Homework!

[ohioliberal]

Ok, how many parents out there are tired of doing homework for their kids. I've been out of school for about 30 years (OMG) and now I'm back doing it. I don't remember having that much homework when I was in school. What are they exactly doing in school?:grr:

[katinmn]

1. it started getting bad when my daughter was in 4th grade

now she's in 7th.

I don't actually DO the homework, but I do heavy coaching.

[shesemsmom]

2. I feel the same way

My kid is a sophomore and I don't understand that stuff, they should teach those kids so I don't have to struggle with it. After I work 12 hours the last thing my brain can absorb is homework. It makes me nuts and I've been out of High school 30 years too.A little out dated to start trying to figure that stuff out today::wtf:

[FlaGranny]

3. I hated homework

MORE when my youngest kid was in school than when I was in school doing it myself. My older kids went to school in NJ in excellent schools and seemed not to have any more homework than I did, but when we moved to Florida with the youngest, homework was excruciating. The poor kid spent hours and hours every night doing homework and totally destroyed any life outside of homework on weeknights for the whole family. It was stupid homework too. I never got the point of a lot of it. It seemed like they were doing little in school and sending it all home.

[teach1st]

4. I heard parents....

...and in the past two years have greatly reduced homework - after I make sure my students have the work habits to complete homework when it's assigned. The "homework" I do assign once we learn work habits is only homework if it doesn't get done in class. I do assign daily reading and a brief written response for homework.

I'm more than happy to assign extra homework for parents and students who think it's useful. It works out well.

[immoderate]

5. I like that.

I taught school on and off starting in 1968. This homework stuff is the school systems trying to be more accountable for their failure to educate students.

The failure is really not the schools' or teachers' fault. It is the fall of readiness that stems from a lack of stimulating environment outside of the school. As a teacher, pressure was put on me to assign more and more homework. This is to show that we're doing a good job. Then they expected me to check it every day.

I had 150 students. Giving each a minute outside of class means 2 1/2 hours a day. On top of this, there is lesson and project planning, record keeping, bus passes, lunch passes, interminable reports for government agencies, etc.

Teachers are really caught in the middle between clueless parents and incompetent government agencies. Education reforms are never proposed by educators. It's politicians and judges.

A story. Once at a pre-term orientation with parents, I made a speech about how important it is for a child to have a hobby. It motivates them to learn on their own. It leads to search out sources and do research, and develop skills which generalize to other learning.

One of the parents said, "That sounds like a good place for you to start."

I replied, "Sure, when the child support checks come in."

--IMM

[RazzleCat]

6. I don't do it for him, but I hate the you have to do it routine

Its the daily hassle, mom overseeing kid to ensure the homework gets done.

[NJ_Lib]

7. My daughter is now a sophmore BUT

... in grades 1 - 4, she made our lives a living hell with the homework... It took many years before she realized:

a) Homework is a part of your life and no amount of whining or crying is going to get you out of it.

b) No, Mom and Dad will not do your homework for you

c) Learn to "make peace" with homework because you have many years more to go before it is no longer an issue in your life.

Low and behold, after years of drilling thoses points into her head, she is now an honor-roll student who takes care of all of those things on her own.

After years of fighting with her and going through hell to get her to complete homework assignments, she finally "got it" and in 5th or 6th grade, she no longer needed our encouragements.

By the way, the other day she came back from her father's house, furious... She told me how her stepbrother who is in 3rd grade is doing badly in school. When she asked to see his homework, he got all bend out of shape and she gave her father and her stepmother hell about not staying on top of the boy. Her father told me that she freaked out saying, "do you know how important it is that he do homework, dad?" and insisted they complete the work before he went out to play with his friends...

I am still smirking to myself about this one... It proved to me that parent participation in those early years is essential. And we must do whatever it takes to show these kids that homework is their first priority and there is just no negotiation on this issue...

[The empressof all]

8. 4-6th grade had to be the worst for stupid homework

During those years I think I spent a small fortune buying supplies for daughters homework projects. Every year they had a dress up day when they had to dress up in period clothes. I don't know what's wrong with my family but we just don't have any Colonial clothes hanging in my closet. So I needed to spend endless hours behind the sewing machine. (I don't know if my kid learned anything historical from these tortures but we did learn to sew)

Then in 6th grade they needed to build a float for a parade around their school. Granted it was a small float on a wagon but it took an entire week end out of our lives. FOR WHAT?

I've helped to build three foot high log cabins out of twigs (I guess this is a practical skill if I have an invasion of fairies). I've helped to decoupage countless poster boards. (This is a nifty trick by the way-Use mod podge on the posters. It makes them harder and they stand out more)

Now that she's in high school-I'm done with that stuff. Oh wait the school has Renaissance Fair this spring! Gotta get the sewing machine out of the attic. (OK--this one sounds kinda fun)

Please understand, She does the vast majority of the work--I just have to pay for it!