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I do not review my children's homework and it has nothing to do with an "I'm paying you..." attitude. My children's education is THEIR job. It's up to them to check for spelling errors and grammar or figure out how they're going to pull a grade up if they don't or if they bomb a test. As far as I'm concerned if I edit their papers before they turn them in, I'm the one who deserves the grade not them. IMO, reviewing their work before they turn it in sends the message that it's someone elses job to see to the detail of them getting the work right. THAT is THIER JOB!!! and they need to realize it is their job. I teach 11th graders and they don't proof their own work. They've been taught that mommy or daddy will do it for them. If I take off points for spelling errors, grammar mistakes, misues of words, incomplete sentences, whatever....I get told I need to grade on content because my class isn't an English class.
I find it very sad that my students don't know to proof their own work but it's not their fault. They were taught that that is someone elses job not theirs by parents who did it for them for years.
I couldn't trim any of this post because it's all so important.
I didn't have my parents review all my homework, that was my job, too. Just as it was my job to go to my parents if I needed help.
My parents reviewed my homework. If there were mistakes, they'd say, "AnonChild, there is a mistake here, here, and there. The rest looks great." If I knew there were mistakes, I wouldn't have made them. And so - they pointed out where mine were. And it was up to me to fix them, or to ask for help if I didn't understand why they were mistakes.
It was up to them, to encourage me, and support me, and to assist me in learning whatever I was supposed to learn.
My parents reviewed my homework. If there were mistakes, they'd say, "AnonChild, there is a mistake here, here, and there. The rest looks great." If I knew there were mistakes, I wouldn't have made them. And so - they pointed out where mine were. And it was up to me to fix them, or to ask for help if I didn't understand why they were mistakes.
It was up to them, to encourage me, and support me, and to assist me in learning whatever I was supposed to learn.
Gonna have to stand on your side here (Ivory, I know you saw it comin! hehe). From my point of view, the kid that gets help on his/her homework learns their lesson even faster, same as with every lesson a parent can teach to prevent their kid from having to learn the hard way. This enables MORE learning, because the lessons given by the parent solidify one day earlier, freeing their mind up the next day to learn even more. Teachers are not always going to catch and critique every mistake, especially regarding book reports and the like. Even if they notice 10 mistakes on a three-page report, they may feel that going over each is either a waste of time, unnecessary, or likely to overload/dishearten the student. These are just things a parent should consider, that teachers are only human.
But, if you correct what you find and your kid turns the paper in, you may get lucky and the teacher will STILL find something to critique (as they should, no matter how good a paper is), something they wouldn't have seen or mentioned otherwise. Because you can never know EVERYTHING, you should learn something new at every opportunity, not just when you're interacting with a teacher.
As for kids taking responsibility for their own mistakes, I say you can teach that and do this as well. The two are not mutually exclusive.
My parents reviewed my homework. If there were mistakes, they'd say, "AnonChild, there is a mistake here, here, and there. The rest looks great." If I knew there were mistakes, I wouldn't have made them. And so - they pointed out where mine were. And it was up to me to fix them, or to ask for help if I didn't understand why they were mistakes.
It was up to them, to encourage me, and support me, and to assist me in learning whatever I was supposed to learn.
I did the same thing for my kids, if they asked me. I'd make little pencil marks by things that they needed to look at. They could come to me and I'd explain what the marks were about and we'd discuss it (again, if they wanted to). Listen, if THEY were not interested in getting the best grade they could, I wasn't going to shove it down their throats.
The thing of it is, there isn't always enough time to get your questions answered in class. If my kids want my knowledge and my help, what kind of parent would I be to NOT further their knowledge? I know my kids better than anyone else does. I know exactly how they learn and how to get things to "make sense" to MY kids. It would be terribly selfish and lazy of me (IMHO) to not be available to answer their questions.
My parents reviewed my homework. If there were mistakes, they'd say, "AnonChild, there is a mistake here, here, and there. The rest looks great." If I knew there were mistakes, I wouldn't have made them. And so - they pointed out where mine were. And it was up to me to fix them, or to ask for help if I didn't understand why they were mistakes.
It was up to them, to encourage me, and support me, and to assist me in learning whatever I was supposed to learn.
The saying goes..."What you learn in pain, you retain.". I find my children and my students don't make the same mistake twice when it costs them a grade. IMO, I do my children, and my students a disservice if pre proof their work for them. I will read my children's work, if they ask, for content. I will tell them if I think it's not well written but I don't say "fix this, that and the other thing". It's not my job to do their work for them. That is THEIR job.
My kids are in 9th and 11th grades and they no longer ask me to proof anything as they know how to do that themselves. They also know how to self assess their work. They know what's good and what's not. They don't need me to tell them because I did my job and let them figure that out on their own.
It amazes me how many of my students need to hear someone else say what they're turning in is good. They'll ask me to read things and I'll reply, with a confused look on my face, "Do you want me to grade this NOW???". Sorry, I don't pre read and then let you fix things.
Gonna have to stand on your side here (Ivory, I know you saw it comin! hehe). From my point of view, the kid that gets help on his/her homework learns their lesson even faster, same as with every lesson a parent can teach to prevent their kid from having to learn the hard way. This enables MORE learning, because the lessons given by the parent solidify one day earlier, freeing their mind up the next day to learn even more. Teachers are not always going to catch and critique every mistake, especially regarding book reports and the like. Even if they notice 10 mistakes on a three-page report, they may feel that going over each is either a waste of time, unnecessary, or likely to overload/dishearten the student. These are just things a parent should consider, that teachers are only human.
But, if you correct what you find and your kid turns the paper in, you may get lucky and the teacher will STILL find something to critique (as they should, no matter how good a paper is), something they wouldn't have seen or mentioned otherwise. Because you can never know EVERYTHING, you should learn something new at every opportunity, not just when you're interacting with a teacher.
As for kids taking responsibility for their own mistakes, I say you can teach that and do this as well. The two are not mutually exclusive.
I didasgree. What they learn is to rely on someone else to make sure things are right. They don't learn how to do that on their own. What we learn in pain, we retain. It's not painful to have mom fix it before you turn it in. It is painful to lose a grade because you didn't proof. My students who lose points don't make the same mistake twice. When I tell them things without the point penalty, I find I tell them the same thing over and over. It's not until it hurts that it sinks in.
I want my own children to be independent learners so I con't get involved with THEIR homework unless they need something explained. I don't read papers before they turn them in, unless they ask and then I'll read for clarity. If I find grammatical issues, I will tell them they need to proof their paper before turning it in. I don't tell them why. It's up to them to find the errors as that is part of their job. IMO, fixing their misakes for them means that what they are turning in is not their work. What they learn is to rely on someone else to find and fix their mistakes. The do not learn not to make them and they don't learn how to find them themselves.
This is a weak area with most of my students. They can't proof their own work because they've been trained that that is not their job. Its' someone elses.
If you are fixing a child's mistakes for them, they are not finding and fixing them themselves. The two ARE mututally exclusive. Trust me, after afew low grades, kids learn really fast to proof their own work.
I didasgree. What they learn is to rely on someone else to make sure things are right. They don't learn how to do that on their own. What we learn in pain, we retain. It's not painful to have mom fix it before you turn it in. It is painful to lose a grade because you didn't proof. My students who lose points don't make the same mistake twice. When I tell them things without the point penalty, I find I tell them the same thing over and over. It's not until it hurts that it sinks in.
I want my own children to be independent learners so I con't get involved with THEIR homework unless they need something explained. I don't read papers before they turn them in, unless they ask and then I'll read for clarity. If I find grammatical issues, I will tell them they need to proof their paper before turning it in. I don't tell them why. It's up to them to find the errors as that is part of their job. IMO, fixing their misakes for them means that what they are turning in is not their work. What they learn is to rely on someone else to find and fix their mistakes. The do not learn not to make them and they don't learn how to find them themselves.
This is a weak area with most of my students. They can't proof their own work because they've been trained that that is not their job. Its' someone elses.
If you are fixing a child's mistakes for them, they are not finding and fixing them themselves. The two ARE mututally exclusive. Trust me, after afew low grades, kids learn really fast to proof their own work.
Or give up all together!! NO, not all kids are just like that! When you can point out where their areas of weakness are and how to avoid making those mistakes, some kids thrive. Without "feedback" many kids simply give up. How can you, as a teacher, treat ALL kids the same! All kids, all PEOPLE are not the same!
Is this another teacher v parent thread? Good lands, it's no wonder our schools are such a mess.
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Trust me, after afew low grades, kids learn really fast to proof their own work.
