I Hate Busy Work!

[KATHINOWA]

My son's 4th grade teacher stopped teaching about 2 weeks ago. We have 3 weeks of school left. No more spelling tests, reading tests. We had a math final scheduled but he cancelled it because he felt they were tested enough in math. We're in the middle of a 97 degree heat wave and he sends home a sheet that we have to fill in words that start with "a" and end in "b", start with "b" and and in "c". We couldn't come up with anything for "i" with "j", "p" with "q", "u" with "v" and "y" with "z". He obviously doesn't feel like teaching anymore so why do we get busy work for homework? If he doesn't do, he loses raffle tickets for prizes.

I don't think he needs to start new lessons this time of year but we still have 3 weeks left. I'm sure he could come up with something besides this.

I actually really like this teacher but enough is enough!

Rant over!

 

[I Love Pluto]

Exactly what would you prefer to be taught at this time of year?

 

[kbkids]

Exactly what would you prefer to be taught at this time of year?

There's plenty that can be done besides nonsence type of stuff. I don't see how the particular lesson the OP mentioned teaches anything. Do a review of math lessons from the year. Have a spelling bee. Do a class book club reading and let the kids discuss the book in small groups at school. DD's 4th grade teacher (although I didn't particularly care for her for other reasons) used the last few weeks of school to do a dissection project with the class. It wasn't anything graded, but the kids were still learning. When the teachers start whipping out the videos everyday, my kids don't have to go. If they are going to lie around and watch TV all day, we've got things we could be doing at home. I don't mind an occasional video, but if some part of the day isn't being spent constructively, it's wasting my time getting them up and getting them there.

 

[CrazedDisFan]

I'm sorry, but if the teachers are not teaching for the last 5 weeks of schools, I'd be ticked off.

I understand that the last week of school is a waste educationally, but come on 5 weeks? I am a parapro in a public school system and yes with grade cards and such we do stop recording the 7 days prior to the end of the school year, but certainly not the last 5 weeks.

 

[KATHINOWA]

Exactly what would you prefer to be taught at this time of year?

A general review of the past year would be great! Reading a book with the class and discussing it is another great idea, science experiments too.

My gripe was that if he wants to take the last few weeks and not teach anything new, that's fine. But why give an assignment that's just busy work? We searched the internet and could not find some of the answers.

 

[SDFgirl]

Some things I teach in the last two or three weeks of school are:

-Cursive...The kids LOVE to learn, but it's not in the curriculum so I don't teach it before THE TEST.

-Summer writing projects. This year we put together a book called "The Senses of Summer." The kids wrote descriptive sentences about things they feel, hear, see, smell, and taste in the summertime. I didn't grade it, but the kids put them together into books to take home.

-Write letters to next year's students.

-I do a lot of read-alouds...something else I don't have much time for before THE TEST.

Oh! And I stop giving homework about 2 or 3 weeks before the school year ends. The kids are burned out, the parents are burned out, and I'm burned out. Who needs more busywork? OP, I'm with you!

 

[golfgal]

It is required homework or just extra papers they can do to earn these raffle tickets? Do they have a class party where they spend these raffle tickets? Maybe this is just a way for the kids to earn more tickets. Keep in mind the story from your child might not be the whole story of what these sheets are for.

 

[KATHINOWA]

It is required homework or just extra papers they can do to earn these raffle tickets? Do they have a class party where they spend these raffle tickets? Maybe this is just a way for the kids to earn more tickets. Keep in mind the story from your child might not be the whole story of what these sheets are for.

It is regular assigned homework. They earn tickets for various things, homework is not one of them. However if they don't do the assignment, they lose the tickets. They spend their tickets at the end of every month. Some assignments are "bonus" assignments and you earn tickets for those. This assignment was not a bonus assignment though. It was their regular assignment.

I like this teacher, my son loves him. I feel a little bad about my rant now.