines. It will take the best of our human resources.

3. DISCUSS WITH YOUR PARTNER THE SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN GREAT BRITAIN. UNDERGRADUATE AND POSTGRADUATE STUDIES

Higher education There is a three-level hierarchy of degrees ( Bachelor , Master , Doctor ) currently used in the United Kingdom. A graduate student (also, grad student or grad in American English , postgraduate student or postgrad in British English) is an individual who has completed a bachelor's degree (B.A., B.S./B.Sc., or another flavor) and is pursuing further higher education , with the goal of achieving a master's degree (M.A., M.S./M.Sc., M.Ed., etc.) or doctorate (Ph.D., Ed.D., D.A., D.Sc., D.M.A., Th.D., etc.) Non-university level post-secondary technical education is provided by technical colleges, colleges of further and higher education and accredited independent colleges which offer a large number of courses leading to a vocational qualification. The Business and Technology Education Council offers many vocational courses leading to the BTEC First Diploma (one year, full-time) or to the BTEC National Diploma (two to three years, full-time). A Higher National Diploma is conferred after three years' study by the Business and Technology Education Council. As regards professional education, the professions have laid down their own professional qualifications (some thirty major professional bodies exist). University level first stage: Undergraduate stage: This stage lasts for  three or four years and leads to the award of a Bachelor's Degree in Arts, Science or other fields (Technology, Law, Engineering, etc.). In some Scottish universities the first degree is a Master's Degree. The Bachelor's Degree is conferred as a Pass Degree or an Honours Degree where studies are more specialized. The Bachelor's Honours Degree is classified as a First Class Honours, a Second Class Honours or a Third Class Honours. University level second stage: Master's Degree, Master of Philosophy: Study at master's level is at the forefront of an academic or professional discipline. Students must show originality in their application of knowledge and advancement of knowledge. The normal entry requirement for a Master's degree is a good Bachelor's degree. A Master's degree is normally studied over one year. Some Master's programmes, including the M.Eng, are integrated in undergraduate programmes and result in a postgraduate qualification, not an undergraduate one and that is after four years of study. Online Master's degrees are also achievable, such as Masters in Secondary education, Nursing, Business Intelligence and Health Care to name a few. At an university, after two years of additional study and the successful presentation of a thesis, students obtain the Master of Philosophy (M.Phil) degree. University level third stage: Doctor of Philosophy, Higher Doctorate: After usually three years' further study beyond the Master's Degree, the candidate may present a thesis for the Doctorate of Philosophy (D.Phil. or Ph.D.).A further stage leads to Higher Doctorates which may be awarded by a university in Law, Humanities, Science, Medical Sciences, Music and Theology  after a candidate, usually a senior university teacher, has submitted a number of learned, usually published, works.

4) Speak about the word formation in Modern English. Compound words as a productive way of word-building. Give a lexical analysis of the following sentence: The parlour, brick-floored, with bare table and shiny chairs and sofa stuffed with horsehair seemed never to have been used. The ways in which new words are formed, and the factors which govern their acceptance into the language, are generally taken very much for granted by the average speaker. To understand a word, it is not necessary to know how it is constructed, whether it is simple or complex, that is, whether or not it can be broken down into two or more constituents. We are able to use a word which is new to us when we find out what object or notion it denotes. Some words, of course, are more ‘transparent’ than others. brick-floored the hyphenated form sofa stuffed open form horsehair the closed form

№16

Read the description of a student and decide how you would deal with him. J. is seven. She has missed a lot of classes lately through truanting. She seems unhappy and other pupils tease her a lot as she is fat. Her father is unemployed and her mother has a drink problem. In her lessons, she is inattentive and shows little interest. Poor children It cannot be denied that financial background has a profound impact on children’s upbringing. It is suggested that children living in poor families are more efficient at tackling problems in adulthood than those from affluent families. I am convinced that this is a precise notion.  Poor children are able to make wise decisions when they reach adulthood because they have to get accustomed to hardship from an early age. Poverty means material difficulties. Impoverished parents can never spend enough time on taking care of their children because they are preoccupied with earning a modest income everyday. As a result, those children have to learn to be independent by caring for themselves and working to support the whole family. Despite the bleak outlook for many of these students, you can do a great deal to make school a meaningful haven for them. You can help your students who live in poverty by implementing some of these suggestions:

• When you suspect that their peers are taunting disadvantaged students, act quickly to stop the harassment.

• Students who live in poverty have not been exposed to broadening experiences such as family vacations, trips to museums, or even eating in restaurants. Spend time adding to their worldly experience if you want poor students to connect their book learning with real-life situations.

• Listen to your disadvantaged students. They need a strong relationship with a trustworthy adult in order to succeed.

• Work to boost the self-esteem of students who live in poverty by praising their school success instead of what they own.

• Provide access to computers, magazines, newspapers, and books so low-income students can see and work with printed materials. School may be the only place where they are exposed to print media.

• Keep your expectations for poor students high. Poverty does not mean ignorance.

• Don’t make comments about your students’ clothes or belongings unless they are in violation of the dress code.

• Students who live in poverty may not always know the correct behaviors for school situations. At home, they may function under a different set of social rules. Take time to explain the rationale for rules and procedures in your classroom.

• Be careful about the school supplies you expect students to purchase. Keep your requirements as simple as you can for all students.

• Arrange a bank of shared supplies for your students to borrow when they are temporarily out of materials for class.

• Do not require costly activities. For example, if you require students to pay for a field trip, some of them will not be able to go.

• If you notice that a student does not have lunch money, check to make sure that a free lunch is an option for that child.

• Be very sensitive to the potential for embarrassment in even small requests for or comments about money that you make. For example, if you jokingly remark, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch,” you could embarrass one of your low-income students.

• Make it clear that you value all of your students for their character and not for their possessions

2. Discuss the idea with a partner. “The function of the teachers is to force their students to memorize the pages of unnecessary and time-consuming exercises and assignments without questioning and learning the truth.”

The truth is that if our children are not well engaged after school, homework or not, they will find other activities to occupy their time such as games, the internet and more, some of these in excess. The children of this generation have an information overload, and the interesting information (which is often leisurely and more fun) is not coming from school. So that makes school work all the more of a chore. Homework is one of the activities that help bring balance after school, if it is not too much and every other activity has its place. Children need time after school to rest, relax, play and do 'some work'. Yes but it must not be school work -everyday! If parents are actually home early enough to assist with homework, then that makes a difference. It can be turned to 'quality time' with your child. I find that when I do homework with my children, I am able to see their weaknesses, line of reasoning and areas where they have potential challenges. I am able to work towards assisting them overcome these especially when I sense the teacher maybe not have observed it even with small class sizes. I have used force, bribe and what have you to get homework done. And sometimes we just rush over it for want of time. As the article says, so much research has been done on whether or not to drop homework that there is more than enough evidence from either side to back each stance. While our children will benefit from the rigors of academic exercise, one of the keys is for schools to pay attention to this issue in a fresh way and with a new lens. There must be a balance. Too much homework is too much and becomes rote –a despised one at that. Another way to look at is to consider the learning styles or personality styles of children. Some children are of a studious nature and will thrive on homework anyway. But there are more playful ones who though intelligent will not win a prize in performance based on the regular forms of assessment.