Do you think parents should help kids with their homework?

[catherinedwhite]

Yes - If a parent shows interest in the homework, it will build a relationship with appreciation for learning.
Participation does not mean doing it for them.

[ghunter]

I do think parent should help, remember I said help only if the child needs it.  A parent should check to make sure it is correct and help them understand what they did so the next time they can do it by themself (like in class).

[bigedshult]

u should be here to answer there question but they need to do the work them self. if u help all the time they never learn how to work on their one.

[ladycasshmere]

yes i believe parents should help their kids with homework as long as they are not filling in the blanks for them. I dont believe in giving the answers.  My approach like with math is to show them examples and let them get and understanding from that and explain my example.

[emily01]

I think it depends on multiple factors, really.  How old is said child?  Does said child have learning disabilities?  Basically, the parent should assist their children as seen fit for that individual and make sure they're learning through the process, but shouldn't actually do the homework/project for them.

[tuyetmai]

I do not believe a parent should sit with a kid through the whole process of their homework.  They have to think for themselves.  If they get stuck, then a parent can step in and help.  A parent can also check the homework when it is finished.  If it is incomplete, it should be pointed out.  If an answer is wrong, it can also be pointed out to the child and ask them to redo the question. 

I think that parents should help their children with their homework because that the better way to catch up what is your child learn at school.

[tzs]

YES. Just because you don't feel like sitting through it, you have to make them know that you are interested in their learning, and its not just for show. It encourages them to strive to do better.

[sherryinutah]

I think it depends on the child and whether or not that child struggles with understanding their homework.

Generally...it's probably best to let them do as much as they can for their self and then ask for assistance from someone if they need it.

[lgemini]

I think parents should help their children when they really need help, but not giving them the answers.  When you give them the answers you are teaching them to cheat and you are not helping them you are hurting them.

[jkhanson]

When the kids are young, being nearby while they do their homework can show them that the parents are interested.  As they get older, they should have the independence to do it on their own.

The kids should do their own work.  If they don't understand something, then parents should go explain it -- not DO it for the child.

[vmi1991]

Do, then review.

Child should do their assignment, then the parent should review.

And unless it is a special research assignment, kids shouldn't have homework anyways, not until 6th or 7th grade.

[devideddi]

of course help them, don't do it for them or don't even hover.  But if they need help, be there.

[lvstephanie]

I think parents should help, esp. if they see that the child is struggling in a particular subject. Now this doesn't mean to solve the answers for them, but rather to try explaining the concept better. Sometimes students don't understand the way their teacher is trying to explain the concept, so it's always helpful to get the explanation in a different manner. I know that when I was in school, if there was something that took a while for me to understand, my parents may actually make up additional questions for me to solve, to ensure that I understand the overall concept, not just how to get the correct answer for that one question.

It is always more important that the student understand the concept, not just getting the correct answers. In college when I was taking organic chemistry, there were two professors that taught that course. The one taught things more as what to memorize -- if you have reagent A and catalyst B, you get this type of product C. The other taught more on the underlying concepts -- why does reagent A react in the presence of catalyst B to get product C. He would have us draw diagrams of the chemicals and show how the electrons would move about in order for the reaction to occur. After completing O-Chem, I could tell the difference between the students that had the first prof. vs. the second. Although the students for the first prof. always got high grades in o-chem, their understanding was limited to just what would be on the tests. The students from the second prof. had a better grasp of the underlying concepts, and so were able to use that knowledge to piece together what they learned in o-chem to help with more advanced chemistry classes. In fact since I was a student of the second prof., in grad school I was able to propose a plausible reaction to what we were studying... We knew what the reactant and products looked like, but we were trying to determine how the protein worked. Looking at comparative structure of this protein with others, we could assume that this protein acted in a similar manner. Since the other proteins functioned in a particular way, if I assume the protein we were studying also did the same reaction, I was able to show how the reactant interacting with the protein would result in the product.

Thus I think when parents are helping children, I think it is more important that the parents try to help by explaining the concept in a way that the child understands, and not be focused so much on that child getting the correct answer; the correct answers will eventually come about with a solid understanding of the underlying concepts.

[annettefayeroach]

If a parent can help then yes they should help.

[marcar1008]

I agree with you. Children need to use their mind and review what they learned in school. Homework is to apply what they learned during class. If they need help then we can come and help. The bad thing is, I have had this experience with my child, his math teacher has different methods of teaching and requires him to show his work. Since I learned how to do these math problems a different way, then all I will do is confuse him more.