Results of an online survey of U.S. parents and teachers show they have different views of homework:
35 percent: Parents who wish they did not have to be involved in homework as much as they are.
62 percent: Teachers who say that parents should be more involved in homework.
31 percent: Parents who said that their school did not offer any type of homework help (informal, formal, free, after-school study clubs or tutoring)
19 percent: Teachers who said that their schools did not offer homework help.
Sources: Sylvan Learning, National Education Association
Comments
mom_of_three 9 years, 3 months ago
I wish I didn't have to be as involved in homework as I am, because some of it is a little different since I did it in school. It's hard to explain something you haven't done in 20 years.
alm77 9 years, 3 months ago
My kids don't get enough homework. We're more than happy to help out.
Janet Lowther 9 years, 3 months ago
When I was a kid, I felt like asking for help with homework was cheating. Nobody said so, but that is how I felt. Not only asking, I felt like accepting help on homework was cheating. I'm sure I'd have gotten a lot better grades if I'd allowed my parents to check my homework. But that would have been cheating in my mind.
flutter 9 years, 3 months ago
I agree with jrlii. Homework is for the kids to do, to help them practice what they learn in the classroom. It's not the parents' job to help. Kids need to learn to be independent thinkers. Also, there is no guarantee that the parents' "help" will actually be helpful....
tolawdjk 9 years, 3 months ago
@jrlii and flutter:That is exactly the kind of thinking that ultimately ends up with outraged parents calling the administrator's office yelling "You are teaching them what?!?!?!"What happens if they have a bad math teacher? What if the kid doesn't learn well with the style presented? Oh well, they need to learn to be independent thinkers. No matter if a complete lack of ability to grasp the subject prevents any kind of thought on it and just leads to frustration.And no, there is no guarentee that a parent's help will be helpful. There is also an expectation that a parent will be truthful enough to admit "hey, you know, I don't really understand this. Maybe we can ask your uncle/aunt/mom/dad/bigbrother, etc., etc."By all means, carry on with not giving a poop. Walmart doesn't need free thinkers to be greeters and the McDonald's frymachine has easy to read color coded buttons.
beawolf 9 years, 3 months ago
The only help I had was a belt across the ass if I brought home poor grades. But that was then.Kids should be encouraged to do their own homework. Parents need to make sure it gets done. Teachers need to find areas of weakness and provide assistance when needed.Both of my children (who are both now teachers) were required to show me their completed assignments. An occasional call to the teachers to make sure all homework assignments were completed and turned in on time helped as well. After 3rd or 4th grade, this was routine and by the time they were in HS, it was unnecessary for me to check or call.
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