Homework Hotlines Help Students and Parents

Times, they are a-changing. The era of running downstairs and asking Mom or Dad to help with homework may be coming to an end. These days, students can just as easily use a computer or cell phone to receive homework help. Welcome to the New World of Homework Hotlines! And, what a crowded world it is fast becoming! Over the last year or so, there has been a virtual explosion of new homework hotlines, with a new one seeming to pop up every day. (Some businesses use the sms forwarding australia "hotline" but are actually homework information sites with articles and links or paid tutoring services.) There is a homework hotline to suit every family, student and budget: free and paid; local, national and international; immediate help and those where someone will get back to you later. A student might call down the street and talk to the friendly librarian, or send an email to a guy across the country, or even chat with a woman in an entirely different country. Some hotlines are only available for a few hours after school; others stay "open" 24/7. You know, just in case your first grader needs help with those sight words at 3 o'clock in the morning.