What do you think of PARENTS DO THEIR CHILDREN'S HOMEWORK???

[Eaney]

My ds(6YRS)has a homework project do make a 3d model. This is not DS's forte. Indeed it's not mine and as you would expect his model is a little (ahem) rough. Anyway you should see the models apparently done by the children. Call me a cynic but if 6yr old can produce what I have seen then they will be winning the next Turner Prize.

Perhaps if I was a little more artistic I may have helped DS and maybe this is sour grapes. What do you think?

i second that Cali - it is all too easily done - I do know of teachers that have 'fudged' courswork - some exam boards ask fro random samples others allow the a teacher selected sample - I think the latter should be stopped it just not right and makes a mockery of the rest of us who have worked hard with students as does parents helping- nothing wrong with having a level playing field.

But the problem is, if you as a parent know that all the other parents are cheating, you're going to cheat too. Otherwise, your child is not competing on a level playing field, he's being disadvantaged. And when it comes to exams which are as important as GCSE's, most parents are not going to be principled enough to say "I don't approve of cheating, therefore I'm going to ignore the fact that everyone else is doing their kids's exams for them, and let my 15 year old child compete against 40 year olds with degrees, leading to him getting the lowest mark in the class and not being allowed to do the A levels he wants, when everyone else will get good marks because their parents have done their coursework."

Yes it does seem like a visicous circle KALI - it realy does depend if you are willing to put principles before academic achievment and that is where the pressure is.

However parents can do plenty to help their child improve their grade without actually doing it for them (positive attitude, incentives, contact school for help, support after school revision/study, supervision and in some homes recognising the need for an area for their child to work and making time for them to do this)- I think there should be guidlines for this reason - indeed some parents may not be quipped with the correct skills and knowledge to help their child as it may be a v long time since they have studied and likely to be a completely diffeent curriculum.

Bigbaubleeyes, you say you are shocked at parents doing this work for their kids, but in this thread a teacher actually admits that this homeowork is impossible for kids to do on their own and it is deliberately set to teach parents how to interact with their own children! So it's homework for parents! How patronizing and insane is that?

hmmm and people wonder why the pass rate gets higher every year...

The cattle - forgive me i missed that - now I do think that seems OTT and patronising (even though there are parents out there who need help and support i dont think its a schools place)

But its fair enough that homework is set that parents can help with as i said in an ealrier post it reinforces the child learning and develops a positive attitude towards school as the parents are seen to value education and teaches the child to also (or so it goes) The quality and quantity of the homework needs to be considered.

I do teach in one of the UK's most deprived areas and come up against apathetic students and parents - hence my strong views earlier!

bigbaubleeyes - what happens when kids have parents that can't/won't help with that type of homework?

BIG disadvantage of my Christmas name - I am now a herd of cows!

Soory make that clear i agree with homework that involves parents encouraging and helping their child but NOT doing it for and not to promote interaction - i think again quality and quantity.

Don't start about pass rates they rule my life at certain times of the year - why can't people accpet that sometimes we have just worked bloody hard - I am head of department and none of the courses we currently deliver include coursework! My reasoning behind this is I have alternative styles of exam available and not because i fear parents will do it for them.

The cattle LOL

Well FEAST thats a very good questions - those children then lose out? Or itmay be that they have after school clubs where there is help available. If parents can't help they should contact the school for additional support and guidance or to arrange for their child to get it from elsewhere - i would think

As for the parents that won't help (and at times are just down right unsupportive of what a teacher is trying to achieve woith their child) well they can't complain later and ai feel very sorry for the child as it is a missed opportunity.

REgarding the course work thing, we now only allow the work to be done in class time, or a break/ lunchtime if they need a catch up. No course work is ever allowed to leave the department. This gets round the cheats and also stops the hassle when kids loose the work

I wish all schools would do that MB

Excellent idea MB.

Sorry to go back to the home-schooling subject Bigbaubleeyes.
I'm not sure there is a balance between State and Home schooling. I try to make home life a continuous learning experience for dd but nothing planned or disciplined, just answering questions to the best of my ability and explaining things of moral\political\spiritual nature that she doesn't come across at school.

I don't 'school' her at home but it's a very arty, book infested house where we're always up to making, drawing, cooking, writing or reading something. Thinking about it perhaps this is the balance between state and home schooling

Perhaps we should start a Home-schooling thread to stop me from hijacking this one!

My little boy is only 13 months so doesn't need much help with his homework. However, I am amazed to hear parents sit their children's exams. How does that happen? Aren't they slightly too big to blend in with the children in the exam room?

Hark - maybe you have got it right - think about the government adverts promoting use of literacy and numercay skills when out shopping etc!