Anyone else's kids dragging their feet on doing their summer work?

[bsnyder]

I'm fighting over it with two of mine and I'm totally sick of it!

Younger DS is going to be a rising senior. He has one required book, and then a choice of one fiction and one non-fiction. He starts school on Wednesday. He's about finished with one of the books, hasn't even started the other two.

DD is going into the 4th grade. She just got home from summer camp yesterday, and didn't do the reading she promised she'd do.

Luckily, she has 3 more weeks until school starts. But she's got 2 1/2 books to finish, and about half of her math workbook. It's like pulling teeth with her!

 

[imgoingtodisney]

DS has 2wks from the day we return from our next mini-vaca (Aug 19th) to the day school goes back Sept 2nd.
Im letting him wait until then to read his summer reading book. The kids will be tested mid Sept.
He has 1/2 of his math sheets done - rest will be completed when we return.

(I have had him reading a few other books during the summer tho)

 

[Robinrs]

Yikes, Bet... I thought I was the ONLY one going nuts!!

I had my own plans for the summer, NONE of them have come to fruition! Michael had no requirements this summer, but, of course, I DO, and we've only accomplished a few of them.

Michael goes to the 4th this year also, and I was DETERMINED he'd be reciting his multiplication tables in his sleep before the summer was over. THIS we accomplished but it slowed us down on some of the reading assignments.

He goes back to school on the 11th, less than 2 weeks away, and hopefully he'll be fine. Every year I agonize and every year he returns with kids who never opened a book the whole summer. I used to read a book a week when I was a kid during the summer... ... I'm beginning to wonder if I was just strange!

 

[bsnyder]

Originally posted by Robinrs
I used to read a book a week when I was a kid during the summer... ... I'm beginning to wonder if I was just strange!

Well, if you were strange, then I was strange too!

I can remember my sister BEGGING me to put the book down and come out and play with her!

The weird thing is all three of her children LOVE to read, and none of my three are readers!

 

[cgcw]

We were just talking about this -- okay, I was talking, maybe, if I'm lucky, DS8 was listening. It's always hard come the start of school to get back into the swing of things. As hard as I try, he just doesn't get the idea that if he does a little bit throughout the summer, it will be easier when he gets back to school. Maybe this is why I am all for year schooling. The summer really sucks alot of knowledge out of at least my sons brain.

Our school is suppose to be a pilot for all year schooling in our district in the fall of 2004 -- at least that's the rumor. If the school board has its way -- the PTA is very against it. I think if it's going to be done, it needs to be done for the entire area, not just one school. I can sympathize with the families who will have junior high kids who are not on the same all year program -- which will be the case if things go as we're hearing. I personally hope they get the kinks worked out and it's a go (don't tell my DS8 I said that ).

I use to read more than a book a week when I was in school. Gee, those were the days.

 

[Mary Anne]

I guess I'm at the other end of the ruler. I dislike Summer homework. I feel we get more then enough during the school year and that 25 books in a 9/10 month period is more then enough for a child to read.

Perhaps I would feel different if I had a child who struggled but I feel that 8 weeks have a true R & R is far better for them then yelling every other day about summer homework that 90% of the rest of the class doesn't do anyway. By the time they go back they are more then ready to read and learn again.

Hope all your kids have good years. We don't go back till Sept 8th and we’re still enjoying our summer! (We are in school till at least June 26th.)

 

[cindala]

Dragging their feet? How about not even moving their toes?

DD is entering her Junior year in HS, and has multiple assignments in all her Honors classes. It doesn't help that she has cheerleading practice 3x a week from 9-4pm, and work the other two days!! I can't blame her for not wanting to do it!!

Other DD is in college. Thank God no more summer assignments for her!!

 

[bsnyder]

Originally posted by cindala
Other DD is in college. Thank God no more summer assignments for her!!

Oldest DS is also in college, and it's such a relief!!!

 

[Banzai]

I don't have summer work

 

[Cindy B]

Yes... my son is DRAGGING his feet.

My daughter has been done for two weeks!


my son acts like its the worse thing in the world...

 

[bsnyder]

Originally posted by Cindy B

my son acts like its the worse thing in the world...

Sounds like my daughter....



She came down after reading for twenty minutes, and said that she HAD to stop or her head would EXPLODE! (All this in a VERY dramatic tone!)

 

[Mishetta]

My DS will be entering 2nd grade at the end of this month & we gave him one workbook page of Math to do Mon thru Fri's & he had to look over 10 of his previously learned spelling words (which some he had forgotten!) It had worked out fine for us since the deal is, he can't go out to play until his work is done. So, right after breakfast he is doing his math & spelling words. We almost sent him to summer school just to keep up (but he got mostly A's & B's on his report card so we didn't push it.) It's just so easy to forget so much over a summer vacation & we don't want him to fall behind.

 

[SeaSpray]

My DSs each have to read one book over the summer, and that's all. I am SO glad they don't have more than this because we travel a lot in the summer, and they spend several weeks, in addition to that, in NJ with their dad and there's no way I'd want school work to interfere with that time they have together.

Personally, I'd complain if our schools gave out work for the summer. I'm one of the few parents who are GLAD when the school year is over and my life and schedule are MINE to plan as I choose, for my family (Just my personal opinion, not meant to start a debate)

P.S. Just want to add that both of my sons are honor roll students. If they struggled, I might feel that keeping their skills up over the summer would be a priority.

 

[Michelle]

This is one of the reason I LOVE year-round school. Sammy only has six weeks off in the summer and they definitely are NOT expected to do any projects or reading lists over the summer. She is reader anyway, though, and she's even doing these special math workbooks she wanted so I'm glad she doesn't have any REQUIRED activities. I really think the kids need the break. They do get projects over the other intersessions they have so it's nice to have the full six weeks off.

 

[bsnyder]

In my daughter's case, she has struggled (nothing major, it just does not come easy to her), so I think she really needs the summer work. And it's a private school, so I really can't complain. I'm really dreading 4th grade, because the workload is going to get a lot harder.....

As for my son, I'm really trying to butt out of his choices on how he does (or doesn't do) his schoolwork, because by next year, he will have to motivate himself. But I am finding that easier said than done. It comes very easy to him (maybe too easy) so he procrastinates on everything and it drives me crazy!

 

[Michelle]

Bet, 4th grade WAS a big adjustment for Sammy, you are smart to want to push Allison a bit. Even so, nothing prepares them from the jump from the 3rd to 4th grade; in Sam's school that meant a jump from 20 to 30 in the classroom and a LOT higher expectations about self-responsibility. It was a tough year, but I think 5th grade for her will be a much easier transition.

And I hear you on the procrastinators!

Good luck!

 

[disneyjunkie]

DS was just told to continue to read during the summer.

He attends a day camp 4 days a week. Three days they have academic time for the first 21/2 hours. They have reading, math, and writing; they've even done 2 book reports.

In 2001 and 2002, he attended a sleep away camp that also required academic time 5 days a week.

Last week he asked me how do I always manage to find camps that make him do work.

 

[JESW]

DS8 (going into 3rd) had no specific summer assignments but was given a packet of "suggested" work. He will not do anything on his own so I've sat with him a few times to do some pages. Nothing too bad.

DH still reads to him every night (they are plowing through The Magic Tree House series) but he does not read books on his own. Well, he doesn't read "typical" books but he is reading all the time. DS is big into Pokemon and gameboy so he spends a lot of time reading the companion books. Not the type of reading I'd prefer, but he IS reading. And he's a good reader.

I'm trying to get him to work on his times tables but that's not going well. I went to Parochial school and we had to stand up and recite the tables daily so I KNOW my times tables! I want my kids to have the same ability as it comes in very handy. I'll make up math equations throughout the day just to keep him on his toes. (Now if this pokemon has 25 hit points and he battles so and so and gets 250 hit points, then how many does he have now? etc.)

I swear with this kid I feel as if I'm back in school again! I'm hoping that DD4 will be an easier student.

Jill