Question for our teachers or teacher aides..

Tracey - posted on 09/13/2010

I was a TA for UK Year 2s. That is age 6 - 7. They were given 2 - 3 pieces of homework a week each taking about 20 minutes.
When my daughter was your son's age she didn't get that much per week let alone for the weekend. I would speak to the teacher as this sounds like a lot of homework. What was the time limit, did it all have to be done at one time?

Anika - posted on 09/09/2010

I'm an Early Childhood Teacher, but we don't give homework so I'm no help on that front. However I thought you'd be interested to hear this. One of the schools here in my town decided to stop issuing homework and you know what? Some parents made a huge fuss about it! So you can't win. I'm sure for all of us who think homework is excessive or unnecessary, there are parents out there who think there should be more!

Good Day! - posted on 09/09/2010

I agree Jodi. There is a time and place for homework. It's designed so that parents can see what the kids are doing in school and so the kids can learn study skills and practice what was learned that day. But that can be done with 30 minutes of work (5 math problems, a few sentences for language, a social studies or science worksheet). 3 hours of homework is unnecessary.

Jodi - posted on 09/09/2010

It's not that I don't believe in homework, because I actually LIKE that my kids have some homework. It is a way that I can see on a day-to-day basis what they are doing at school and how they are doing, I really think some homework is beneficial in that respect. Even Taylah has "homework" in her first year of school (generally just reading at this point), and I like that I can see their progress. But honestly, it does get over the top when a kid can't have free time because they have too much.

Stifler's - posted on 09/09/2010

I don't believe in homework either, don't they learn enough during school hours. No wonder there is obesity there's no time to relax or play.

Lyndsay - posted on 09/09/2010

I agree, that is extremely excessive and totally unnecessary. I worked as an educational assistant in a grade 3 classroom for four months and in that time the kids were not given homework once.

Jodi - posted on 09/09/2010

Actually, any English teachers here have some good internet resources to help my son with his reading/comprehension and essay writing skills (Year 7/8 level)? This seems to be one area he is struggling and I was hoping to get hold of some exercises to help him improve. I may consider a tutor, but just going to wait and see for a little. I have asked his English teacher, but haven't had any joy there yet. Could also do with some exercises in critical thinking........?? I am sure there are internet resources out there so I dont have to do all the work.....

Good Day! - posted on 09/09/2010

Geez, I can't wait for those days...

Sharon - posted on 09/09/2010

Yeah we had the procrastination discussion last night.



Yesterday I picked up the 15 yr old from his bus stop then rushed to the school to get the 7yr old at 3.30pm. The 11 yr old was at track practice. The three of us rushed home to feed the animals and gather up soccer gear because the boys had soccer practice.



We were back at the school at 4.45 to rush the 11 yr old to his 5pm soccer practice in town 40 minutes away. yeah we weren't gonna make it but we knew that. We're 1/3rd of the way there when the 11 yr old says "No one got my shoes?" mthrfkr.... Got the shoes & headed back into town. Dropped the 11yr old off at his practice on the far side of town. Sat in the car for 15 minutes before calling the other two in and hauling the 15 yr old to HIS soccer practice in the middle of town at 6pm. It took a little while because in this town its first come, first served regarding available fields for practice and his field was being used by some american footballers. Eventually they found part of a field to use. Me and the girl child ran to Lowes (next door) to use their lovely bathrooms (always so clean and neat and never stinky!!!) then off to buy a pizza for dinner. Then back to the far side of town to pick up the 11yr old at a little aft 6.30pm. got the game schedule then back to the other soccer field. NOW I actually have a whole half an hour to do nothing. The three of us sat in the car singing along to the radio. Until my oldest found us around 7.15pm. We ate pizza and hauled butt home.



I ordered the boys to the shower and we all cleaned up a bit. Its about 8pm the younger boy is out of the shower and turning on the video games, I ask about his homework. he says he has none, then says.... "well none that is due tomorrow." UH about that... I asked him that if we had another night like tonight, would he able to get done everything he had in his backpack? He said no. I said then get to it. he did two subjects and I gave him 1/2 an hour to play video games and we all hit the sack around 9.15.



LOL 4 out 5 weeknights are kind of like that. except I'm usually more on top of dinner.

Jodi - posted on 09/09/2010

I hear you Sharon.....My 13 year old has so many assignments at the moment (one for each of his 8 subjects actually), and I'm crawling on the ceilings. Honestly, I don't know how working mothers do it......I work with him after school, and help by reading through his work and putting forward thoughts and suggestions, help him do his research and so on, but 2 nights in a row I was doing this shit at 9:30pm at night, and at that time of night even my brain isn't functional.....

But I will say, my son is a procrastinator, I'm trying to knock that out of him. He COULD take half the time to do it.

Lindsay - posted on 09/09/2010

That's crazy about the typing. I still remember them starting in 1st grade when I was a kid. I can still hear it..."pinky A, pointer B, middle finger C D E, pointer F, Pointer G, SWITCH hands!!" OK sorry!

Anyway...We are just starting Kindergarten this year. Madeline has homework a few nights a week but it's been pretty mild. She'll get sent home with a "reader" on Monday and gets checked off on it on Wednesday. On Wednesdays, she comes home with a baggie and a letter of the week. She just has to look through magazines and find pictures that start with that letter, cut them out and send it back to school by Friday. On Mondays, she gets tested on her skill books that change as she gets through them. So far, we spend about 20-45 minutes a night on homework. I'm sure that will change second semester though when they start their spelling tests.

Good Day! - posted on 09/09/2010

Wow, that's insane. Sorry, Sharon I would have responded sooner but I'm just getting to the computer today!

At our school the "rule" was 10 minutes of homework per grade level. Meaning 10 minutes for grade 1, 20 minutes for grade 2 and so on. My homework assignments were things that helped students learn study skills, like "Use index cards to make flashcards of your vocabulary words." The only parent I had complain about homework said it took her child over 2 hours to complete it. He was slow in class and kind of spacey, so I didn't base my homework on that.

So really, I don't know what to say. It seems like it's just a problem with his math teacher. And I don't know the solution. If you complain to the principal, it may make things worse for your kid at school. I hate to say this, but you and your son might just have to suck it up for this school year and hope he gets a better teacher next year.

Isobel - posted on 09/09/2010

for us last year the spelling tests were an absolute nightmare! we studied those words every night for 30-45 minutes, then did whatever other homework she had, then reading time...and she still probably came out with a 50% average on the spelling

ME - posted on 09/09/2010

As a high school English teacher I used to assign reading to my students, and give them bi-weekly vocab quizzes, and that's about it...I can't imagine assigning that much work to grade school or middle school children.

Sharon - posted on 09/09/2010

I need to get with a program (hahaha) and get the kids a typing program. Why don't they have these typing classes in school? I took a typing class? In jr high but still. Being able to compose a properly typed letter, whatever is still important right? or this another unnecessary skill?

Isobel - posted on 09/09/2010

Eve learned cursive last year...and I suspect that they may learn typing this year too :D I've already got Eve on a free online typing program anyway though :)...just cause I hear other mothers complaining that the teachers insist on work done on the computer and it takes hours for the kids to type it out.

Cathy - posted on 09/09/2010

I think I'd have just used a tape measure!

Sharon - posted on 09/09/2010

hahaha laura thats what I finally decided it meant - usually they spell it out like "using a common benchmark, (your hand or sheet of paper) measure your diningroom table... but this thing doesn't do that and then where you are supposed to put the answer is "ft" or "inches" next to the line! omfg... lol is my period due to start? I can't tell and I'm to sick to remember what day it is!!

I'm kind of sad that they aren't teaching cursive any more.

Amie - posted on 09/09/2010

Ok I LOL'd at on the school yard.

We haven't had issues with homework though. Maybe it's because they've only been back for 2 weeks but we'll see. I haven't heard complaints around here though. Interesting.

Isobel - posted on 09/09/2010

Everywhere...I heard that there is just a huge shift in the amount of work in grade 5...I hear it on the school yard all the time



and we're only on day 3 :) so maybe I'm in for a nightmare too

Isobel - posted on 09/09/2010

ahhh, the bench mark is anything that can be used as a measurement...like a hand...the table is 10 hands long. Or a piece of paper the table is 5.5 pieces long.

I had this problem with my daughter last year...the teacher would use all this language that I didn't understand, and my daughter (who probably should've been taught it or didn't remember by the time she got home)...here they are calling it the "new curriculum" they are just teaching everything back asswards from how we learned it, so it's almost impossible to help them cause we have no idea what the hell they're talking about

rant over.

Amie - posted on 09/09/2010

Laura,
What? Where? Here? LOL Did that make sense?

So far she's two weeks in and that's all the homework Nicole's gotten.

Cassie - posted on 09/09/2010

I teach reading to third graders but have never and will never give homework while I am in this position.

I don't agree with all the requirements a state puts on a student's learning so I will not force them to then take what I already don't think is an appropriate amount of work during school hours and add to it at home.

Caitlin - posted on 09/09/2010

I'd be pissed too! I'm hoping to teach english in high school (maybe) and I prefer the idea of in class work. It gives a better idea of what the child is capable of on their own anyways, without parental interferance. I mean, a few assignments to take home are good to help them work long term on structuring an essay, but still, I think teachers these days think they are the only ones assigning homework!

Sharon - posted on 09/09/2010

lmao some help you guys are!!

He had 4 sheets of math. it was all worded ass backwards. "using a benchmark tell us the length of the kitchen table then measure it" wtf? benchmark? I checked his mathbook. There was no specification of a benchmark. why the fuck didn't they just say to guesstimate? He's a straight a/b student. He gets A's most of the time but during soccer season/track season they tend to fall to Bs.

He had a writing assignment. He need to rework his rough draft. That didn't take very long.

He had a social studies worksheet. I forget what else. He didn't need help for most of it.

Oh and he got paired up with some fruit cake for a class project. they are supposed to work afterschool on a pyramid. First her parents said he and the other kid could go their house, then they said no, then they said "hurry up and get this done." UM WTF ASSHOLES? when? how? thankfully he talked to his teacher and she will be doing the project on her own and he & the other kid are now paired off by themselves.

Um I'm not getting paid to do the teachers' work for her. I send my kid to school to get an education. I only expect homework when its something special or leftover classwork. And not 4 sheets front & back = 8 pages of crap.

I'm not taking this to court by the way, I'm just torked.

Isobel - posted on 09/09/2010

I heard Grade 5 was really bad :(

Amie - posted on 09/09/2010

Holy crap!



Our oldest just started getting homework (Grade 5) this year. She's had 3 assignments. Each took her about a half hour to do.



It is excessive, especially for children. =S

Tara - posted on 09/09/2010

Waiting to hear a reply from a teacher or teachers aide.
I would be pissed too Sharon, that is a considerable amount of time taken out of his waking hours. What was the assigned homework?