But today, some parents are actually doing the homework.

Clearly, that’s going too far. But what can a parent do?

Teachers say they need to see the teen’s work, not the parent’s. Only by looking at homework can a teacher judge what a teen still doesn’t understand. Teachers often use what they learn from homework mistakes to plan future lessons.

Where should you draw the line between helping and taking over? You can:

• Suggest other sources when your teen is working on a project. But don’t take over by going to the library or running an internet search for your teen.

• Edit your teen’s work. But don’t rewrite a paper. Circle words your teen misspelled, but don’t go to the dictionary to look them up.

• Suggest that your teen add a chart or graph to a paper. It’s not okay if you draw the chart while your teen works on math.

• Help your teen see how what she’s learning relates to real life. If she’s doing math, you can show her how to balance a checkbook. It’s not appropriate, though, to do her math homework for her.

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