4th Grade--No Homework Policy?!?!

[foolishmortal]

I did have a good bit of homework in 4th grade and every other grade. I was a good kid and a very good student. I would come home, have a snack, play outside, come in and do homework, probably from about 5 til 6 or something like that. Dinner. Bath. More homework in later years after that. There was time to get everything in. Some nights it was harder than others, but that's where I learned time management and self discipline.

I have been accused by parents of not giving enough homework because apparently the 2nd grade teachers gave more than I did and they expected me to give more than 2nd grade. I just told those parents that I was sorry but I felt my homework amount was age appropriate and I still wanted my students to have time to just be kids. No complaints this year! I also will NOT assign homework just to have some. If we have a day that does not warrant any homework, then there'll be no homework.

I never send classwork home to be done as homework. It's my job to see that classwork is done in class and that the child understands it! How can I assign homework unless we've checked the classwork and I know the kids "get it?" If they can't do the classwork, they certainly can't do the homework!

I DO believe that 2 hours of homework in 4th grade is too much and that poor 2nd grader filling in all the state capitals overnight is ridiculous, but having some amount of homework to reinforce skills is important. Teachers should realize that kids need time to be kids, though.

However, coaches/program organizers need to realize that football/soccer/gymnastics, etc. is not MORE important than a child's education. Yes, it has its place in a child's life, but if a child can't make a practice because of a heavy homework night, the child should NOT be punished by the coach/adult by not being allowed to play in the next game or some such nonsense. Coaches/Organizers should not schedule practices 4 nights a week until 8 or 9 at night. It's overload!! (That's how it is in my town)

And please don't forget that kids can still get exercise and socialization and free time (sports practice isn't exactly free time to me!) without belonging to an organized sports team/other group. They can ride bikes, play basketball in their driveway, walk around the neighborhood with friends, etc. And for a good bit of the school year here kids can play outside until 7pm easily.

Boy, I guess that was a soopbox moment for usually quiet me. JMO as a teacher and mother of one non-sports kid, one every-sports kid, and one that we have yet to see!

I would agree with you if my son didn't have more than enough homework to keep him in unitl 8:00 or later. Also I never said sports was more important than school, but at the same time sports (dancing, chess, etc...) are a big part of growing up and becoming the person you are.

You say coaches don't need to practice 4 nights a week, but it's ok for homework to be assigned 4 nights when they are in class all day already????

Just as in school work kids need repitition in other activities to get them down as well. If there wasn't practice for sports, dancing, whatever they would never get it down.

Again I am not defending sports by saying it is more important than school because that is not true and I know it...but at the same time school shouldn't take up sooooo much time that they can't experience other areas of life. Now I am saying this about my 4th grader...which is what the OP was aso talking about. Once you get into late MIddle school, and high school life..then yes maybe 2+ hours of homework is not enough and they do have to choose between things, but up until then kids need experiance in all aspects of life..not just wake up go to school, come home get clean and eat do homework go to sleep to it all over again.

 

[DarkSideMoon]

We moved this summer and the school DS attends has a NO Homework policy in 4th and 5th grade (don't yet know about 6th). They do all their work in class, so no homework comes home ever unless a child didn't get their work done (which has only happened twice for DS since school started on Aug. 8th---which is true for the majority of the class). Well, I would be OK with this in younger grades--but 4th grade is getting a little old for NO homework. My main concern is with Math. I'm a Math teacher (college now, but used to be Middle / High School)---so I know how valuable homework is to turn "short term memory" into "long term memory" when it comes to developing mathematical skills. Being able to complete a problem right after you've seen it demonstrated on the board is good---but being able to work to complete the problem a couple of hours later and removed from the classroom is where the "long term memory development" comes in. He is missing out on that development. They are "married" to this No homework policy, and don't want to change it.


I think I am going to have to supplement his education here at home, but I don't want him to feel punished. So....

My question to you all is 1) what is your homework like for your elementary student and 2) Do any of you have suggestions for supplementing skills at home without "torturing" your kid.

at my school, they assigned work in class up till 7th, and you had time to do it at school. on average most kids took home about 20 minutes of homework. imho this is the best policy, school already ruins 7-8 hours of the day, why ruin more?

 

[DarkSideMoon]

So you don't think social interaction or extracurriclar activities are important?? I think working out, teamwork, social interaction, etc... is JUST as important as school work, but if you are in school ALL DAY and have homework ALL NIGHT when are they to learn the others?

as much as i DESPISE your sig, i agree with you.....

 

[jodifla]

Homework, like testing, has gotten totally out of hand.

For the most part, it's just busy work. When I was in school many moons ago, I actually created a homework co-op. A group of us would take turns doing the work, then just copy the answers.

 

[tiggerlover]

I do not have time to read all of the response, but did read a couple and wanted to add my two cents.

My DS is in 4th grade and he also participates with a soccer team. DS seems to have a lot of homework this year compared to last year, but I am not exactly sure how much time-wise is devoted to his homework each night. DS started school on Sept. 6, so has completed two full weeks and one part week of school. He has homework Monday thru Thursday which consists of the following each night: a math sheet, a daily geography log (which is usually 2-3 questions), 20 minutes of reading (M-F), and a moon chart (observing the moon each night and graphing what it looks like). Then a couple of nights during the week he will have a special homework devoted to maybe spelling or social studies. Additionally, he has two projects that he was asssigned last week, which are due next week. The first project is a Memory Bag report and the second is a poster of the moon and sun and the 8 phases of the moon. Each report has very detailed criteria that need to be met and followed for a passing grade. We have soccer practice two nights a week and games every Saturday. DS wanted to join Cub Scouts, but we thought between homework and soccer that we were already committed to our max.

 

[MinnieM3]

Quoting: (I don't know how to quote just part of a post) You say coaches don't need to practice 4 nights a week, but it's ok for homework to be assigned 4 nights when they are in class all day already???? End of Quote.


Well, yes. It's their education and I think it's much more important. That's just me. I think we agree too much homework is bad. Balance is good.

 

[WDW Poly Princess]

I like the system someone posted about 20 mins for 2nd grade, 30 for 3rd, etc, but how do they figure this out? A worksheet that takes one kid 10 minutes might take another 5, and another 20. Do they do some kind of average?

Getting back to the question in the original post, if you want to be sure your child gets the long term memory experience, how about picking a couple of problems from their book, maybe one easy, one medium, and one a little more challenging? Something that lets them work on it away from school, but isn't going to take up more than 5-10 minutes total?

 

[N.Bailey]

It seems to me that Elementary teachers have a hard time reaching that Happy Medium of homework. It is either very little, or ALOT.

My 6th grader does 2 1/2 to 3 hours every night. Math, Reading, Grammar, Religion, Science, Music, Computers, Spelling - he has a term paper due in PE in October. It exhausts me. Secretly, I'm glad I don't have to do it.

Anyway... I've seen a couple of books at Borders that are a series Brain Twister Math problems. I might have him do one or two of those a day. Then I'd have a set reading time, and perhaps ask him to keep a Journal summarizing what he has read.

and then I'd say GO PLAY!

I don't quite know why, but 6th grade they just seem to pile it on. My kids are in 8th now and have never had anywhere near the amount they had in 6th in any other grade. I tell ya, it was the longest year we've ever had. A 5th grade teacher warned me during a parent teacher conference that it was coming. He even went as far to say that his daughter who had just graduated and up to and including 12th grade never saw as much as she'd had in 6th.

If your school is like ours, you got it licked after this year.

 

[suzannen]

Wow, I can't believe how little homework some of your kids have. My DD, who attends a private school (not religious, but independent academic) has received 3 1/2 to 5 hours of homework every night since the 4th grade. (She's now in the 6th grade). It is a tremendous amount of work and she also participates in several after-school clubs. The biggest positive on the amount of work occurs every Spring when they hand out the the list of colleges that the senior class will be attending. It's very hard to argue with something that has been so successful. As her headmaster says - "you are paying tremendous amounts of money for her education. We're here to make sure she gets a not only a superb elementary through high school education, but also to make sure she has had exceptional preparation for college. The kids in college who come back to visit always say that college is a breeze for them since they are so used to doing that amount of work. I gues it all depends on what is your ultimate goal with your child's education. For us, a good college education is a number one priority, so we'll endure the homework loads without too much complaint.

 

[aprilgail2]

Wow, I can't believe how little homework some of your kids have. My DD, who attends a private school (not religious, but independent academic) has received 3 1/2 to 5 hours of homework every night since the 4th grade. (She's now in the 6th grade). It is a tremendous amount of work and she also participates in several after-school clubs. The biggest positive on the amount of work occurs every Spring when they hand out the the list of colleges that the senior class will be attending. .

I don't care if every kid went to Harvard or Yale if my child was getting 3 1/2 to 5 hours of homework a night I would have to change schools, that is on par to child abuse in my book! 7& hours of school and 5 hours of homework....that is absolutely disgusting!!

 

[teacherforhi]

I never send classwork home to be done as homework. It's my job to see that classwork is done in class and that the child understands it! How can I assign homework unless we've checked the classwork and I know the kids "get it?" If they can't do the classwork, they certainly can't do the homework!

While I try to keep the homework to a minimum, I have to disagree with this statement. If one particular student (and I have one this year) chooses to stare into space and refuse to even so much as write his name on his paper, I call his mother and let her know what work will be coming home...in addition to his homework. I am happy to say that he had a better week this week than last and we've possibly nipped the problem in the bud.

 

[Wishing on a star]

I don't care if every kid went to Harvard or Yale if my child was getting 3 1/2 to 5 hours of homework a night I would have to change schools, that is on par to child abuse in my book! 7& hours of school and 5 hours of homework....that is absolutely disgusting!!

ITA!!!!

An elementary/middle school aged child should NOT be expected to meet Ivy League College expectations!!!!

I also find this line of thought very disgusting!!

 

[MinnieM3]

While I try to keep the homework to a minimum, I have to disagree with this statement. If one particular student (and I have one this year) chooses to stare into space and refuse to even so much as write his name on his paper, I call his mother and let her know what work will be coming home...in addition to his homework. I am happy to say that he had a better week this week than last and we've possibly nipped the problem in the bud.

I see your point. I don't know what age you teach, though. My kids are pretty agreeable and usually do their work promptly. I try to give time cues to help them out. If I say that if it's not done it has be done at recess, they do it *really* fast!

 

[skiwee1]

School has them 7.5 hours a day. Shouldn't they be able to cover all the work in school? A typical child sleeps 9-11 hrs a day. Given time to eat breakfast, dinner, get ready for bed etc that given them only 4 or 5 hrs a day to play, participate in sports, spend quality time with their families etc. Why burnden them with more school work? Sure I believe they should be studying at home, but I really think any home work, especially for elementary/middle school is nuts.

I agree. I wish they had no homework in DD's elementary school.

 

[skiwee1]

Wow, I can't believe how little homework some of your kids have. My DD, who attends a private school (not religious, but independent academic) has received 3 1/2 to 5 hours of homework every night since the 4th grade. (She's now in the 6th grade). It is a tremendous amount of work and she also participates in several after-school clubs. The biggest positive on the amount of work occurs every Spring when they hand out the the list of colleges that the senior class will be attending. It's very hard to argue with something that has been so successful. As her headmaster says - "you are paying tremendous amounts of money for her education. We're here to make sure she gets a not only a superb elementary through high school education, but also to make sure she has had exceptional preparation for college. The kids in college who come back to visit always say that college is a breeze for them since they are so used to doing that amount of work. I gues it all depends on what is your ultimate goal with your child's education. For us, a good college education is a number one priority, so we'll endure the homework loads without too much complaint.

I'nm sorry but I do not believe that a child since the 4th grade got 3 1/2 hours to 5 hours of homework every night. I don't believe they got it even one night. That is absolutely ridiculous. I can't imagine any parent would even consider allowing their child to do even 3 hours of homework a night!

 

[clh2]

Just looking at the "no-homework" idea a bit differently.

Is it possible this is being done because the teachers want the kids doing the work, not the parents?

When my DD was in 5th grade, all "long-range" projects were done entirely in school for that very reason.

 

[Marseeya]

When I was a kid, I never had ANY homework until I got to high school. What a shock that turned out to be.

My 4th grade DD has entirely too much homework and has since the 1st grade. She hates school and it's no wonder. Last night, she worked until almost 11 -- I kept trying to send her to bed, but she was really upset and wanted to finish so she wouldn't get punished.

I think it's totally out of hand.

When I start teaching, I'm hoping to give little to no homework other than reading (English teacher). I don't believe in busy work or making the kids have to actually learn things at home. I'm studying to be a teacher and even I don't know how to teach a lot of the subjects to my DD. My DH can't help her at all.

And we're smart, educated people!

 

[swilphil]

When I was a kid, I never had ANY homework until I got to high school. What a shock that turned out to be.

I think this is the problem with a no-homework policy. High school kids aren't as eager to learn as younger kids are. You have to give kids a little bit of homework in the earlier grades, so they will get used to doing homework. The conventional wisdom has been 10 minutes per grade level, which is definitely reasonable. I do know some teachers give plenty of advance notice--a homework folder on Monday that gives the week's assignments. That way families can work around other activities. Unfortunately some parents and students wait until the last night to do it all. So instead of having 25 minutes a night of homework, they all of a sudden have over 2 hours of homework on one night.

People also need to be aware of what takes place in the classroom. Students do have opportunities for socialization when they work in groups or with partners. They also have recess and PE class.

You also might want to talk to the teachers about how testing has affected the amount of homework given. Teachers are having to spend an incredible amount of time preparing students for more and more standardized tests, as well as administering them. At the same time, they still have a curriculum they must cover. Often times, that can't be done unless homework is given.

 

[wendyl]

Just to clear things up on my end as the OP. I am NOT an advocate of LOTS of homework. I Do, however, think a student in the 4th grade or older should have mandatory reading every night, and Math practice at home for the reason I stated in the original post. I think 30-45 minutes of reading & math (total NOT each) several nights a week is important. All math practice should NOT be done in class. If a teacher has 1 hour to spend on a math lesson--she should spend that time demonstrating concepts on the board--and then circulating around the room answering questions and catching mistakes while the kids do their initial practice. Then, more demonstration should occur--with more circulating. Then students should practice these skills OUTSIDE of class to master the concept. Without that outside practice--the chance of mastering a concept is MUCH MUCH lower.

Study habits are an important part of what they should be developing as upper elementary students. Giving NO homework and then dumping them into Middle and High school where there WILL be quite a bit is unfair to them.

For those that think ALL homework is ridiculous---do you not at least think kids should be reading at home??

And for the person that asked if I had homework in the 4th grade--OF COURSE I did. Homework isn't a new concept---just the amount has become excessive for too many schools.

thanks to those that gave good suggestions for supplementing. I appreciate it.

 

[padams]

For us, a good college education is a number one priority, so we'll endure the homework loads without too much complaint.

Your comments imply that those of us don't believe in homework in elementary school don't share your belief that a good college education is the number one priority. You are wrong. Children can be prepared for the most advanced academic programs without spending 3 to 5 hours per day on homework. I was prepared to become an ivy-league educated attorney, and I didn't have homework until middle school.

DSs attend an independent ("academic") elementary school. The graduates go on to the top colleges in the US. Thankfully, the headmaster and the teachers recognize that children need time to be childen. The homework policy is 20 minutes of reading in K, 20 minutes of homework plus 20 minutes of reading in 1st grade and 2nd grade, 30 minutes of homework plus 20 minutes of reading in 3rd grade, 1 hour of homework plus 20 minutes of reading in 4th grade, and 90 minutes of homework in 5th and 6th grades.

Your children will likely be so burned out by the time they reach college that their focus will not be on academics. I witnessed those kids in college and law school. They were so thrilled to arrive at the "final" destination and to be away from the pressure driven world of mom and dad, that their number one priority was to PARTY!

Having been through the top universities and expecting DSs to do the same, my job as parent is to make sure that my children lead balanced lives so they can grow up to be well adjusted adults.

Edit to answer reading question- I want DSs to read (and they do) for pleasure, not because it is required.