Will the Yahoo Answer community please stop enabling lazy students?

Question

Can we all agree to stop supplying in-depth answers to questions which are obviously homework assignments? Some of these kids (and that includes too many college students) don't even bother trying to hide the fact with "questions" like "Name the three branches of the federal government and explain how a bill becomes a law. I need this by Friday."

Yahoo Answers is a wonderful site for getting advice, professional help or for simply seeking out intellectual discourse. However, the site's reputation is going to be dragged down by well-intentioned but misguided individuals who, for whatever reason, are happy to do someone else's homework.

If you want to provide a few important points, recommend a few books (or a trip to the library), fine. But anything beyond that is simply rewarding laziness. So, can we all agree to stop supplying the answers to homework assignments and encourage kids to explore the learning process on their own?

Wow! So many great answers!

Thanks to everyone thus far who has responded, even the self-described "all knowing" young lady who describes me as a potato chip/Haagen Daas eating, TV watching "hater." THAT was hilarious!

No, "All Knowing," I am not self-righteous, nor am I opposed to helping kids with their homework (I also don't eat potato chips or ice cream, especially in front of a TV). If you read my question in its entirety, you would see that my beef is with people who, instead of helping the student learn by making suggestions or highlighting important points, simply provide the answer to a specified assignment that the student was expected to research.
And to answer your question, no, I never had anyone give me the answers to my homework. Instead, my parents and teachers educated me as to how I might find the answers. I learned how to use a library and how to ask for help when I needed it.
Just for the record, I work in a library where I help students every day.

Answer 1

Hmm. I can understand why you posted this. I honestly was thinking the same thing. It's one thing to ask a thought-provoking quesiton, e.g, for someone's opinion on an issue or topic, and it's another to simply come out and provide the question that was obviously assigned as homework. I just don't answer them if I don't want to....

Answer 2

I've said it before when people like you keep trying to impose your will on the rest of us, if you don't like this category, then stay out of it. We all have the option of answering or not, I bypass all questions in this category which ask for essays to be written or that supply a long list of assignment questions and expect the answers without trying to resolve them first.
But, when I see someone struggling, and I can offer some guidance or a link which will help them, I will supply that help. It's better that they ask for help and at least attempt the homework than not bother at all.
And I'm tired of people like you trying to take over and rule yahoo answers. You can plainly see the title of this category is Homework Help, so why make a fuss about the content. I don't like DIY, I wouldn't go into that category and start whining when I see DIY questions there.
There are categories I dislike, religion and arguments for example, or the News categories where people do nothing but take cheap shots at others who dare to think or hold opposing views to another. I just stay out of them, but I would not dream of telling others to do the same.
It's about being selective, choosing to help or not. Using your discretion as to which questions are genuine and which are just lazy students trying to get an assignment done without any effort. I use my discretion and freedom of choice, and I don't appreciate you trying to decide for me what I can and can't answer

Answer 3

YOU ARE SUCH A HATER! Self righteous people like you make me sick! So let me get this straight , through all the years you were in school no one ever gave you an answer to a problem? I am all for progression, and I am so glad these kids have a place to find answers to their problems. I grew up with two parents that didn't even finish elementary school and I had absolutely no help with my homework, thank goodness I was a rather bright girl and could figure most of the problems out by myself, but if there's a resource out here for these kids to do better in school I'm all for them using it. SO THEREFORE I WILL NOT STOP SUPPLYING ANSWERS TO ANYONE IN NEED, AND LET'S BE REAL CAN YOU STOP ANYONE FROM BEING LAZY, I SUSPECT YOUR SITTING ON YOUR SOFA RIGHT NOW WITH A GALLON OF HAGEN DAAS ICE CREAM, COCA COLA AND A BAG OF CHIPS, FLIPPING THE OLD REMOTE CONTROL AT LEAST THESE KIDS ARE TRYING TO GET ANSWERS TO THEIR ASSIGNMENTS AND I APPLAUD THEM. ALWAYS KEEP IN MIND THIS MAY BE A CHILD'S ONLY SOURCE OF HELP SO DON'T BE SO QUICK TO JUDGE

Answer 4

I totally agree with you. But since Yahoo Answers has created a whole category for Homework Help, they are obviously encouraging this behavior.

Answer 5

I agree. Explaining how to do something is completely different than simply doing it for someone. You are not really doing anyone a favor by giving answers and those getting the answers are not really getting favors because they will never learn it themselves.

Answer 6

I have no problem with helping someone get the answer themselves, but have serious issues with people who literally spell it out for them or do the math problem for them. Someone actually asked for an essay and there was a person who actually did it for them!!!!!! I was astonished. I am astonished at the amount of lazy student enablers out there. I was NEVER given an answer when i was in school. My son is NEVER given answers. Guidance, yes. But never answers.

Answer 7

Are you asking this question because of me? Well, I'm SO SORRY. I do ask quite a lot of questions. :(

Sorry.

Well, I promise I'll stop. Do you want me to delete my questions?
You can add a detail as answer to my answer! :)

Answer 8

Thank you for asking this question. I was going to post the same one. I received a violation because I typed, "GEEZ! DO YOUR OWN HOMEWORK!" Apparently, the asker cried abuse to Yahoo. I am sick to death of seeing homework questions on here.

Answer 9

Yes. I will stop.