Too much homework?

Aaron has been coming home with no homework for the past 2 weeks. When I asked him about it, he said that some parents were complaining that their teacher was giving them too much homework!!

He has not had over 1 hour of homework since school started. Which I don not think is too much. Now the teacher is taking time out of class to let them get their homework done so they do not have to take it home.

I don't agree w/this because I have no idea what Aaron is doing at home and can not help him study for his tests when I don't know what they are on! And they are getting time taken away from them that could be more productive because some parents do not want to take the time to let their children get their homework done.

I understand that kids have extra-circuricular (sp?) activities, but when they become a hinderance to homework then they should have to suffer, not the homework.

Maybe I should have posted this in gripes, but I was wondering what other moms thought about this. I am considering contacting the teacher and voicing my opinion. I don't want to cause conflict in her class room, but I feel this is not fair to those parents who want to be involved with their childs education!

[mommyto3]

my daughter is only in grade 1 at a private christian school( my son is in pre-k) the teacher has alrady said the homework starts TODAY. the school wants the primary grades to sit and do 20-30 min a day. the little ones like my son it could just be a review of what they did that day, or a coloring worksheet may be sent home, or just sitting down to read for the time length. my daughter will get homework from the different subjects she has done that day. she is looking forward to it. they also have communication books, that the teacher will write in and the parents have to sign and send it back every day. this way you know what they have been doing and what is coming up. also about once or twice a month theteacher will call you, or meet with you on the playground to let you know if your child is having any problems and what they are doing well at. parent-teacher communication is a biggie at this school. their motto regarding repoart cards is "there are no surprises"

[pa_wife]

My dd goes to a private Christian school, and high school at that so there is no question---she is loaded down with HW. She has a study hall after lunch, so she usually finishes most if not all at school. When dd and ds were in elementary, their school did homework a different way. On Mondays a packet of homework would come home with parent instructions. The packet was due on Friday. That way, the parents and kids could make up their own homework schedule based on their needs and activities for the week. The parent letter told what was going on in class each day of the week and what would be on quizes or tests. I LOVED it! That principal ran a very organized school, the teachers really liked it too. Even better for them, almost every class had a homework parent, on Fridays the parent would come in and grade the homework for the teacher, pull out any that looked like the child needed help, filed it for the teacher to grade later. Nice system. Anyway, we believe in homework, even ds who is homeschooled has home work! We just call it "more practice."

[crys]

I am so in favour of homework that my kids do "homeschool" throughout the summer to keep fresh for Fall!

That said, I don't believe that teachers should send home things to keep our kids busy. Homework time at home is for finishing work, working ahead or studying.

By the time my kids have hit Middle School, they have a had a habit of doing homework and are able to keep up. This year, two of mine started Grade 8 (that's the beginning of High School here) and have the additional challenge of complicated days and changing schedules, so I'm more happy than ever that they have the habit of homework!

We encourage a break after school. For my kids, that break comes in the form of a walk home from school. Poor kids! Homework begins shortly after they arrive home and is usually out of the way by dinner time.

This is what is working for us, though it is more work!

[kymommy]

I may be the odd one here, but I personally do not like homework. My daughter is in 5th grade and has quite a bit of homework. She is away from home from 7:30 to almost 4. When she gets home I want to have some family time. I want her to play outside and shoot hoops with Daddy. I want to cook supper with her. I want to be able to take a walk, garden, work on crafts, and just be a family. But instead she is writing spelling words, studying for quizzes and tests, etc. Wednesdays are especially tight because of Church. Anyway, I'm glad to help her with her homework occasionally, but after focusing on school for 7+ hours a day, enough already. I homeschooled her for 3 years. During that time, we almost always got all our work done in 3 hours a day, and had a much shorter school year than public & private schools. I just want her to have time to be a kid.
kymommy

[danou]

You could mandate "study and review time" regardless of whether the teacher has sent it home or not. Activities would depend on the age of your child. If your child is in primary school (gr 1-3) that could consist of several things, not necessarily directly related to what is happening in class. It could be practicing reading/reading comprehension (predicting, retelling, change story endings etc) or basic math facts (+,-,x,/) by playing some fun card games. You can also make up mini spelling tests, find word families. If your child is older (gr 4-6) they bring home one subject a night and "teach" you what they've been learning. That might consist of retelling important points of notes or recent readings, project plans etc. Reading and math practice is still important at this point. Perhaps a reading journal.
It doesn't have to be a lot of work, but it would keep and maintain the discipline of doing nightly practice/review/study. HTH d

We have been working on this with Aaron the past week. He has been getting his homework done at school and then bringing it home to us. His teacher isn't pleased with us for asking him to do it, but I want to know what he is studing.

Last night we worked on math. This is his weak subject. He had homework and he even brought his math book home. On his last test, the whole class had to retake the math test b/c the grades in the class ranged from a 20 to an 88!!! (Maybe it's not the kids fault) I was proud of Aaron for making an 80!! We worked on rounding numbers and I think I finally explained it to where he can understand it. I guess we'll see on his test today.

We have been devoting about an hour each night, aside from any homework he may have, to go over what he did that day and try to answer any questions he has or just to get him to show us how he does things. Sometimes Aaron understands things the wrong way and we have to go back and re-explain them so that he can get the concept. I just feel the teacher doesn't take the time to do this.

Ok, I'll get off my soapbox now. Thanks to all of you for listening and lending suggestions!!

Originally Posted by kymommy

I may be the odd one here, but I personally do not like homework. My daughter is in 5th grade and has quite a bit of homework. She is away from home from 7:30 to almost 4. When she gets home I want to have some family time. I want her to play outside and shoot hoops with Daddy. I want to cook supper with her. I want to be able to take a walk, garden, work on crafts, and just be a family. But instead she is writing spelling words, studying for quizzes and tests, etc. Wednesdays are especially tight because of Church. Anyway, I'm glad to help her with her homework occasionally, but after focusing on school for 7+ hours a day, enough already. I homeschooled her for 3 years. During that time, we almost always got all our work done in 3 hours a day, and had a much shorter school year than public & private schools. I just want her to have time to be a kid.
kymommy

I agree!! we only have homework 2 nights a week right now b/c she's in first.. but i know kids who are in 4 and 5 grade and wow they do hours of work a night, their burned out that they just don't want to go to school anymore.

[Madre]

I have not read this so I can't recommend it, but I thought it looked interesting. The authors advocate 10 minutes per grade per school night.

The Case Against Homework: How Homework Is Hurting Our Children and What We Can Do About It
by Sara Bennett and Nancy Kalish

Editorial Reviews

Review
What People Are Saying About The Case Against Homework

“Parents of America, unite! You have nothing to lose but your frustration. The Case Against Homework is an important book that takes on the 500-pound gorilla—homework overload—long ignored by educational policy makers. Every parent of a school-age child should buy it and follow the authors’ excellent advice in order to protect their children from an educational system gone haywire.” —Dan Kindlon, Ph.D., author of Raising Cain, Too Much of a Good Thing, and Alpha Girls

“A wonderful book that is not just about homework but about the sadness and futility of turning children into drudges who learn—if one can call it learning—without passion, without love, and without gaining independence. Every educator, every politician, and every parent should read this book and take it to heart.” —Mary Leonhardt, author of 99 Ways to Help Your Kids Love Reading

“Most parents have experienced the negative effects of homework on family harmony, family time, and play time, but they accept it as a necessary evil. Bennett and Kalish reveal that the homework emperor has no clothes; there is no good evidence to support piling on homework, especially in the younger grades. They follow through with practical advice for managing homework meltdowns, negotiating with teachers, and advocating for policy changes.” —Lawrence Cohen, Ph.D., author of Playful Parenting

“The Case Against Homework sends a critical message about how to improve the health and well-being of our children by cutting back on busy work and focusing on meaningful assignments, a good night’s sleep, and the value of free, unfettered play time.” —Denise Clark Pope, author of Doing School, Stanford School of Education lecturer, and founder of SOS: Stressed Out Students

“Bravo to Bennett and Kalish for having the courage to say what many of us know to be true! This book serves as an indispensable tool for parents who want to get serious about changing homework practices in their schools.” —Etta Kralovec, associate professor of teacher education, University of Arizona South, and coauthor of The End of Homework

“This very important book makes a powerful case that excessive homework is hurting family life and children’s full development. What’s more, the book does something that is very rare: It gives parents solid practical advice on how they can deal with teachers and schools to produce significant change. The authors care deeply about children and have a special understanding of what children and childhood are all about.” —William Crain, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the City College of New York and author of Reclaiming Childhood

Book Description
Does assigning fifty math problems accomplish any more than assigning five? Is memorizing word lists the best way to increase vocabulary—especially when it takes away from reading time? And what is the real purpose behind those devilish dioramas?

The time our children spend doing homework has skyrocketed in recent years. Parents spend countless hours cajoling their kids to complete such assignments—often without considering whether or not they serve any worthwhile purpose. Even many teachers are in the dark: Only one of the hundreds the authors interviewed and surveyed had ever taken a course specifically on homework during training.

The truth, according to Sara Bennett and Nancy Kalish, is that there is almost no evidence that homework helps elementary school students achieve academic success and little evidence that it helps older students. Yet the nightly burden is taking a serious toll on America’s families. It robs children of the sleep, play, and exercise time they need for proper physical, emotional, and neurological development. And it is a hidden cause of the childhood obesity epidemic, creating a nation of “homework potatoes.”

In The Case Against Homework, Bennett and Kalish draw on academic research, interviews with educators, parents, and kids, and their own experience as parents and successful homework reformers to offer detailed advice to frustrated parents. You’ll find out which assignments advance learning and which are time-wasters, how to set priorities when your child comes home with an overstuffed backpack, how to talk and write to teachers and school administrators in persuasive, nonconfrontational ways, and how to rally other parents to help restore balance in your children’s lives.

Empowering, practical, and rigorously researched, The Case Against Homework shows how too much work is having a negative effect on our children’s achievement and development and gives us the tools and tactics we need to advocate for change.

[Queenofmycastle]

I'm with Carolyn. I can't help Brett if I don't know what he's working on. Brett has always been a straight A student but this year if things don't improve he will be a B student. I honestly think the difference is that the teachers want them to be so completely responsible and not rely on a parent to assist that Brett is having trouble adjusting. He has days that he has 10 minutes of homework and others (Like last Wednesday, that he had about 2 hrs of homework.) Even after they told us that 4th graders would not be "switching" classes this year they have implemented it yet again. I don't like it at all!

Alicia