By Grace Mullen, BEAT reporter
Homework can cause tears and frustration from both students and parents. Math homework can be even worse. Applewood Elementary has a Homework Club that serves second to fifth-grade students to help them with their homework. The 2018-2019 Homework Club focuses on math facts and concepts.
The club first started as an idea from Ashley Jurkowski, a former school counselor. Jurkowski saw there was a need to help students with their homework and share organization skills. Then, Danyel Esser, the next school counselor after Garkowski, took over the club.
The club took place in the multipurpose room, since Esser didn't have a classroom. She would get her things and head down there with the students every Wednesday. They did some homework, but they mainly focused on organization and how to do homework. They also worked on setting goals and learning how to take tests and set goals to get their grade up in one subject.
Esser, who was going to have a child, asked Mary Beth Dotson to take over the Homework Club. The Homework Club now takes place in Dotson's classroom, where it holds students from second through fifth-grade. Here, students work on their homework with help from Dotson. Dotson still helps with organizational skills, but mainly focuses on math facts and math fluency.
"Homework Club did help me with a lot of stuff," said Gia Bellino, former club member. "It helped me get my work done. It helped me bond with others and helped me with my grades."
Starting this year, there was a change in the club. "I added second-graders to the mix and added another day of Homework Club," said Dotson. "This will allow the club to reach more students who especially need help with math homework. This year, I have about double the students than I have had in the past." The club now meets on Tuesday and Wednesday after school.
"I like spending time with my teacher from third-grade, and play games or go to the gym when everyone is done with their homework," said Olivia Thomas, a third-grader form the Homework Club. "I like that we get to do our homework and read, so we can get to go to the gym," added Nathan Ansel, a second-grader.
"I like that we can do our homework and to get it done so we don't have to do it at home. This club helps me with my math, since I'm not the best at it and Dotson helps me a lot," said Mason North, a fifth-grader. "I like how we can socialize with people and it helps me out with my homework," explained fourth-grader Emma Murdock. "Sometimes at home I would get stuck on a problem for a while, but here I can get the help I need to get it done."
Grace Mullen, a sixth-grader at Edwards Middle School,
is one of over fifty student "backpack journalists" (grades 6-12) in the award-winning BEAT Video Program. The program is sponsored by Scene75 (
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