Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Signing off on homework in HS?!?

DD is a high school junior in an IB program. Started about a week ago. DD came home and said that her Spanish teacher wants parents to sign off that students worked on their homework for 45 minutes. DD finds this insulting. I think that my signature is meaningless in this context. I do not monitor her homework. DD has been completely independent in scheduling her time and managing her homework for YEARS. She is an excellent student. Do I say something to the teacher or do I just sign off?

We have had to sign off on things occasionally- but usually only large assignments or commitments. I guess this could also be something just for the of the beginning of the year. We haven't started this year yet, but if I remember correctly, we had a few teachers who wanted signed evidence that parents had seen and reviewed the syllabus and/or course expectations,

My thought is that it is to defend against parents who go and complain when Johnny doesn't follow the rules and gets a bad grade. Yes, it's insulting, but I would discuss with your DD that it is not directed at kids like your her (or parents like you) and probably just sign it. But I am one who resists making waves; and anyway, there were lots of other things my kids found more onerous/insulting, (so maybe have the "choose your battles" discussion, too.)

I would personally not find this worth cashing in some of my capital over. I would sign it and be done with it. But if it's keeping you up at night, you might try to come up with an alternate solution such as "as long as you are keeping an A and not missing assignments, you don't need a signature," and present that option to the teacher.

If your daughter is so independent why is she asking you for help?

I don't think knute974's daughter was asking for help, if I am reading it correctly. I think she just mentioned it to her mom and felt it was insulting...

But like most parents I believe they want to solve the problem. Knute was thinking of contacting the teacher. I think that's a last resort,

knute, I'd do one of three things - depending on how strongly you feel about it:

1) talk to the teacher about your concerns, as well as to the lead of the IB program (if there is a teacher lead).

2) have your dd talk to the teacher about why it seems unnecessary and counter to IB mission to have to have your parent sign off on this.

3) Accept it and just sign without requiring the 45 minutes.

And a few thoughts from me, re how I'd take it ... um.. 45 minutes for homework per night for *one* class - is the teacher nuts? How many classes does your daughter have, and when is she supposed to have a life outside of school? Why would a responsible high school junior need to check in with a parent re homework? Isn't the point of schooling to develop independent adults? And what if the homework doesn't take 45 minutes? What if your daughter is doing extremely well in Spanish with only 15 minutes a night? Why force her to study for a longer period of time?

(can you tell I'd be an unhappy camper with this lol!)....

Let us know what you decide to do -

polarbear

I see it as my problem because I am being asked to sign off on something that I am not doing. I haven't talked to one of her teachers other than showing up at parent-teacher conferences since she started high school. I'm inclined to send the teacher an email saying that I am unwilling to sign because I am not monitoring and that whatever system they devise needs to be between the teacher and my daughter.

Let's take a different perspective. Say you are the teacher. Part of her job is to encourage students to develop good work habits that prepare them for post-high school work and study. Although some students (like your DD) have already developed excellent time management and responsibility skills, others have not. Unless the teacher is to follow every student home and watch them study, she must find some other, more time-efficient, means to support the development of these skills. This happens to be the solution she has chosen. It may or may not be the best solution for everyone, nor is it necessary for every student, but there is probably some history that suggests to her that it is typically necessary, generally effective, and reasonably practical. Since it is not personally directed at any one, it is actually much less insulting than if she picked a few students and publicly called them out on their poor study habits.

Any time you have group rules or policies, there will be some people who would follow those rules without them being formalized, many who will follow them because they are formalized, and a few who will follow them only under threat of consequences. There is no need to feel insulted because you happen to have the virtue of falling in the first category. E.g., I presume no one here is insulted that there are laws against theft, arson, and murder.

ETA: And on a practical note, if I trust that my daughter is exhibiting good work habits with regard to this class, I think I would simply sign off and call it a day, based on her self-report. One could sign with a note to the effect of "has met homework expectations." Though I might investigate a little further on the question of homework/study expectations school-wide, as a separate issue.

@polar bear, we cross posted. She is on a modified block schedule so they have class every other day. I agree that it does not foster independence or fit the IB mission. I don't see how inserting me in the process adds anything to her education when she is doing fine on her own.

@aeh, shouldn't juniors in high school, particularly ones who are in an IB program, be responsible for their own homework? I haven't had any other teachers at the school ask for something like this.

I guess that I'm still stewing over this one

Oh and, IME, teachers rarely demand this kind of parental monitoring over the long term. It's typically a first month of school-type of thing, to get kids back into the rhythm of school. Actually, most teachers strongly dislike maintaining parent communication logs of any kind during high school, even for those children who need them.

Absolutely. Typical expectations at this grade level should include managing their own study habits.

But it doesn't strike me as something worth going to the wall over, nor do I think it can definitively be interpreted as insulting. Most teachers have good intentions, and this teacher likely had no way of knowing what her students' study habits were entering the class. She may very well have estimated them based on last year's class (perhaps they needed constant close monitoring).

My point was more that one expends emotional energy to little productive effect on objecting to being told to do something that one is already doing. Sometimes it's most conducive to achieving one's long-term objectives to simply say, "okay," and carry on.

And I doubt that it will last, as, unless she's not planning to monitor the signature (in which case there are no consequences to you and your DD ignoring the homework log), she's just created a boatload of paperwork for herself.

Not worth worrying about. Just sign it regardless of how long she spent on the homework. Middle kid took Spanish and French through AP level and I almost never saw her doing Spanish or French homework. I asked and she told me it was easy and she typically did the homework during a bit of free time during the school day. As long as your daughter is doing well in the class, I wouldn't monitor homework - just sign.

As for 45 minutes of homework, that was the standard at my school. Five core subjects, had four of the five each school day, so 45 minutes times 4 subjects each night - three hours a night. Sometimes it wasn't quite that much, sometimes a bit more, but you manage. And then when the college freshmen are complaining that they have so much more work than in HS, you are relieved that you have less work in college.

In this case I would just sign if off everyday even though I consider it somewhat insulting and shouldn't be necessary for most H.S. kids. My teen does his homework in his room. I'd honestly have no idea. Just have a talk with your daughter, that this is your solution to an overly bureaucratic teacher.

The only cases I've seen of a parent needing to sign that homework is done is when grades are either failing or on the verge of failing and the school steps in. (We have had that happen but it was done on a weekly basis.) Thus this type of requirement seems "insulting."

As for 45 minutes a night per class. That sounds very very normal in this household. DS has classes that have more than a hour per night. Although he only takes each class 4 times a week.

Is this a new teacher? I guess I'd probably contact the teacher to ask why. But letting your daughter try to talk with her first might be a good idea.

The teacher is new to the school but not new to teaching. She is from out-of-state. DD asked me not to say anything for a couple weeks so that the teacher can get to know her. I've been scribbling my meaningless signature as requested.

Yesterday, DD came home complaining that now this woman wants them to grade themselves on their participation on a daily basis. DD said that she has never had had such a bureaucratic, micro-manager for a teacher. I guess it's an opportunity to talk to DD about picking her battles and how to appease people like this. It might be a long year in Spanish.

But for heavens sake give yourself an A.

I'll have to convince her of that one. She has higher standards than most teachers.

I knew that would be the case. Been there done that kicked myself after the fact. Convince her!

Yup. Even as an adult i have graded myself at a lower lwvel because i felt i didn't know ALL the technical details wheras a workmate who knew NONE of tbe technical details gave herself a higher grade on the basis that uderstanding what you were doing was uneccessary provided you did it how you were shown.

I can't add anything to address the situation that you've described and while I don't agree with the teacher's method, I I would think it wise to use the situation to talk with your child about how throughout HS and then on into college to an even greater degree, your child will need to adjust to teacher expectations, habits, quirks, accents, teaching methodology, etc.

Sadly, for as odd as we think HS teacher's methods and expectations may be, in college through two sons, I've seen scenarios much magnified as most college professors, while proficient in material, have zero training in teaching and it often sticks out like a sore thumb.