Do you ever get complaints from parents that their kids don't understand the homework you give?

Question

I gave this homework assignment last night and had the kids do two of the problems in class, so they knew what to do on their own. I get one back today with the nastiest note ever! About how I need to do my job and make sure they understand their homework. I was so insulted! Do parents really expect that their kids will always know how to do their homework? I didn't when I was in school.

Yes, a lesson was taught before the homework was assigned. The homework is part of the Everyday math program, so I did not design it. The examples were the problems that were already completed on the homework. We did two out of three!

Answer 1

You should be sending instructions home along with the homework so that parents can help their children! Have you studied ANY learning theory at all?

That note was definitely uncalled for, but it should encourage you to rethink your homework assignments. As has already been written, homework should just be review of what was done in class. It should come with instructions and examples.

Answer 2

I teach math, and if it's a lower-level class, I don't assign homework at all. I spend on average 5-10 minutes presenting the material, then give them time in class to do a worksheet or bookwork or whatever a normal teacher would assign them to do at home. They come up to me with any questions they still have.

I make them turn it in when they are done. If there are any corrections to be made, I make them take it back and redo the problem. If it's all correct, they use the rest of the period as a quiet study hall, or help others who still have trouble. Classwork is worth a big part of their grade, so the students that want to pass will if they just work hard. Those that disrupt, I send out of the room without any further explanation, end of story.

As an added incentive, the students can use their classwork on tests & quizzes, which only motivates my students to get the correct answers during class when they first learn it.

Try it out yourself. It might take some getting used to at first, but you and the kids will catch on. Also, parents like it because it's one less class that their children are having trouble with for not knowing/doing homework.

Answer 3

Homework should be EXTRA practice on skills already learned and practiced at school. Doing 2 problems in class is not enough in-class practice.

for every problem a child does wrong, it will take him 5 problems to relearn the correct way. That is, if the child is doing the problems the wrong way, they are ingraining the wrong way or the wrong way of thinking. Then, to undo that incorrect learning and instill the correct learning he will have to do 5 or problems correctly. So if he does 20 math problems wrong at home he will have to do 100 correctly.

So homework should either be extra practice -no more than 5 problems at home--on material already well covered in class OR it could be 1 or 2 "thinking" problems where you tell the kids to think about the problems and solutions and thoroughly discuss it in class the next day.

Then homework should be checked and discussed as a whole group the very first thing the next class so if the students did it incorrectly that can be discussed. Immediate feedback is the most effective.

If you find that kids are doing a lot of their homework incorrectly, STOP assigning them so much or any at all because the homework will actually work against their learning the concepts and skills.

Answer 4

Just to point out the obvious, and most overlooked item in the school system.

Do you have any idea how many homework assignments come home without instructions????

How in God's green earth are you supposed to answer, or solve problems without instructions?

Then when they go back to school with the wrong answers, the teachers say "fix it", "fix what?" Explain exactly what it, is!!! Without the knowledge, it leads to frustration, boredom, and loss of learning.

Then you expect the parents to be up on the latest curriculum, you happen to be using this year. Oh yea, did I mention most of the parents have been out of school, for quite a few years now. Last time I checked, the parents were still being told they weren't educated enough, to teach their own children! That's your job!!

You were insulted???? I'd be more than insulted if you sent my kid home with no instructions, how am I as a parent supposed to help them with their homework?

Get a clue!

Answer 5

With parents like that, I'd give them the benefit of the doubt. Once. Write back explaining why you assigned it, that you taught the lesson in class, and that you worked problems with them beforehand. You might even explain the whole teaching process with instruction, guided practice, and independent practice (further explaining that homework is independent practice). Hopefully you're not taking grades on everything- just when you're assessing what they've learned. Throw that explanation in there too. Thank the parent for the concern and assure them that you will spend extra time helping their child catch up (implying that the student is the one behind, not that you're ahead). Leave it at that. The next time, don't respond.

Answer 6

It happens. If you did 2 of the 3 practice problems, on top of teaching a entire lesson on the material, then I think that you did what you could. Unfortunately students tend to zone and when they aren't able to complete the work at home, then the first one to blame is you. I would calmly and politely respond to the parent, explaining what happened in class. That way they know that you are "doing your job". Then you may want to discuss whether or not the student has issues in other classes and what solution can be found to make sure that this doesn't happen again. Parents mean well, but sometimes they jump the gun on what's really going on.

Answer 7

I think that a lot of this has to do with the fact that today's students are being spoon-fed so much in school that they forget how to think for themselves! One way I solve this is to give the students and parents my home phone number for homework purposes. This way if they have a question, they can call me and get it clarified before they get to school. I teach in an inner-city school and I have never been prank called. I also don't get too many calls, but it's nice because the students and parents know they can get help if they need it.

Answer 8

mutually as i do no longer consider how she dealt with it, I do think of she had the superb to be upset. no longer lots over the clothing by fact they do wash, yet as quickly as I have been to take place to p.c.. up my baby from a place the place i'm paying for and the grownup develop into interior doing dishes fairly then exterior supervising, i could be tremendously mad approximately that. greater effective than probable that's what she develop into upset approximately and then in simple terms seen something else to throw on the flame to take her anger out. next time, perchance have some greater effective swimming kit for the toddlers who did no longer deliver any, and save the dishes until eventually all the toddlers are sent domicile :)

Answer 9

I'm sorry people on here are giving you such grief. I'd guarantee they are not teachers! Probably with everyday Math, the parents don't understand it. Anything "new" in education is foreign to them. Trust me, I have second grade parents who get confused because of math homework!! I would say the child was not paying attention in class or maybe they didn't want to ask you a question in class. I would write a letter back to the parent saying you are sorry they cannot understand their child's schoolwork but it is the child's responsibility to pay attention in class so they can do the work themselves.

Answer 10

I am sorry that a parent felt that you needed a bashing. YOU DID NOT. The kid may have been dozing or chatting with someone as you explained and discussed the work'

Plus, some parents are so stressed with their own stuff, that a good place to vent is on the teacher. See, the kid maybe asked his mom for help and she was too tired, (drunk? p*** off or otherwise detained) to give him the time that he craved. Sigh.

Chalk it up to poor parenting, NOT poor teaching. Now if the shoe fits. . .