Teachers/parents, what's your take on this?

[DVCJones]

As a teacher and parent, I can agree with a lot (not all) of what the OP has posted. I think homework is an important part of the educational process, however, I think that anything more than an hour of homework is too much.

The mom in me is big on family time. My husband and I work all day my kids are in preschool/ daycare. My oldest will start kindergarten in the fall. I really feel that family time needs to be preserved. I look forward to spending time with my children doing fun things. (playing outside, family meals (at the table), games, baking, bowling, building forts, camping, vacations, family movie night, etc....)

When my children reach school age (k-12) I do intend to help them with their homework. (an hours worth a night for each child) However, I also plan to preserve the "family time" I feel is just as important. I think it is important to let kids be kids too. They need time to unwind and relax. I also don't subscribe to the "lets plan out every free moment of ours kids time" mentality that so many do. I am not saying that I won't sign up my DD for dance class if she wants it. I just won't sign her up for dance, scouts, soccer, gymnastics, skating, etc. Monday- Sunday.

IMHO, a stressed out straight A students is a sad thing to watch. I would be perfectly happy if my kids grow up to be a happy, relaxed B student. ( I am not saying every A student is stressed out)

Please don't confuse my opinions with some one who parks her kids in front of the TV all day. I am talking family interaction. Learning through experiences not just through reading it in a book. For me that means a family vacation to WDW is also a learning experience as well as family time. A win win!!!

The teacher in me thinks that parents should also teach their children how to be respectful, thoughtful and to behave so that time on learning isn't wasted trying to get the class to cooperate. Just think...of all the learning that could be happening at school if teachers didn't have stop and get the class back under control. Many teachers are finding themselves "parenting" children all day!

 

[bellebud]

In response to the 'take your kids out of school' threads, I need help understanding the current situation in what seems to be most schools... help me understand how things are working today so it doesn't bug me so much...
Personally, I don't care if a parent takes their child out of school for a family vacation. I would actually encourage it if they could afford it because kids gain so much real world experience and knowledge from travelling and spending that time with their families.

all the teachers put a fair amount of responsibility on the parents for learning (dd's 3rd grade teacher told us at open house in the beginning of the year that the entire class was behind in their memorization of math facts and they all needed to catch up, as if it was the parents problem and responsibility)... if the entire class is behind, how is that NOT a school issue and the fault of the prior teachers and/or academic policies of the school.

Um, it is the responsibility of a parent to be a teacher for their child as well. You can't have the attitude that it's the job of just the school and only the school. I teach 4th grade and I don't "teach" multiplication facts. Once you show kids some strategies, they really need to go home and just practice them. I review them in school, but by 4th grade it's one of those things we kind of expect kids to already know or to be practicing at home.

I feel like if the school did what you'd expect a school to do, that is, educate my child, then I can see the 'no taking them out for vacation'... but if the school is asking me to do weekend projects, summer projects, make flash cards, etc, etc, during "home time"

If you think the at home work is bad now, wait until they get to middle and high school. Do you have the same attitude about college? If so, my professors didn't teach me anything because I spent hours every day out of class learning new things.


Is it the 'no child left behind' thing? I personally don't know a single teacher who likes that whole thing, and I really don't know a teacher, public or private, who isn't frustrated w/ the education system.

Yes, part of it is NCLB. Whoever came up with that name sure was smart. People that don't know much about it don't understand what could be so bad about making sure No Child is Left Behind. Sounds like a good thing doesn't it? Learn more about it and you will understand why many teachers have problems with it.

I think they exaggerate how much overtime they put in

You can THINK whatever you want, but there are many teachers that put in tons of extra time every day, including weekends. Your opinions seem to be based on some issue you have with teachers in general. If it is going to have an impact on your children's education, you should home school. Save the teachers the aggravation of having to deal with another parent like you.

OP here... you quoted me your entire response, except the last line "I think they exaggerate how much overtime they put in"... that WAS NOT me, Bellebud, and I don't want anyone to think it is. Someone else posted that. I absolutely know it's a lot of work for teachers, and I feel sorry for them, as I've posted a couple of times (I AM frustrated w/ both my kids teachers this year for certain things, but was very happy w/ their other teachers). And your comment "...of having to deal w/ another parent like you" is very rude.

 

[meandtheguys2]

You can THINK whatever you want, but there are many teachers that put in tons of extra time every day, including weekends. Your opinions seem to be based on some issue you have with teachers in general. If it is going to have an impact on your children's education, you should home school. Save the teachers the aggravation of having to deal with another parent like you.

Oh, please... Take a deep breath. Assumptions never do anyone proud. I like teachers. I just don't put them on a higher plain than the rest of the world. To become so offended over such a small remark is not a good thing. It trivializes the things in life that are worth such emotion. And the world is full of real reasons to be offended.

Anyone who stands there and says they have never exaggerated the amt. of work they have is a liar, at best. I go into the schools and evaluate students, and teachers. I supervise a group or two of student teachers each semester. I teach an occasional child development class... I see what is involved. Of course there are occasions of extra time put in. Most jobs have the same. My mom, as an RN did ALL of her paperwork off the clock. When I worked residential, I worked a ten hour shift, and then did all of the paperwork accumulated during the day. And you should see the stacks of evaluations I have to do every weekend, they take hours...no, wait...that would be an exaggeration.

Teaching isn't difficult. It has been done by laypersons since...well, forever. Dealing with 25 children at a time takes practice. And a good teacher is to valued. As a society we have very little choice, but to to hope they do their best. I care about our schools, because the youth of the world is EVERYBODY'S concern.

eta: Not only does it take practice to deal with so many kids, but also a special skill to do it well, and make it work. And, I suspect a temperament like DVCJones, or my SIL, niece or nephew...pleasant, and full of common sense.

 

[MM27]

I just don't put them on a higher plain than the rest of the world.

Who claimed to be higher than the rest of the world? I love my job, minus the negative remarks that tend to be aimed at teachers all the time. I don't care how many classrooms someone has visited or volunteered in, until you do the job yourself you really shouldn't make judgements. I don't judge the workload of any other job, because I don't know what others have and honestly I don't care.

Anyone who stands there and says they have never exaggerated the amt. of work they have is a liar, at best. I go into the schools and evaluate students, and teachers. I supervise a group or two of student teachers each semester. I teach an occasional child development class... I see what is involved.

I have no need to exaggerate the amount of work I do. So you can call me a liar if calling names makes you feel better.

The workload varies from district to district. Those under state control or receiving state funding from Title I funds require much more in terms of paperwork. I never had a professor that shared information about paperwork and data analysis in schools because most don't know. As a matter of fact, I had a conversation with one of my grad school professors last year and she was shocked at some of the requirements that we had.

If the OP has such strong feelings about the school she is sending her child to, then it is a disservice to both the child and the school to continue sending the child there. No, I would not want a child in my class that had a parent that didn't think they needed to do their part in the educational process. They're your children.

 

[kseptember44]

my boys go to a private Catholic school in NY also. Kindergarten & 4th grade. My family is having a reunion in WDW. It is a once in a lifetime event. I talked to the teachers & principal about it in Sept. before we booked the trip. We are going in May. We are waiting until the 4th grade takes their last NYS tests.
I volunteer in the school so I see how hard the teachers work. Both my children get homework and I find that it re-enforces what they learned that day. I also see for myself where they need help and then I am proactive instead of reactive. I am expecting alot of work coming with us to Disney and they both understand that they have to complete it. (we are driving down)
I use to say that I would never take my children out of school for vacations. I learned from experience to never say never.

 

[disneynewbee]

I think you have a great point. I've been saying this for a long time. I do think kids should have some homework but what kids are bringing home these days is crazy. My dd gets home from school at 4pm so there is 4 hours before bedtime. Dinner for a family of 5 with clean up is at least an hour and a half. Baths for the two younger, pjs, blow dry another hour. Dance class for the two older children, one hour a night. Homework and reading for preschool 30 minutes. It leaves us with no time to just unwind together as a family. I could cut out their dance classes but is that really fair? Kids should have that type of stuff too. Next year I know the homework will be alot worse since my niece and nephew go to the same school and I've seen the homework they do. I don't think homework should ever take more than a half hour. I don't blame the teachers at all for the excessive homework that most kids recieve though. They are given guidelines for what children are required to know by the end of the year and this gets increased every year. I think the system itself is pushing the kids too hard to try to reach these advanced guidelines. I remember that we learned the alphabet in K now they are expected to know it going into K but don't provide pre K to help the kids learn it. You can pay for preschool but not everyone can afford to do that. Now they are reading in K. In a few years they'll be doing algebra in K LOL. Kids need to be kids and I think pushing them too fast will have alot of kids frustrated when they can't keep up and hating school. That of course can lead to higher drop out rates.

 

[Zane_Anthony]

I think you have a great point. I've been saying this for a long time. I do think kids should have some homework but what kids are bringing home these days is crazy. My dd gets home from school at 4pm so there is 4 hours before bedtime. Dinner for a family of 5 with clean up is at least an hour and a half. Baths for the two younger, pjs, blow dry another hour. Dance class for the two older children, one hour a night. Homework and reading for preschool 30 minutes. It leaves us with no time to just unwind together as a family. I could cut out their dance classes but is that really fair? Kids should have that type of stuff too. Next year I know the homework will be alot worse since my niece and nephew go to the same school and I've seen the homework they do. I don't think homework should ever take more than a half hour. I don't blame the teachers at all for the excessive homework that most kids recieve though. They are given guidelines for what children are required to know by the end of the year and this gets increased every year. I think the system itself is pushing the kids too hard to try to reach these advanced guidelines. I remember that we learned the alphabet in K now they are expected to know it going into K but don't provide pre K to help the kids learn it. You can pay for preschool but not everyone can afford to do that. Now they are reading in K. In a few years they'll be doing algebra in K LOL. Kids need to be kids and I think pushing them too fast will have alot of kids frustrated when they can't keep up and hating school. That of course can lead to higher drop out rates.

Couldn't have said it better myself. I just said today now I know why the drop out rate is soo high. They are burning kids out these days, they are expected to do/know wayyy too much! And don't get me started on our education system...in my opinion it's ALL backwards but that's another topic for another day!!! Let's just say I myself wish I would have learned more about credit and how it works and how it affects you instead of the quadratic formula that i have not heard of, seen, or used since I learned it in Algebra 13 years ago!

 

[meandtheguys2]

Aside from the fact that pushing them at early ages is not working. And as stated earlier there is little evidence that shows more homework= better students.