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Homework?

scrapsandsass

scrapsandsass

Oh Ricky you're so fine ...
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Feb 11, 2011
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For those of you with kids in grade school... how much "homework" do your kids have on a regular basis?

Kennedy just started kindergarten. I love his teacher and school. We are huge on education in our household/family, so I'm not complaining. He's doing really well so far, and usually only has one piece of official "homework" for the week, which is generally focused on the letter of the week where they are supposed to cut words/images that start with the letter of the week. That seems normal. There are also times he doesn't get something done in class because his ADHD is in full force, so he has to bring that home... no biggie.

But then the other "homework" is not expressly official, but expected. It just keeps building, and I seriously am not organized enough to keep track of it all and make sure he's doing it every day.
  • Math IXL online 20 minutes a day.
  • Flash cards and practice reading 20 minutes a night.
  • Read to them for 15-20 minutes a night.
  • Home Connections which is math-ish games 20 minutes a day
  • And this week we got another online/app-focused reading program that they are supposed to also do 20 minutes a day.
So that is an hour and forty minutes of stuff they are supposed to do each night. :dizzy

The other fun part is that they send home calendars/charts, so you are supposed to fill them all out and send them back so they know that it is happening (aside from the online stuff that they can gather since each child has their own account). The kids get prizes if they fill out the sheets for the month, so the pressure is on. Most of the time, Kennedy wants to do it, but there are times he's bored with it or frankly we don't have the time because we have life happening: cooking dinner, taking baths, visiting family, school functions, etc.

How do you all keep up with all of the "tools" they give you to help kids learn? And/or do you have all of those "tools" and expectations? How do you juggle it all and stay sane? Again, it is great that they have these things and it helps the kids, but I swear if they add one more thing, I might snap. :giggle
 
Oh my gosh! 1 hour 40 min on top of school? That would kill me! I opted out of the public school system and we are homeschooling kindergarten. Our official class is only about 1 hour 30 min a day. {we spend time non-focused learning too like measuring and reading outside of school}

My nephew in kindergarten has 20 min of reading every night, although they prefer 30 and the kids get bonus points for 30 minutes. No other homework so far!
 
I reckon in here, (the UK, or at least London, for what I hear) they have started giving less and less homework to kids in grade school....
of course I have not had that side of school with Sarita for many years now...but I don't think too much homework is good.....
also I still think school teaches useless stuff at times stuff a kid will never EVER use in their entire life....
anyway, don't mind me, didn't sleep again so my brain starts going on short circuit :giggle
 
it is time to communicate with the teacher. I have a 20 minute tops homework rule in our house for elementary school. I tell the teachers this, the first chance I can. There are exceptions for projects, but those are done at home. I have told the teachers, you have them from 8 to 3, that is 8 hours. I used to sit and try and explain the work. Hours. NO longer. I write a note and say, "He doesn't understand this, please help"
I am the mom that pencil whips the calendars, reading logs etc. I have 3 in elementary, and one in high school, 2 home schooled, and MY brain shuts down. bhahha
My boys come home, snack and I send them outside(they are building a fort with neighbors in the desert) until dark (winter time is a doozy for high energy boys), we eat at 5pm, chores, shower and then homework. Evenings are fun and go quick. We do get up an hour before school and go to our church for prayers, and my boys lay on floor and read there, so I know they are reading.
but, I bet if you contact the teacher, she would be able to clarify the expectations...or is a new teacher living in a dream world...


just a note here, I always wonder how parents who work until 6 or so, and kids are in daycare until late could do homework? dinner, baths, groceries and homework? yikes?
 
UGH, homework! I hate it! Chance had one year in school, maybe 2nd grade, that I felt like that is all we got done in the evenings. It was awful. The last couple of years haven't been too bad, mostly just spelling every night, which he does in the time we have between him getting to my school and the time I'm allowed to leave, and studying for tests and quizzes. We have a 45 minute commute to and from, so a lot of times we get studying done in the car, or he does some reading. Homework has been a battle with all of my kids. Like Anne, I always wonder about those parents who get home late and have to do it all...I know how hard it is for us if it's a practice night or game night to get everything in. I work all day, but get home relatively early compared to other working parents.
 
I don't think this is okay. I really don't understand why kids that young need homework. Or at least not that much. In my opinion reading isn't homework!!

When I was young I needed to learn the alphabet and timetables, later on vocabulaire and learning for tests but that was maybe one a week. I really can't remember doing sheets of homework when I was under 12.

After that we go to a different school and yeah, then homework starts. I don't think it should take longer then 1 or 1,5 hours tops each day to complete that though (as in total, not for every class) Personally I never went to the extreme about learning and doing homework. I know some of my friends would keep studying and studying for a test because they wanted a 10 and I would be like 'yeah I know it, good enough'. But then there were other students who did much less then me. I was an above average student that got sevens and eights.

As a teacher myself, I teach special education middle/high school, I don't expect my students to go to an extreme to do their homework. Most of the time they get enough time in my classes to complete their homework right then and there. If they choose to not do it, it's their problem.
 
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My kids are not in elementary yet. More like the day care does basic pre school activities in my opinion, and I do what I can to make sure they know what's "expected" before kinder in about 2 years.

I liked playing school when I was younger, so I'm really not sure how I'm going to handle life of my kids do not end up loving doing their school work. I have so much to learn as a parent!
 
AnneofAlamo said:
it is time to communicate with the teacher. I have a 20 minute tops homework rule in our house for elementary school. I tell the teachers this, the first chance I can. There are exceptions for projects, but those are done at home. I have told the teachers, you have them from 8 to 3, that is 8 hours. I used to sit and try and explain the work. Hours. NO longer. I write a note and say, "He doesn't understand this, please help"
I am the mom that pencil whips the calendars, reading logs etc. I have 3 in elementary, and one in high school, 2 home schooled, and MY brain shuts down. bhahha
My boys come home, snack and I send them outside(they are building a fort with neighbors in the desert) until dark (winter time is a doozy for high energy boys), we eat at 5pm, chores, shower and then homework. Evenings are fun and go quick. We do get up an hour before school and go to our church for prayers, and my boys lay on floor and read there, so I know they are reading.
but, I bet if you contact the teacher, she would be able to clarify the expectations...or is a new teacher living in a dream world...


just a note here, I always wonder how parents who work until 6 or so, and kids are in daycare until late could do homework? dinner, baths, groceries and homework? yikes?
Click to expand...

I like your style, Anne! My hubby and I both work so it is a struggle to get homework done along with all the other things we have to do. Plus, just trying to spend a little time with them that doesn't include homework or any of the other things we have to do. It's tiring!

I have a 6th grader and a 2nd grader. Mattie (6th grader) generally only has homework for one subject per night. It takes her 20/30 minutes to finish. Cole (2nd grader) gets a packet on Monday that is due by Friday so you can basically complete it however you like. There is generally a list of spelling words, a spelling sheet that has a Mon, Tues, Wed assignment, a math sheet, a language sheet and then a reading log. It kind of sounds like a lot but since we finish it as we like it's not that bad. The reading log does require 20 minutes of reading per night.
 
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I have one in kinder and she gets one homework a week. It is a sheet with some questions like, "do you have a favorite stuffed animal? describe it." and she writes an answer and draws a picture. They don't know much about spelling yet so the answers are like, "YS. HIZ NAM PITR" or whatever. It takes maybe 10 minutes. We do read together and all that but it's not scheduled or logged in any way. What you're describing sounds ridiculous IMO.
 
I have been struggling this year as well. The homework for my 3rd grader is pretty straight forward (usually 2 or 3 worksheets) and she is great about doing it as soon as she gets home. She likes to get it out of the way.

On the other hand my 1st grader's work is hard to keep up with. Sometimes sheets come home - sometimes not, kind of inconsistent. But there is a lot of on-line practice that is supposed to be happening - reflex math, etc. She is in a German language immersion program which adds to the stress. She has 25 German vocab words in each unit and we are supposed to practice using on-line games, flashcards, etc. + nightly reading, etc. I guess some of it is just me getting more organized, but I do feel that she has a pretty heavy load for 1st grade.
 
Every year has been different.

My mom taught for 30+ years. She didn't believe in homework. But certainly not all teachers do.

This year, Daniel is in 5th grade, and he has spelling, math, social studies, science . . . all homework at some time or the other. We only have issues with homework when he has a bad attitude. For the most part, he can finish homework in under 30 minutes, unassisted.

I would definitely have a talk with the teacher. Closing on two hours of parent involved at-home work is excessive. Good luck. I know you have to be frustrated beyond belief.
 
AnneofAlamo said:
it is time to communicate with the teacher. I have a 20 minute tops homework rule in our house for elementary school. I tell the teachers this, the first chance I can. There are exceptions for projects, but those are done at home. I have told the teachers, you have them from 8 to 3, that is 8 hours. I used to sit and try and explain the work. Hours. NO longer. I write a note and say, "He doesn't understand this, please help"
Click to expand...

Yet again, you are my hero. Heroine. Whatevs.
 
We have loads of homework. It is the bane of my existence, even after speaking with the teachers. It also seems the case for many others that I know in our town's parent group on FB.

For my oldest - in 5th, he has vocabulary, spelling, math, reading, and either science or history every night. Plus every two weeks, he has a current events article due with a summary page. This is about 1 hr and a 1/2 to 2 hours a night. This is an improvement since previous years and since he has an IEP now. He is allowed to bring home his vocabulary on Friday verus Monday, and gets all study guides super early. We do homework on the weekends to keep up - reading and vocabulary and test study if needed.

This is such an improvement (from 3-4 hours) that we think this is heaven. Plus, as he gets older, he is working way more independently, and realizes that doing it early, over the weekend, or in smaller parts over more time, he is doing great in school. When he doesn't understand something, and I am unable to help, I just leave a note for help. Since he has an inclusion teacher, it isn't a problem ever. He has made a 180 turn around in school since we've gotten the IEP, he loves school, his teachers, and really has improved so much. I'm so proud of him.


For my youngest, 2nd grade, it's only hard because he hates it, and drags it out himself. He has a math sheet, vocabulary, spelling, and reading every night. It pry takes him an hour, sometimes a little longer. It could probably take him 30-45 minutes or so, but he drags things out, writes slow on purpose and fights with me the whole time.
 
Oh My! That is WAY TOO MUCH! I would schedule a meeting with the teacher and go over what she/you expect for Kennedy's homework load.
I'm trying to remember back to my children being in elementary school. My oldest is 29 and youngest 16 and school changed a lot during that time. I do know that from my oldest to youngest a lot of the expectations on how a teacher taught their class was taken out of their hands as different laws changed.
Every child at that age needs their down time which they can just play.
good luck!
 
I personally think 20 minutes of anything for a kindergardener is too much. I also would never require all of those things every day all week long. I'd pick maybe 1 or 2 and do 10 minutes and then rotate... but also... I tend to ignore all those extra tools unless there is an area where my own child needs help and then I'd use those tools only. I also ignore the reading logs. Our school does Book It where they are supposed to read 20 minutes a day for at least 20 days each month and then they get a free Pizza Hut personal sized pizza. First of all, I hate that they reward kids always with food. I throw those coupons away. Second, I want reading to be something my kids enjoy. When they have a book they like, they will read for an hour or more at a time. When they are in between books, they sometimes don't read for a week. So what!? We read together almost every single night of their lives at bedtime because it was a fun thing we did together and it helped them calm down before bed. Now that they are older (9 and 11) they read to themselves in bed because they want to. That is more important to me than keeping some dumb log and forcing them to read.

Use your instincts and communicate with the teacher if you're really worried about him not doing all that you think he's being assigned. Mostly I would guess those tools are for you to use if they need it.
 
I used to teach and I wasn't a big believer in much homework. Mind you I taught 5th grade. For most subjects and kids there was PLENTY of time during the day to get all the curriculum in. I will admit things have changed since I taught 10 years ago, but I still think their is plenty of time in school for children to learn with minimal at home reinforcement.

That being said i would do as the others counseled...contact the teacher and as specifically what must be done. I'm sure a bunch of those computer games they want you to do are not required but suggested. My personal philosophy for that age is 20 mins reading and 20 mins additional homework. 40 mins homework TOPS is enough for young children. They need time to play and be with mom, dad and family too.
 
Homework in our house has become a dirty word I swear! It drives me insane and we spend up to and sometimes more then 4 hours a night on homework. Now my son is in Middle School 8th grade but he comes home with math, science, and History regularly meaning pretty much daily. Then on Thursdays he has to study for a history test. He has to read for 30 minutes every night and has a Language art packet each week as well. He was doing poorly in PE (Yes PE is a mess now with all the testing they do) he has to run for 20 minutes on the treadmill nightly. They run a mile once a week timed and if they do not pass the time then they fail the physical fitness portion of PE. They run the mile 3 times a week but only one of them is graded. My sons luck he has technically passed the mile BUT only on days he isn't being graded for it! The days he is graded he has not passed so therefore his Physical fitness grade is an F. Now they also add in participation and homework into that F grade so he has a D right now BUT that doesn't help his grade-point average which we watch closely. Math is my mortal enemy and I swear this common core stuff they are doing is driving me to drink. Not to mention they do not allow the kids to bring their books home anymore so when eh comes home with math on a worksheet and doesn't understand it I have no book to look at to help him understand the work. I finally went and checked out a book from the office and I keep it here so I can help him with math when he doesnt get it. Part of the problem is my son being in 8th grade in elementary school he was taught math the old way but now they are teaching it the new common core way so he is having lots of trouble working with both ways of teaching. When he comes home and he was taught common core in class and doesn't understand it the only way i know how to do it is old math. So I confuse him even more. LOL I promise you I have had many a migraine due to my sons school work. Matter of fact tonight he came home and as he walked in the door he told me, "Mom WE have math and history and a map assignment to do tonight!" He got home at 3:30 and it is now 6:58 and he just finished all his work. Uggghhh so annoying. I hear ya girl. I get it. Want to have a drink with me tomorrow after homework is done??
 
Kellie... that made my head spin!

Last night my 9 yo came home with a project that he has to create his own newspaper with at least 8 articles and it's due tomorrow. He wasn't even clear on what he needed to do until I talked with some of the other Moms/kids after basketball practice last night, so we only just got started last night. I guess he (we) will be working on that most of tonight. sigh.
 
Our school is similar... its nuts all the "online" stuff they want them to do and not paper. My kids are 5th and 2nd grade and I told the teacher up front at the beginning of the school year that they don't go on the computer at home at night so they don't get to do IXL at home. Both teachers were fine with that. We do try to read for 30 minutes and work on spelling words for 20 or so. They do spelling at the table when I'm making supper. So different than when I was in school!
 
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