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Too Much Homework? - 4/1/2008 9:55:24 AM
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lexie
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A report just came out here saying that students of all grades are getting too much homework and teachers need to cut back on how much homework they are giving. The school boards are telling teachers how much homework to give, and when they can't give homework at all (holiday weekends, March break, etc)
My husband is a high school supply teacher. Everyday when he goes to teach, the teachers leave behind handouts for the students to do in class. My husband says that about 75% of the kids don't do the handouts in class, instead they sit around talking the whole time. Even when he doesn't let them talk to each other, they still don't do the work.
So maybe the reason why some kids are getting too much homework is because in addition to their regular homework, they are also bringing home the work they should have done in school. I know this isn't true for all kids but this is one reason why many kids have a lot of extra work.
So, do you feel your kids are getting too much homework for their grade level?
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RE: Too Much Homework? - 4/1/2008 11:59:19 AM
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csl7037
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I don't think so. My dd is just pokey and spends way too much time doing it. I give ds extra work! And even dd, I feel like we spend a lot of time doing extra studying and extra review after the homework (stuff that has to be returned) gets done. The homework they do have, IMO doesn't usually help them learn any better which is why we have to review so much.
I have to say that I think a lot of the parents who complain about homework also have their kids in a bunch of activities and they aren't happy because by the time they get home from soccer or cheerleading, it's 9:00 when they start homework! I know this is true of so many of my daughter's friends especially.
I complain a lot about how much time homework and studying take up for my kids - but it's really just dd and I really think she could and should be done in a fraction of the time. And some of what she brings home I also know should've been done in class.
My kids also go to a Baptist school where they don't get homework on Wednesdays - LOVE THAT!! We don't have Wed night church; we have home groups and ours is not always on Wednesdays but I still appreciate the evening off and when cell group is Wed it definitely helps. I don't see how anyone can complain about homework at my kids' school. I have them do stuff ahead but it's what I know is always due during the week just to get a jump on it - writing out spelling words and sentences and Bible verses.
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RE: Too Much Homework? - 4/1/2008 12:14:06 PM
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artemis
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I know that in my class, I almost never give homework, but classwork becomes homework if it is not done in class. I usually give MORE than enough time to finish in class if you are actually working. I have never once in six years of teaching had a student fail my class who wasn't missing assignments that were done in class 
It's hard when you have to do so much stuff in the school day, though. I mean, students don't just take their core classes... they also have PE/athletics, music, art, lunch, recess (for younger grades), etc. They also miss days of instruction for school parties, state testing, special guest speakers, field day (elementary), college days (secondary), field trips, etc. It feels like the actual time that kids are spent learning at school gets cut down a little more every year
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RE: Too Much Homework? - 4/1/2008 12:48:15 PM
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garsyt
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This is a BIG issue here lately too. Especially amongst moms at girl scouts, brownies and cub scout meetings!
Personally I've never had a problem the amount of homework my kids have had. Even my middle schooler rarely has more then an hour of work to do at home and that's maybe one night a week. Lately he's been staying after school every night for play practice so they have what is called Collaboration time inbetween the end of the school day (2:30) and the beginning of after school activities at 3:15. It's basically a supervised study hall while the teachers are taking time to prepare for the next day, meet with parents or students or hold team meetings with other teachers.
At the elementary level my kiddos have very rarely had more then an hours worth of work and thats if they are lollygagging around and not buckling down and getting it done. I also don't count their required 20 minutes of reading a night. My kids would do that anyway.
However many moms, one in particular, ALWAYS have a problem with the amount of homework given, especially at the 4th grade level. The 4th grade teachers state at the beginning of the school year that they give plenty of time during class to complete classwork. They also have a "study period" almost everyday in which they use for individual conferences with the kids that the rest of the class can use for homework time. So really there is no reason for a child to have very much homework coming home at all. But yet parents complain both ways! Some complain that there isn't enough homework and others are always complaining that there is too much homework coming home. But the ones that complain about the amount of homework also have their kids in a multitude of afterschool activities. It may only be one activity, like swim team, but with practices 3-4 times a week and meets on Saturdays pretty much the entire school year - it can be too much if the parents and the kids can't manage their time well.
Blessings,
Garsy
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Leave me alone - I'm old and deserve a nap!
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RE: Too Much Homework? - 4/1/2008 1:12:50 PM
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DenimDiva
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Here it seems as though the school has forgotten that many students have families, jobs, church events, other classes, after school activities, etc.
I get more and more discouraged when I see how much homework Liz gets.
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RE: Too Much Homework? - 4/1/2008 1:59:23 PM
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debilyn
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My first grader has homework everyday - spelling words (sentences, abc order), a math workbook page, and a reading assignment (usually a simple book). My other two children (8th and 11th) seldom have more than 30 minutes of homework a night. It may be working on a project or finishing a handout they didn't complete in class - occasionally, it is a study sheet for a test or exam.
Most middle/high school teachers don't assign a lot of homework in our district. They prefer that students do most of their work in class. Usually (but not every day) they have some time at the end of the class to help individual or small groups of students who are having a hard time grasping a concept.
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RE: Too Much Homework? - 4/1/2008 4:53:40 PM
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2shaye
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My dd, in jr. high, has homework in spurts! When a class is working on a big project, she'll have lot's of research and writing to do. She typically has about 3 hours a week and she is in two honors classes (she rarely has homework in those classes, though!).
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Trusting the Lord that someday, soon, we will be at the Teen Challenge in Kiev, Ukraine!
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RE: Too Much Homework? - 4/1/2008 8:39:10 PM
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MrsTracy72
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Personally, I don't think my kids get enough homework. My son who is in middle school doesn't have a study hall so I don't understand why he isn't bringing more homework home. I remember being in middle school, having one full hour for study hall, doing work at my lunch table, AND bringing work home.
I think that most kids are in so many extra activities that it seems as if they have too much. I do agree that they shouldn't get homework to do over vacations, but as for weekends, I don't think they should be loaded, but I don't see anything wrong with assigned reading or a math assignment or something.
My son usually brings home nothing, and yet he has all A's and B's. I suppose if you are doing everything in class with the teacher right there, how can you not get bad grades.
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RE: Too Much Homework? - 4/1/2008 11:53:33 PM
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ladyingrace1979
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I think it depends on the teacher. One year, 5th grade was horrible for my now 7th grader. She would have up to 2 hours a night. 6th was better. This year seems to vary with the subject. She gets a page of math and a page of english, the history class seems to be more project oriented which my dd loves. She never seems to have science homework, or vary rarely.
My twins are in special ed. I have begged for more homework but the teacher says that it is too much work because each student is at their own level and it would take her too much time. I gave up arguing with her and added my own stuff, reading, math games, writing practice.
As far as kids being overschedualed, I think that is a big issue. Kids need time to just be kids. I'm not sure that all the parents are putting the kids in, calling it enrichment, is that enriching. Our rule is one church activity (AWANA or jr. group) one non-church activity (choir and a gymnastics class).
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RE: Too Much Homework? - 4/2/2008 10:01:08 AM
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debilyn
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quote:
Our rule is one church activity (AWANA or jr. group) one non-church activity (choir and a gymnastics class).
We have a similar rule in our family. We also require that our kids maintain their grades and keep up with homework or we eliminate something - a special event or limit an activity.
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RE: Too Much Homework? - 4/2/2008 12:02:37 PM
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2shaye
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quote:
ORIGINAL: ladyingrace1979
As far as kids being overschedualed, I think that is a big issue. Kids need time to just be kids. I'm not sure that all the parents are putting the kids in, calling it enrichment, is that enriching. Our rule is one church activity (AWANA or jr. group) one non-church activity (choir and a gymnastics class).
We only have one dd that is young enough to still be called a "kid". She is involved in youth group (a requirement as long as she is in public school), girl scouts (again, almost a requirement - she loves it and if she keeps with it, she'll qualify for wonderful scholarships to college), and lacrosse (again, almost a requirement - we strongly encourage her to be involved in a sport). I'd love for her to take piano again, but she didn't like it despite the fact that she has OBVIOUS talent!  Maybe someday.... We've encouraged her to be in the church youth choir, but she is "embarrassed" to sing in front of others she says!
All of these things are really not much of a time commitment. They are pretty much seasonal. Dd maintains a 3.8 GPA with honors classes, so she is doing fine.
_____________________________
aka Skipperjoe
Trusting the Lord that someday, soon, we will be at the Teen Challenge in Kiev, Ukraine!
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RE: Too Much Homework? - 4/2/2008 12:17:08 PM
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ladyingrace1979
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quote:
ORIGINAL: 2shaye
quote:
ORIGINAL: ladyingrace1979
As far as kids being overschedualed, I think that is a big issue. Kids need time to just be kids. I'm not sure that all the parents are putting the kids in, calling it enrichment, is that enriching. Our rule is one church activity (AWANA or jr. group) one non-church activity (choir and a gymnastics class).
We only have one dd that is young enough to still be called a "kid". She is involved in youth group (a requirement as long as she is in public school), girl scouts (again, almost a requirement - she loves it and if she keeps with it, she'll qualify for wonderful scholarships to college), and lacrosse (again, almost a requirement - we strongly encourage her to be involved in a sport). I'd love for her to take piano again, but she didn't like it despite the fact that she has OBVIOUS talent! Maybe someday.... We've encouraged her to be in the church youth choir, but she is "embarrassed" to sing in front of others she says!
All of these things are really not much of a time commitment. They are pretty much seasonal. Dd maintains a 3.8 GPA with honors classes, so she is doing fine.
I noticed as you write most of the stuff you speak of you call "almost a requirement" my question to you is by whom? No school on this planet is going to tell me what my kids "need" to do after school, other than homework. If your child enjoys being in these things and there is still time for her to have down time, then go for it. My comment was meant to be general.
The reason I made that comment is the growing trend of stressed out, overanxious kids. Both secular and Christian psychologist are seeing an alarming trend in children who are overly stressed because of scheduals.
Kim Q
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RE: Too Much Homework? - 4/2/2008 12:20:44 PM
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2shaye
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Oh, sorry, I misunderstood. It's a "family" requirement, not a school one.
I agree that stressed out kids are a growing trend. Since we only have one (kid - we have one adult as well), she is actually often bored and looks forward to doing "something" after school. I hate for her to come home and watch tv, or roam the internet mindlessly. There are no kids in our immediate neighborhood, so going outside to "play" is out of the question.
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aka Skipperjoe
Trusting the Lord that someday, soon, we will be at the Teen Challenge in Kiev, Ukraine!
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RE: Too Much Homework? - 4/2/2008 1:13:15 PM
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csl7037
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quote:
ORIGINAL: ladyingrace1979
No school on this planet is going to tell me what my kids "need" to do after school, other than homework.
Public schools here do require community service points to be earned. I know that's in HS, not sure if it maybe starts in MS.
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RE: Too Much Homework? - 4/2/2008 1:14:55 PM
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2shaye
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quote:
ORIGINAL: csl7037
quote:
ORIGINAL: ladyingrace1979
No school on this planet is going to tell me what my kids "need" to do after school, other than homework.
Public schools here do require community service points to be earned. I know that's in HS, not sure if it maybe starts in MS.
Here, too, a certain amount of hours are required to graduate high school.
_____________________________
aka Skipperjoe
Trusting the Lord that someday, soon, we will be at the Teen Challenge in Kiev, Ukraine!
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RE: Too Much Homework? - 4/2/2008 3:27:03 PM
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lexie
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I definitely agree that a lot of kids are overscheduled. One woman I worked with had one child doing skating, hockey, piano and dance and was putting that same child in karate at lunch time. She would also complain about her children having too much homework (I think this child was in 2nd or 3rd grade). A little too much.
Growing up I was heavily involved in figure skating (7 sessions scheduled over the 5 weekdays + competitions on weekends twice a month). But my parents were very good about us getting our homework done. We were taught to make sure we could get everything done at school that we could, so we could make it to skating. We also did homework at the rink.
We still brought home straight A's so we were getting both things done, but I really attribute that to my parents teaching us excellent time management skills as well as commitment.
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RE: Too Much Homework? - 4/2/2008 6:03:04 PM
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garsyt
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quote:
but I really attribute that to my parents teaching us excellent time management skills as well as commitment.
That's it MUCH (not all) of the time.
Teachers are kinda in a bind really if you think about it. They have some parents saying there is too much homework or too much writing homework or too much of whatever and then they get parents that wish their kids had more or want more reenforcement activities and homework for their kids.
I know one mother that has time and time again complained to teachers about the amount of writing homework her dd gets, simply because her dd doesn't like to write. But the teachers are required to have the students write by the curriculum choices and to meet state standards. And if the child doesn't get her writing assignments done in class then she has writing homework to do later. Yet my dd is in the same grade and I would LOVE to see her get more homework from time to time ESPECIALLY in the writing department! I don't think my dd, who is an overachiever and a straight A student, has nearly enough work to occupy her time. I'm often having her do extra work just to have her do something while her sibilings are doing their work.
Blessings,
Garsy
_____________________________
Leave me alone - I'm old and deserve a nap!
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RE: Too Much Homework? - 4/2/2008 6:42:16 PM
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csl7037
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When a child doesn't like a subject or is having trouble, a little homework goes a long way - like to dinner time and beyond! When dd was in 1st grade I remember feeling like she had too much work. I feel like she has too much work now in 3rd but I see her brother coasting in 1st grade and I'm also giving him extra work to occupy him while she's still doing her stuff. If anything, objectively, I think he has more work than she did 2 years ago. But it takes her way longer than it should to get it done. That's what we need to work on, it's not the amount of homework in our case. It's hard to objectively look at it from those angles, though.
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RE: Too Much Homework? - 4/3/2008 3:56:16 AM
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OneOfHisJewels
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quote:
My husband is a high school supply teacher
At first, I couldn't figure out what you meant by that, but then I realized that must be Canada speak for what we call substitute teachers here.
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And the Lord will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. Isaiah 58:11
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RE: Too Much Homework? - 4/3/2008 11:56:10 AM
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DenimDiva
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quote:
ORIGINAL: OneOfHisJewels
quote:
My husband is a high school supply teacher
At first, I couldn't figure out what you meant by that, but then I realized that must be Canada speak for what we call substitute teachers here.
I was wondering what that meant too..... hadn't thought about it meaning a sub.
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RE: Too Much Homework? - 4/3/2008 2:35:36 PM
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PrincessDonna
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The amount my 2nd grader has is fine. The Christian school he goes to does have a heavier load in the upper grades, but their standards are much higher than the local public schools and parents know that when they send them there. In fact, it is the main reason some of them send their kids there...for academic excellence in an environment where kids are encouraged to do their best, not just enough to get by.
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For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring,
and my blessing on your descendants.
~Isaiah 44:3~
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RE: Too Much Homework? - 4/11/2008 10:55:26 AM
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CarlaJames
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My son is in middle school now and has LESS homework than in elementary school. Elementary school was awful! From 1st grade on he was loaded down with hours of homework. The schools complain about how children are gaining weight and need to get outside to play, yet they give them all this homework. It's time for dinner and bed by the time they are finished. Not to mention they expect US to teach it to them. My son would come home not knowing how to do something. What do they get paid for anyway? I didn't go to college to learn how to teach, they did. I believe it all boils down to the "No Child Left Behind Act". His elementary school PE teacher told me because of the act she had to cut all gym classes and recess in half so the kids could spend more time in the classroom.
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