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

[Jen414]

I am a fifth grade public school teacher in a wealthy community outside Boston. I have been teaching in the public schools for 13 years. When I started, there were no such thing as MCAS--basically tests to see where each student and each system is. They don't count for the individual student until 10th grade. At that point, you must be at a certain point or you will basically receive an attendance diploma rather than a regular diploma. Now, in the year 2008, my fifth graders have 4 MCAS tests--Reading/ELA, math, science, and US History. Again, they don't officially have an affect on a child's grades, but they are standardized tests and this does stress kids out. Parents and communities are very in tune to them as well as they do give a snapshot of how their child stacks up against others and they do have an affect on the real estate market.

These tests are given in April and May. That means, of course, that you must cover the entire curriculum before the end of the year. We spend a lot of time prepping the kids for these tests. Too much--probably--but our town is always in the top 10% and our superintendent says it's still not good enough. And in truth, he's right. We have yet to meet AYP--annual yearly progress--as set by NCLB. Our sp.ed. population is not making big enough gains.

As far as the homework issue, my students get 75-90 minutes of homework per night per school committee policy. Of that, 30 minutes is reading. If a child is too busy to read during the week, they may read over the weekend. As long as they are reading 2 hours per week, I'm happy. To the original poster who doesn't think any homework or learning should be going on after their child leaves the school, when should they practice what they've learned? When I am talking to my students about school and learning, especially things that I considered to be skill-based such as math facts, I use a sports analogy. When you reach a certain level in a sport, say basketball, there is no longer a big chunk of time devoted to shooting free throws. That's not to say it's not important; it's just something that the coach no longer has time to do at practice. There are better things he could be doing with the team. The same thing goes for things like basic math facts. If you come to 5th grade not knowing your basic math facts, it is the child's (and the parents') responsibility to drill them at home until they are mastered. Basic math facts are not a fifth grade skill and I do not have one second to spend on anything but the grade five curriculum. In order to cover the fifth grade curriculum as set out by the state of Massachusetts, I must teach a lesson a day. That means 180 lessons are needed. Please--like there are never interruptions or I can never do cool projects or even give tests!!!! I don't have a prayer in the world of ever fininshing my own curriuculum, let alone reteaching a previous grade's.

If your coach told you in order to be a better basketball player, you needed to shoot 100 free throws per night, you would do it. Likewise, in order to be a better math student, you need to drill the math facts 10 minutes per night. And guess what, that doesn't count to your 75-90 minutes of homework since that is a skill you should have already learned.

I have no problem with parents pulling their children out of school. I used to, but as I've gotten older and wiser, I know that in a community like the one I teach in, there will almost always be someone on vacation. We laugh and call it the revolving vacation door. However, if you are going to pull your kid out, you will need to catch them up.

OK, getting off my soap box.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

My son is learning his times tables in 3rd grade math. They have tests every Friday and they aren't given time in class to study. He has to work on them at home so we use flash cards and I print tests off the Internet so he can practice. I have absolutely no problem with this. This is exactly the way it was when I was learning my times tables (in the mid-70s!). I don't think he has an unreasonable amount of homework and it includes special projects and reading in addition to studying for tests and worksheets. I am not a believer in piling on the homework because it just frustrates the kids and has the opposite of the desired affect. But he does about 30 minutes a day, 4 days a week (no homework on weekends). I think this is perfectly fine and it's exactly what I expected. Sometimes the teacher e-mails me and says my son needs to do some extra work (on handwriting, addition, etc.). I tell her to send it home and we will get it done.

And this is just my opinion, but I wouldn't dream of taking my kids out of school for a vacation. We schedule our trips around school because that's what they need to be focusing on right now. We still manage to take the kids on several trips a year to various places.

That's just how we choose to do it. I realize and respect the fact that other people have their reasons for doing things differently.

 

[Cruz91]

While I dont object to parents pulling their children out of school for a family vacation (assuming of course that the parents will teach the students the lessons they will miss!) - I cannot get over the opinions of the OP (that many have agreed with!)!! Of course it is your job as a parent to teach your child!! Of course you are supposed to be re-inforcing what they learn during the day at home!! Of course they should have an hour or more of homework (also known as LEARNING!!) a night!!

I dont quite understand why as a parent - you dont think that its YOUR responsibility (vs. your school systems!) to make sure that your child grows up a capable, intelligent being that can contribute to society, has a work ethic, and doesnt have a sense of entitlement....

(I have nothing against homeschooling as my experience is that homeschoolers do everything possible to develop their children appropriately - this is more against those who believe that it is ONLY the schools responsibility to do those things!!)

~Celeste
ps. I am a former teacher and daughter of a nationally recognized teacher

I couldn't have said it better. I originally posted something just above your post that was much harsher, but I edited it.

I guess to be blunt, it's my opinion that the sentiment / opinion demonstrated by the OP is exactly what is wrong with America. Nobody wants to take responsibility for anything. Everyone wants to push blame everywhere else.

 

[twooley2]

possibly the OP is like most great parents and takes each spare moment to teach without a special project being assigned by a teacher. My personal teachings to my kids bring much more to them than say making a poster board. I think maybe some schools go with the idea that parents wont or dont teach their kids the right stuff. I think if I count all the projects this year alone for two kids and the cost I could take them on a few extra educational family outtings vs making a poster board about it and actually experiencing and getting closer to these things. Come on a Wax museum based on an american historical figure. Lets see make a costume and props, buy supplies and read on the internet vs going to a museum or to the space center where they are actually interested. Doing a science project that is so mundane in an advanced science class that there are limitations on what they can and cant do? We can and do this in cooking each day. or even at Disney we get more education in a week than most kids get sitting in a class all year

 

[OlderMan]

...what do your children really LEARN at Disney.

I don't recall multiplication tables being taught in the MK....

What do they REALLY learn at AK?

What is educational at the Studios?

Maybe EPCOT??

Again, WHAT DO YOUR KIDS LEARN AT WDW?????

As I said, above, I would NEVER take my daughters out of school for a vacation!!!!!!!!

 

[disykat]

I'm not a big fan of homework, but there really are some things that need to be worked on at home. Things like flash cards and memorization work of sight words, math facts, spelling words, etc. need to be done several times a day. Wanting a student to review at home doesn't mean the child isn't being taught at school. It simply recognizes that practice speeds learning. Some children need more practice than others and spending a few minutes at home reviewing could be a way to keep them up to speed with their peers.

I'd check out the list of words and if your child can read most of them, no worries. If they have difficulty, then you know your child isn't ready to meet the benchmarks for their grade level and you need to spend some time reinforcing them at home. Five minutes after dinner each night really can make a big difference.

 

[2Princes2Princesses]

...what do your children really LEARN at Disney.

I don't recall multiplication tables being taught in the MK....

What do they REALLY learn at AK?

What is educational at the Studios?

Maybe EPCOT??

Again, WHAT DO YOUR KIDS LEARN AT WDW?????

My son was given the task of writing a 1-2 page report about something he learned at Disney by his English teacher when we went in May 2006. He ended up talking to one of the animal guides that was near the gibbons in AK. We videotaped it since he did not have a pen and paper to write down everything. When we came home, he went online and learned more about gibbons. He wrote a 10 page paper on gibbons. This is a kid who HATES to write papers. His English teacher was stunned.

I have found I can learn new things everyday and everywhere.

However, if you choose not to pull your kids out of school, that is completely your prerogative.

 

[mom2cinderella]

However, I do understand how frustrating it is for teachers to try and teach when so much of the year is now taken up with testing!

Yep. And I don't know about other schools, but at our school, there are quite a few kids pulled out of class daily/weekly for special services - ESL, reading help, gifted enrichment, etc., it has to be exhausting juggling all these needs.

I consider us a partner in our child's education. Part of our duties are getting the kids to school fed, rested, approrpriately dressed for the weather, etc. Part of our duties are reviewing folders, making sure homework is done, making flashcards to study for tests, etc. Sometimes we drop the ball, but overall I think we're doing okay.

This December, we are pulling the kids out for a week. It will be ds's third time, and dd's second time. (Since NCLB, the district has become more anti-vacations, but our school and teachers have always encouraged us to go and have a great time. ) I think this will probably be our last time though. I noticed a BIG leap between 3rd and 4th grade as far as what is expected of students and I'd feel better not pulling them out for future trips.

Michele

 

[graygables]

...what do your children really LEARN at Disney.

I don't recall multiplication tables being taught in the MK....

What do they REALLY learn at AK?

What is educational at the Studios?

Maybe EPCOT??

Again, WHAT DO YOUR KIDS LEARN AT WDW?????

As I said, above, I would NEVER take my daughters out of school for a vacation!!!!!!!!

You ARE joking, right? AK and Epcot go without saying, total educational experience. MK, not so much, but the Hollywood Studios does have history about Walt and an art lesson at the animation place. As a PP said, FIND something to learn each and every day. We make it a point to ask CMs about their hometowns ("tell me something unique about...") then we look it up on a map.

ETA: the virtual charter school (public school) that my DDs attended a few years ago agreed with my 11 page documentation of the educational aspects of our 10 day trip and reimbursed us for their park hoppers. My daughters could tell you quite a bit about Botswana, its people and customs, draw you a picture of the flag and describe its attributes to you all from a 2 hour Camp at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Once we got home, they continued their learning experience and wound up creating a newspaper with articles about various parts of Africa. It was the best field trip EVER.

I, for one, am grateful that my parents took me out of school (a LOT, and it was encouraged by the teachers) so that I could see the world. When my peers were sitting in chairs, reading a book, and looking at pictures of the Berlin wall, I could not only describe it in detail but bring in pieces of both the original, concertina wire version and the later broken concrete version for them to see and touch (my Dad was there in the days before it went up and was still wire and he was there to help knock it down). There is something to be said for learning in the REAL WORLD and not the artificial one that is created in the socially engineered environment of a classroom.

 

[bellebud]

eeekk! Did you ever write a post and have it totally misunderstood?!?

OP here... I wasn't going to multi-quote, but I feel so misunderstood, I have to or I won't sleep tonight (and i'm not good at inserting my comments into a quote, so I hope it doesn't look too confusing)... i'm bolding my comments...

The fact of the matter is that teachers now have so much more to do than just teach the "3-R's" that there simply isn't enough time in the day.

this is one of the points I was trying to make - what I don't get is... what happened that there's not enough time anymore to teach what used to be taught in a school day? I'm just honestly curious.

When we have children, it is our job to ensure their education - not the school district's. They are there to educate, but it is our job to ensure the education is happening.

again, this is my point - that the school should be educating them, but i guess doesn't have the time to really do it, and as my child's ensurer, i'm noticing it's not happening... it's like sending laundry to the dry cleaners and it coming back dirty and me having to clean it myself (again, understanding why people homeschool). I DO think it's my job to make sure my children are educated, and it just doesn't seem to be happening in school the way it should. that's the whole reason for my post - if i didn't care, i wouldn't have posted, knim?

You noted the school district gets the kids for ~30 hours a week during the school year. Let's do the math... The average school has something on the order of 180 days a year. Did you get that? 180 out of 365 (366 this year). And even at that 180 days, less than 1/3 of the 'day' is spent in school (~7.5 of the 24 hours). Let's assume that the child sleeps 10 hours a night (which I suspect isn't the case), that still means that of the total year, the child spends 1350 hours at school, 3650 hours sleeping, and 3760 doing 'something else'.

thank you for the math... that honestly made me feel 'better' about the time spent in school as opposed to out of school (and that was my original reason for my post - help me feel better about this), so thanks!

The bottom line is reap what you sew. Those children whose educational experience is subsidized at home stand a far better chance than those whose are not.

I totally agree, and with the amount of homework and projects that seem more like busy-work, there's no time left to do any real learning at home.

I cannot get over the opinions of the OP (that many have agreed with!)!! Of course it is your job as a parent to teach your child!! Of course you are supposed to be re-inforcing what they learn during the day at home!! Of course they should have an hour or more of homework (also known as LEARNING!!) a night!!

While I respect your right to your opinion, I cannot get over the fact you think my 6yo and 8yo should have an hour or more of homework per night after they've been in school all day. We're obviously on opposite sides of the fence here and i'll leave it at that.

I dont quite understand why as a parent - you dont think that its YOUR responsibility (vs. your school systems!) to make sure that your child grows up a capable, intelligent being that can contribute to society, has a work ethic, and doesnt have a sense of entitlement....

Wow, totally misunderstood me. It IS my responsibility to make sure these things happen, so the reason I posted was I'm not happy w/ the education system in our country. I think it's failing, and as a responsible parent, I'm noticing and questioning instead of blindly being led, or trying to pick up their slack at the end of the day. If i'm going to have to pick up someone's slack, i'm just going to do it myself in the first place.

(I have nothing against homeschooling as my experience is that homeschoolers do everything possible to develop their children appropriately - this is more against those who believe that it is ONLY the schools responsibility to do those things!!)

I've considered homeschooling many times, because of the sad state of our school system.

Yes, curriculum have gotten harder. Around here, preschool is what Kindergarten used to be and Kindergarten is akin to what I studied in First Grade. And with all of the No Child Left Untested stuff, there's actually less time spent educating our children (in CT, 3rd-5th grade testing takes up to 20 hours, not including test prep!).

No child left untested... And this is part of my point - it seems there's less and less learning going on in the classroom. I'm starting to feel like if the school doesn't have the time to teach them, just give them back to me and I'll do it - happily!

But a child's education doesn't exist in a closed environment. We don't send our children off to school to "learn" and then turn off their brains when they come home.

I totally agree, but learning is so much more than filling in a worksheet, and because of all the extra work to pick up the school system's slack, we don't have time after homework/busywork to do any real life learning.

The main problem I have with vacations during school is the added amount of work it puts on the teacher.

I do feel badly about that, honestly. I have friends who are teachers, and I personally like most of the teachers in the kids school. The teachers are caught in the middle of a sticky situation. And I'm not teacher-bashing in my post in case anyone thought that... I really respect the teaching profession and think they're underpaid and underappreciated. Whenever I run into an old teacher of mine and we get to talking, they always tell me how much different their job is today than when I was in school, and I really feel bad for them.

However, please give the teacher plenty of notice to get work together.

I wish I could... the new policy in school is pretty strict w/ unexcused days, and the *scuttlebut* is the teachers don't want to know beforehand, because they're not allowed to give work ahead of time, and they have to report it beforehand to the office if you tell them, and they feel bad doing that. So whatever makes them more comfortable is fine with me.

Also, don't do it too close to the end of a grading period. That causes the teacher to have to frantically try to grade everything your child missed on top of getting her regular grades turned in and ready.

never even thought of that... thanks for the insight.

To the OP - yes, we do have to be a part of the learning process - the statement of EVERYONE being behind on a certain thing like math facts -- yeah, seems like maybe the teacher needs to take a step back and spend some time on that, but rarely is an entire class struggling on the same issue.

I totally agree we're a part of the learning process - and regular homework i can live with, but the busywork and projects just seem to be getting out of hand, and leave us no time to do real life learning and living.

What I am required to teach in 1st grade is very much like what I was taught in 3rd grade. I often feel the kids aren't ready to learn many of these things yet, but I am still required to teach them.

This is a major part of what's wrong w/ the school system today.

Most of it should be checked over by an adult at home. The students who get no help at home are the ones who end up suffering.

I totally agree, and sit w/ the kids every single day for their homework time. DD doesn't 'need' me like ds does, but i'm there if she does.

To the original poster who doesn't think any homework or learning should be going on after their child leaves the school, when should they practice what they've learned?

no, no, no... i'm not saying there's to be no learning after school hours... living life is learning... i'm saying the busywork and projects are out of hand and leave no time for real life learning

If you come to 5th grade not knowing your basic math facts, it is the child's (and the parents') responsibility to drill them at home until they are mastered.

But if an entire class is 'behind', what does that tell you about what's going on in school?

I guess to be blunt, it's my opinion that the sentiment / opinion demonstrated by the OP is exactly what is wrong with America. Nobody wants to take responsibility for anything. Everyone wants to push blame everywhere else.

again... no, no, no... I actually take responsibility for everything regarding my kids, myself, and our lives. It's my feeling that too many people in this country are not responsible for themselves at all, or their families, and THAT is what has led us to NCLB, truancy officers, and the ridiculousness of our schools. When i run into my old public school teachers and they tell me "forget the teaching anymore - just keeping the kids in line takes up most of my day", THAT'S the problem w/ america today. I'm the parent who is close to pulling my kids out of our private school (i wouldn't even consider public) to homeschool them because of my feeling of responsibility to give my kids the best education possible, which isn't happening in school anymore. I feel the school system is too large and doesn't work anymore - and the irresponsible parents in all of our communities have ruined the schools, because the gov't has to cater to them. It doesn't take a village to raise a child, it takes that child's parent(s), and i feel like it's 'my bad' for letting the school system try to educate my kids.


In closing, I feel parents are the most important teachers for their kids, and I guess I'm feeling frustrated with allowing someone (the school) who says they'll teach them these most basic of things, and then they don't. They then pile on the busywork and projects to make it all look like they're doing lots of 'stuff'. And I feel for the teachers... the testing has gotten out of hand. Our school just implimented mid-terms for K - 8 that are this coming week and next week. I know the teachers are very unhappy, because january is now taken up w/ preparing for mid-terms, then giving mid-terms. January is a wasted month now. It's crazy. AND if your child, even in kindergarten, is sick and out for a mid-term, they HAVE to have a doc's note to have a make-up, or they'll get a "0"... and the mid-term is certain% of the final grade, so as the principal put it to my friend, their final grade will go down a whole letter grade for being sick and not having a doc's note. We're not talking highschool here, we're talking my 1st grader. So if he works hard, does well all year, has an A, and has a stomach virus and is puking, I have to load my 6yo in the car and drive him to the doc while he's puking for a note to excuse him, or he'll get a B instead of his A? I'm frustrated, and maybe didn't write my post as well as I could have because of my frustration.

I should have titled my post "why am I not homeschooling yet?"

 

[HeatherSue]

OP, I think you did a wonderful job of explaining yourself! When I was visiting my in-laws, I noticed that my 10 year old nephew started his homework as soon as he got home. He worked on it ALL night until bedtime, every night we were there! He had no time to spend with his family or to play. One of his parents had to help him with his homework for most of the evening. He's not a slow kid, he just had an incredible amount of homework. I told my SIL if my kids ever had that much homework (they're not in school yet), I'd homeschool them. I think it's important for children to get a good education. But, I also think it's important for them to play and spend time with their family. How rediculous for anyone to think that the only way a child can learn is to read out of a book or fill in a worksheet!

One of my friends is a middle school teacher and she's just as frustrated with the situation as you are. She feels they have to spend most of the class time preparing for standardized testing.

 

[Cruz91]

...I've been misunderstood too. And to reply once again - the extra 'things' that teachers teach now (that we didn't need just a couple of decades ago) are not only an increased level of scholastic requirements (i.e. - as other posters have noted, kids are now expected to read by the end of K - when all I really had to know was my alphabet and how to tie my shoes!), but they also have to teach behavior. It never ceases to amaze me when I go to DD's class for a party or to pick her up for a Dr. Appt or something what I see in just the few moments I'm in the classroom. Utter disrespect.

Anyway - sorry you're taking a beating on the original post!

 

[meandtheguys2]

...but I say "Hurrah for the school teachers!!!!"

Remember, homework, at your children's grade levels, is more about reinforcing what's learned in class than new learning. And, despite having your children for 7 hours per day, the teacher can't be certain that everything is mastered by everyone in the class during that time.

My DD's, 9 and almost 11, go to a very rigorous school. They have homework Monday through Thursday nights and often have projects that take up time on the weekends or school breaks. These may be simple as reading for 30 minutes a day, or may be complicated as in working on their Science Fair projects or doing research to be shared with the class.

We know someone who had the same philosophy as the OP--"School has my kids for 7 hours monday through Friday, so why do they have to do homework nigths and weekends?"

She has come to realize that she has to be a partner with the teacher in her children's education.

What do you expect to happen when they're in Middle School, High School and College?

I would NEVER take my children out of school for a vacation.

That would be accurate if the homework was actually doing something positive. Much of it is merely busywork, or stupid projects. And there is strong data that suggests that homework isn't the educational tool people would like to believe it to be. LOL, and I haven't seen a science fair project lately that was done by a child!

That said, I believe that parents should be very involved in education their child. Far too many children are not being served by the educational system. Catching those children is the parent's responsibility, not the school systems.

 

[twooley2]

heres an interesting perspective on learning and disney
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/disneyschooling/
and
http://disneyyouthgroups.disney.go.com/wdyp/programs/programOverview?page=HSDProgramOverviewPage
in addition
The use of mathematical skills in everyday life is reinforced by activities involving the use of statistics in sports, making a family budget, planning a vacation, interpreting travel schedules, buying on credit, using measurements

 

[GatorGirl]

OP I totally understood your post. There is some awesome back and forth and input in this thread for all parents. (guess what? I learned alot just by reading this post!) But this is my mantra and always has been because my parents raised me this way:

"I have found I can learn new things everyday and everywhere."

You can and so can your kids and you know what it doesn't have to take weeks, some times it can take 20 minutes. Learning happens every day, all the time, all around us, just look for it. And yes it probably happens even at MK!

 

[bellebud]

Just one more thing I want to add... and thanks for reading my clarification to those who blasted me (ouch!! tough crowd! )... just kidding... it's a message board and that's what happens sometimes

anyway, to further clarify 'who' I am (not the lazy parent who wants someone else to take care of my kids, and is what's wrong w/ america today), my dh and I are business owners, and we employ a number of people, providing health benefits, retirement and other benefits to the full timers, and good pay and bonuses to everyone, plus a very, very nice and relaxed work environment. Our business helps our local economy in many ways, and my dh and I, and the way we run our business, is all that's RIGHT with our country.

we each worked 3 jobs at a time for about a decade, while doing schooling for our business too, while getting our business off the ground and put off having kids till we were a little on our feet, because we are responsible people and wanted to actually be able to take care of ourselves and the children we were going to bring into this world. we actually had a nursery in the back room and brought dd in at 2 weeks old because I still needed to be there full time.

anyway, my work ethic and spirit of capitalism is what lead to my post... in a successful business, you do what you say you're going to do, and you do it to the best of your ability. there is no room for slackers, lazy people, people trying to 'use' the system to their advantage, or people who expect others to take care of them or their responsibilities/jobs. You're a part of a hard working, honest, ethical team, or you're out. AND you work, then you eat (that old truism from my grandparents generation). Our schools are so NOT doing what they say they're doing. If we ran our business like this, we'd be out of business.

And yes, I understand the practice part of homework, like anything else in life, practice makes perfect. It's the busywork IN and out of school, and projects to just make things look good, that get my goat. And as one poster said, it's a rare "project" that is actually done by the child and not their parent anymore. So please, it's all cr@p in my eyes. I have to say, I really hate seeing my kids bringing home crosswords w/christmas words the entire christmas week, then a few weeks later getting a note to make flashcards. Please use school time for school work, the kids are there anyway, in their uniforms and ready to learn. Just do it.

And if the job (meaning the schools teaching our kids) was being done properly in the first place, all this extra testing wouldn't be necessary. It would have never even been thought of. And now the testing is adding even more problems to the already huge problem. It's like a snowball effect. And while I understand the testing 'might' catch a problem child, all the other children who aren't problems are being dragged down, instead of the other children being lifted up. That's a huge problem w/ our society.

So, if all the families in america were like mine, we'd all have college paid for no problem because we had the foresight to put a little bit of money away when each child was born, and compounding interest for 18 years is truly a magical thing. My kids also each have IRA's, since i'm sure there will be no social security for them, and I don't want them counting on the gov't to take care of them someday anyway. They will work, save, then play, and be able to totally take care of themselves. There are few people in america who will be able to do this, and a big part of why they won't is our schools. And it's people like myself and my dh who will be footing the bill for a lot of other people, not because we inhereted anything, but because we worked hard, saved, made sure we were educated, and are concerned about our childrens education. I'm sort of going down too many roads here, but if i'm on the soapbox, i might as well use it

But it all does tie into our schools not doing a good job, which was the original post somewhere

 

[disneywith4boys]

I am sorry to jump on the bandwagon here, but help me understand- you sent your kids to a preschool that gave them homework??? What would be the purpose of this? I am so confused.

 

[Annabelleasb]

One thing I will say about private school is that students are getting a lot more education simply b/c I am in the room actually teaching. In public school, it seems like there are so many teacher's meetings, training sessions, and more that disrupt the school day. Of the 180 days 'taught' in public, I know I probably lost at least a day every couple of weeks due to 'activities.' In my private school, I am in my classroom and physically teaching all 180 days. So far this school year I have lost only 3 hours of teaching time (in 5 1/2 months!) due to school pep assemblies. The rest of the time I am actively teaching my class.

I have to strongly disagree with you. I live in upstate NY & 2 of my children go to a public school. There are 3 schools within minutes of each other in the city I live in. (1 public & 2 private) On a website, I believe it's "Great Schools", you can compare the schools in your town. Of course, I do. The 3rd-6th grade students at the public school, scored higher on the NYS ELA testing, NYS Math testing and NYS Social Studies testing then the other 2 private schools. And as for, meetings & training, my kids have 2 days off this year due to "staff develpoment day". I do realize that each state is different, but I find it hard to believe that private schools in general get more education. I think it comes down to teachers & parents. If we put 100% in then that's what you'll get out of your children. If you don't show interest in their school & homework (which I know, can be painstakingly boring) why should they.
Signed~proud mother of a very smart high honors 6th grader & honor roll 2nd grader and and 18 month old who's too samrt for her own good!!!

 

[bellebud]

I am sorry to jump on the bandwagon here, but help me understand- you sent your kids to a preschool that gave them homework??? What would be the purpose of this? I am so confused.

this is the catholic school they go to... it's 4yo pre-K thru 8th grade. Pre-K today (most pre-k's, certainly not 100% of them, but most) are like K used to be, but also with homework. It also depends on the teacher... my dd (now 8yo) had a more laid back teacher who gave homework for the week on monday, and it was to be turned in on friday. Two years later, the teacher changed and ds's teacher was way more academic w/ the class, and he had real homework every single night. They both only went 1/2 days too. We started dd in pre-K here because we really wanted the kids in this school, and slots fill up quick and if you don't get in for pre-K, you might not get in for K or the rest of the grades (there's only 1 class per grade in this school). So I certainly wasn't seeking a homework-giving pre-K, and my dd's teacher was so laid back about it, it wasn't an issue. It became an issue with me w/ my ds.

And as I stated earlier, there's not many private schools to pick from in our area, so you've got to jump in early or possibly not get in.

 

[Mkrop]

I hear what you are saying bellebud and your clarification helped a little but I still dont think helping my kids with their homework of making up flash cards is that big of a deal. I think it is important and necessary. And I dont see this as the teachers not doing their jobs, I see this as me being a part of thier education process.

I do agree with you on the projects though. We are getting slammed this year. D10 is in 4th grade and everything is a project. I was griping the other day about what happened to old fashioned book reports bc getting DS to do these arts and craft book reports is tough. I was told it is all about differentiated learning so that maybe another sutdent can shine and feel confident doing this kind of book report. Ok I am all for that but sometimes I think we are leaning too far one way. And as someone pointed out the CEO is not going to hand you a shoebox to do your report with, he is going to expect you to WRITE a well written report.

And yes sometimes the class can all be far behind and it might not be the current teachers fault but the teacher before. A friend of mine's son had a teacher who did not concentrate on cursive, she was in a panic bc she knew the next teachers requried it. She emailed the prinicpal, the teacher started doing a little but a little too late KWIM and so the next year teacher got all the kids who were not up to speed. So my friend spent all summer working with ther kid on cursive so he would be ok. That old teacher is gone BTW.