How Do You Help Your Child with Homework?

FIGHT for the rights of your child!

Schools get funding from the State for special education. If your child has "tested" to be Dyslexic they MUST provide a special instructor for him. Do Not stop at the teacher... next step is counselor, then Principal, School Board, even try your District PTA. Whatever you do, DO NOT give up.

As for helping with homework... YOU are doing it right. I always check over my children's homework and make them re-do things that were not correct. The purpose of Homework is to reinforce what is taught int he classroom. If the teacher is NOT teaching in the classroom then THAT is not YOUR fault. She needs to step up!

D.
Mother of three: 20, 19, and 6

For the life of me, how do average kids get enough one on one tutorial in the public schools ANYWAY? Sure, public schools are fine if you have a math brain. You can keep on top of it.. But if you don't,...
Let's say you backed off and didn't help your child. That means your teacher is going to have to spend a good majorty of her classroom time helping your son, one on one. Just how is she going to do that? Is she going to slow the rest of the class down so your son can keep pace? Is she going to be available at 8pm for telephone tutorials?

I understand her need, but there has got to be a better way than to restrict home help to the student. Fustration of leaving a child to flounder never helps a child in math.

How about if you Zerox his homework before you correct /help him- that way she can see what he was having issues with. (circle the originals that were incorrect in red pen) and staple it to the back of his corrected homework sheet.

REPITITION is the key for my daughter. She needs more repetition to let concepts sink in. She will have to do three to five times as much repetition as my math brained son. Maybe the teacher can send extra sheets of problems home that you can practice with you son together if she thinks there is a problem.

Hi V.,
I have always supervised my son's homework. It allows me to see where he is struggling and ask the teacher for additional help for him. We are in CA where 30+ kids and 1 teacher, no aides, is pretty standard. So I want to make sure he's not slipping through the cracks. Occasionally, in my zeal I will actually do the work for him, rather than letting him puzzle it out on his own. It sounds like the teacher is trying to make sure this isn't happening with your son. I will bet your son is performing better at home, because he has your one on one attention and he's comfortable asking you for help. Try not to take the teacher's request personally (I know it would be hard for me) and do it "her way" for a couple weeks and see what the results are, then consult with her again. I have found that supervising my son's homework has helped me to get a better grip on the crappy curriculum and text books that are being used. It took me about 45 minutes to figure out the "Avocado Salad Recipe" problem last night. I'm a mathematically inclined adult and it took me 45 minutes to figure out how to get the answer and explain it to my kid (5th grade). LOL!!! But disturbing none the less..
Good luck,
S.

My daughter's teacher asked us to correct the homework and when our child has to correct an answer, we have them write it again with a colored pencil. That way they learn how to do it right, but she can see what they're having trouble with.

It sounds like you made up your mind a while back that you don't like the teacher, the school or their policies(class size, etc.). I, also, have lots of problems with our current educational system, but I do not ever show my displeasure in front of my son and always keep a positive upbeat attitude about his teacher, the school and education in general. Your son has to spend most of his day in this setting and if he thinks of it negetively, then he will only have more anxiety. My advice would be to work with your son's teacher and the school in helping him do his best. I would, also, ask the counselor for his/her help in dealing with his stress over the TAKS test. Good luck!

I know this is difficult for you. We are so used to wanting our kids to be on the honor roll. Why don't you try the way the teacher asks? How do you expect the teacher to know what he is struggling with if she cannot see it?

When our daughter started having homework, we were told to give them 20 minutes to work on the homework and then have the child stop.. Even if it was not finished. This gave the teacher a true look at how much the child could do in that time. They were graded on the amount of work they did and then the teacher could better judge where the child was.

This continued all the way through 5th grade. The kids were told it should take them so many minutes to finish their homework. If they could not complete it in that time. They could continue to finish it and note the amount of time it really took, or they could stop.. It was amazing how the kids got better and better at completing their homework on time, especially when everyone else could do it.

I like the suggestion of looking over the paper and if you see a mistake, write the problem on a separate paper and WATCH how he works the problem a second time without your assistance.. Then you can assist him, but do not do the work for him. Let the teacher try it her way and see how it goes. This is the hard part of parenting. Sometimes our kids need to struggle and then over come to make them stronger and independent.. Remember, these grades are a guide. They are not a reflection on anything else.

First of all quizzes and tests are for evaluation not homework. The grading is usually weighted differently for different types of work. Also, if your son has been diagnosised with dyslexia he would be able to get the dyslexia bundle accomodations on the TAKS test. He should also be able to go to content mastery for tests (extra time) or completing assignments (extra help, time, less distractions) if he needs it. It sounds like your son does not need to be in resource which would be a smaller classrrom but the curriculum would be different (he would still have to take the TAKS test). If things don't get better I would have a conference with the principal.

My daughter is only in kindergarden, but she does get homework. It might only be writing letters & numbers and coloring pictures that start with the letter they are studing. Well, and they are to read the supplied nightly books for at least 30 min a night & over the weekend. Anyways - I help her read the directions on her worksheets, then she tries doing it on her own, but if she ask for help - I help her, I look over it & I have her correct whatever she did wrong after explaining to her what was wrong and why, then we read her books & do her word flash cards (they want the kids to know 100 sight word before the end of 1st grade & her teacher as sent 1 word home a week for them to work on to help them know them early). Eventhough she is in kindergarden - we spend about 45 min doing homework a night, except Friday... I take Friday off - lol.

My older daughter (now a freshman) lives with my in-laws... they use to go over her homework & I believe they still do some, having her correct what was wrong. The only complaint I had about them was that if they felt she had to much homework, my mother-in-law would do some of it using her left hand to write so it looked like my daughter did it. Now that my daughter has to do it all on her own, she doesn't have the study skills she needs to do the whole homework load & chooses not to do it. Which does effect her grades.

As for your son, if you feel he is able to learn the way you teach him - keep helping him. If the teacher wants to see which once he got wrong... maybe you could rewrite the problems you find incorrect on a piece of notebook paper & have him redo them there leaving the incorrect answer on the origainal paper. That way the teacher can see that he got some incorrect, but did redo them and get them correct. It might help her to see issues your son might be having & help to give the class more lessons in those areas instead of leaving kids behind not understanding what they are doing. Thus, helping you and your so feel he will be able to pass the TASK test.

Also, you mentioned that he has dyslexia & other issues... has your son been tested inorder to place him correctly. You stated that he would do better in a smaller class size... sometimes you are able to get this if he is tested & they find this to be helpful for him. I have dyslexia & I was given a tutor to help me in my weak areas... I'm not a stupid person, I just needed someone to help me find my way of learning - which wasn't like everyone else. Once I found my way, my grades were alway very good and even in college my grades earned me honors... as I got older the only way people knew about my dyslexia was if I told them or they cought me on a day I was super tired & had a harder time "fighting" it.

Don't give up on your son! Although that is what you are being asked to do... the teacher is wrong here. Just try to find a way of helping him & keeping everyone happy. Good Luck!!

i always sit with my son when he does his homework - that way i can correct anything as he does it, give him suggestions on neatening his work, give hi a chance to ask questions - because usually the teacher does not have time to answer all questions in class. dont let him do it in his room and leave him to it - do it at the kitchen table, before any tv or video games

Does your son have an IEP? That should spell out the specifics for the kind of help he needs during the school day. If it's determined that he does need a one-on-one situation (it would be nice if all children could have that), the school is required to provide it. If test anxiety is an issue, they have to address that as well. (Maybe pull-out testing (having him take tests in another room) or extra time.)

Lots of great ideas from other moms. Sounds like you and his teacher are at a stand-still. Should she thank you for being a concerned parent who's trying to help her child? Of course. But then, maybe it will help to remember she has a newborn at home and is having to get herself readjusted to the classroom and to the demands of having them ready for the TASK test........not an excuse for blowing you off, but maybe you can approach her as a "team member" - "How can we work together to support my son?"

Good luck and hang in there.

I think it fantastic that you take the time to work with your son. Too many parents don't bother. Homework is for practice and should not be used for evaluation for the simple fact that some parents don't help but rather do it for their kids. I think it is awesome that you were using it to teach your son. The teacher should use be checking for understanding with classwork and tests.

I also think it is great that you are communicating your concerns with the teacher. You must stay positive and let her know that you want to work with her to help your son. I understand your frustration with the fact that she hasn't followed through with some of the things you discussed. Call her and ask if she has made the changes you discussed and how they are working out. If she hasn't yet, tell her that you would like for her to make them as soon as possible (nicely :) ) because you think they would help your son be more successful.
Good luck! Stay positive and by all means, keep working with your son!!

with a newborn myself, I don't have time to read your other responses, sorry if I suggest what others are suggesting. Continue helping your son, but do not change his answers, instead redo the problem on another piece of paper and attach it to his work. Also remind the teacher gently that you are waiting for the things she said she would provide. With a new baby she has simply likely forgotten to get that together. Teaching is time consumming and it would be easy to overlook details when she is likley so tired.

In my not-so-humble-opinion homework is for LEARNING, and QUIZZES are for evaluation.

Sheesh.

Heaven forbid a child learn to ask for help, check their work, and do the best that they can.

hi my name is lori and my daughter is in 1st grade and that sounds like her teacher if i work with her at home she aces her work and mostly her math but when the teacher is there she tells me she won't do anything and that shes failing 1st grade but i even had to have her desk put away from the other kids ,it kinda helped but i just don't understand it either and i agree with you about them being in a smaller classroom theres 25 kids in her room also,i feel the same way what do i do...