Homework: Worthwhile or Worthless?

[taximomfor4]

I agree, that a well-considered project can help master planning and dealing with a deadline.

I think it is silly, though, to think that busywork teaches time-management. If you want kids to use their time wisely, don't have them waste it doing repetive drills, etc., once they show they have mastered a skill. Speaking primarily of math skills, but including grammar, etc.

I think that as long as the schools are teaching every child as if they are out of a mold, the amount of repetition will be correct for some, not enough for some, and far too much (read: BORING) for others. I would say that not many classrooms can manage differentiation.

Sorry, I think I am somewhat disjointed in my responses today. My mind is on a whole other homework issue than this one.

 

[noodleknitter]

I hope it gets worked out! Have a good afternoon!

 

[jodifla]

I found most of my homework assignments to be worthless. It was just busywork.

 

[manning]

I remember seeing a teacher on a program. Can't remember the program as it was awhile ago.

He said he assigned homework but not on weekends or holidays. He felt family time was important. All his students did fine.

 

[Lanshark]

They are going to get homework in college. We can either prepare them for college or allow them to have a very rude awakening.

 

[MushyMushy]

Honestly, I think that's an important lesson for your daughter to learn before high school-instructions are instructions.
If you're really concerned about your child's homework, bring it up with your child's teacher--don't whine about it on the DIS.

And exactly how many kids do you have that you sit home helping with homework every night?

 

[MushyMushy]

While I'm student teaching, I'm trying to give as little homework as possible. I give the kids ample time in class to do work and I don't purposely send things home with them. I'd rather see them do the work right in front of me. I'll probably be the same way when I get my own class.

I agree with whoever said they hate the word searches and crossword puzzles. Busy work, indeed! I also hate when my kids have to come home and do something with supplies we don't have on hand. It's one thing if they give us time to go buy them, but please don't assume we have magazines, glue sticks, and poster paper.

 

[aprilgail2]

If its just busy work its pointless. My daughter came home with a word search for homework, thats just crapwork. I don't mind a few minutes of homework but once it hits over the 30 minute mark it would tick me off. Right now its manageable, she does some on the bus on the way home then a few more minutes squeezed in sometimes either after dinner or in the morning before she gets on the school bus...we are very busy after school with karate, basketball, dancing,girl scouts and from Nov-Jan volunteer work every night, sometimes it gets squeezed in on the car ride too.

 

[Daxx]

DD8 is in 3rd grade in a private Montessori school. There are no grades. We get assessments based on classwork and teacher interaction with the child. State tests are not required because the school receives no funding from the state or the feds whatsoever.

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[pajamommy]

Homework sucks.

 

[JadenLayne]

I think it is worthwhile definitely but I don't think that excessive homework is necessary. With sports and church activities and everything else my son does at the school I think homework that equals to 15-30 minutes per class per night is more than enough.

 

[Cool-Beans]

If it requires coloring of any sort (after 1st grade), it is worthless. If it requires me answering questions about 80s pop music, it is worthless. Word searches, too.

Math, vocabulary, reading, writing...all fine, so long as they don't require making pamphlets or posters (also worthless.)

 

[taximomfor4]

If it requires coloring of any sort (after 1st grade), it is worthless. If it requires me answering questions about 80s pop music, it is worthless. Word searches, too.

Math, vocabulary, reading, writing...all fine, so long as they don't require making pamphlets or posters (also worthless.)

LOL. I'm with ya!

 

[Hedy]

And exactly how many kids do you have that you sit home helping with homework every night?

None, and when I was a child I did this wild and crazy thing called doing my own homework myself. If I got points off, I sucked it up, dealt and learned. I didn't go whining to my parents.

 

[punkin]

Thanks for the clarification.

You're welcome.

 

[declansdad]

If it requires coloring of any sort (after 1st grade), it is worthless.

I teach adults and on a recent exam about 10 out of 23 couldn't tell the difference between yellow and orange. Maybe it's not so useless afterall.

 

[declansdad]

As a Kdg. teacher, I only give homework to reinforce what is learned in class. That means a page of math that has 3 or 4 items on it, a printing sheet where they have to print a letter we're working on 5 times. Nothing that should take a child more than 5 mins. I only give one piece of homework a night and no homework over the weekend.

As a teacher, I can find some kind of learning quality in most of the projects that others find "useless" when it comes to other homework/projects.

Even something as "silly" as coloring hones motor skills. Something as "frivolous" as a word search brings in analysis and thinking skills. Yeah, it might suck that your kid has to do a word search, but it helps in analytical thinking, exercises the brain and prepares them for the time when they will have to sit through tasks that take them longer than 3 minutes.

I guess many of you skipped this explanation about "silly" and "frivolous" assignments.

 

[MushyMushy]

I guess many of you skipped this explanation about "silly" and "frivolous" assignments.

I didn't skip it, but I admit that I missed it.

I still disagree with word searches and the like. My DD brought them home for an entire year for her vocab lessons. I can think of half a dozen worthwhile vocab exercises right off the top of my head that would be far more valuable than a word search in learning new vocabulary.

It was laziness on her teacher's part, pure and simple.

 

[Cool-Beans]

I teach adults and on a recent exam about 10 out of 23 couldn't tell the difference between yellow and orange. Maybe it's not so useless afterall.

I said, "after 1st grade." If a kid has not learned their colors after Kindergarten, they shouldn't be entering 1st grade. If they get all the way through both K and 1st and have yet to master primary colors, there is a problem with the school, the child, or both.

I stand by my original statement. Coloring isn't necessary from 2nd grade on. They should be learning more advanced concepts. That's my take, anyway.

 

[MushyMushy]

I said, "after 1st grade." If a kid has not learned their colors after Kindergarten, they shouldn't be entering 1st grade. If they get all the way through both K and 1st and have yet to master primary colors, there is a problem with the school, the child, or both.

I stand by my original statement. Coloring isn't necessary from 2nd grade on. They should be learning more advanced concepts. That's my take, anyway.

Eh, it's not necessary, but it can be okay even for high schoolers who might want to incorporate some creativity into their work. We had the students do vocabulary words, and then they chose one and illustrated it. We gave them colored pencils and boy, did they grumble about it! But within five minutes, the majority of them were happily coloring away, trying to find the best way to illustrate their difficult word.