ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, December 24, 1995 TAG: 9512260034
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
When Abby Fifer was stumped by her algebra homework, she picked up the phone and dialed for help.
She reached a teacher who patiently helped her grasp the complex algebraic concept so she could do the problem.
"Even though it was not my personal teacher, it was really helpful," said Fifer, a sophomore at Roanoke's Patrick Henry High School. "I was able to complete my homework."
Other schoolchildren have called for help with homework in English, history, geography and other subjects. Some want to make sure they have done their assignments correctly. And some parents call to get information so they can help their children.
A growing number of students are turning to Roanoke's Homework Helpline when they have a problem with their assignments.
The free service, which began three years ago, has had nearly 3,600 calls during the past school year.
The homework line provides assistance for children in all grades. Students can get help in all subjects, but the help line specializes in math and English.
Lissy Runyon, public information officer for Roanoke schools, said teachers try to provide help on all calls. But it sometimes can be a challenge, because a teacher might not be certified in the subject in which the student is seeking help.
"Some questions sound almost like they came right out of `Jeopardy!' the television show," said Bryan Corbett, a math teacher at William Fleming High School. "And sometimes, I think some students are playing 'stump the teachers' by seeing if we can answer their questions."
On some calls, teachers cannot answer the questions or provide the needed assistance immediately. But they often will call other teachers they know or check reference materials and return the student's call.
Roanoke began the service partly because of changing demographics and some parents' lack of time to help their children with homework, Runyon said.
The homework line also is part of the city's effort to improve students' overall academic performance and scores on standardized tests, she said.
Twenty-five Roanoke teachers answer the phones on a rotating basis. Six teachers are on duty each night: two each for elementary, middle and high school students.
The students can call Monday through Thursday from 5:30-8:30 p.m. The teachers are paid $8 an hour and work from their homes, where calls are forwarded.
The teachers try to provide direction and guidance for the students, but they don't do the students' homework.
"I try to give them help in such a way that I don't do their work. I trouble-shoot for them and talk them through their assignments," Corbett said. "Some want me to do their problems or provide the answers, but I don't do that."
"I never give them the actual answer," said Crystal Jones, a teacher at Highland Park Elementary School. "I just try to steer them to the answer or the solution to the problem."
Runyon said that even though the pay is low, the schools have no trouble getting teachers to answer the calls - they like the convenience of working from their homes.
Some even work when they're on maternity leave.
Teresa Goad, a teacher at Monterey Elementary School, had a baby in October and won't return to the classroom until January. But she has been answering the homework line since her daughter was born.
Roanoke operates the homework line in partnership with WBRA, the region's educational television station, and Coca-Cola, which helps underwrite the costs.
Coca-Cola provides $14,000 a year to help pay the teachers and other program costs in exchange for vending rights for soft drinks in schools.
WBRA has provided $30,000 to market the service with promotional spots. It also furnishes the call-forwarding telephone system.
Because the television station's coverage area extends outside Virginia, teachers have received calls from students in Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina and West Virginia, as well as localities throughout Southwest Virginia.
"We treat them the same as we do students from Roanoke," said Mary Hurt, a reading teacher at Virginia Heights and Crystal Spring elementary schools.
Homework line teachers said the number of calls varies, depending on the night of the week and the time of the school year. Calls increase shortly before examinations.
Some callers tell the teachers that their parents do not understand their assignments and can't help them. Others say no one is at home to help them.
A recent national survey by the Institute for Educational Leadership showed that 63 percent of parents said they help with their children's homework daily. Nearly 80 percent reported that they check daily to see if homework is completed.
Teachers said they receive many calls from parents for assistance in understanding homework assignments so they can help their children.
"Sometimes, the children are too shy to call, so they get their parents to call," Runyon said.
She said more elementary children than middle and high school students call for assistance, but she did not have detailed figures.
In the years ahead, cable television technology might enable Roanoke to have a televised homework service with teachers helping students on a live program. Cox Cable has earmarked channel 23 on its system for use by schools in Roanoke, Vinton and Roanoke County.
"We might be able to have such a service. We could do it at the television studio at Ruffner Middle School and maybe phase it in," Runyon said. But the city does not have the staff or money to begin the service now, she said.
344-0991
5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m., Monday-Thursday.
LENGTH: Long : 108 lines ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC: Chart by staff: Homework Helpline. color.by CNB