The Advantages of Homeroom Guidance

Modified from an article by Renee Williams, eHow Contributor

A homeroom is a session in which students may occasionally or daily get important information from the school. A homeroom period can also be a session in which students interact with a teacher who provides emotional guidance. Homerooms also allow students to interact with each other and the teacher without necessarily having an academic lesson.

1. Consistency

The homeroom teacher who sees the students on a regular basis can provide consistent emotional help throughout the school year. This consistency and stability is especially helpful for students who have unstable home lives. Students look forward to attending school when they know that they can spend time with friends in homeroom and receive consistent guidance from their homeroom teacher.

2. Trust

As students get to know the homeroom teacher, the students are more likely to trust the teacher. When the student has a problem or concern, he will open up to the homeroom teacher. In some cases the homeroom teacher may be the only person who the child trusts, especially when the teacher is viewed as a fair and respected person in the child's life.

3. Specialized Training

In some schools, homeroom teachers receive professional development to help students during emotional crisis, just as a counselor will assist the students. Most schools have a few counselors to work with hundreds of students. Trained homeroom teachers can have a more meaningful bond with the students due to a lower teacher-student ratio compared to the counselor-student ratio.

4. Knowledge of Home Life

Homeroom teachers who develop a relationship with the student's parents, through phone calls and parent meetings, know more about the student's life at home and can help the child cope with life's challenges and successes. This background knowledge can also provide insight to the child's other teachers to give them direction on how to give the child the extra motivation or patience needed to help her succeed in school.

5. Stress-Free Environment

Students are not given subject related assignments during the homeroom period. Instead, the homeroom session is used to teach character development or to relay information from the school. This stress-free environment allows students to open up, relax and be themselves without academic judgment. A stress-free environment provides an important forum for discussion and social development.

6. Career Planning

Homeroom guidance can also be a time to help students decide on their future careers. Homeroom teachers can use a variety of questionnaires to aid in assessing students' strengths and weaknesses. Students can then use this information to enroll in appropriate enrichment courses. Homeroom teachers can help with the course enrollment process as well.