HOMEWORK HOTLINE
The Homework Hotline is available 4 - 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, except holidays and semester breaks. Certified teachers assist students with questions in math, Spanish, English language arts and social studies. The service, which is free, is made possible by Atlanta Public Schools, WPBA, Morehouse College, corporate and foundation contributions. The number is 678-553-3029.
There comes a time when most of us parents no longer can help our kids with our homework. It might be because we don’t understand what they are doing. It also could be that our kids don’t think we understand what they are doing. Either way, time for the Homework Hotline, which gets underway for the new school year Sept. 8. Four nights a week, teachers are on hand at a call center at Morehouse College to help students with their questions in math, English language arts, social studies and Spanish. The hotline, a joint effort between Atlanta Public Schools and Public Broadcasting Atlanta’s E-Learning/Cyber Center, is free of charge and draws students from across the country. Glenn Randall of College Park, who taught high school math 42 years, talks about why he mans the hotline.
Q: A lot of kids, and adults, for that matter, struggle with math. Is that because math is hard?
A: Math is not that hard. My contention is that kids don’t get the rudiments when they are in elementary school. Then, when they get to middle school, they don’t get the math and that leaves a bad taste for it in their mouth. Once they get the basics, it is smooth sailing. And if they are a good reader, they have a better chance of being successful at math.
Q: What’s the connection between math and reading?
A: In math, there are word problems and applications. When I was teaching the rudiments of word problems, I taught students key words to look for to understand how to set up the problem. Once you understand what the problem is talking about, the math part is not hard.
Q: Do you think most kids can do math?
A: Most kids can. If they look around, math is everywhere. A quarter is a circle. If they go to the store and buy a box of cookies, the box is a rectangular shape.
Q: Are there kids who call into the hotline who don’t get it, no matter how hard you try?
A: Sometimes you have to concede that you can’t get through to the child. A lot of times, parents will call to get us to help them solve the problem so they can help their kids.
Q: Do the kids ever stump you?
A: I can answer their questions most all of the time. I haven’t had statistics since I got out of school. Those questions can be challenging for me.
Q: Have you been able to develop a relationship with kids calling in?
A: I have with several young people. We started out together in eighth grade and have stuck it out until they have graduated. I have always had a good relationship with kids.
Q: Is one day of the week busier for calls than others?
A: There are some days when I am inundated with calls. Sometimes a problem will require 10 minutes. Sometimes kids will call in just to check their homework and, if I have time, I just sit and listen to them work through their problems. There are some questions that I have to think through, analyze and get back to students on. We have the capability of calling the students back. We don’t just help students locally. We get calls from every state in the U.S., including Hawaii.
Q: What do you get from working with the Homework Hotline?
A: The joy of helping a child with their work, trying to make a difference. That is why I have hung in there. It also keeps my mind keen. If you retire and sit around and do nothing, your mind gets dull. With math, if you don’t use it, you forget it. That’s true for simple fractions all the way up to calculus.
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