1. My daughter’s school provides lunch and snacks for its students.  I thought it was probably for the best because that way they would regularly get balanced and nutritious food.  But recently, my daughter is complaining about the way students are forced to eat their food by the food in-charge.  I just don’t know how to explain to my child the rationale behind such behavior. (Parent)

Children, like us can be fast or slow eaters, easy or picky eaters. Parents and teachers feel the need and responsibility to feed the children as proper nutrition is essential for their growth. It is obvious that your child is not going to like being made to eat on a day that he/she does not feel like eating. I’d suggest you to have an open conversation with your child to find out what he/she means by being “forced”. While teachers in her school might use different methods to motivate the children to eat, it is always a good idea to ensure that it is done in a child friendly and non-threatening manner. Also, talk to the teacher about how they go about dealing with “picky eaters” so you understand how the school address difficult eaters. Meanwhile, you can also watch videos or read book with your child to prompt conversations about the importance of food and nutrition.

  1. Parents often complain about too much or too little homework.  What is the right amount of homework I should give to my students?  Do age and grade need to be taken into consideration when assigning home works? (Teacher)

The question about how much homework should students be assigned remains controversial. What we do know through research is that homework can have a positive effect on student achievement, and the impact is stronger for older students. The issue however is ensuring how much homework is just right so it’s not too little to a point where it has no effect and it is not too much such that it has a negative effect on the child. The general standard for homework for a very long time has been a “10-minute rule”. This means that children engage in 10 minutes of daily homework in the first grade and the homework time progresses by 10 minutes by the grade. For example second graders should engage in about 20 minutes of homework, while 10th graders should engage in 1 hour and 40 minutes of homework every day. 

  1. I am in Grade 8.  I have one friend with whom I am very close. Lately she has gotten into bad habits, such as smoking and going out with some questionable people.  She sometimes asks me to smoke and go out with her not so good friends. I have tried to stop her, and I am really worried for her.  How can I help her? (Student)

I highly commend what a good friend you are for trying to help her and for being responsible by not falling in the trap of peer pressure. If you think that she is doing this to fit in the new group or because she thinks it is cool, it might be a good idea to let her know what a wonderful friend she is and that you care for her wellbeing, which is why you want her to stop. Also, get some information about smoking in young people so she can see what it’s doing to her health. This might be difficult but you can also inform her parent, older sibling or a trusted teacher if you think that they would handle the situation with maturity and understanding.