BlogHer - Teacher assigns homework--to parents - Comments

Should determineif parent willing an able

darby — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 13:06:18 -0500

if a parent is interested in this type ofeducation assistanc eprotocol i think it'goodbut wonder about threat to affect kid's grade kids should be gradedon their own efforts no parent's or lack therof

Possibly means well, but . . .

Kalyn Denny — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 09:16:34 -0500

I guess I don't even have time to write all the things I see as problem with this approach, but you've done a great job outlining them. My third grade students have homework M,T,W, Th nights where they may need parental help sometimes, and I feel lucky that most kids seem to be getting help from their parents. On the other hand, I ask the parents to sign off how many minutes their child has read on the students weekly planner sheet once a week, and I can't get at least 1/3 of the parents to do that. Week after week some kids don't have their minutes signed.

And yes, I'd say it's 100% certain that this guy is not a parent. Neither am I, but I'm not totally unaware of how hard it must be.

Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen

Demographics tell the tale

Mata H — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 07:56:18 -0500

Here is the income comparison for Montclair with the national median:

Montclair: $74,894
National: $41,994

And this number is also shaped by the fact that there is a part of Montclair below the poverty line. The rich here are very rich. Look on realtor.com. The cheapest home, which is a collapsing fixer-upper is $239K. The most expensive listed is $3,600,000. The median home price is $486K. This is Olympia Dukakis's home town. Yogi Berra lives here.

My point is that this is largely an indulgence for people who are of a privileged background. The Times article did say that one family did not have English as their primary language and had to call the teacher to explain, and that another family without a computer had to call in their reports. The fact that some families must have been made to feel embarrassed just makes me want to cry. I think of my own family, good blue collar folks, and wonder how many sets of parents in my family would have been uncomfortable, or felt ashamed of their lower level of education, but would have felt obligated to not hurt their children's future.

But then again, that is part of why I am moving from where I live (Upper Montclair, NJ - in a rental, not a mansion) to buy a home in Massachusetts in a more real-world, real-people environment. I know this was not "my" town when I walked into the supermarket on Mother's Day and they had a harpist playing in the vegetable section.

~~ Contributing Editor, Mata H. also blogs harplessly at Time's Fool

wow

dynamitt — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 06:43:10 -0500

I'm not sure what to say. I do agree it is nice to see a teacher thinking 'out of the box' as mention, but I also agree that he can not have though this all through. The sort of assignment can not be for everybody.

Maybe if there were different assignments which required a range of different skills it could include more parents. I have personally only experience with getting parents involved in pre-school and we offered a wide range different volunteer work to the parents to get them involved. This was ranging from picking up our mail at the post office, launder the art smocks to type up news letters to mention some.

Dina
dynamitt

Teacher assigns homework--to parents

Leslie Madsen Brooks — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 22:55:53 -0500

Ninth-grade teacher Damion Frye is giving homework to his students' parents:

So far, Mr. Frye, an English teacher at Montclair High School, has asked the parents to read and comment on a Franz Kafka story, Section 1 of Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself” and a speech given by Robert F. Kennedy in 1968. Their newest assignment is a poem by Saul Williams, a poet, musician and rapper who lives in Los Angeles. The ninth graders complete their assignments during class; the parents are supposed to write their responses on a blog Mr. Frye started online.

If the parents do not comply, Mr. Frye tells them, their child’s grade may suffer — a threat on which he has made good only once in the three years he has been making such assignments.

The point, he said, is to keep parents involved in their children’s ’ education well into high school. Studies have shown that parental involvement improves the quality of the education a student receives, but teenagers seldom invite that involvement. So, Mr. Frye said, he decided to help out.

The blogosphere is divided: Is this scheme asinine or brilliant?

Blogger Betty, a recently retired teacher, had this to say about Frye's assignments:

This sort of boggles my mind as I remember my own life as a working mother and teacher. It was hard enough to keep up with grading papers and helping my own kids with their homework. If I had had actual homework assignments, I probably would be in a fruit basket by now. My husband traveled a great deal, so I was the one that made sure we all were prepared and ready for the next school day. Wait a minute. I have to catch my breath just thinking about it.

Ashley Meeks of Adequate Yearly Chenille Sticks writes, "Apart from uproarious, cat-scaring laughter, I know what my response would be if my kid came home telling me I couldn't watch "America's Next Top Model" until I did my homework."

In her post "Is Damion Frye A Brilliant Teacher or an Arrogant Twit?" Liz at I Speak of Dreams wonders if Frye has made some misguided and classist assumptions about his students' parents:

1. They have internet access

2. They read English at a high-school level

3. They are comfortable using "new media" such as blogs

4. They have sufficient time and energy left over after work and caring for the kids and/or elderly parents to sit down, read complex works, and compose a reply.

Personally, I'm voting for, at the very least, culturally insensitive.

Over at Momformation, Beth Hering shares her reactions:

My first reaction: How much you want to bet Mr. Frye isn’t a parent himself? (My second reaction: I bet some husbands and wives have had some pretty good arguments over who would be the one stuck doing this homework. My third reaction: Oh, man. What if every teacher did that and I ended up suffering through calculus again?)

Margo/Mom was more supportive in a comment left on Elizabeth Rich's post on Frye's homework:

This is interesting. My initial reaction though was to the assumed need to coerce parents into cooperation. I read the article and I am still not entirely clear what this looks like (are parents blogging with students?)--however I admire that this teacher is clearly thinking outside the box and integrating technology into the classroom. He also appears to be willing to accommodate (receiving private emails from a parent with limited English skills who did not want to post to the blog).

Over at Baristanet, commenters are divided, but a few support Frye's efforts. ROC comments, "It's a fine idea, but it should be voluntary. Mr. Frye no matter how good a teacher he is should not be empowered to "direct" the educational environment at home. His authority ends at the classroom door." ROC adds, "p.s. but I'd love to do it." Bruce adds, "My son had Mr. Frye two years ago and we both found his dedication to his craft and his students refreshing. I never viewed my invitation to participate in my son's classwork as 'homework' and found the exercises enjoyable. As did my son. Mr. Frye is not only a terrific young man and teacher, but a tribute to MHS as a graduate of the program."

I have mixed feelings about Frye's assignments. As a pedagogue, I can see that it might better engage parents with their students' learning, and perhaps in the process improve the students' understanding of course material. Both my parents were high school teachers, and my father in particular had difficulty getting his some of students' parents to exhibit interest in their teenagers' education. Dad taught underprivileged special ed students in an urban setting in Southern California; many of his students' parents worked long hours and/or didn't speak English. Some parents were too busy to come to teacher/parent/school counselor/social worker meetings, others were intimidated, and still others apparently didn't give a damn. But most of them probably didn't have internet access or any idea about blogs and online forums. I can't imagine a blogging assignment enthusing such already overwhelmed and financially strained parents.

As a parent myself, I'm a bit steamed by Frye's assumption that I need an assignment either to get me engaged with or to structure my involvement with my child's learning. I also frequently have my own evening assignments--freelance writing, class prep, and paper grading, for example--that may preclude me from completing every bit of Frye's parental homework. (Besides, I've already earned my Master's in English and a Ph.D. in cultural studies. Please don't make me do another reading response!)

What are your thoughts? To what extent are you involved in your child's schooling and homework, and what would you do if your child's teacher gave you weekly assignments?

Leslie Madsen-Brooks helps university faculty improve their teaching. She blogs at The Clutter Museum, Museum Blogging, and The Multicultural Toy Box.