7 May, 2014
Parents have always known it’s important to help teens with homework. But today, some parents are actually doing the homework.
Clearly, that’s going too far. But what can a parent do?
Teachers say they need to see the teen’s work, not the parent’s. Only by looking at homework can a teacher judge what a teen still doesn’t understand. Teachers often use what they learn from homework mistakes to plan future lessons.
Where should you draw the line between helping and taking over? You can:
Suggest other sources when your teen is working on a project. But don’t take over by going to the library or running an internet search for your teen.
Edit your teen’s work. But don’t rewrite a paper. Circle words your teen misspelled, but don’t go to the dictionary to look them up.
Suggest that your teen add a chart or graph to a paper. It’s not okay if you draw the chart while your teen works on math.
Help your teen see how what she’s learning relates to real life. If she’s doing math, you can show her how to balance a checkbook. It’s not appropriate, though, to do her math homework for her.
brought to you by
Hopkinton Middle School
