No homework ever...wwyd?

[Rafiki Rafiki Rafiki]

My 4th grader's teacher told everyone at the beginning of the year not to expect homework from her.

I'm not missing the nightly fight about homework, but I feel like my daughter isn't getting the full educational experience from school if we never have the opportunity to reinforce what is learned at school.

Am I alone in this thought? If it was you, would you say something to the teacher and/or principal?

 

[freckles and boo]

I don't know that I would beg for homework, but I would want a weekly note from the teacher (which we get along WITH homework ) detailing the lessons in each subject. That way, if I felt like it, we could expand on certain topics. It makes me feel like I am on the same team as the teacher and hopefully it presents a unified front to my daughter.

 

[KirstenB]

I'd be so thrilled, words fail me! What subject is it? You could always look up you state's standards of learning, and supplement her learning. Our teachers, who give plenty of homework, also give us links on their weblogs to the SOLs that they're currently teaching, so we can look them up too.

 

[MushyMushy]

I would get down on my knees and kiss that teacher's feet, and then do the banana dance in the privacy of my own home.

But seriously, I don't really believe in homework. When I get my own classroom, I hope to give little to no homework.

 

[aprilgail2]

I would be doing the happy dance if that was my daughters teacher!
I just read a book that was very good- The end of homework : how homework disrupts families, overburdens children, and limits learning / Etta Kralovec and John Buell.

 

[marshallandcartersmo]

I would send that teacher a fruit basket or something...........

Seriously, I'm sure she brings home work that she does at school for you to see, right? Go over that with her nightly. That's what I do w/DS, he rarely has homework and we just go over the papers he did at school.

 

[mom2grace]

I'd invite you over to my house, and you can do our homework! DD is in 1st grade, and we get homework for homework's sake Mon-Thurs.................I would prefer to play educational games to reinforce what DD is learning, but that may be easier in 1st grade than 4th grade!

 

[amyhughes]

I totally agree with the teacher. Though I would send her an email and while thanking her ask her to keep you all updated (bc kids aren't the biggest fonts of information regarding classroom study!) on what they are covering so that you can help out on the homefront. We have started to do that with DS#1 who is in Montessori and it helps him talk about school more.

 

[RitaZ.]

I would get down on my knees and kiss that teacher's feet, and then do the banana dance in the privacy of my own home.

I'd join you!

 

[Tigger&Belle]

When my older son was in 6th grade one of his teachers announced at back to school night that they wouldn't get homework in that class because he'd rather have the kids going home and having time to play outside being kids. I loved that teacher!

 

[amyhughes]

When my older son was in 6th grade one of his teachers announced at back to school night that they wouldn't get homework in that class because he'd rather have the kids going home and having time to play outside being kids. I loved that teacher!

Sounds like a good teacher!

 

[manning]

WOW a teacher who knows how to teach !!!!!!!!

 

[Rafiki Rafiki Rafiki]

DD comes home with her agenda wanting a signature on it every night. It gives a one-word description of what they're doing in class.

Papers come home only on Thursdays, which happen to be very busy because of soccer, Girl Scouts, and gymnastics between two girls. DD always seems to make A's on the papers. She's smart, but she's not smart enough for the school district's "gifted" program (at least, according to the "gifted" teacher).

It's a good thing for her to not have homework...because as you may remember from last spring, she makes straight A's except for the failing grade in effort. I just feel like she could be making more progress in school if there was some sort of challenge.

Maybe I'm just a mean mom. Maybe I just expect more out of the district.

ugh.

 

[Stephres]

I would love to have no homework as well, but I think I would at least have my son read for 20 minutes a day and make sure he knew his spelling words. Other than that, if your daughter is doing well, I wouldn't sweat it.

I must be the party pooper: my son's second grade teacher really worried me with how lax she was I made my son do a bridge book over the summer. I felt like such an ogre!

 

[yasmina]

I teach 7th and 8th grade French. I stopped giving homework last spring after reading this book:

The Case Against Homework
http://www.amazon.com/Case-Against-...018X/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b/104-6589507-3433514

Saw no change in the students' grades.

Alphie Kohn is always a great resource as well:

The Homework Myth
http://www.amazon.com/Homework-Myth...433514?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192068185&sr=1-11

Studies have shown that homework in the elementary level provides no benefits in student achievement, only a slight increase in achievement in middle grades, and just a slightly larger increase in high school.

 

[famofsix]

I don't think you need homework to have a valuable educational experience but you do need parental support. This means you need to take an active role in your child's education.

This means looking over her classwork and identifying her strengths and weakness....when you see a weakness you can provide support by giving her your own "homework"

Examples: having a poor writer write a letter to Grandma...

Playing spelling games with a weak speller, hangman etc.

Math: reinforce math facts at home and making your child aware of math reasoning in everyday life.

encourage your child to READ and let her see you read for pleasure....

Play geography games...learn the state capitals together for fun...try a new recipe from another country....

Encourage kids to play productive games...build a lemonade stand, have a garage sale, make a snowman, have a neighborhood play.

There are tons of educational websites too that just reinforce the learning she is getting in school....

Buy her a webkinz

We are lucky so far because while the kids get homework it is not over burdened like many of my friends from other districts.


Consider yourself lucky...around here 4th grade used to be called the "year of no smiling" because of the 4th grade tests...it's not as bad now though.

 

[MM27]

4th grade teacher here.
I would not give homework at all if it wasn't required by my district. We are expected to give 40 minutes (10 minutes per grade level) in 4th grade. And we must note all homework assignments in our plan book. Homework is 10% of the final marking period grade. Works out good for the kids that have parents that do it for them, but not so good for the kids that have zero parental support.

My personal belief is that after working in school all day, kids should have down time. I understand why many of them have a hostile attitude about doing work in class. They work from 9-3 and then are expected to go home and do more.

 

[mommyto3]

I would fall on my knees and thank the good Lord above!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously, our home life is affected by my sons homework (7th grade). Thankfully my daughters (11th grade and 4th grade) are able to do everything on thier own and make awesome grades.....my son, not so much. School is a daily struggle for him, and the tons of nightly homework puts a strain on our family. I feel so bad for him (and me who has to help him)....it really stinks to spend 7 hours a day in school and then come home and spend another 3 hours doing homework. Kids can't be kids anymore.

Consider it a blessing!!!

 

[disneyjunkie]

Maybe I'm just a mean mom. Maybe I just expect more out of the district.

ugh.

Well, add me to the mean mommie list.

I'd have an issue with a 4th grade teacher not assigning homework.

 

[amyhughes]

I can only imagine how I would feel if I had a mandatory amount of work for home each night (which on this job is a nightly thing anyhow!) after leaving my job. I always equate school with work for kids. That's their job for the first 20-someodd years!