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Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,635
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: I'm considering a change this coming school year.... your thoughts?

I think that is a very interesting question. It sounds like you are teaching younger children? It doesn't sound like you feel like it is accomplishing much & I am sorry. I would talk to some other teachers & get some feedback on any ideas that they may have. It is a tough situation. I was lucky to be a SAHM & I sat down at night & went over my kids homework or had them do it at the kitchen table so I could "help" (I use the term loosely when it comes to math) if they needed it. Now most parents work & kids are involved in a lot more extracurricular activities, & you have housework & yardwork & I wouldn't appreciate "busy" work, if you didn't think that it was enriching their learning experience much. I really hope you get some better answers than mine.

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,713
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: I'm considering a change this coming school year.... your thoughts?

Rather than asking parents for their preference, what did your education teach you about the philosophy of homework for school aged children?  What is your district's stance on it?  What about your peer teachers, are they struggling to keep assignments relevant and interesting to students as well?

 

I would hate to think that you could make any sort of decision about wwhether or not to assign children homework based on a poll of QVC customers.  I think that a successful teacher is one who finds assignments that are interesting, engaging and fun.  And if half your students aren't bothering to do it, I agree that you need to reevaluate what you are sending them home with.  

Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,958
Registered: ‎09-28-2010

Re: I'm considering a change this coming school year.... your thoughts?

I take care of my grandsons before and after school.  I can PROMISE you that my grandkids parents care very much about their kids education, as do I.  I can also report that while my grandsons are very smart, they don't always "get it" just from the classroom lesson.  Sometimes the homework is reinforcing the lessons for them, other times they are puzzled and struggling and guidance from their parents or me helps them get to the "got it" point.

 

A page in math and reading a day isn't a burden by any means, but I think I would eliminate the Friday homework and let them enjoy their weekends.

 

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,042
Registered: ‎03-13-2010

Re: I'm considering a change this coming school year.... your thoughts?


@PenneyT wrote:

@Mellie32 is there a way that the kids could 'pick' their own reading material for the page of reading? Could they maybe write a short paragraph about a paper page or web pages that they read? Might be enlightening to see what they would choose to read.

 

All this is based on my assumption that the 'page of reading' is reading for practice, and not a page of, say, history lessons or geology facts! 

 

Hats off to all teachers!!!! You matter!!! And Thank You!!!


The reading homework is usually a cloze passage or a typical reading passage with comprehension questions.  

 

I would like to mix it up a little with different kinds of reading homework, but the problem is still the same --- the kids who have parents who pay attention and are actively involved in their child's education will do the homework.  The kids who don't have parents like that -- won't.  

 

Also - the excellent parents almost always have their children participating in extra curricular sports, dance, karate, church that eats up time too and they (I get these complaints every year when baseball starts) just run out of time in the day.  I don't want to stress out the kids or the parents.  But I do want the kids who NEED the extra help to get it.  

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,042
Registered: ‎03-13-2010

Re: I'm considering a change this coming school year.... your thoughts?


@deepwaterdotter wrote:

@Mellie32 wrote:

@deepwaterdotter wrote:

So this is about "parents who don't care anyway" or students "who already get it" without parental guidance? 


This is about if assigning homework is actually achieving anything.


Oh, OK.  I was unclear about where the "parents who don't care" was relevent to "assigning homework".


Because the parents who don't care don't work on homework with their kids so it's not achieving anything anyway.

Super Contributor
Posts: 483
Registered: ‎04-08-2010

Re: I'm considering a change this coming school year.... your thoughts?

[ Edited ]

I am a retired teacher. I don't know what grade you teach. I taught first grade. I did not give homework on Fridays. I always felt the children needed a break. Do what you think is best. Children who get it might need the reinforcement. Don't punish them because other children don't get their homework done.

 

I have to add that if parents complain they are running out of time, perhaps you are giving too much homework. When I taught, we would give a weekly homework list that the children had to turn in by Friday. This way the children could complete it at their own pace.

 

You sound like a concerned teacher who really cares about your students.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 11,153
Registered: ‎05-22-2012

Re: I'm considering a change this coming school year.... your thoughts?


@RetRN wrote:

Yet some politicians want free college for all kids. The ones who don't care will go for a free good time and the students who want to learn and achieve will suffer. My heart goes out to all good teachers.


If they're only there for a free good time, they'll fail out. Free school isn't the same as mandatory school. 

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,220
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: I'm considering a change this coming school year.... your thoughts?

Great topic...I have read a lot recently that suggests just what you are feeling.  I remember when my children were in school it was tough sometimes to fit everything in (church, music, sports, etc.). I will be fascinated to see what others think.  Thanks for a great topic of discussion!

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,680
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: I'm considering a change this coming school year.... your thoughts?

In depends on what you hope to achieve by assigning the homework.

 

When I was teaching kindergarten I sent homework home a few nights a week. The assignments were always practice of what had been done that day and never intended to take more than 15 minutes. What was my goal? Frankly, as a kindergarten teacher my goals were simple and aimed at preparing them for the future:

Get the homework home, do the homework, and bring it back to me the next day. It wasn't a matter of whether or not the parent was home to supervise, it was all about teaching the child that homework was their responsibility. 

 

If a parent is supervising the work, making sure it is correct and sending it back, how am I to know that the child actually understood what was done in class? Unless the parent were to send a note back saying they helped, the child didn't understand, then I'm at a loss until work that covers the subject is done in class. 

 

For older students if it's reading in preparation for the next day no amount of parental supervision is going to be helpful unless the parent actually quizzes them on what was read. 

 

I have a relative who sits down with his son nightly while homework is done. The kid is 10 and doesn't need this. It's not teaching him a thing having dad there monitoring him. If the kid fools around and doesn't get it done, he should be accepting the consequences the next day in class. It's not teaching him responsibility, it's become a nightmare game at home, tense times. The kid is brilliant. But on the other hand, if the teacher sees incomplete or incorrect work, then the teacher knows  more class time needs to be spent on the subject. 

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,042
Registered: ‎03-13-2010

Re: I'm considering a change this coming school year.... your thoughts?


@Mrsq2022 wrote:

Rather than asking parents for their preference, what did your education teach you about the philosophy of homework for school aged children?  What is your district's stance on it?  What about your peer teachers, are they struggling to keep assignments relevant and interesting to students as well?

 

I would hate to think that you could make any sort of decision about wwhether or not to assign children homework based on a poll of QVC customers.  I think that a successful teacher is one who finds assignments that are interesting, engaging and fun.  And if half your students aren't bothering to do it, I agree that you need to reevaluate what you are sending them home with.  


Parents are the ones helping with the  homework.  They are, obviously, the best ones to help teachers out when they have questions like this.  I ask for advice from my students' parents all the time and I believe it would be unhelpful to not get a parent's perspective.