Jump to content

Menu

How much help do you give an 8th grader with homework?


Recommended Posts

I'd like to gain perspective from those who have children in school here on this board. How much help do you give with homework assignments?

 

I homeschool, but to supplement our homeschooling, my 13 yo takes some on-line classes. The program says parents can help. My son often needs my help to complete the assignments. I'm just wondering if this is typical. How much homework help do parents usually give their 8th graders?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Are the online classes set up so that some of the teaching is continued at home? I could see helping in a situation like that.

 

In general, though, I've tried to make my kids do all of their work and scheduling on their own. The younger, the better. My youngest is a sophomore and I don't do anything to help. He figures it out on his own even if it means getting a poor grade -- ahem, D+ on a history test recently -- because ultimately, he must take responsibility even if that means experiencing failure once in a while. In the case of the bad history grade -- due to poor studying -- he is meeting with his teacher to ask for help with essay questions, and I am hoping he will choose to study a bit more diligently. It's up to him.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for your replies. That helped. :)

 

The online classes includes a few hours of instruction per week, but it doesn't offer opportunities to meet with the teacher or peers after class is over. I expected he would work more independent from me when we signed him up for these classes, but thank you for reminding me that it is not out of line for many 8th graders to need more help than what they get in the class lectures.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My friend who's a professor in school psychology says that parents who help are doing what's called "scaffolding." It's considered a positive in her field, not necessarily a negative.

 

I am debating how much to help out an 8th grader as well (you'll see in my other posts). But I do think that some guided directions are okay. It helps students figure out where they should go so they will know the next time. I think you need to observe how things are going. If he gets stuck and spins his wheels, then start him on the right route. Keep encouraging him to stick with it, which is better than yelling to get homework done.

 

Others obviously disagree with me, but I don't think it's often such a good idea to let kids fail. Many experts believe that parent involvement is a key component to their children's and teens' success in school. There are lots of serious ramifications if the student fails, especially repeatedly. And eventually the parents will be called in anyway.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It really depends on the teacher. I'd ask him about it. My son's teacher doesn't like parent help with homework as that is how she assesses if her students understood the material. The homework does not score in the final grade whatsoever. Every class is different.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really don't help my 8th grader much at all. He is doing well and I'm not really aware of what he's working on unless I snoop or he tells me about it. So I'm zero involved with timing and making sure stuff gets done.

 

That said, about every week or two he has a writing assignment he'd like to talk over with me, or read and give him general feedback.

 

We still do lots of fun educational stuff together, but I'm not involved with his homework.

 

I'm very worried about when my younger son is that age, because I think he'll need a lot more, and the school really doesn't want parents involved other than as described above. For some reason, they seem more okay with tutors. I think they are worried about parents basically doing the work for the kids. And they don't want kids being helped with deadlines.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...