The homework situation - and why parents shouldn't be helping!
By mommyboo
@mommyboo (13174)
United States
April 20, 2011 11:33am CST
I recently posted in a thread about a class being offered for parents to help their kids with homework. I am appalled. I wanted to share some insight from my school district where I took my cert for being a teacher's assistant.
Homework falls into two categories - school/classwork a student has time to complete at school and DOESN'T, or extra work assigned LATER by a teacher that a student has NO time to complete during school. I believe that if a student is allowed time to complete something, if they don't finish, they should finish it at home. I don't generally agree with any extra assigned homework, especially for elementary age kids. Keep in mind I do not consider things like spelling or sight words, daily reading, or skill building computer games to be included in 'homework'. I'm talking about packets or actual written assignments given to kids without adequate class time given for them to complete.
On to my point about parents NOT helping.... there are 4 stages of learning a new concept. First the teacher introduces it and explains. He or she will show examples, different ways of solving or answering, perhaps the reasons behind it and how it is relevant. Then the teacher starts asking for input from the class, so next is shared learning, but with the teacher still running it. After that comes shared/peer learning where the students work together. Last but not least is independent learning where each student now understands the concept and can work with it on their own.
This last level - independent learning - is the only acceptable level for homework. Any homework left over or given to a student should only fall into this category. In my class, we were told this specifically. If a student is being forced to take home homework or being assigned homework which has concepts that have not been covered in class, not covered and practiced in class sufficiently, requires items, resources, etc that the teacher and school did not provide (unless it asks you to use a library or internet), or requires excessive explanation and help from a parent or guardian for the student to complete, then the teacher and school is in the wrong and that work should NOT be going home or expected to be completed.
The idea of parents having to go take a class to TEACH their kids themselves because the teachers don't do a good enough job, or because the teacher sends home work that the student was NOT to the independent working level - is just ludicrous. I will repeat once again - any work a student takes home should always be something they can complete independently. If it is TOO MUCH work for the time period in which it was given, that's a different problem and that's probably different depending on the school and/or teacher.
3 people like this
7 responses
@tlb0822 (1410)
• United States
20 Apr 11
I completely agree with this. I can see helping your child if they are struggling with a concept that they have already learned and it is simple practice. Students now are coming home with homework that is so advanced and even the parents are having difficulty doing it. So it really makes me wonder if we are pushing our children to excel to hard. Students do need to learn independently and work out problems on their own, it is part of the learning process as you have said. I think that a lot of schools need to consider how hard the work load is on these children, and maybe lighten it up a little bit becaues kids need to be kids not sitting doing hours upon hours of homework. I know when I was in high school even, and one class I had 2 hours of homework, that wasn't even including my other classes. So there is a lot of stress put on todays students, and the parents can only help to the best of their ability. Homework should be a practice of skills/knowledge that is already known, not introducing new material that the student doesn't comprehend.
@tlb0822 (1410)
• United States
21 Apr 11
Very well said. I think that if more parents were able to voice their concerns and opinions about homework to the teachers and administrators, then maybe they would understand how much they are hindering the learning of students instead of promoting it.
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
21 Apr 11
Absolutely right! I have no idea why things are changing to this degree. Myself and everybody from MY generation did just fine learning things in the timeframe we learned them. I see no reason to start teaching a 1st grader skills that I wasn't required to learn till 3rd grade. I actually rarely had homework in high school because I stayed on task and I did all my work during class. Our classes were like 52 minutes long - plenty of time to complete the assignment that was written on the board when we walked into the room. The only things I did outside were study and occasional projects that required the use of library and other resources. I don't remember my parents having to help me much at all, plus I don't recall thinking it was their job to be doing my school stuff either lol.
This is my favorite part of what you said and should be posted in every single school for every parent to realize:
Homework should be a practice of skills/knowledge that is already known, not introducing new material that the student doesn't comprehend
when the instructor of my PTAP class told me that, I was floored. With so many teachers and schools, they act like homework is important - but if they aren't willing to teach the concepts until they are known and practiced before issuing the work, they are clearly not doing the job.
@uath13 (8192)
• United States
20 Apr 11
Now if only more of the teachers & schools had learned this.
This year my daughters teachers have been good about not overdoing the takehome stuff but she had some years where we were up till bedtime working on homework & not even completing it all. Each teacher would send a load home & it would end up being a huge stack.
1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
21 Apr 11
That's awful!! I really don't understand how this keeps happening everywhere. I say that EVERY parent who is sick of this needs to say something to their school and district.. or we should even start a petition. I will tell you too, the teachers don't even really LIKE assigning homework because they know that a lot of it won't get done. They'd probably be HAPPY if they were prohibited from doing it.
@GardenGerty (161858)
• United States
20 Apr 11
This uses different words but matches the ideas that my first child's gifted education teacher had about his students and their homework. If they cannot or do not do the homework by themselves they have no real ownership of their own learning. We are actually depriving them. Of course, to take ownership it needs to be work that they are able to complete independently.
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163773)
• Garden Grove, California
20 Apr 11
mommyboo I learned that a long time ago. once you start doing his homework even partly you are undermining his whole learning process.
Once we parents have completed our own college education and started rearing our children we should not have to do our kids homework for them.How will they learn how to do it if we just do the assignments for them. The teachers should teach their subjects not us pareents
,we can teach children how to help themselves and thats fine but like us if someone does a new thing for us we will not learn how to do it unless we do it hands on. We as parents can explain or show how but the kid must do it himself.
,we can teach children how to help themselves and thats fine but like us if someone does a new thing for us we will not learn how to do it unless we do it hands on. We as parents can explain or show how but the kid must do it himself.1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
21 Apr 11
Yep! I think that's one thing missing today, kids are not proud of nor taking responsibility for their own education and learning. Parents are not encouraging them to do THEIR best, instead some of them are 'doing things for' the kids in hopes it will make them look like they are doing better.
I totally agree with doing things hands on - I'm very much like that. If you are showing me how to do something, you're better of explaining it to me, giving me a guidebook, and then just letting me do it. If I make mistakes, I'll figure it out, but I have to DO it myself, I can't just have you tell me how and then suddenly know. It doesn't work that way.
@cream97 (29085)
• United States
21 Apr 11
Hi. mommyboo. My daughter's teacher really contradicts herself a lot. She will tell me that there are many teachers that give a child things to do that is too advanced beyond their age group/level. But yet, this same teacher has got my daughter completing a seven page, pack of homework sheets.
This teacher has really contradicted herself. Right now, I am very upset with my daughter's teacher because she has accused me of the things that I have never said nor done. Once she got written up, she whined to me about being written up. She went on saying things that I feel that she should have not said to me as my daughter's teacher. So, right now, I am feeling down in the dumps because my daughter is going to be graduating in another two more weeks and I don't really know what to say to her teacher anymore. I do plan to clear up any misunderstandings there is to clear up though. I just need her to listen and comprehend what I am trying to say. Teachers should just do their jobs and parents will do theirs. Many children learn on their own learning level. So, giving all of this homework, is not going to make them learn any faster than they already are. If anything, too much of homework will jumble and confuse the minds of the child.
This teacher has really contradicted herself. Right now, I am very upset with my daughter's teacher because she has accused me of the things that I have never said nor done. Once she got written up, she whined to me about being written up. She went on saying things that I feel that she should have not said to me as my daughter's teacher. So, right now, I am feeling down in the dumps because my daughter is going to be graduating in another two more weeks and I don't really know what to say to her teacher anymore. I do plan to clear up any misunderstandings there is to clear up though. I just need her to listen and comprehend what I am trying to say. Teachers should just do their jobs and parents will do theirs. Many children learn on their own learning level. So, giving all of this homework, is not going to make them learn any faster than they already are. If anything, too much of homework will jumble and confuse the minds of the child. 
@la_chique (1498)
•
20 Apr 11
i do completely agree with you on many of the points that you have made here. You have certainly thought this through well!
I dont think that kids under 12 should have any homework at all. Its unnecessary, and holds them back from actually engaging in their surroundings outside of school and if they dont have homework, they can do extra-curricular activities like sport, dance or crafts (in the UK kids go to high school from 12-16). Post-16 though, I know that it is important that kids actually do work outside of the classroom and then submit this to the teacher because it shows that they understand what they have been taught.
Now I dont think parents should be the teacher at home, but I do know why those classes are there. Some parents, especially young mothers may feel thay never got the chance to complete their education, or may not have pushed themselves and may want to help their kids to achieve good grades and do well. I remember when I was studying for exams when I was younger, when my dad was always on hand to provide support when I was in tears and couldnt get my head around something. I wouldnt say he 'taught' me anything, but he helped me to chill out and organise my studying more effectively. I'm quite lucky myself to be educated beyond bachelors degree, and i'd like to hope that if my kids in the future were to ask me about something homework-related, I'd be able to help out, and not feel stupid for not knowing.
Personally, the time guidelines we have here are ridiculous. Well when I was at school anyway. We had to do the 9-3:30 day, then we had a compulsory 2 hours minimum work set. I dont think that adding 10 hours onto a stressful week is going to do much good. I work 9-5 and I'm an adult. That's taxing enough and I'm not having to constantly strain my brain!
1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
21 Apr 11
I'm pretty involved with my daughter's school and I always have been. She's a smart cookie but I don't have any desire to 'push her', I am glad right now that for the most part she enjoys learning and seeks out some of her own opportunities to do it. I've never been a pushy parent, I just provide opportunities when she wants them. Nothing irritates me more than pushy parents who goad and push their children to continually 'perform'. We have had chances to do dance, basketball, sports samplers, a lot of fun activities with friends, all sorts of holiday things.
Once kids are in high school, especially if they take university or college track courses or AP (accelerated placement), most kids and their parents will expect extra work and projects due to the difficulty of the courses. That's usually something that a student and their parent(s) would discuss though, and everybody would be aware of the time they'd have to put in as a result. My daughter plans to go to college too... but if she is looking for a bachelors, she'll have to cozy up to Dad for help with that lol. He's working on a degree right now online 
@la_chique (1498)
•
21 Apr 11
I did my degree online, and my other half is doing his online at the moment too. Takes a lot of determination, but its such a great idea. Hope your hubby does well
@sid556 (30953)
• United States
21 Apr 11
Hi Mommyboo,
I know what you are saying but I don't think it is as black and white as it appears. I'm not sure what ages you are talking about here. I think for really young kids then there should be no homework other than reading and spelling...things of that nature.
As the child gets older, I know they do get more homework. While they should have learned enough in the classroom to complete the work independently, often times they don't grasp the concept well or will have questions when they actually go to do it. I have seen this especially in Math. Now I would not have minded taking a little course in math when my girls were all still in school. So often one or the other would get stuck and ask for help. Even though I am pretty good in math, I was leary of helping. The methods they use now are different from when I was in school and any help from me just seemed to confuse them even more.
Still I do agree somewhat with what you are saying. These days the teacher's all seem to have plenty of aides in the classroom to help out. If a child is struggling with something, I don't understand why one of the aides can't give him/her some individual help.
