Summa Minutiae passes along a link to a fascinating NY Times essay titled Am I Dad, or a Tutor? I would have to say that I see where the author is coming from. One of the reasons we started homeschooling was that so much of our evening hours were taken up with ‘re-enforcing’ the work done during the day (not to mention special events like atom models built out of gum drops......) that we decided that it might be better just to do it ourselves, earlier in the day, when we are reasonably fresh.

I’m not so sure that the no help approach is such a bad thing either. My parents took relatively little interest in my homework unless I specifically asked for their help. And the school was not sending home regular notices on how to become an active, involved parent. The playing field was, as we would say today, level - no one had parents who were overly concerned with homework. At this point, I must interject that my mother, though a professional educator, did not think parents needed to nudge their children’s progress. From what she told me, her student days, especially high school at which time her mother was dying, no one in her family took any interest in her school performance. But she did well nonetheless. (Humble, too. Going through some papers a few years ago, I found a copy of her graduation program with a copy of her valedictory address. That was my Mom . She told me she did well. She didn’t mention she was valedictorian.)

At some point, schools - home or not - should be growing little autodidacts. Or at least pupils who can work for an hour without detailed instruction.