Have you ever complained about homework?

[U2_rocks!]

Because homework is to reinforce the concepts learned that day. If they covered long division in class they practice it again that night to help reinforce what they learned for example. It has nothing to do with how long they are there but rather reinforcing and practicing what was learned during the day.

Agreed.

Can this reinforcement and practice be done at school instead of at home? Well, if the teachers took all the time that students needed to do their literature reading, maths practice questions, map drawing, research etc. during class time, the school syllabus would have to be drastically cut down, because there are only so many hours in a school day, and there are only so many days in a school year. So in the end the students would learn less. The only way to teach them the amount we currently teach them is for them to do that work that the teacher doesn't necessarily have to be right there for (i.e. the practice, research, reading) at home. The other option is to take away non-academic activities (hasn't recess been cut enough? Don't we want well-rounded kids?) or extend the school year. I actually wouldn't be against extending the school year - I don't think summer needs to be quite so long. But that's just my opinion.

 

[luvsJack]

Personally, I think homework for Pre-K and K is ridiculous. There are too many ways to teach the skills for these years without sitting a kid down to write a letter over and over again. Suggestions to parents to work on these skills? Sure. Play with playdough, fingerpainting, cutting, etc. But writing a letter over and over? Nope, wouldn't happen at my house. I would let the teacher know what my child did instead but sitting her down at 4 years old to write a letter and get frustrated with school that young? Craziness.


As for math and other homework being needed for reinforcement--that is true for SOME homework. Reading is of course very important and a FEW math problems just to know that the student grasps the concept but pages of math problems are not needed. And as a 2nd grade teaching assistant, I saw way too many homework assignments that were trashed to truly feel that all homework assigned is "needed".

 

[jodifla]

That's an awfully long school day. Here my dd starts middle school at 7:45 and ends at 2:45. She's home about 3:10. Her bedtime is 10pm. That gives her almost 7 hours (almost the equiv of her school day) for all kinds of things including homework.

As for why give homework, lets look at language arts for a second. If kids weren't t given any homework they'd be lucky to get through reading/discussing/writing about 1 novel during the year. I think last year my dd read 6-8 novels and did lots of writing about them & other things.

Yes, it is a long school day. But that's what we have to work with. It feels long because of that late start time, but they do that as a cost saving measure to stagger the buses.

Homework is totally overrated. A small bit is OK, starting in upper elementary. But just piling it on is ridiculous. Luckily, I can protect my son from meaningless and detrimental homework through his IEP.

 

[spacemountainmom]

In our district k-2 homework primarily was the child was supposed to read for 20 minutes a day. I spent years tutoring 1st graders who were "behind" the grade level standard for reading. The common denominator between all the kids who were struggling....they were not reading at home. I don't know why they weren't, if the parents didn't care or they were too busy, I know it wasn't happening.

What I do know is that it impacted every aspect of their education. If you struggle to read, it's hard to do any of your other work. Many of the kids I worked with, I ended up tutoring in other subjects as well. Most of the kids responded very well to the one on one tutoring.

I do think some work outside of school is necessary and appropriate. I also think a parent should speak to the teacher if their child is struggling with the amount.

 

[jodifla]

In our district k-2 homework primarily was the child was supposed to read for 20 minutes a day. I spent years tutoring 1st graders who were "behind" the grade level standard for reading. The common denominator between all the kids who were struggling....they were not reading at home. I don't know why they weren't, if the parents didn't care or they were too busy, I know it wasn't happening.

What I do know is that it impacted every aspect of their education. If you struggle to read, it's hard to do any of your other work. Many of the kids I worked with, I ended up tutoring in other subjects as well. Most of the kids responded very well to the one on one tutoring.

I do think some work outside of school is necessary and appropriate. I also think a parent should speak to the teacher if their child is struggling with the amount.

Of course maybe they weren't reading at home because they found it hard or impossible to read. They don't want to feel like a failure every night.

 

[Coconut36]

In our district k-2 homework primarily was the child was supposed to read for 20 minutes a day. I spent years tutoring 1st graders who were "behind" the grade level standard for reading. The common denominator between all the kids who were struggling....they were not reading at home. I don't know why they weren't, if the parents didn't care or they were too busy, I know it wasn't happening.

What I do know is that it impacted every aspect of their education. If you struggle to read, it's hard to do any of your other work. Many of the kids I worked with, I ended up tutoring in other subjects as well. Most of the kids responded very well to the one on one tutoring.

I do think some work outside of school is necessary and appropriate. I also think a parent should speak to the teacher if their child is struggling with the amount.

Of course maybe they weren't reading at home because they found it hard or impossible to read. They don't want to feel like a failure every night.

Because avoiding it and not making any progress, the parent not seeking help/resources and assisting their child is going to magically make the problem go away the child be able to read? To continue to ignore it as they progress and the reading, comprehension and vocabulary increases really helps them out, right?

 

[Acklander]

In our district k-2 homework primarily was the child was supposed to read for 20 minutes a day. I spent years tutoring 1st graders who were "behind" the grade level standard for reading. The common denominator between all the kids who were struggling....they were not reading at home. I don't know why they weren't, if the parents didn't care or they were too busy, I know it wasn't happening.

What I do know is that it impacted every aspect of their education. If you struggle to read, it's hard to do any of your other work. Many of the kids I worked with, I ended up tutoring in other subjects as well. Most of the kids responded very well to the one on one tutoring.

I do think some work outside of school is necessary and appropriate. I also think a parent should speak to the teacher if their child is struggling with the amount.

I think that comes down to, some people are readers, some aren't. Growing up in my family 3 of us loved to read, one hated it. Those that enjoyed, would read on our own, it didn't matter if it was assigned or not - it was a pleasure. The one who didn't like it would do the absolute minimum required, was tortured through it, and as an adult doesn't read much at all.
With my own kids, one is a reader, one isn't. School comes much easier for my reader, not because I made him read, but because it's part of who he is - he's a thinker and a dreamer. We accepted early on with our oldest that classroom work would always be a struggle, and making him read more wouldn't change that - all that would do is frustrate him. So instead we focused on where his talents were and grew from there. As an adult he works in construction - he gets to be outside, is good at what he does, and is able to contribute in a way he enjoys.

 

[jodifla]

Because avoiding it and not making any progress, the parent not seeking help/resources and assisting their child is going to magically make the problem go away the child be able to read? To continue to ignore it as they progress and the reading, comprehension and vocabulary increases really helps them out, right?

Way to make a lot of wrong, sarcastic assumptions. My son has a learning disability....so do many other children, including the girl that's just about to ring the doorbell here for a playdate. And just forcing them to "do more" doesn't make things better. It requires different approaches, most of which seem out of the realm of many school districts.

 

[jodifla]

I think that comes down to, some people are readers, some aren't. Growing up in my family 3 of us loved to read, one hated it. Those that enjoyed, would read on our own, it didn't matter if it was assigned or not - it was a pleasure. The one who didn't like it would do the absolute minimum required, was tortured through it, and as an adult doesn't read much at all.
With my own kids, one is a reader, one isn't. School comes much easier for my reader, not because I made him read, but because it's part of who he is - he's a thinker and a dreamer. We accepted early on with our oldest that classroom work would always be a struggle, and making him read more wouldn't change that - all that would do is frustrate him. So instead we focused on where his talents were and grew from there. As an adult he works in construction - he gets to be outside, is good at what he does, and is able to contribute in a way he enjoys.

Do you think he had a reading disability, or that reading just wasn't his thing? I always wonder if the fact that it's hard is what is the huge reading turnoff. I loved to read, but my son, not really.

 

[luvsJack]

Because avoiding it and not making any progress, the parent not seeking help/resources and assisting their child is going to magically make the problem go away the child be able to read? To continue to ignore it as they progress and the reading, comprehension and vocabulary increases really helps them out, right?

The child with a reading disability will be frustrated regardless whether the parent is making them read or not.

Do you really think that ALL homework your child is given is necessary? Do you think that the only way for your child to learn is to be doing homework?

 

[Coconut36]

Way to make a lot of wrong, sarcastic assumptions. My son has a learning disability....so do many other children, including the girl that's just about to ring the doorbell here for a playdate. And just forcing them to "do more" doesn't make things better. It requires different approaches, most of which seem out of the realm of many school districts.

Different approaches = working with the child. Letting the child avoid it, not getting them help..etc is what I am talking about.

 

[Coconut36]

The child with a reading disability will be frustrated regardless whether the parent is making them read or not.

Do you really think that ALL homework your child is given is necessary? Do you think that the only way for your child to learn is to be doing homework?

The child with a reading disability still needs help, assistance, practice..etc. You don't just throw up your hands and say "this is hard so we will do nothing".

Do you really think ALL homework is not necessary? Did I ever say hours of homework for all? Nope..I don't however agree with the mentality that it never has use or value and that it works well to help reinforce concepts in some situations. Some of our basic building blocks are from rote memorization..you can't do complex math if you don't remember or understand how to divide or multiply for example. You can't go on to complex reading and writing if you never mastered the basics prior to that.

 

[honeydiane1953]

When my daughter was in elementary school she had WAY TOO MUCH homework. I told her teachers but to no avail. Today she is very successful and happy. She and I often talk about the LOAD she had to bring home EVEN weekends.

 

[luvsJack]

The child with a reading disability still needs help, assistance, practice..etc. You don't just throw up your hands and say "this is hard so we will do nothing".

Do you really think ALL homework is not necessary? Did I ever say hours of homework for all? Nope..I don't however agree with the mentality that it never has use or value and that it works well to help reinforce concepts in some situations. Some of our basic building blocks are from rote memorization..you can't do complex math if you don't remember or understand how to divide or multiply for example. You can't go on to complex reading and writing if you never mastered the basics prior to that.

No you do not throw your hands up, but it is much better for the child not to have a huge amount of reading homework so that he/she gets frustrated with it. You want the child to stay encouraged to try, so you don't push them to the level of frustration.

Heck, all of my kids have read above grade level and sometimes the loooonnnggg, boooorrrring stories they had to read would push them to frustration.

Besides, there are other ways to help a child with reading. Games that can be played, short favorite stories that can be read. Things to make the "homework" something the child enjoys doing.

None of my three kids have been required to memorize math facts. All three do quite well in math, with younger ds scoring almost perfect on the math section of the ACT. IMO, its the concept that is most important.

Other than memorizing sight words when learning to read, I am not sure that memorizing anything is all that valuable.

I think that there are things that can be practiced at home and concepts that can be reviewed but I don't know that homework every night is necessary. And all of it depends on the child. Some kids need to read a little every night, some do not. Some kids need to do a couple of math problems every night, some do not.

I don't think its ALL useless, but I know that some is. Too much is thrown away BY the teachers for it not to be.

 

[Coconut36]

No you do not throw your hands up, but it is much better for the child not to have a huge amount of reading homework so that he/she gets frustrated with it. You want the child to stay encouraged to try, so you don't push them to the level of frustration.

Heck, all of my kids have read above grade level and sometimes the loooonnnggg, boooorrrring stories they had to read would push them to frustration.

Besides, there are other ways to help a child with reading. Games that can be played, short favorite stories that can be read. Things to make the "homework" something the child enjoys doing.

None of my three kids have been required to memorize math facts. All three do quite well in math, with younger ds scoring almost perfect on the math section of the ACT. IMO, its the concept that is most important.

Other than memorizing sight words when learning to read, I am not sure that memorizing anything is all that valuable.

I think that there are things that can be practiced at home and concepts that can be reviewed but I don't know that homework every night is necessary. And all of it depends on the child. Some kids need to read a little every night, some do not. Some kids need to do a couple of math problems every night, some do not.

I don't think its ALL useless, but I know that some is. Too much is thrown away BY the teachers for it not to be.

If a child has a learning disability they are going to have an IEP in place to address it so the work that the class is doing is going to be adjusted to accommodate/meet their needs. I don't think the poster who spoke of kids not getting any reading at home was speaking about kids who have learning disabilities and they shouldn't be lumped together.

I don't know where you worked as an assistant but I don't know any teachers that throw out homework..I am the wife of one and the child of one and most of their friends are all teachers. None of them create homework for the joy of it (because really..what benefit comes to the teacher by creating homework? They have to take the time to make it up, copy it, distribute it, collect it, grade it and enter the grades..yep..great joy for them indeed and done only to spite parents ). I would say teachers that assign work with no value are poor teachers.

If a parent wants work specialized for their child individually they need to look into homeschooling. If you send your child to a public school you have to realize that they can NOT say "well Johnny here doesn't have to do the math worksheet because he got it. Susie..you on the other hand learn better that way so you do it" and so on. That's ridiculous to think it will happen in public school and if that is what a parent wants they need to homeschool their child.

 

[luvsJack]

If a child has a learning disability they are going to have an IEP in place to address it so the work that the class is doing is going to be adjusted to accommodate/meet their needs. I don't think the poster who spoke of kids not getting any reading at home was speaking about kids who have learning disabilities and they shouldn't be lumped together.

I don't know where you worked as an assistant but I don't know any teachers that throw out homework..I am the wife of one and the child of one and most of their friends are all teachers. None of them create homework for the joy of it (because really..what benefit comes to the teacher by creating homework? They have to take the time to make it up, copy it, distribute it, collect it, grade it and enter the grades..yep..great joy for them indeed and done only to spite parents ). I would say teachers that assign work with no value are poor teachers.

If a parent wants work specialized for their child individually they need to look into homeschooling. If you send your child to a public school you have to realize that they can NOT say "well Johnny here doesn't have to do the math worksheet because he got it. Susie..you on the other hand learn better that way so you do it" and so on. That's ridiculous to think it will happen in public school and if that is what a parent wants they need to homeschool their child.

Please, we all know that no teacher has time to grade or even check all of the homework some of them assign. The stuff not graded was the stuff thrown away.

I never said anyone does anything to spite anybody. But, sometimes its hard for people to change the way things have been done for years. And for years some teachers have assigned more homework than necessary.

Its not ridiculous to think that a teacher should be able to see what individual children need. If Johnny knows how to do the math lesson for that week and doesn't need any extra practice then little Johny shouldn't have to do 30 math problems doing the same thing.

Someone upthread mentioned spelling words. My kids had several teachers that gave a spelling test each day, the kids only had to study the words they missed and when they made 100 they stopped taking the test for the week. And so, their spelling homework was geared toward the student and what he/she needed.

The same thing can be done with other subject areas. The teacher should certainly be aware of which students have grasped a concept and which have not. If not, then of course that child may need more practice.

 

[Coconut36]

Please, we all know that no teacher has time to grade or even check all of the homework some of them assign. The stuff not graded was the stuff thrown away.

I never said anyone does anything to spite anybody. But, sometimes its hard for people to change the way things have been done for years. And for years some teachers have assigned more homework than necessary.

Its not ridiculous to think that a teacher should be able to see what individual children need. If Johnny knows how to do the math lesson for that week and doesn't need any extra practice then little Johny shouldn't have to do 30 math problems doing the same thing.

Someone upthread mentioned spelling words. My kids had several teachers that gave a spelling test each day, the kids only had to study the words they missed and when they made 100 they stopped taking the test for the week. And so, their spelling homework was geared toward the student and what he/she needed.

The same thing can be done with other subject areas. The teacher should certainly be aware of which students have grasped a concept and which have not. If not, then of course that child may need more practice.

Of course..you know far better than the person who has a BA and Master's in Education and who has spent the last 10 or more years teaching. By all means please tell the teachers how they should do things because I am sure you know far better than they do (and I am not talking about complaining if your kid has excessive work but rather what you seem to be doing and deciding what all teachers must do for all students, all subjects and all concepts/classes).

I know the time teachers put into grading what they assign because my DH brings home homework to grade when it is assigned. Again you are so locked in "homework is evil" you can't see outside it or that for the teacher that assigns too much there are likely 10 more who assign only what is valuable and beneficial to their students. Most teachers do their best to assign only what they feel is going to help their students do well.

 

[luvsJack]

Of course..you know far better than the person who has a BA and Master's in Education and who has spent the last 10 or more years teaching. By all means please tell the teachers how they should do things because I am sure you know far better than they do (and I am not talking about complaining if your kid has excessive work but rather what you seem to be doing and deciding what all teachers must do for all students, all subjects and all concepts/classes).

I know the time teachers put into grading what they assign because my DH brings home homework to grade when it is assigned. Again you are so locked in "homework is evil" you can't see outside it or that for the teacher that assigns too much there are likely 10 more who assign only what is valuable and beneficial to their students. Most teachers do their best to assign only what they feel is going to help their students do well.

Actually, I am in school now to teach and I have worked with educators for years. My supervisor has a PhD in education and so does his wife, we have had many conversations about this very thing. His wife is the superintendent of schools for the school district that dd just left.

Some of the things I have mentioned were things his wife implemented in the school system. Education is not a one size fits all process. So you make adaptations.

I never said homework is evil so not sure where you are getting that from? That is twice you have put words in mouth, please do not do that.

SOME work is necessary, I agree. 30-50 math problems all concerning the same concept? No, I don't think so. Writing spelling words 10X that you already know how to spell? Not necessary.

 

[Acklander]

Do you think he had a reading disability, or that reading just wasn't his thing? I always wonder if the fact that it's hard is what is the huge reading turnoff. I loved to read, but my son, not really.

When it comes to things like reading, I think a lot of it is personality. Some enjoy it, some don't. Just like some enjoy cooking, or art, or whatever. Personally, I hate cooking - I still have to do it, otherwise I'd starve, but when it's my turn to cook you're going to get the absolute minimum vs. my sister who loves to cook and will always be trying new sauces and ingredients. The thought of spending that much energy in the kitchen would be torture, and because of a lack of interest, it's just not going to happen in my kitchen.
My oldest was the same way about reading - yes, it's needed but he's only going to do as much as is required for survival. I could push all I want, but it would never get beyond mediocre because the desire just isn't there. Instead of focusing on his weaknesses I worked with him to find his strengths and passion. Once a person finds their passion, there's no stopping them and they learn to soar.

 

[Pigeon]

Of course..you know far better than the person who has a BA and Master's in Education and who has spent the last 10 or more years teaching. By all means please tell the teachers how they should do things because I am sure you know far better than they do (and I am not talking about complaining if your kid has excessive work but rather what you seem to be doing and deciding what all teachers must do for all students, all subjects and all concepts/classes).

I know the time teachers put into grading what they assign because my DH brings home homework to grade when it is assigned. Again you are so locked in "homework is evil" you can't see outside it or that for the teacher that assigns too much there are likely 10 more who assign only what is valuable and beneficial to their students. Most teachers do their best to assign only what they feel is going to help their students do well.

You might believe homework is essential in elementary school, but the research does not back you up. You are so locked into the "homework is sacred" meme that you can't see outside it.

Dh is a public school teacher. I'm in higher ed. I don't think all teachers are evil. I don't think all teachers are wonderful, either.

Teachers are under tremendous pressure to assign homework, often to conform to district policies. When I have complained about homework to certain teachers, they were completely unable to show any evidence whatsoever that the homework they were assigning had any positive effect on learning outcomes. Their administrators were equally unable to provide any evidence, other than it was BOE policy. Given that the BOE is primarily composed of non-educators, I'm afraid I don't put much value on that.

In an era where the buzz words in education are "evidence based practices," the last thing administrators admit to is a lack of evidence. If homework was so essential that we force kids to squander hours of their homelife on it, one would think that there would be reams of hard evidence showing just how essential it is to learning. What research exists is tepid and not reproducible.