Homework rant

[Skywalker]

She's a minor. Do most peole here honestly believe she wouldn't stand to benefit from some time outside on her bicycle, or sitting in a corner somewhere reading a novel???

It seems to me she can't ride a bike or read a novel because she is over-scheduled OUTSIDE of actual schoolwork. See below...

... She has club meetings every day but Mondays....

She can't stay up late because chorus starts at 6:50 am. tomorrow.

 

[ashley0139]

What really gets me is the fact that in my dd's school the teacher talks for the whole class period and then 5 minutes before the bell they assign the homework. That's 70 minutes of class time that could have been use to finish homework had it been assigned at the beginning of class however they wait till the last second to assign it

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Wait, you mean the teacher was actually teaching during class? Yeah, that would really get me too.

ETA: I just realized that maybe this post was a joke? Which I'm really hoping is the case...

 

[NHdisneylover]

Finland is currently ranked top in the world for education. Finnish kids spend fewer hours in school, and are assigned less homework than almost any other nation in the top 40. Both homework and standardized testing are discouraged and rarely used in Finland. I think the typical Finnish child takes on standardized test in their school career, at age 16.
Finland also has the smallest gap between their lowest achieving students and the highest achievers.

South Korea came in second on the last round of testing (those two nations tend to go ask and forth in who is first or second BTW). They take the exact opposite approach and push huge amounts of time in school (though, even then a large part of the "school" hours Korean students put in are at private tutoring places outside of the normal school hours. They really push homework and outside studying, leaving virtually no time for outside interests.

Personally, if the two extremes tend to have similar results, I would rather take the, let's create well rounded people, have less stressful school experiences, and not focus on testing route
BTW--the thing both Finland and South Korea have in common is that both countries recruit the best of the best from among college students to beocme their teachers.

What really gets me is the fact that in my dd's school the teacher talks for the whole class period and then 5 minutes before the bell they assign the homework. That's 70 minutes of class time that could have been use to finish homework had it been assigned at the beginning of class however they wait till the last second to assign it

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While I am not a proponent of overlaoding students with homework, I think it is downright silly to want the teachers to NOT teach so taht the kids can get the work done in class

 

[portia9]

I'm a high school math teacher, and I absolutely agree with the OP.

My classes have what we lovingly call the "20 minute rule."

You need to spend 20 minutes per night doing your math homework. No texting, no snacking, no Facebook, no phone... 20 minutes of quality time with a pencil (or pen) and your math textbook.

At the end of those 20 minutes, finished or not, you can close the book.

If you're the only one who struggled, I'll expect to see you in extra help. If everyone struggled, then I messed up-- either my explanation wasn't clear or I underestimated the difficulty or length of the assignment.

You're also allowed to miss, then make up for full credit, up to 3 assignments per marking periods. Hey, sometimes life gets in the way of homework. Either you come home sick, or it's Grandma's birthday, or the appointment at the orthodontist's runs long.

There are no "math emergencies" that should require any kid to spend hours on my math homework.

I wish more teachers, at the end of a long day, had to spend a few hours helping their young kids with homework. I think they would see the frustration of a kid who KNOWS he's doing busy work, and the fear in the eyes of a conscientious kid who simply doesn't get the material but needs to finish it.

I have 180 days in which to cover the syllabus. It's my job to ensure that it's done well and that I've utilized my time well. I work from bell to bell, we don't play games or have days when we ease up. If you miss a day of my class, you've missed a lot. Miss a week, and you're in a pretty deep hole. But 180 days of one 38 minute class, plus 20 minutes of homework per day, is all I need.

I think I love you. The stress on a family with homework is sometimes really onerous. It's stressful for kids and parents. My primary school aged kids don't have homework this week (it's the end of term here on Friday) and this week has been so much more relaxed.

I bet kids respond well to your homework theory too. That whole idea of kids working hard for a teacher that respects them. Particularly high schoolers. I bet you get more work out of them than a lot of other more militant teachers.

 

[mimmi]

Finland is currently ranked top in the world for education. Finnish kids spend fewer hours in school, and are assigned less homework than almost any other nation in the top 40. Both homework and standardized testing are discouraged and rarely used in Finland. I think the typical Finnish child takes on standardized test in their school career, at age 16.
Finland also has the smallest gap between their lowest achieving students and the highest achievers.

We've been having an ongoing debate about the future of our school systm for years and Finland is often mentioned as a good example.
They can afford to have less classroom time as they usually have smaller than average classes and the weaker students are tremendously well supported by extra tutors.
Teacher is a highly prestigious profession and admission to teaching colleges is very competitive, but once you are in you look into a bright future career wise.

What is also very interesting about the finnish education system is, that the educational level of the parents barely influences the school career of their children, which is a problem over here: the better educated the parents are, the higher is the chance that their children will gain higher education.

I like their approach very much, they achieve a lot without putting the kids under constant pressure. Of course, it's not cheap, but cutting down school budgets seems to be very short sighted anyway.

 

[NHdisneylover]

We've been having an ongoing debate about the future of our school systm for years and Finland is often mentioned as a good example.
They can afford to have less classroom time as they usually have smaller than average classes and the weaker students are tremendously well supported by extra tutors.
Teacher is a highly prestigious profession and admission to teaching colleges is very competitive, but once you are in you look into a bright future career wise.

What is also very interesting about the finnish education system is, that the educational level of the parents barely influences the school career of their children, which is a problem over here: the better educated the parents are, the higher is the chance that their children will gain higher education.

I like their approach very much, they achieve a lot without putting the kids under constant pressure. Of course, it's not cheap, but cutting down school budgets seems to be very short sighted anyway.

All true

What I find most interesting is tha Finalnd did not set out to be "the best" or compete in educationally with other countries, and the Finnish people (including educators) were stunned the first time they took the PISA and scored so high. Many thought it was a mistake.

What Finland DID set out to do, which you reference a little bit with the education level of parents, is "level the playing field. The goal in Finland is that EVERY child, regardless of where they live, what level of education their parents have, what their income is, will get an equally good education.

 

[dogluva]

What really gets me is the fact that in my dd's school the teacher talks for the whole class period and then 5 minutes before the bell they assign the homework. That's 70 minutes of class time that could have been use to finish homework had it been assigned at the beginning of class however they wait till the last second to assign it

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Okay aim confused. I thought class time is to teach and homework is for home. What am I missing?

 

[dogluva]

But then it's not homework, it's classroom work. And before students know enough to complete the homework, they need to be taught the material - the teacher-talking time.

Yes and if she let them start or finish homework, parents would complain they were not taught the material enough.

 

[Aliceacc]

Another thing on the homework issue: lots of teachers are "flipping" their classrooms.

I've experimented with it a little this year. Here's how it works:

There are lots and lots of sites with fabulous instructional videos. So, for example, last night my geometry homework was to watch a video and take notes. The material covered all the basic definitions of the chapter we started yesterday on circles.

So my kids spent 17 minutes last night watching a video, and taking notes on major and minor arcs, central angles and inscribed angles. That meant that yesterday in class, I could give them a quick description, and move on. It means that today they'll be doing the drill work that I would have assigned as homework in the past... but that we'll be doing it together. Them coming to class with the rules already written down means I spend less time watching they copy notes.

I haven't done a total flip for a number of reasons-- I like MY explanations better than many of the ones I've found online, and lots of our kids lost access to computers when they lost their homes in Hurricane Sandy. My explanations tend to vary from one period to the next, depending on the kids in the room. I can't ensure that they really understand what they've gotten from a video. But I have done what I call a "slow rollover", playing with the idea of them sometimes taking notes at home and doing more drillwork in class. I would imagine that, had I not explained it to parents in the fall, some might see the homework as busy work, since it doesn't really require a lot of concentration. But, as we all know, one of the best ways to learn material is to write it, so those definitions and theorems need to go into the notebooks. If they can take some of the notes at home, I can put more time into working with those theorems and definitions.

I'm having fun with it, and the kids love it. Watching a video on www.teachertube.com or www.khanacademy.com really does break up their homework load, and it seems to be working well.

 

[dogluva]

Wait, you mean the teacher was actually teaching during class? Yeah, that would really get me too.

ETA: I just realized that maybe this post was a joke? Which I'm really hoping is the case...

I don't think it is. Teachers cannot win no matter what they do.

 

[zoemurr]

I do believe that some teachers assign busy work. Like they get an award for being the toughest teacher who assigned the most work. But they pay for it because they have to grade all that junk!

Many teachers in HS don't correct the hw.. they just check off that they did it. Her math and SS teachers collect one a week, but you never know which one, so you have to be prepared.

To the PP that said DD is overbooked.. yes, I think she is and I've told her so. Over and over I have said that this bothered ME, and that SHE is fine.

To the PP that mentioned Finland.. I think you nailed it. The competition and and respect of the teaching profession is huge. Taxes are also much higher there than here. But clearly that is a whole 'nother thread.

Alice.. DD wants to know where you teach.

 

[Bob NC]

My daughter is graduating from college this year.

When she was in high school she had 3+ hours of homework every night too.

It's just the way it was and we all accepted it.

She went to a great high school that she loved, took tough courses, and she put in the work she was required to do.

I know at times we probably vented a little and said, "Wow, that's a lot of homework."

I'm sure the OP isn't planning a riot or anything, I'm sure it's just a little harmless venting. Maybe, lol.

 

[disney is my life]

Obviously I left out some info from that post. The teacher usually teaches a lessen for about a half hour which is fine with me. It's that some of her teachers will teach the lesson and then just let the class talk for the next half hour and then just before the bell give the homework. If the teacher gave it to them right after the lesson they would have been able to finish a lot of it before they even get home. I have no problem if the teacher is teaching for those 70 minutes but they aren't

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[kaytieeldr]

Obviously I left out some info from that post. The teacher usually teaches a lessen for about a half hour which is fine with me. It's that some of her teachers will teach the lesson and then just let the class talk for the next half hour and then just before the bell give the homework. If the teacher gave it to them right after the lesson they would have been able to finish a lot of it before they even get home. I have no problem if the teacher is teaching for those 70 minutes but they aren't

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It still wouldn't be homework.

Unless parents are in the classroom regularly to observe the actual teaching process, trusting the "we chat for 40 minutes" claim may not be the best idea. It's also possible that's time that students are supposed to be working together then to review what was taught.

You could always go to the school board with homework issues.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Why are kids expected to go to school for 7 hours day and then often have 3-4 hours of homework? I feel so bad for my DD. First day back after vacation and she has a huge SS packet, and tons of math homework due tomorrow. I know she just wants to relax. Fortunately we didn't have anything else going on today after school. She has club meetings every day but Mondays.

It just seems so unfair. Most adults aren't expected to start work at 7am, come home at 3, have an hour break and then work from home until bedtime. This has to be unhealthy.

She's is in all advanced classes, so some of this pressure she did put on herself. She's in 9th grade and I assume it's only going to get worse. She is not poking around or wasting time either. She did homework for an hour or two almost every day over vacation as well. How do families w/high schoolers go away those weeks?

Selfishly I would like to spend some time with her today but I know it's not going to happen. She can't stay up late because chorus starts at 6:50 am. tomorrow.

Thanks.. just venting. She's not the one complaining, I am.

At least she is doing her work. No way could we ever go away on break. My dd also took a ton of hard classes this yr (10th).

Let's see...she has a presentation this morning and has been up basically all night working on it. It is her final presentation for this class with her semester project, the BIG ONE.

She did drop a class and took a study hall this semester so she can do work and get help at school.

Blah.

 

[kaytieeldr]

What really gets me is the fact that in my dd's school the teacher talks for the whole class period and then 5 minutes before the bell they assign the homework. That's 70 minutes of class time that could have been use to finish homework had it been assigned at the beginning of class however they wait till the last second to assign it

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Obviously I left out some info from that post. The teacher usually teaches a lessen for about a half hour which is fine with me. It's that some of her teachers will teach the lesson and then just let the class talk for the next half hour and then just before the bell give the homework. If the teacher gave it to them right after the lesson they would have been able to finish a lot of it before they even get home. I have no problem if the teacher is teaching for those 70 minutes but they aren't

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Color me confused. Do the teachers talk/teach for almost the entire 70 minutes? Or do they talk/teach only half that long? Maybe each class period is too long?

 

[Allison]

Obviously I left out some info from that post. The teacher usually teaches a lessen for about a half hour which is fine with me. It's that some of her teachers will teach the lesson and then just let the class talk for the next half hour and then just before the bell give the homework. If the teacher gave it to them right after the lesson they would have been able to finish a lot of it before they even get home. I have no problem if the teacher is teaching for those 70 minutes but they aren't

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I don't think it is that you left something out. It is that you are now changing what you said. You said the teacher talked the entire class in your first post.

 

[mjkacmom]

Sounds pretty easy to me! Ds14 gets home from school around 8 (goes to crew practice right from school). Three times a week, he has soccer from 8:15 - 9:30. Then he eats dinner, and starts on homework.

We have family night Christmas Eve., Christmas Day, and Easter. We have a little on Thanksgiving, but only until around 3, and then we're off to a dance competition in another state. Almost every child has a 2 - 3 hour activity every night, most have more than one.

Weeknights are for homework/activities/shower/sleep. We usually have a week or two where we can go away, or at least most of us. With HS sports, there are only 2 weeks over the summer, and none throughout the year.

Knock on wood, my kids have never been in an ounce of trouble - no time for that. They get great grades, in honors/AP classes, and will probably find adulthood to be pretty easy!

 

[luvmy3]

Obviously I left out some info from that post. The teacher usually teaches a lessen for about a half hour which is fine with me. It's that some of her teachers will teach the lesson and then just let the class talk for the next half hour and then just before the bell give the homework. If the teacher gave it to them right after the lesson they would have been able to finish a lot of it before they even get home. I have no problem if the teacher is teaching for those 70 minutes but they aren't

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Just curious how long your school day is if the periods are 70 minutes long? Our periods are on average 40 minutes here.

 

[Disney Doll]

Wow you are being hyper-defensive here! No one attacked you at all

I have no dog in this fight because I don't have kids, but several responses have been "attacky".

My opinion about homework is that if a kid needs to do 2 hours of homework for a class, then the teacher isn't teaching well and is attempting to have the child "self-instruct" by learning it through homework.

Homework should be a review of what was learned in a 40-60 minute (I would assume) school period. It should b enough to cement a concept in a child's head.

It shouldn't take 2 hours to review 40-60 minutes worth of instruction.