Did your school allow homework over Christmas break?

[disykat]

It depends on the teacher. My kids usually have homework every weekend and every break. They always have reading and sometimes journaling. We always take books on vacation, so it has never been an issue.

There was only one year I considered it an issue. My son's 6th grade teacher assigned "holiday fun pacs". Over Halloween weekend it was 23 pages of required "Halloween Fun" that took my son over 6 hours. It was so ridiculous that by Sunday afternoon dh and I were helping him color, etc. There was one sheet that was kind of fun, but dh and I - both college grads - never were able to figure it out. It was a problem solving "match the ghost to the graveyard" sheet. I swear we spent hours! At least it was good quality family time! I'm laughing now thinking about it - but it just reminded me that ds #2 will probably have her next year.

 

[agnes!]

I really don't like kids getting massive homework assignments over long weekends or during holidays. My DD(7th Grade) said that she almost felt like the teachers were sort of punishing the kids for getting two days off this past week(teacher workdays)...DD had some big projects/papers due.
In the teachers' defense, though, assignments aren't always completely in their control. Sometimes the timing has a lot to do with the Programs of Study/Standards of Learning that a school board has put into place.

And the required summer-time reading...ugh. Sometimes it does seem that what the assignments accomplish is to make the kids who aren't already avid readers despise reading even *more*. My DD loves to read and I'm glad of it, but this probably has less to do with any assignments given by various teachers over the years and more to do with the fact that I read aloud to her a *lot* when she was younger, including the first three Harry Potter books starting when she was in 2nd Grade.

@ "Homework"...when my DD was in elementary school, I sometimes thought about standing up at the first school meeting of the year (PTA or Principal/Teacher/Parents or whatever) and saying to the administrators "Don't lie to us. Don't tell us parents that only a certain amount of homework is assigned according to grade levels. It will *ALWAYS* be more than the recommended amount. ALWAYS." Now my DD was (and is) a good student, gets good grades...I wondered about the kids who don't have my DD's gift of organizing assignments and information(not her room though...)

agnes!

 

[eeyore kelly]

I don't agree with forced summer reading, because it messes with my plans. Before summer reading each child and I would decide on a book or books to read that they wanted to read. (Little house, Harry Potter, Lord of the rings, Of Mice and Men) We would read them together. Now, with summer reading, those choices are taken away.
However, I can see the good point. Now every child is reading. Some of my favorite books were assigned reading. Of Mice and Men, The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mocking Bird, Flowers for Algeron, 1984, and Animal Farm. Before high school, I just read fluff. Required reading opened up new doors for me. I am not saying I don't read a good fluff book on occasion, but my reading diet is not all sugar water either.

 

[disneychrista]

As far as I know there is no set policy for homework on weekends or vacations.

My oldest is going to a school where there is no homework, unless they want to earn credits in a class they are not currently taking during school hours.

My youngest will have reading every weekend (they must read 5 nights a weeks) and usually she has band practice to finish (they must practice at least 100 mins per week). She may or may not have other work for the weekend. As far as holidays/vacations I am sure it will depend on the class and that she will have something to do over Thanksgiving, Winter / Christmas Break, & Spring/Easter Break.