Students came into my writing center for help on an assignment at all different points in the writing process. Some students came with a rough draft to review with me; but, more often, I would see students who had not even started the assignment. What do you do when your child comes home with an assignment and has no idea how to start? It will be hard for you to figure out what the teacher wants since you were not there for discussion. Helping your child help himself will pay off in the long run, especially once he is on his own in college.

Also, don't jump to any conclusions when your child comes home confused. Try to be a neutral as possible. Being unclear about the assignment does not necessarily reflect on the student’s intelligence or ability to complete the assignment. A lot depends on how well the teacher presented the task in the first place. Not all teachers who assign essays have had training in developing a writing assignment or writing a good prompt. This is a great opportunity for you to help your child develop his problem-solving skills. Complaining about the teacher is not going to help him get started on this essay. So, if there are concerns or uncertainties about the assignment, those absolutely must be addressed first.