Why do teachers do this???

[stashbin]

As a parent of a second grader and a former elementary school teacher (I now teach upper level grades) I too feel frustrated by all of the petty projects that come home week after week. I work 2 jobs and barely have enough time to spend with my kids and the last thing I want to do is spend that little amount of time doing homework.
When I taught lower grades, I made it a point to keep homework to a minimum. However, I now know that things have drastically changed since the implementation of the NCLB act. Teachers spend the majority of their day in small groups with struggling students. They no longer are able to stand in front of the whole group conducting the fun stuff. Pressure for higher reading scores and the constant scrutiny of data sucks the life out of teachers today. So while I am truly frustrated by the amount of projects and homework my DD7 has each week, I know the reason behind it. It is disheartening and sad that kids don't have as much fun as they used to when I was in elementary school.
Anyone remember recess?

 

[Nancyg56]

It's so funny because I'm a 2nd grade teacher and all year the parents have complained that we are too focused on academics. Homework every night, guided reading every night, assessments for every subject, expectations of good behavior so they can learn, etc. etc.

I work in a high income district and 80% of my kids didn't do their reading last night. They told me they had to "visit cousins", "do gymnastics", "go to basketball practice", "go to the park with my grandma", and other excuses.

I would love to send home a cute little project that parents and kids could work on and enjoy together. However, I'm revamping my whole schedule to compensate for all the kids who don't do homework and don't do their reading. Now it will be done in class and there will be less time for fun stuff.

So, my advice would be, if your district doesn't value academics, make it a priority in your home. Read with your children and ask comprehension questions, do math problems together, drill math facts or sight words, or just sit down and play a learning game. These will all help the kids!

I'm not directing this at the OP, there is a difference between wondering about the value of an assignment and refusing to do it.

My DGD is in 2nd grade and reads every night to her Mom. She struggled for two years and thankfully our district values reading enough to provide additional school support daily during class. That support coupled with reinforcement at home was the difference between Kady continuing to flounder and Kady excelling in school. I volunteer in the classroom and have seen the kids come in without doing the reading assignment and have listened to parents complain that the reading expectation is way too high. The commitment to the sports team was not too much however It is a shame really, these kids are trailing behind those who are completing the assignments at home before other commitments and are setting themselves up for a more difficult path when the workload is harder and when parents are not able to help. And as a parent who tried but never did get math, that time comes way too soon.

 

[Mkrop]

I found this article interesting:

http://www.articlesbase.com/adhd-ar...chievement-for-students-with-adhd-619540.html

Fine motor skills paly a key role in how are brain functions and helps its ability to learn the reading and math skills.

So dont discount those cutting and coloring assignments. Think of them as excersise for your brain

 

[LivelyLissa]

This is not directed at the OP, but I know alot of people who pawn their children off on other people all day (after school)- nannies, sports, arts, ect... And claim it is for the children's own good. Why people have children and then do not want to spend time with them is beyond me?

Maybe this teacher sees this and thinks if she sends home a project may bring the family together.

Maybe the OP should try to speak to the teacher, they do have parent-teacher conferences.

Oh, I pawn my kids off for really silly selfish reasons....

Roof over their heads
Food in their bellies

I think perhaps you need to take a little walk into reality before you judge.

 

[padams]

To the Op- the cut, color and paste projects drove me crazy too. In a few years, those projects morph into homework that requires making a poster, diorama, recreating the 7 wonders of the world using toothpicks and dried beans... Just think of the projects as extra fine motor skills practice and that your kids will develop beautiful handwriting as a result.

 

[DisneyAddict_M]

That doesn't bother me so much since my daughter can pretty much do her homework on her own. What does bother me, however, is when she gets homework where she has to cut pictures out of a magazine or newspaper. I don't have subscriptions to ANY magazines or newspapers! And I don't want to go to the store to buy any since I'm usually too lazy when I get home from work. The other day, I had her use a Bed, Bath & Beyond catalog.

 

[DisneyFan06]

I will continue to assign cut and paste activities to my students. I guess I will be one of those teachers you love to hate!

However, I have reasoning for assigning them as I have previously posted.

I found this article interesting:

http://www.articlesbase.com/adhd-ar...chievement-for-students-with-adhd-619540.html

Fine motor skills paly a key role in how are brain functions and helps its ability to learn the reading and math skills.

So dont discount those cutting and coloring assignments. Think of them as excersise for your brain

 

[Mkrop]

That doesn't bother me so much since my daughter can pretty much do her homework on her own. What does bother me, however, is when she gets homework where she has to cut pictures out of a magazine or newspaper. I don't have subscriptions to ANY magazines or newspapers! And I don't want to go to the store to buy any since I'm usually too lazy when I get home from work. The other day, I had her use a Bed, Bath & Beyond catalog.

Now that I can agree with. Give people more notice. I dont have magazines lying around either. I started a thread about teachers giving more than one days notice for craft supplies too drives me nuts.

DS5 has a letter copybook. His assignment is to not only write the letters several times but to cut out and paste three pictures that start with that letter. Ok so far I am ok with the assignment. Letter recognition, handwriting, cutting, pasting. Except the teacher does not want us to google pictures, we have to find them in magazines and cut them out from there. We do get the Sunday paper so I have started saving the ads. This week is letter P, we have pears from the Shoprite circular, pans from the Macy's ad, and we got in the mail a solicitation for some animal magazine and we got a picture of a panda. So yep figuring out a way to do the homework without another magazine subscription.

 

[Mkrop]

I will continue to assign cut and paste activities to my students. I guess I will be one of those teachers you love to hate!

However, I have reasoning for assigning them as I have previously posted.

I hope you realize that I am one of the parents who wholeheatedly agree with you! I think fine motor skill assignments are key! I posted the article to support that!

 

[mhsjax]

When your kids are teenagers and want nothing to do with you for whatever invented reasons they come up with you're going to look back on this and wish it didn't end. Chances are there is a percentage of kids in the class whose parents wouldn't do ANYTHING with them if the school didn't ask them to do things likes this.



Sorry, really nothing against OP but you could substitute 'parent' for 'teacher' in that sentence and it would apply in some situations, too. (maybe not OP...)

Well I agree with the OP and 2 of my kids are getting older and have their own seperate lives and really don't need or want to do stuff with me, and I am thrilled. Don't get me wrong I adore my kids, but I have things that I want to do and they have things that they want to do, Seperating is what they are supposed to do.

 

[disneyeveryyear]

I don't mind the cut and paste for K-1 for fine motor skills. However, last year when DD was in 3rd grade, the teacher sent home huge homework packets for the times tables. After my daughter worked all the problems on the page, I did the coloring for her. (Picture color by number with the answers to the problems.) She hates coloring and when she did it, it looked like crap.

This way, I made sure to check all her homework, and she at least turned in papers that looked decent.

Before you flame me, I don't do any of the true "academic" work for my kids, nor do I "help" excessively with science projects, dioramas, etc., but this was sheer, stupid busy work, and when you have packets that are 15+ pages, it seemed to me the coloring was the least of it.

 

[Irin997]

Ok, a little more insight to what my 2nd grader has for homework everynight:

- Reading for 15 minutes or practicing math facts/flashcards (these are alternated every night)
- Spelling HW (something different each day of the week, but same schedule each week)
- Oral fluency (reading and timing WPM of a new passage each week)
- Math worksheet

This is my DD7's HW schedule. Depending on the day, HW only takes about 30-45 minutes however on Wed evenings she has an insanely hard word search for spelling homework. I hate it....and so does she, but oh well.

Additionally, there may be a very small project (I'm talking like once a month) where cutting and pasting is involved. This month they were assigned a much larer project that invloves some very light research. We're working on it this weekend to get it done and over with.

She hasn't had cutting and pasting homework on a regular basis since kindergarten.

 

[SHAYMARAYSMOM]

This is not directed at the OP, but I know alot of people who pawn their children off on other people all day (after school)- nannies, sports, arts, ect... And claim it is for the children's own good. Why people have children and then do not want to spend time with them is beyond me?
Maybe this teacher sees this and thinks if she sends home a project may bring the family together.

Maybe the OP should try to speak to the teacher, they do have parent-teacher conferences.

So is it safe to say you have no kids?
Let tell you my DD is 21 and in college I never pawned her off. I would have loved to spend every waking momemt with her but the money tree did not grow in my yard. You should never judge someone if you know nothing about their lives

Oh, I pawn my kids off for really silly selfish reasons....

Roof over their heads
Food in their bellies

I think perhaps you need to take a little walk into reality before you judge.

 

[seashoreCM]

Don't tell me that the concept of a Reduced Course Load (tm) has to be extended down to the lower elementary grades!

Mom deserves some time to sleep. After a long day at the office or factory or wwhatever, and cooking dinner, maybe Mom needs to write a short note and status report to the teacher: "At home we decided to set priorities and we did the spelling drill and cut out letters tonight but we shall put off the Indian Village until* tomorrow as it was now past my daughter's bedtime."

Should a confrontation (initially in the form of written documents as Mom has not reported to the school in person yet) it's time to go to the PTA and/or the principal. Ah yes, after work.

* A domino effect may be allowed to take place.

(tm) May be a trademark of Dartmouth College. Work missed must be made up sometime, possibly many months later.

 

[DizBelle]

I teach 1st grade and I believe developing fine motor skills is important. So I assign one cut and paste activity related to academics a week.
I am not lazy, I care!!!!

I'd like to think that our teachers are educated in the art and science of teaching and don't assign work "randomly". I think that everything they come up with in their lesson plan has a purpose. What you think is "nonsense" and "busy" work probably really serves a purpose that isn't obvious. I wouldn't discount the value of an assignment without talking to the teacher first.

Also, the teacher has to teach and assign work for the majority of the class. Just because something is a breeze for your child so you think it is worthless, it isn't necessarily the case with many of the other kids in the class. If you think your child isn't getting anything out of going to school, you can always seek out alternative educational avenues better suited for you and your child.

 

[Mermaid02]

It's so funny because I'm a 2nd grade teacher and all year the parents have complained that we are too focused on academics. Homework every night, guided reading every night, assessments for every subject, expectations of good behavior so they can learn, etc. etc.

I work in a high income district and 80% of my kids didn't do their reading last night. They told me they had to "visit cousins", "do gymnastics", "go to basketball practice", "go to the park with my grandma", and other excuses.

I would love to send home a cute little project that parents and kids could work on and enjoy together. However, I'm revamping my whole schedule to compensate for all the kids who don't do homework and don't do their reading. Now it will be done in class and there will be less time for fun stuff.

So, my advice would be, if your district doesn't value academics, make it a priority in your home. Read with your children and ask comprehension questions, do math problems together, drill math facts or sight words, or just sit down and play a learning game. These will all help the kids!

Everything I highlighted in red is just as important (the family time MORE important) than cutting and pasting. Basketball and gymnastics are also VERY important considering what the obesity rate in this country is. I'm not saying the kids shouldn't have done their reading or pasting.... but they need to be able to do the other things too. Homework takes up too much of our kids time in my opinion.

 

[Irin997]

Everything I highlighted in red is just as important (the family time MORE important) than cutting and pasting. Basketball and gymnastics are also VERY important considering what the obesity rate in this country is. I'm not saying the kids shouldn't have done their reading or pasting.... but they need to be able to do the other things too. Homework takes up too much of our kids time in my opinion.

Everything bolded I completely agree with. I also highly believe that the HW my daughter gets cuts WAAAY into our quality time together. I think it is important, but I think her HW should take no more than 20 minutes a night. And there are nights when it takes an hour. So what am I supposed to do when I get home at 6pm and have to do homework, make dinner, get her in the tub, and get her to bed? When is there time for family time? Usually there is none during the week. All because of homework.

 

[Pigeon]

The craft homework is homework for the parents. It is assigned because some teachers just cannot stand the thought of not controlling every spare minute a child might have. God forbid they might play, read or just be kids for some time during the day, all of which do contribute to learning.

My advice is to complain. Do it frequently. Be well prepared before you go in to speak to the teacher.

You might also want to pick up a couple of copies of Alfie Kohn's The Homework Myth and Sara Bennett and Nancy Kalish's The Case Against Homework.

The former gives an excellent overview and analysis of the research on the academic benefits of giving homework to elementary school students (there is none). I've done extensive literature searching on the subject and reading the research, and Kohn gets it right.

The latter gives some good practical strategies on how to present your complaints and how to work to get the volume of pointless homework reduced.

I buy a copy of the first book for each of my kids' elementary teachers and ask them to read it. It has helped some. If your school is anything like mine, they like to pretend that they follow evidence-based practices. They get that deer in the headlights look when you present them with the evidence which runs completely counter to their practices.

 

[TheDisneyGirl02]

The craft homework is homework for the parents. It is assigned because some teachers just cannot stand the thought of not controlling every spare minute a child might have. God forbid they might play, read or just be kids for some time during the day, all of which do contribute to learning.

Wow...just wow...

I think you are assuming too much when saying that homework is a control issue. I used to have a lot of homework when I was in school, but I had plenty of time to play and do other activities. Did I hate every second of the homework, most likely, but it helped prepare me for who I am today.

Just think of it this way, for every piece of homework a teacher assigns to each student, that teacher must correct all of that homework when it is turned in. My dad is a teacher and I've seen him correcting homework too many times to count. Does it assign it because he's controling, no. He assigns it because he cares for his students and only wants what is best for them.

 

[Pigeon]

Wow...just wow...


Just think of it this way, for every piece of homework a teacher assigns to each student, that teacher must correct all of that homework when it is turned in. My dad is a teacher and I've seen him correcting homework too many times to count. Does it assign it because he's controling, no. He assigns it because he cares for his students and only wants what is best for them.

Sorry, not buying it. My husband is also a teacher, and I'm in education. There's working harder and then there's working smarter. Assigning a lot of homework may allow the teacher to claim the former, but not the latter.

If we are talking about elementary school students, there is no academic benefit to assigning kids homework. Don't believe me--read the research. (Read the studies completely though, not parts taken out of context, because sadly educators are notorious for making conclusions that are entirely unsupported by their own data.)

There is an opportunity cost associated with homework. It is well documented (the research supports it) that children learn through play. They also learn through music and art. We have a national crisis with childhood obesity. If your kid is spending endless hours doing worksheets, they aren't doing other things which might have some real benefit.

The school has the children for at least seven hours a day. If I worked a full time job, and then routinely brought home so much work that I was unable to participate in family activities or pursue activities that I love, we'd all agree that I was a workaholic. Yet that's what we expect of our children on a routine basis. It is damaging and unhealthy.