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Education

Help with homework?

(124 Posts)
annodomini Fri 09-Mar-18 10:27:32

According to report, UK parents give their children less help with homework than parents in other countries. Did you help and do your GC get help from their parents? My DS2 told me I never helped him which may be true but, as I replied, he never asked me except once, with a French oral assignment. Do I feel guilty? No! He seemed to do well enough without my help! I did read through his Uni and MBA dissertations and correct his punctuation.

Greenfinch Tue 30-Aug-22 16:47:36

On the topic of computers our schools lend them out to those who don’t have them. DGS has been lent one because of his autism (state school) and DGD at another school has also been lent one. Obviously we are very fortunate.

ThomasD Thu 08-Sept-22 22:06:04

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Germanshepherdsmum Thu 08-Sept-22 22:16:49

Reported.

maxlakonsky Fri 09-Sept-22 19:12:34

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Germanshepherdsmum Fri 09-Sept-22 19:52:09

It seems you need to do some more homework. What a load of tosh. You obviously forgot to add a link to whatever you’re advertising. Reported.

varian Thu 13-Oct-22 14:25:03

I don't remember my parents ever helping me with homework and I gave very limited help to our children, mostly at the primary stage.

However we now have four teenage grandchildren, all living some distance away and thanks to technology I have weekly sessions with each of them, which started during the first lockdown.

I am not a trained teacher but have always liked maths so we generally do some maths together and have a chat. I try not to "do their homework" but may give them hints. Sometimes we look at maths you tube videos.

As well as their coursework we also do problems from "the Ultimate Maths Challenge " a brilliant anthology of problems from the UK Mathematics Trust.

When we do problems together I sometimes make mistakes, not a bad thing as they know we can all make mistakes and there is a difference between silly careless mistakes and not understanding. Fortunately they seem to enjoy it.

Occasionally I wake up in the middle of the night going over a maths problem and I think this may happen more often now that the oldest is doing A Level. I think we all benefit from it. Our relationship is closer than it could otherwise have been since we are seldom able to visit each other and I hope attempting to get my head round things I did a very long time ago, but long since forgot, must be good for my brain.

Mollygo Thu 13-Oct-22 15:05:12

Only helped DC with homework such as reading and practising spelling and tables at primary and doing revision checks later on, just as my mum did for us. It was good for me too as I had to read, and remember so I could ask appropriate questions or know the answers.
During Covid DGC wanted me to look at online learning and tasks he had from school. The maths and science programs were excellent. I could have been good at physics if we’d had access to those.

varian Fri 14-Oct-22 15:49:10

Very true Mollygo. BBC Bitesize is an amazing resource.

Goldbee Thu 20-Oct-22 14:54:14

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varian Thu 20-Oct-22 18:49:26

Just doing their homework for them is futile. They will fail, their exams.

However for a parent or grandparent to take an interest in their schoolwork and help them understand what they find difficult can surely only boost their knowledge, ability and confidence.

biglouis Fri 21-Oct-22 23:36:45

My parents took no interest in my education and I just had to get on with it myself. Fortunately I was also friendly with some of the other brighter children in the class and we studied together for GCE. If I had chosen to have children I would have expected to cope with homework themselves, as I had to do. Similarly friendship fall outs, bullying and so on. I dont believe in wrapping kids in cotton wool. Its a bloody hard world out there and they have to learn to sink or swim.

When I went on to teach in higher education later in life I was astonished at how helpless and needy some of the undergraduate home based students were. Too idle to come to lectures and tutorials and then expecting it all set out for them in handouts.

HannahWalters Sun 07-Apr-24 23:48:04

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Georgesgran Mon 08-Apr-24 06:39:23

Reported.

Imarocker Mon 08-Apr-24 09:12:55

DS once asked for help with Latin homework. I told him he should wait for his dad to come home but he insisted on telling me the question (which I didn’t understand) and then said ‘thank you. I’ve got it’ and then went back into his room.

quarkcentreforphysicslearning Mon 29-Apr-24 07:29:54

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Anasmith Thu 22-May-25 06:34:07

Having someone assist with homework is totally fine, particularly when the assignments begin to accumulate or some subjects seem perplexing. Seeking advice or investigating alternative study techniques can seriously relax the pressure and enable you to remain focused on your studies. Everyone learns at their own rate, and sometimes a bit of assistance makes all the difference.

I've found that it can be useful to look at how a [url=https://www.assignmentwritingace.co.uk/]professional assignment writer[/url] tackles an assignment too. Their organization, depth of research, and ease of understanding can be a useful reference for your own work. It's not plagiarism, just learning how to make your writing and understanding better by using better examples.

RosieandherMaw Thu 22-May-25 06:35:11

Reported

Astitchintime Thu 22-May-25 06:55:14

If my own children asked I did used to help them in so far as discussing the question and maybe giving more examples to offer practice…….but never did the homework for them. The AC did the same with their own offspring.
Now my DGC are in further education their knowledge of certain subjects is way beyond me.
I like to think that the support I gave them helped them to achieve where they are now.

Calendargirl Thu 22-May-25 06:55:56

Old thread.

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Shelflife Thu 22-May-25 08:32:18

Not convinced homework is necessary, especially for primary aged children. My GC aged 7 and 10 have homework , their parents like them in bed by 7.30pm,/8pm.. Home from school , tea, brownies , scouts etc. The pressure is enormous and don't get me started on book day,!!
I am sure I will be shot down in flames by teachers on GN but their views would be appreciated.

growstuff Sun 01-Jun-25 09:15:10

Shelflife

Not convinced homework is necessary, especially for primary aged children. My GC aged 7 and 10 have homework , their parents like them in bed by 7.30pm,/8pm.. Home from school , tea, brownies , scouts etc. The pressure is enormous and don't get me started on book day,!!
I am sure I will be shot down in flames by teachers on GN but their views would be appreciated.

I'm an ex-teacher (secondary) and I agree that homework isn't necessary for primary age pupils. My children didn't have any and I don't think I did. I used to read with them every evening before bedtime until they could read fluently for themselves and we talked a lot together - but that was it.

Witzend Sun 01-Jun-25 09:28:06

We did help now and then, if able to, so I was limited to certain subjects - I left the likes of maths and physics to dh.

A friend whose dh was working overseas found herself unable to help with maths beyond a certain stage, so the usual reply was, ‘Oh, just fax it to Daddy!’ 😂
(Back in the Dark Ages of fax, obviously!)

Occasionally dd1 would phone me from university, asking for help with e.g. a German assignment. I well remember her asking me to critique the intro to her essay on Berthold Brecht and trying to ding into her head that it was well over 30 years since I did German A level!