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Question: How much should we monitor our fifth grade daughter’s homework? – Busy Parent
Answer: Remember just whose homework it is anyway! The earlier a child learns to not rely totally on parents, the faster the child will become a better student. As a parent you never want to feel that you are going through fifth grade for the second time! And parents who actually do the homework for their children have definitely gone too far!
While parents may feel that being very involved in their children’s homework is the right thing to do, it really sends the message that the children are incapable of doing the work and that the main objective is perfection. It also denies children the opportunity to develop skills and gain understanding from the experience. And it certainly doesn’t teach them how to be responsible or to persevere with a task. In fact, one of the great benefits of children doing their homework by themselves is that it teaches them that they can struggle, try several different approaches, and succeed. This really gives them confidence in their own abilities that will carry over to other school tasks.
However, if your child wants you to correct her completed work, you may point out errors or, better yet, the types of errors she has made. It is important for her to discover and correct her own errors. Point out individual errors only when time is limited.
Parents should send questions and comments to dearteacher@dearteacher.com or to the Dear Teacher website.
©Compass Syndicate Corporation, 2019