Will homework club even help?

[Anonymous]

DD13 often has trouble with homework and is usually not receptive to our trying to help her. Once a week her school has “homework club” where every week a different teacher stays over for an hour to provide general “help” with homework to whoever attends that week. I’m debating what to do.

DD is REALLY embarrassed to attend. I question if we are just being punitive, because she receives homework 5 days a week, due the next day, and this club only meets once a week, also, it’s possible the social studies teacher will be there the day she needs help with math, for example, and I wonder if she’d be better off just asking her math teacher for help during study hall hour, also for example.

Is forcing her to attend this more punitive than anything? If your teen has attended a similar homework club, was it helpful?

[Anonymous]

Can you work with the embarrassment and au, “Homework club is a resource we expect you to use. If you think you don’t need it, you can skip it if you have all HW for the week turned in on time” or some measurable metric.

It’s not a punishment- if she needs it, she goes. If she doesn’t need it and can show that, she doesn’t go.

[Anonymous]

Homework club is for kids who are so far behind that they need whatever help they can get.

If you can afford it, get tutors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Homework club is for kids who are so far behind that they need whatever help they can get.

If you can afford it, get tutors.

Yes, I think this is the stigma she’s embarrassed about. I wouldn’t say she’s far behind, but horrible with homework. It definitely brings down her grades.

We haven’t had luck with tutors since elementary. I don’t know what the issue is, but it’s almost like they just do the work for her, give her the answers, and she doesn’t actually learn anything from them. She has the most success when her teachers can give her time during study hall. Teachers don’t realize the mint they could make if they offered tutoring!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Homework club is for kids who are so far behind that they need whatever help they can get.

If you can afford it, get tutors.

Yes, I think this is the stigma she’s embarrassed about. I wouldn’t say she’s far behind, but horrible with homework. It definitely brings down her grades.

We haven’t had luck with tutors since elementary. I don’t know what the issue is, but it’s almost like they just do the work for her, give her the answers, and she doesn’t actually learn anything from them. She has the most success when her teachers can give her time during study hall. Teachers don’t realize the mint they could make if they offered tutoring!

You might want to explore that further: is the problem low processing speed? Or not understanding concepts? Has she been tested for ADHD and learning disabilities? If she had a diagnosis, would you seek services and accommodations from the school, and possible meds if it's ADHD?

I have a kid with inattentive ADHD (daydreamer version) and extremely low processing speed. He also has a high IQ. He had extended time for tests and assignments throughout K-12.

[Anonymous]

It will all work out. I wouldn’t worry to much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It will all work out. I wouldn’t worry to much.

Agree.

Also, consider that school isn’t for everyone. Maybe she has other talents just waiting to be discovered? How is she at sports? Dance maybe?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Homework club is for kids who are so far behind that they need whatever help they can get.

If you can afford it, get tutors.

Yes, I think this is the stigma she’s embarrassed about. I wouldn’t say she’s far behind, but horrible with homework. It definitely brings down her grades.

We haven’t had luck with tutors since elementary. I don’t know what the issue is, but it’s almost like they just do the work for her, give her the answers, and she doesn’t actually learn anything from them. She has the most success when her teachers can give her time during study hall. Teachers don’t realize the mint they could make if they offered tutoring!

Can she do that, is that available to her? If so, she should do that, as consistently as she can/you can get her to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Homework club is for kids who are so far behind that they need whatever help they can get.

If you can afford it, get tutors.

That’s a worthless blanket statement. There are many reasons kids go to homework club. Maybe some are far behind, most aren’t. Some students use it so they can learn to focus without extra stimuli like phones, TVs, video games.

I’m sure the teachers are capable of helping in all subjects.

A tutor is the one that’s good for kids who are way behind and students who just don’t understand the content. That’s not the problem.

[Anonymous]

The after school homework support sessions at my school are not useful at all. They are staffed by whatever teacher is willing to attend for a small stipend. I’m a teacher and it is more of a study hall where they find someone for supervision. It definitely isn’t a tutoring program. I would encourage your child to see individual teachers during the day during their advisory period or whatever it’s called at your school instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It will all work out. I wouldn’t worry to much.

Disagree. I wouldn’t assume everything will just work out, some kids have executive functioning issues and/or learning disabilities, and it’s often in middle school when that becomes more obvious as academic demands ramp up. Especially for kids with high IQ, they are often able to compensate earlier so it’s not noticeable.

OP, I would start looking into the possibilities of ADHD or LDs (they often run together). What strikes me as potentially concerning is that your DD had problems with multiple tutors. If you got multiple (presumably reputable) tutors and none were successful working with your kid, it suggests a learning issue of some sort. Certain LDs require different approaches to teaching, and a tutor who is a subject matter expert but not familiar with those might not be the best fit. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It will all work out. I wouldn’t worry to much.

Dear Lord. That is NOT the response responsible parents should have when a child doesn't hand in work, or has trouble completing work.

You're coming across as trying to willfully sabotage someone else's career prospects.

[Anonymous]

There are online tutoring companies. Some if the tutors are based in lower cost states and don’t charge that much. When homework was a battle with one of our kids during middle school we got tutors to get them over the hump. A few sessions with an algebra tutor and a writing tutor really helped.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It will all work out. I wouldn’t worry to much.

Dear Lord. That is NOT the response responsible parents should have when a child doesn't hand in work, or has trouble completing work.

You're coming across as trying to willfully sabotage someone else's career prospects.

This rubbed me the wrong way too like she will get the career she deserves after being a lousy student. That kind of working out?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It will all work out. I wouldn’t worry to much.

Dear Lord. That is NOT the response responsible parents should have when a child doesn't hand in work, or has trouble completing work.

You're coming across as trying to willfully sabotage someone else's career prospects.

DP. I agree with PP. She may figure out her system later than some other kids and later than her parents want, but she'll get there. Stress won't make the process faster but will make it more unpleasant.