I teach third grade and I have a parent who has literally done the homework for the child 4 times now. Let me be more specific...when I say "has done the homework" I mean...has LITERALLY written the homework for the child. THe writing is completely different from the child's and the vocabulary is beyond that of a 3rd grader (which is how I know this to be true.) The student even openly admits to me that mom has done it for him. I have sent notes home about this and have had the child redo these assignments. The third time it happened I personally called the home and professionally explained to the parent why this can't happen and how this is not helping her child. This is now the 4th time! Her child does struggle so I can see how she may be frustrated and just do it for him. Also, the child constantly misses school, which is why the work is piling. Since he struggles and misses school often, I ONLY send home the most important work to be completed. I wish she would see that her child is not learning from this. Any advice?
Apparently he can't or won't get the work done on his own. Does he have some sort of real medical issue? Is the work really less important than what he's dealing with medically? (I'm thinking leukemia or something.) If so, then stop sending work home. He'll catch up academically when he gets past the medical hurdle. But if, as I suspect, he's out a lot because he's out a lot, then he DOES need to keep up with the class. Could you have him stay after school instead? Possibly help him where he's getting stuck??
I have discussed absences with the mother. It's a variety of excuses (including his birthday and the day after because he was "tired" from his birthday festivities). Staying after school is also not an option due to the family's schedule and distance from school. I have had the child stay in for recess. However, I feel like I am punishing the child when this is a parental issue.
Kick it to administration and see what they say. Or is there any way to make the homework directly dependent on what you did in class? As in " write a paragraph about the story we read in class" or "state the main 3 points you recall from our discussion on the American Revolution." ETA, oops, sorry, you said 3rd grade. But you get my drift.
If he is missing an excessive amount of school, administration should be dealing with it. As far as the homework, if you need it to give the students grades, you are just going to have to get the grades from classwork. Perhaps you could offer rewards or incentives to the children who bring back the homework. I have often done Fun Friday activities at the end of the day. Students who brought back their homework got to do the activities. Those who didn't return it got to do the homework in class during the activity.
Call the mother in for a conference, stat. Tell her, "It is unacceptable for you to do your child's work for him. He is not doing his homework and therefore will receive no credit. If he does not do his homework, he cannot participate in *insert class activities here* and will therefore not learn what he needs for upcoming assessments. If you continue, your child will continue to suffer the consequences." Don't take her excuses. There is no excuse for a parent doing the child's homework.
I'd make sure the student was graded on work done in class (that is what I do almost all of the time anyway). As for the homework issue, if the child can't do the homework they should stay in for recess to get help. If the child is letting their parent do it they need to stay in until they "get" that they need to at least try the homework themselves. It may be a parenting issue but the child does need to learn what is acceptable. IF you are giving TONS of homework because the kid is missing time maybe decrease what is going home.
I only give participation points for homework and not an actual grade. My philosophy on homework at this level is that it is simply a practice of the skills learned in class. Therefore, the grade is not the issue. The child is not practicing the skill and his mother is teaching him very poor study habits. I already cut down on his work and, I only send home the most important absent work. Our conferences are coming up very soon. I think I will have to have an administrator sit in on the conference as many of you suggested.
Im not a teacher, lol, my first post here was bc i dont even want to SIGN my kids homework assignments, let alone DO them. People amaze me. Is it possible to get a witness to the child saying that mom did his work? Then when mom (and the child) denies it you have another adult to back you up....
Find time to have the child do the homework before he goes home. i.e. recess, lunch, before school, when assignments are completed in class. Model to him what his Mom should be doing. Yeah, you are in essence taking over the Mom job, but it apparently looks like she's not going to do it. He will get so much more out of his homework if he learns how to do it himself. Until he learns the value of doing homework, I'd maybe easy up on the participation points.
I feel your frustration - I am thinking that a parent who keeps a child home for his birthday and the day after has far bigger parenting issues than just homework. Is there a way the guidance counselor can also sit in on the conference in addition to an administrator? Does you school/district have any parenting classes? Is this woman educated (mom) - does she realize the patterns that are being established?
Is it make up work or homework? What about sending home a research assignment on enablers or the dangers of doing your child's homework? Seriously, what about reversing what you send home? Send home the non important unfinished work and then have him do the other during recess. Mom is not going to change. With crappy excuses for absences and continuing to do homework for him I think it will just keep on or there will be more excuses. I'd explain to the boy that this is his responsibility to do his own homework and you count on him to do that. Someday his work will be too hard for mom to do. He has to learn.
I would tell this parent that if she does his homework for him one more time, you will have him do his homework at school. Then if she did the homework for him again, I would have him stay after school to do his homework. Hopefully you would only have to do that once or twice to get your point across.
Administration You need to inform someone higher up that a child is missing too much time for no good reason. Maybe the mother doesn't see you as an authority figure. How can the child benefit from mom doing his work?
