My Second Grader's Homework Was So Confusing It Stumped the Internet
Imgorthand/iStock, LeoPatrizi/iStockHomework can be a bit of a controversial topic, especially when it comes to elementary school kids. Some believe the old-school approach of taking work home for practice helps ensure children have mastered a concept before moving on. Others think that after eight hours of school each day, kids deserve a break from the demands of learning.
Furthermore, some of the questions these assignments ask require a level of skill and comprehension some adults don’t even possess, and just mean more work for parents.
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'I'm at my wits end,' one frustrated mother wrote.
One mom, stumped by her child’s homework, brought the problem to the internet to see if they could help. She posted a picture of the problem On Reddit with a note.
“The teacher asked for an answer as well that includes the numbers. I am so stuck!! This is probably so easy, but after an hour I’m at my wits end! Second grade!!! Please help this mama out,” the post reads.
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Of course, it's a word problem.
The problem reads: “Write an addition equation. The equation must have a 1, a 2, and a 3 digit addend and use all of these digits. 662288000."
Full disclosure, I looked at this question and didn’t know what to make of it at all. It brought me back to some of the trauma I experienced with my own second grade homework, complete with a knotted stomach and hot tears streaming down my face. So instead of trying to figure it out for too long, I scrolled to the comments.
Some Reddit users understood the question.
Thankfully, the Reddit users had some helpful insight to share.
“The question asks for an equation, which means both sides of the '=' sign,” one user wrote. So they offered examples like: “2 + 60 + 800 = 862.” It fulfills the requirement of a 1, 2, and 3 addend and uses all the numbers. The OP was very grateful.
Still, others found the problem bizarre.
"At first I was scratching my head too but after seeing the answer to the previous question, it is pretty obvious what to do," one person commented. "I wonder, however, why anyone in the educational system would think something like this is useful or practical."
"Just me that didn’t understand the question without looking at the comments," another person wrote.
"Fasten your seatbelts.. we're going from 'are you smarter than a fifth grader?' to 'are you smarter than a second grader?'" another comment reads.
'Thank you for saving my tired brain,' the OP shared.
“We were about to start WWIII over here and you just whipped it out like the obvious [solution] that it is,” the mom responded to another user. “Thank you for saving my tired brain and also my child’s teacher from a very [strongly] worded email. You win hero of the day! Sincerely, parenting in the month of May sucks.”
This might be why some parents just do their kids' homework and leave it at that.
Honestly, it’s questions like these that explain why parents have just opted to do their children’s homework for them in an effort to save everyone in the house time and frustration.
One mom on Kidspot, shared her philosophy with no shame: “I know every parent helps [with homework] but if my kids are busy or if they’re rushing or whatever, I will do it because I’m not going to have them stress over four friggin math problems ... I mean it may not be right but I will help.”
