First grade homework: a rant

[KitchenWitch]

My daughter had her first homework in first grade today. Her homework literally took her an hour and a half to do, working constantly. And it looks like it will be that way all week. I can see twenty to forty minutes of homework daily. That does not sound unreasonable.

An HOUR and a HALF? 90 fucking minutes

:wtf:

[JTG of the PRB]

1. Two words: Not. Cool.

I didn't even HAVE homework until about third grade, and even then it was thirty minutes, tops. 90 minutes for a FIRST grader? That's messed up.

[KitchenWitch]

2. Thank you

I could not believe it.

[Breeze54]

10. I had 'homework' in kindergarten and then in first grade

we had lots of reading and writing homework in a notebook journal.

We just got more and more, every year, until we graduated. Hell yes!

90 minutes is nothing but I guess you're right that would be a lot for a first grader unless
it takes that long because she's dawdling! Most kids do 3 hours or more of homework in high
school or should be studying that much in high school!

They add it on, year after year. She'll figure it out. ;) It's called discipline.

On edit:

Amount of homework required

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homework

A review of over 60 research studies showed that there is a positive correlation between the amount of homework done and student achievement. The research synthesis also showed that too much homework could be extremely counterproductive. Homework overload can cause kids to "burn out". The research supports the "10-minute rule", the commonly accepted practice of assigning 10-minutes of homework per day per grade-level. For example, under this system, 1st-graders would receive 10-minutes of homework per night, while 5th-graders would get 50-minutes worth, 9th-graders 90-minutes of homework, etc. Some students, however, receive up to, or more than, five times that on some days.<3>

Many schools exceed these recommendations or do not count assigned reading in the time limit.<4>

Homework strategies....

snip-->

One approach for minimizing the amount of homework a student has to do at home is for the student to complete as much of it as possible while still at school....

[XemaSab]

48. Yeah, but in high school

It's a half hour of history reading, 45 minutes of math, a half hour of science problems, 15 minutes of civics homework, a half hour of Spanish, and then there's the English reading on top of that.

Easily three hours when you put all the different subjects together...

Practically all they teach in first grade is reading and easy math, plus crafts projects... :shrug:

I think an hour and a half in first grade sounds like busy work and is WAY too much for a 6 year old.

[tigereye]

57. some studies say that there is little or no correlation

unfortunately I don't have em handy at the moment.

[Squatch]

40. Some other words: This is why Japan, Germany, etc are kicking the hell

out of us in education.

Parents complain that a kid is studying *too much*. :eyes:

[Orrex]

50. Not true!

Parents complain that a kid is studying too much bullshit.

My own sons aren't yet in school, but I speak with parents in my workplace who describe the idiotic nightly assignments given to their children in various grades and school districts. One woman has triplets in third grade, and they're given daily lists of ten words for which they must write three sentences each (that's ninety sentences, of course). Doesn't seem like much work, I suppose, but it certainly doesn't seem like much value, either. And that's just emblematic of the busy-work in general; other parents describe similarly pointless exercises.

And schools teach precious little in science or civics, and almost nothing of value in history, either. Japanese and German kids aren't wasting time writing redundant sentences intended to create a facade of eloquence.

Is our children learning? Maybe, but they isn't learning much of real worth.

[Bucky]

61. Kids are constantly learning. Schoolwork is just a fraction of the learning they do.

Playing is a form of learning for first graders. Social interaction teaches them a zillion things. A kid can learn a LOT in 6 hours at school. That additional hour of homework doesn't really add value to the experience.

[KitchenWitch]

65. An hour and a half with a six year old's attention span is too much

Here is what happened yesterday.

Got home from school, gave daughter a snack, started homework.

Finished homework, looked at the clock and determined it was time to start dinner. Ate dinner, gave my daughter a bath and put her to bed.

No time for any quality family time. It was all work.

Sorry, that is too much for a first grader.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

85. Uh, NO!

My children are in 2nd and 3rd grade --- The amount of homework is outrageous. I have to do it with them and so I know that what they are asking of a six year old is downright brutal. My six year old is in the 2nd grade - Last night she had 7 pages of shit, 2 of which were double sided. She has to read at least 4 children's books a week (which is okay) but when you add it together it is --- OUTRAGEOUS. Then add in my 7 year olds 3rd grade crap and you have a nightmare of homework. I am lucky that he, my 7 year old, is very gifted and he does his homework without much help (unless he is feeling extra needy - like yesterday when he was lying on the floor and rolling around saying "I can't alphabetize 22 words.... I caaaaaan't do it.....!!!!!!")

You must not have any little kids???? Just a guess.

[Colorado Progressive]

3. Hah! Get used to it! I love how they expect your kids to do it,

but one of the parents must sit there through much of it. More like the parents have homework teaching the kids. My son is middle-school now and more independent, but my daughter hasnt even started Kindergarten, and I am dreading all that again. Parental homework really. And we get to listen to our kids yelling that all they do is homework, etc, to add to the pleasantness. I NEVER had homework except a 5th grade report, then a few other random things up until high school.

[KitchenWitch]

4. I know

I literally cannot do anything else while she is doing her homework. It was not this bad when my son (now a junior in high school) was in grade school.

I am hoping the load gets less as the school year progresses, or I am going to have to be locked up.

[Sequoia]

36. And you turned out okay...not flipping burgers at McDonalds

Unless you want to of course! You sure were lucky, must've been a cool school. I hated homework until high school.

[skygazer]

5. Okay, that's longer than my homework takes

And I'm taking legal classes. That's absurd for a first grader - their attention spans aren't long enough for that shit. I hope its not like that for the whole year - poor kid. :(

And poor mom. :(

[KitchenWitch]

6. I was only slightly less than amused today.

Granted my daughter can be a bit on the putzy side, but 90 minutes of constant work was not putzy.

It had better get better or I am going to the fucking school board and giving them a piece of my mind.

[lligrd]

7. Ugh Was 7th Grade For Us

Had 5 plus hours of homework a night. Apparently, they were trying to get them ready for High School so every teacher thought they needed at least an hour of homework from their class alone. I used to have to finish it after I sent my son to bed on some nights. I finally complained to his biology teacher that WE couldn't take this amount of homework anymore but she had little sympathy to offer. Eighth grade was fine and he barely got any homework in high school.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

8. Haaaaaa!

I have been there and done it. I am on your team. My kids are in 2nd and 3rd grade --- Their homework is sort of like what I had to do in high school.

It sucks.

It gets worse... They come home... I let them lay around for a while then for the rest of the afternoon it's "Do Your homework!"

[Breeze54]

9. Have fun!!! LOL!

I'm done with all of that!! Thank Gawd!!!

Hey? Let her take her time, she's just starting out, Mom!!

Enjoy!!! :D

[LibDemAlways]

11. That's too much for a 1st grader. A district near me adopted a

ten minutes per grade level per night for grades 1 - 5 plan, so even 5th graders have less than an hour. And it should be work a child can do by his/herself.

My local district takes a harsher approach, and my daughter has had numerous what I term "art" projects over the years that have necessitated extensive parental involvement. For example, when studying the Renaissance in 7th grade hstory, she was required to construct and decorate a booth for a class Renaissance Faire and make enough jewelry in a Renaissance style to share with all her classmates. She (or, more realistically she and I) were given two nights to do this.

I could write a book about all the other projects I've had to get involved with over the years. Many of the parents in this district have Hollywood studio connections and access to entire prop departments. If a parent takes a strictly hands-off approach, a kid is going to be at a definite disadvantage. It's brutally competitive out there.

Daughter's now in 9th grade, and quite stressed out already. Her 1st science test is going to cover 108 pages of material, and it's scheduled the day after she must present an oral report in the same class explaining electromagnetism and using 10 transparencies I had to pay a buck a piece for. The pace and the demands are like nothing I ever experienced - even in college.

I don't know what to tell you other than to hang in there and don't be hesitant about discussing the situation with the teacher. Maybe if enough parents complain, she'll make adjustments. Hope so for your sake.

[davsand]

49. Aaaaah, yes, the "Projects."

Building the log home in third grade was a real treat, as was building the Tee-pee in 2nd. 4th wasn't too bad--mostly it was posters and mobiles and I could manage that without a fine arts degree or channeling Da Vinci.

I swear those projects are more about testing the parents art ability than about what the kids learn. I have found that the craft store is my friend. I'm just waiting to see what fresh hell will emerge this year in 5th grade. I like the teacher pretty well, so maybe it won't be too bad.


Regards!


Laura

[LibDemAlways]

51. In California 4th grade includes the study of California history

which, of course, includes the missions. Guess what parents get to do that year? Yep, a scale model of a specific California Mission. The local crafts stores actually sell Construct a Mission kits including everything from little plastic cows and padres to little plastic bells. It's a joke.

In 5th grade my daughter was assigned a book report each month that had to include an accompanying art project. One month the assignment was to read a biography and draw a portrait of the subject. My Walt Disney was outstanding. That year I also constucted a mobile of fairy tale characters when the topic was fantasy, and put together a pioneer journal on burned parchment. If you ever have to make paper look old, wipe tea on it and scorch the corners with a flame. Having a gas stove helps.

I thought middle school would be an improvement, but it was just as bad. In 6th grade, a math assignment was to make blueprints for and build a small scale model house of a unique architectural style. My English cottage turned out great. It wasn't until algebra in 8th grade that the art nonsense stopped. It continued in history, though, until I was ready to throttle the teacher. It got to the point where I had no life. For God's sake, assign work the kids can actually do on their own and give them time in school to do it. What the present system teaches the kids is, when you've been assigned work that's too difficult and unrealistic for you to complete on your own, get mom involved or fail.

It's completely out of hand in the elementary and Middle school grades. I'm hoping things improve in high school. Good luck this year.

[davsand]

53. "I also constructed a mobile" "My English cottage turned out great."

Yep.

WE get graded on this stuff.

Pisses me off. I DID grade school already...



Laura

[LibDemAlways]

60. Only difference is that back when I was in grade school the

expectations were more realistic. I remember making the mission model in class out of sugar cubes. (That dates me.) The teacher made it a class project. Everybody pitched in and it was done during school hours. Same with a history mural that we put up on the wall. Everybody took a small piece, and it ended up looking like something 5th graders did.

Today the projects look professional, and the teachers don't seem to mind a bit that the kids obviously have lots of "help." In 7th grade the kids had to create a science fair project that included a large, detailed display board. One of the mothers owns a framing shop, and it was obvious she did her kid's board with professional framing tools. The kid, who otherwise was a "D" student, got an "A" on his board. A friend of my daughter, whose mother refuses to get involved, got a "D" on hers because she had to do it all herself and was absolutely lost.

It's like pitting pro ballplayers against little leaguers - a very unfair, uneven playing field.

[tigereye]

58. this post should go on the greatest page!

[KitchenWitch]

73. Wish it could.

[kath]

68. The bigger question is - How much actual LEARNING takes place by making a model of a mission or a

mobile, or whatever?? Can you say "busy work"? I knew you could.

(And, sadly, "busy work" is probably an apt description of MOST of the homework assignments. What the fokkity-fok do kids do all day in school these days, that they have to do so much work at home??? We did VERY little homework in grade school when I was a kid (I'm 51) and we sure turned out okay. FWIW, I was a top student - valedictorian and all that crap.)

[LibDemAlways]

74. I confronted my daughter's 8th grade history teacher last year

about this. I told her the projects were ridiculous and busy work more for the parents than the kids, who lacked the skills, never mind the desire, to see a bunch of complex projects through.

She became absolutely offended and scolded me about how some kids are better at hands-on learning and the projects were for them.

I responded that hands-on projects should be done in the classroom so every kid is forced to do his or her own work and the teacher can evaluate the students' work rather than the parents'. She said there's no time for that. They are too busy in the classroom learning the material they need to know for the standardized tests, so teachers have no choice but to send the creative stuff home. I then suggested that perhaps they could eliminate the parent projects altogether. Of course that didn't sit well.

I taught 8th grade English and History back in the 80's and never once assigned one of these take-it-home art projects. I've been in touch with former students who are attorneys, business owners, and one is even the principal of the school in which I taught. Not having a bunch of time-wasting art projects apparently did them no harm.

[xchrom]

12. there's no time to be a kid any more.

very sad.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

13. Hell, I didn't have homework at all in in 1st grade.

That was only 10 or so years ago. What is this homework trend now in the lower levels?

[malta blue]

14. That seems rather unreasonable.

Little MB is in third grade right now, and has less homework (currently) than she did in second. Second grade had 30 minutes of assigned reading nightly plus whatever else she assigned. Add a timed assignment to an already uber-anal little girl and I had to give her a kitchen timer, 29 minutes was not going to cut it.

[Maestro]

15. As an administrator in an elementary school

this is pathetic! I consistently tell teachers that if you send more than 30 minutes of homework home a night that is too much for this age. I expect some reading practice to be done which could be reading from something the teacher sends home or something from a personal family library, plus perhaps some math practice. However, and this is especially true in math, if a child can do 5 problems of math correctly, a child can do 25 so why overwhelm the child and the parent? Quality practice of skills should not be overwhelming. I spent way too much time doing math homework, reading work and work that my child did not finish (her fault) yesterday! Also, the math work was just a worksheet. I detest that! And it was not appropriate for the beginning of the year second grade. It was skip counting practice but it involved backward skip counting like this: 66, 61, ______, 51.... That might seem incredibly easy for us as adults but imagine if you are a second grader in the first weeks of school. :banghead:

[tigereye]

59. thank you for this voice of sanity, Maestro

I kept telling various teachers in my son's progressive private school that there was little developmental reason that kids should have so much homework. And my clinical opinion in my office and overall is that it's unhealthy to have too much homework,

Who is the homework really for?


:yourock: Please try to pass your wisdom on to other administrators!

[maddezmom]

16. same here for my 1st grader

between spelling words, sight words and regular homework we spend between 40 minutes to 1.5 hours per night. I break it up a bit. We do sight words right when she gets home and having her snack. The others we do after dinner. :)

[JoDog]

17. Yikes!

I didn't have that much homework in junior high! Are you aquiantances with any of the parents of daughter's classmates, or parents of students in the second or third grade in the same school? You might want to see what they think of the homework load, if it takes their kids as long to do it, etc. Then schedule a time to talk to the teacher, and try to present a united front with other parents if you can. Ask why so much homework is being assigned. Make it clear to the teacher that while you understand the need to backup daily lessons, you are worried that your daughter isn't going to have time for other things that are also important to her development--playing with friends, exploring other interests, time with family. If you hit a brick wall there, talk to the principal.

I have a suspicion that the teacher is giving them out of class assignments to cover things that they are running out of time to cover in class. An aunt who is a first grade teacher told me last month that as she has to spend more time taking care of discinplinary problems in a class where the number of students keeps growing, she has had to send more and more reading assignments home. It's either that, or run the risk of the kids not being able to make the grade come testing time.

While repetition is important to learning, that much work isn't making learning a posititve experience for the kids. It turns it into a task that must be endured.

[dropkickpa]

18. Dropkid doesn't have it as bad

Last year (K) she had about 30 minutes of homework every night but Friday. This year she gets a packet on Monday that's due on Friday, and it's NOT too onerous, roughly 20 minutes a night if we follow the teacher schedule. She has decided to do it all on Monday and Tuesday so she has time to play the rest of the week (I have no problem with this, I HATED doing homework, it was a waste of time if I already knew the material). Dropkid has already started the "But I know all this stuff, why do I have to do it again at home?" thing I remember so well from my childhood. I just grit my teeth and tell her it's like soccer practice, the more you do it the better you get at it.

I need to speak with her school about getting her tested for the gifted program, she is way too bored and a bored Dropkid is a Dropkid who gets into a *lot* of trouble all day long.

[raccoon]

19. Good gosh, I didn't have homework until third grade. nt

[LaraMN]

20. That's just wrong. My 4th grader doesn't have that much.

:scared:

[JVS]

21. 90 minutes is reasonable.

Is she learning from it?

[LaraMN]

22. For a six-year-old? After eight hours in school?

I'm gonna have to disagree with you.
I think there's something to be said for a kid having time to be a kid.

[KitchenWitch]

24. I think JVS is yanking my chain!

:)

[LaraMN]

25. Because he's a bastard like that!

:rofl:
I think we need to assign him some homework.

[JVS]

66. I already have enough homework. It's never done and it takes uncountable hours

When I was a small child my mother took me aside one morning and said "You realize, don't you, that when your father leaves the house each day, he goes to work?" Small JVS nodded. "His work is important. Similarly, you see the work I do in this house, it is important too. The importance of work is not just for us, JVS, but also for you. I am about to send you to spend several hours each day with teachers. You must take school seriously, it is your job."

[KitchenWitch]

23. And there is always one in the group!

:P

[Pithlet]

26. That is too much.

My kindergartner has had homework every night since the second week, though not nearly as much. So far it's only two worksheets plus another sheet of exercises that don't get turned in, so it isn't bad at all. It only takes us about a half an hour to do it all. I don't remember homework on a regular basis until much later. Things have definitely changed.

[sarge43]

27. When I was driving school bus,

it used to appall me to watch 6 and 7 year olds struggle up the well under a load of school books on their backs. Some of those poor kids could barely stand. I asked one what the hell that was about. "Homework."

And we wonder why kids loathe school by the time they get to high school.

[Inchworm]

28. Enjoy it

It all depends on the teachers. What killed me when daughter was growing up was when teachers gave them time in class to do all their homework. It blew my whole schedule because I liked helping with homework, and my daughter went a few years with none. It just seemed to me that if homework was done at school it is then classwork :shrug:

:hi:

[KitchenWitch]

29. I would not mind 1/2 an hour for a 6 year old but 1-1/2 hours is way too much

By the time we got done, I had to start dinner, so my daughter and I could not really enjoy any fun together.

[Inchworm]

31. I hope it was just a fluke that it was so long

Call the teacher and say yo dude/dudess whazzup! I'm diggin the learnin stuff you send home with my young'n but geesh she barely has enough time to eat and bathe on your regiment.

I agree. 90 min is too much that young. I was just saying how it changes sooo much depending on the teachers.

:)

[halobeam]

30. without reading the responses here first

I just felt compelled to respond, it brings up memories for me. After having two kids go through too much time on homework, I decided to have them do what they didn't know, or needed to have reinforced and the rest I let them go in without it. They always had a "needs improvement" remark on their homework on their report card, but I felt, if they knew the work and tested well, that was the point. I absolutely did not do this with math though, I felt the repetitiveness was important in this subject. Note: this was elementary school only.

Some may disagree with me, as some (not many) of the elem. school teachers did, but I listened to their point and then made my own decision.

Once they hit middle school, they actually had less homework (or it took less time), and the homework they did have was counted in their grades as well as it reinforced lessons that were becoming more complex and needed to be reviewed regularly to fully understand the concepts. Granted some teachers still are sticklers for homework, even when it's just for the sake of (whatever their reasons was it seemed), and they would grade harshly for it not to be handed in. For example my son's seventh grade math and soc. st. teachers will take five points off of their QUARTER AVERAGE for every homework not done. Absolutely INSANE to fail a kid who gets mid 90's on the tests and fails them b/c of homework. So, thats when I tell my kids, you are going to have bosses that have insane policy and if you want your paycheck, you just do it, no questions asked. Same applies to the homework crazies in the school.

I just couldn't see watching a very young child full of curiosity and the appetite to learn everything, become someone who hates to learn. I refused to do this to my child, and it seems they have a retained their healthy desire to learn. One is in 7th and the other 11th grade, and they are enjoying the school experience still.

Go w/ your gut.

[MissB]

32. General guidelines are 10 minutes a day per grade.

So my fourth grader should be doing 40 minutes a day and my third grader should be doing 30 minutes a day. Your 1st grader should be doing 10 minutes.

[KitchenWitch]

33. Yes, I have heard those guidelines as well.

I understand the desire to have the highest test scores in the state (our school district boasts of having test scores within the top five in California) but at what damn cost. Burnt out children and burnt out parents have no motivation to achieve.

[MissB]

34. Well, increasing homework won't necessarily increase test scores.

Unless the district is focusing on rote learning, which in the end won't exactly help. I assume that the testing standards are somewhat uniform across the country - in 4th grade, the kids take a writing assessment. Rote learning won't help. Truly, it won't even help pound in much in the way of math (other than, say, multiplication tables).

It just seems like they're going about it wrong. Probably tied to funding, though. Our district is heavily funded by private money so we can have small class sizes and all of the extras. The net result is that we have a fairly long (comparative to other districts) school day in which the kids can learn at a reasonable pace. Often times, my kids bring home two pieces of homework which takes all of ten minutes total.

If I were you, I'd get a bit pissy with the school. Is there no danger to your child being held back? Is he/she getting the material but is finding that he/she has to spend way too much time filling out worksheets at home? If so, then I'd simply say something along the lines of...sorry, my kid has this concept. We spent 10 minutes on parts of it to make sure he/she has the concepts down. We view the rest as just busy work, and our family time isn't going to be interrupted for busy work.

[halobeam]

41. exactly

re: your last paragraph. Thats what we did. Some teachers didn't like it, but my child was better for it.

[Sequoia]

35. No Child Left Behind you know!!!

I ranted to my kid's teachers about all the homework, usless and repetative crap that bored her so that she stopped doing it all together. We sure had a fight with the school and this was last year and the year before. Seventh grade seems more worth while like she'll really be learning something from teachers who are used to teaching college age kids. But 90 minutes for 1st grade homework!!!! What sort of teacher would torment kids so? You parents should get together and protest it, it's not fair to the little tots or you.

[KitchenWitch]

37. I am going to see how it looks next week

If it continues, I will be banding together with other parents and nipping this shit in the bud. It helps that I am one of those "PTA Hacks".

[Sequoia]

38. I forget to add:

When we complained about all the homework that wasn't getting done the school wanted us to sign the "My kid is dumb" document where they wouldn't assign so much homework but would get money from Uncle Sam. They had it all drawn up and ready to sign (two years running now, but not this year...yet) and we refused to sign it and my daughter was in tears. She is very smart and scores high on the STAR test which makes the school happy because she has a Spanish last name. My daughter could run circles around some of those teachers who assign work but never really seem to have the kids think for themselves. It was like, why should my daughter do 50 match problems of the same thing when 5 would do? Good luck, tell the school board because a lot of homework does not make a child smarter, only more resistant to learning.

[Rambis]

39. Doin it too

We get home at bewteen 5:30 and 6:00pm and he goes to bed at 7:30 so just when is he supposed to relax and be a kid? He is in dual language so he does homework in english and spanish so it is even more intense. He is also supposed to read 30 minutes a night on top of that. I am really glad he likes to read but sheesh! This is not jr high or high school already is it?

[EstimatedProphet]

42. It took you an hour and a half to do your 1st grader's homework for them?

[KitchenWitch]

43. *snerk*

Funny guy!

:rofl:

[Javaman]

44. That's not homework, I'll tell you what home work is!!!

When I was in 1st grade I was lucky if it only took me 90 minutes! Sometimes they would give us so much homework, that I would still be doing the first days work a week later, so by the end of the week I was already 5 days behind. On top of that, I had to walk to school in hip deep snow in the summer! both ways, up hill!!! You don't even want to know what the winters were like!

[KitchenWitch]

45. But were you barefoot?

[Javaman]

46. Feet? you actually had feet? I had to save up for my first pair!

that was only after having to sweep floors with my head for 5 cents a week!! And that 5 cents I had to GIVE to my boss. Dagnabit!

[Silver Swan]

47. IMO first graders should not have homework.

I went to school in the dark ages, but I don't recall having any homework until seventh grade.

We had assignments in earlier grades, generally exercises that could be completed during class time.

When my own children were in elementary school, they seemed to have quite a bit of homework which I would have to prod them through every evening. By seventh or eighth grade they didn't need my encouragement to do it. Funny thing--that's the point they used to start assigning homework.

(My mother was an elementary school teacher from 1934 until she retired in the 1970's. She thought the trend toward tons of homework for little kids was wrong!)

[snooper2]

52. They should have 2-3 hours of Homework...

pshhh, and people wonder why Americans are stupid and can't find their own state on a map....

Year round school with two 3-week breaks might help as well....

[KitchenWitch]

72. *ahem*

forget something?

:sarcasm:

[Pacifist Patriot]

54. That's unreasonable. I homeschool....

<donning the asbestos panties with that admission ;)>

and my first grader and I probably spend 90 minutes per day on ALL his school work. And half of his stuff is in second grade texts/workbooks.

90 minutes on top of the school day? When is the six year old supposed to go out and play?

[GoddessOfGuinness]

77. Sometimes my 4th grader doesn't realize he's doing homework...

When he's playing with the circuit board set we gave him for Christmas, or the chemistry set, or the math game.

And it's funny how a walk in the woods or a trip to the zoo can remind us of something we studied in school. There are so many opportunities to do homework that doesn't squelch a kid's love of learning.

[Lyric]

55. I feel your pain

I have a seven-year-old in second grade, and I remember all too well what first grade homework was like. Worse, my kid was in speech therapy, so he had his regular class homework *plus* the homework assigned by his speech teacher. It took us 2-3 hours to get through it all every night. And this year appears to be just as bad, if not worse. Gotta pass those standardized tests, after all.

Thanks loads NCLB. *sigh*

[tigereye]

56. it should really only be 10 minutes, if that

10 minutes per grade, I think.


This is a huge pet peeve of mine....

[JVS]

67. When I was in elementary, they said an hour per night.

90 minutes was possible on occasions, but unusual unless a student was having a hard time understanding the material

[tigereye]

76. I don't remember having that much homework until I was in jr. high

but it was a different era.

I don't think kids should have so much homework that they don't have time for other things - or for simply doing nothing. And that's my professional and parental opinion.


I suppose a lot of homework breeds a certain amount of intellectual discipline and drive. But I suspect that isn't true for everyone.

:hi:

[China_cat]

62. And then they berate the parents for not getting

the kids outside to play and exercise...blame them for the kids getting fat because they're allowed to 'sit around'.

[KitchenWitch]

63. All the while they cut out the PE programs IN the school AND

assign scads of work to be completed OUTSIDE of school.

[China_cat]

64. Our schools also no longer have 'recess'.

I really think it's just a ploy to keep them dumb and potential slaves.

[hedgehog]

69. I developed a life long habit of procrastination due to too much homework when I was too young

When all you see is more work, you lose all hope. It reminds me of those weird lab exercises in which the rat gets shocked no matter what it does.

There is definitely a No Child Left Behind aspect to this. I live in New York State and the homework load has always seemed about right (So far I'm 5 for 5 at having my kids go on to college on scholarship) My sister in Maryland tells me about her son's homework and it is appalling. He spent more time page per page analyzing a dumb "You are There.. on the Titanic" book than I did in college on a 400 level course dedicated to Joyce's Ulysses!

[BreweryYardRat]

70. That's gross overkill.

A kid shouldn't be getting that much work until middle school (for all assignments put together, by the way). Of course, I got fucked over by tons of homework my last year of middle school, and all through high school, so I'm biased.

I've never thought that busywork does kids any good. Once they hit middle school or so, start them on 5-7 short problems/questions per class, and that's it for busywork.

High schools should be giving kids short papers (2 pages, double spaced) once every two weeks, tests, and a major paper (10 pages, double-spaced) once per semester. That's it.

You shouldn't be getting crushed under work + life put together until you're in college -- that's the price you pay for higher ed.

But 90 minutes for a first-grader? That's beyond asinine.

Please keep us updated.

[Reciprocity]

71. Makes me wonder what happens to the children who’s parents don’t give a damn.

Seems they will never be able to keep up. Thus labeled for life in the first grade.

[TK421]

75. First...fucking...grade? Is she in some kind of gifted school or something like that?

I don't even remember homework up until the third grade, and I attended Catholic grade school!!!!


That is bullshit...find out what was discussed the day of schooling..and find out if that warrants 90 minutes of work at home AFTER school.....bullshit, I've never heard of such a thing


edited to add: mine was a TOUGH grade school, where nuns would beat you with a yardstick for reciting the Apostles Creed incorrectly!!!!!!! AND the most I've ever had to do for homework was about an hour ( an hour, but it's Catholic school, so I supposed that makes a difference ). but that would encompass almost every subject taught that day....

[KitchenWitch]

78. Nope just regular grade school in MasterPlanistan.

[Left Is Write]

79. I spent less time daily on homework when I was in high school!

[KitchenWitch]

80. Me too.

In fact (I was a slug in high school) I think I may have spent less than a grand total of 90 minutes of homework for the entire four years I was there.

[Zoigal]

81. Good grief...

that is ridiculous. I taught for years and never would have considered
giving homework of that length to any primary grade kids. Ten to fifteen
minutes at the most. Have you considered a conference with the teacher
to see what the school's policy is regarding homework? p

[TroubleMan]

82. My son has about an hour of homework every night, ever since first grade.

He's in fourth grade now. It's a pain in the ass, and it's frustrating for him. This is just the normal class, and it seems it's consistent throughout Palm Beach County from what I've heard from other parents.

[skygazer]

83. Are you still bitching?

Go do your homework! :P

[KitchenWitch]

84. If I couldn't bitch, my life would have no meaning!

:P