Homework

I am responding to “Homework Is a Parent’s Eyes and Ears,” (Commentary, Jan. 24). I acknowledge that a historical perspective on homework in American schools is a good start to an analysis of the importance of homework. But I cannot agree that it is necessary to provide a window for parents to know what their child/children are doing in school.

Parents are only “in the dark” if they fail to review classroom work with their children, complimenting or correcting when appropriate, they don’t attend parent-teacher conferences, don’t volunteer in the classroom or at the school and don’t interact with their children after school.

Homework is supplemental, not mandatory, especially in elementary grades. It is the parents’ responsibility to use their eyes and ears in knowing what their child is learning, not the teacher-assigned homework.

THERESE TREBAOL

Manhattan Beach

Our children are constantly compared to their Japanese counterparts. They are expected to intellectually surpass the Japanese yet they work half the time at it. Children are the future of this country. It is imperative for them to develop study habits at a young age in order to maintain the desire for an education. For our society to thrive, we need educated individuals who understand that hard work goes beyond the classroom.

LISA STALKER, student

Huntington Beach