There might be times when someone says to you, “Can you do my algebra homework for me?” At some point, this is pretty flattering. It means that a person who asks this trusts your expertise. Besides, you might feel tempted to do this for some kind of favor. But in reality, doing homework for someone else will benefit neither of you. It will require you to invest a certain amount of time — wouldn’t you rather spend it on something you enjoy, like reading or socializing with friends, or mastering your own home assignments? And the person will miss out their own algebra lesson. So, how can you respond to someone who asks to do algebra homework for them?
Send a Link about the Benefits of Homework
There is a debate on whether homework is good for school students or not. While some research says that homework does not contribute to better learning of the material, other research favors home assignments. Pretty much everybody agrees that homework teaches students to manage their time and nurtures responsibility. What’s also important, doing school assignments at home helps one better understand the topic and solve the problems on one’s own. You can find a lot of such information online.
Explain How Algebra Can Be Helpful in Their Future Life
Although it might seem that algebra is useless beyond school, it is far from the truth. This discipline comes in handy when one starts learning science or programming. All the devices we are dependent on are based on maths, especially algebra. If one wants to be in trend and have a good career path (or just to be a well-read individual), at least basic understanding of the subject is a must.
Offer to Explain How to Do the Task
Do not do the task for someone else, but better explain them how to do it on their own. This way, you will both enjoy manifesting your skills in algebra and improve your understanding of the subject. Start with asking, what exactly they don’t understand and focus on the confusing issues.
Just Say No
Are you one of those people pleasers who have a hard time saying no to anyone? There is nothing to be really ashamed of, but you should understand that doing something for others all the time won’t get you anywhere nice. Lifehacker had both an entertaining and useful article on how to learn to say no to people. Summing it up, just stop for a while and think realistically: will that benefit you in any way? No? You’ve got an answer. So, whenever another student asks you to do their homework, just say no in a polite way. You can always explain them that you have your own things to take care of, but you don’t really need to do this.
So, you’ve got some idea of what to do the next time you hear, “Will you please do my algebra homework for me?” Explain the person how this will disadvantage them in a short or long term, or offer some help with understanding the assignment if you are really into it. Finally, you can always just say no without having to explain them anything. Be a master of your own time and don’t forget about the benefits of learning algebra.