Actor Jesse Williams says he assigns his children extra homework outside of their school curriculum.

'They have schoolwork and then they have homework,' the 42-year-old actor, who has a background in teaching, told US Weekly Sunday.

The Chicago-born actor described the homework he assigns to his children with ex-wife Aryn Drake-Lee - daughter, Sadie, nine, and son, Maceo, seven.

It's 'work that I give them that I've chosen for them to do to make sure they're able to comprehend and discern what's happening around them and articulate both internally and externally what they're feeling and thinking,' said Williams, who plays the role of Dr. Jackson Avery on Grey's Anatomy.

The Only Murders in the Building actor said that the extra work is a family tradition, as his father used to assign him extra homework independent of his scholastic studies.

Williams said he is pleased that his elementary school age children are 'excited about school and seeing their friends and being challenged.'

The Your Place or Mine actor continued: 'It's nice to have them somewhere where curiosity is encouraged and school is not always exciting for people.'

Williams said that he separates the education and tasks with each child based on what he sees.

'They are not collectively one child,' Williams said. 'They are individuals and trying to make sure you are attentive to that.

'Just making sure you're present in the right ways and prioritizing quality over quantity.'

Williams was a high school teacher from 2002 until 2008, when his acting career took off.

He said that he continued to visit school campuses and use his platform to speak about education, but those efforts were stymied by the pandemic.

'You know for a few years I would regularly speak and visit schools, especially universities,' Williams said, 'but that kind of died with COVID.'

Williams said that he would 'like to reintegrate that' into his life in the future, as he still has a passion for all aspects of education.

'I not only miss being in the classroom, I miss being a student also,' he said. 'You know, there are ways in the future I'll find myself back there for sure.'

Williams said that there were 'many turning points' he 'experienced in [his] student life' that reinvigorates his passion in hopes of helping others.

'You know, one teacher, one person, one student, one moment that boosted my confidence and made me think I can actually do something instead of being terrified to even think about it,' he said. 'So I'm really proud of the work that they're doing and happy to join them.'