Responsibility

CoffeeQueen · Guru

RE: Responsibility

Sonya · Guru

Sorry, Primary is your kindergarden.

I believe there is homework the same as your school starting in grade 1.

I'm really really really anti-homework.

I'm all for reading homework but I really can't figure out why you can't get enough done in 6 hours a day in elementary school that you have to work at night.

CoffeeQueen · Guru

Sonya wrote:

Sorry, Primary is your kindergarden.

I believe there is homework the same as your school starting in grade 1.

I'm really really really anti-homework.

I'm all for reading homework but I really can't figure out why you can't get enough done in 6 hours a day in elementary school that you have to work at night.

you need to check out the road to know where. It really is interesting and brings great light onto how children are losing their youth to the fact our society is so obsessed with their children getting into the best college, etc.

I totally agree with you on the homework. No kid that young should in school 8 hours and come home to more hours of homework.

-- Edited by CoffeeQueen on Monday 17th of January 2011 01:00:02 PM

daisy · Guru

CoffeeQueen wrote:

Sonya wrote:

Juni wrote:

Michele wrote:

I don't make Lauren pack her stuff yet. I have enough trouble some days making sure we have complied with the dress code and gotten all the daily paperwork for the agenda handled and signed. It's very strict and the parents are responsible in K to make sure everything is done or the child loses a nickel based on their monetary system. She has homework for every day of the week except Fridays. They have writing assignments (sentences), spelling words and math. Do most kids not have homework yet?

Wow! That surprises me about the homework. Gavin only gets homework sent home on Fridays which works well for us. It's usually something small - a little book to practice reading or some other writing assignment.

No homework for us. We have a no homework policy in primary.

We do have reading - three books come home and when he's read them (usually that night) we send them back for three more.

If i detect he's at all tired when he's reading them, we stop and wait until the next morning or the next night. His days are long (early drop off, walk to school, school, walk to center for lunch, walk back to school, walk back to center for after school) that I figure he needs some time just to be "off".

interesting, is it like this in Canada or just your school? Is primary there K-3? We have no home work in pre-k and K, besides the reading as you described. However, they do get it in 1-3. They are starting to look at homework though. Many studies have proven that homework is somewhat pointless. they have found in 4-12 that when homework was cut back, test scores raised. it is all interesting to me. they say primary - gr. 5 no more then 1 hour and middle school - high school should be no more then 2 and after that it becomes memorizing info and not learning at all.

many parts of the country do not have homework, but beat us in science in math hands down. it is all facinating. I hope the US begins to really look at education/learning and we get away from this insane hamster wheel we have been on. All driven by fear and really it is just producing stressed out kids.

Do you know in the US, most colleges who take top students end of having to have 50% of them get placed in remedial/basic math. These are the 3.7+ students. We clearly are doing something wrong, yet even colleges do nothing. I mean if that is the case, that tells you they are not learning. They say now most HS students in the US are just building a resume for college, cheating and memorizing, no learning is taking place. Such a sad state if you ask me, but I know parents want homework. They think if there is none, there child is not "learning" or not going to be prepared. Such a hard place for educators.

Sorry, for my ramble. It is on the brain.

i havent seen the road to nowhere but it seems to be all the rage around here right now. i agree with you on the homework thing - but i have to say, R's homework is totally not a big deal. she loves sitting down to do it, and it makes her feel grown-up and she loves sharing with me what she's doing in school - i sort of like that bridge kwim?

plus i like that it's optional. they are definitely regarding the fact that not all kids want to come home to more work, and shouldnt have to. but then you have a kid like R who actually asked me to ask her teacher for extra homework - the teacher handled that really well - she gave her a special writing book but no assignments and told R that she can write in it at home anytime she wants to - so it wasnt like, pressure - but a definite nod to the fact that R is enjoying this. (i love this teacher - i'm going to be so bummed if C doesnt get her too).

i CAN say that college students are poorly prepared - there's no question about it. i dont know where the missing link is. i have taught at several colleges in the NYC-metro area and there are VAST differences - the school where i teach now, the writing isnt terrible and their work ethic is pretty strong - but still, for the school's reputation, i'm sometimes surprised by the quality of writing and level of thought (and definitely shocked by the level of entitlement).

i always have to take at least half a class-session (and these are upper level psych classes i'm teaching) to go over grammar basics, active v. passive voice, basics of plagiarism and citing texts/paraphrasing, topic sentences, the whole thing.

i dont think it's the high schools' faults. i know those teachers are working their butts off. i just think sometimes that maybe college admissions are not as stringent as they used to be. standards are definitely lower.

what's amazing to me is the huge differences even within the college among the students - they don't all seem to be held to the same standards at admission. it's a small college, and some kids are FAR ahead of others - it's amazing.

apies · Guru

re: kelly's post (sense of entitlement) and tx, if you're stalking this thread, this came up yesterday...

at the last school where i taught (which was no where near an underprivileged area), we were required to provide paper and pens to the kids who didn't have them. and the kids didn't bring them b/c they thought it was a way of getting out of work and/or delaying class. imagine 30 kids in the room and having to pass out 5-10 pens and paper at the beginning of each class? ridiculous time waster.

also, if i would say, "take out a pen and paper" they would tell me they didn't have any. i'd always say, "how can you come to class without it?" and they would say "you have to give it to me."

wtf.

sense of entitlement. ridiculous.

daisy · Guru

apies wrote:

re: kelly's post (sense of entitlement) and tx, if you're stalking this thread, this came up yesterday...

at the last school where i taught (which was no where near an underprivileged area), we were required to provide paper and pens to the kids who didn't have them. and the kids didn't bring them b/c they thought it was a way of getting out of work and/or delaying class. imagine 30 kids in the room and having to pass out 5-10 pens and paper at the beginning of each class? ridiculous time waster.

also, if i would say, "take out a pen and paper" they would tell me they didn't have any. i'd always say, "how can you come to class without it?" and they would say "you have to give it to me."

wtf.

sense of entitlement. ridiculous.

ok that's totally insane. are you kidding? in college, they're more responsible than that, but i do have to DRILL into their heads that THEY are responsible for being in class, getting the assignments they miss, and adhering to my policies on my syllabus (stuff like, i need a hard copy of assignments, do NOT email me attachments at 3am (or ever), etc).

you'd be surprised (well, you probably WOULDNT be surprised) how many kids think they are the exceptions to these policies. and then if you say, "listen i cant accept this, it's against course policy, as per my syllabus which you've had for 2 months now" they just threaten to take it to the dean.

it's always a game of going over heads. it's amazing. i dont get it - but i do know it was NOT like that when i was in school - i would have a total nervous-voice just to ask the professors a simple question!!

Michele · Senior Member

CoffeeQueen wrote:

Sonya wrote:

Juni wrote:

Michele wrote:

I don't make Lauren pack her stuff yet. I have enough trouble some days making sure we have complied with the dress code and gotten all the daily paperwork for the agenda handled and signed. It's very strict and the parents are responsible in K to make sure everything is done or the child loses a nickel based on their monetary system. She has homework for every day of the week except Fridays. They have writing assignments (sentences), spelling words and math. Do most kids not have homework yet?

Wow! That surprises me about the homework. Gavin only gets homework sent home on Fridays which works well for us. It's usually something small - a little book to practice reading or some other writing assignment.

No homework for us. We have a no homework policy in primary.

We do have reading - three books come home and when he's read them (usually that night) we send them back for three more.

If i detect he's at all tired when he's reading them, we stop and wait until the next morning or the next night. His days are long (early drop off, walk to school, school, walk to center for lunch, walk back to school, walk back to center for after school) that I figure he needs some time just to be "off".

interesting, is it like this in Canada or just your school? Is primary there K-3? We have no home work in pre-k and K, besides the reading as you described. However, they do get it in 1-3. They are starting to look at homework though. Many studies have proven that homework is somewhat pointless. they have found in 4-12 that when homework was cut back, test scores raised. it is all interesting to me. they say primary - gr. 5 no more then 1 hour and middle school - high school should be no more then 2 and after that it becomes memorizing info and not learning at all.

many parts of the country do not have homework, but beat us in science in math hands down. it is all facinating. I hope the US begins to really look at education/learning and we get away from this insane hamster wheel we have been on. All driven by fear and really it is just producing stressed out kids.

Do you know in the US, most colleges who take top students end of having to have 50% of them get placed in remedial/basic math. These are the 3.7+ students. We clearly are doing something wrong, yet even colleges do nothing. I mean if that is the case, that tells you they are not learning. They say now most HS students in the US are just building a resume for college, cheating and memorizing, no learning is taking place. Such a sad state if you ask me, but I know parents want homework. They think if there is none, there child is not "learning" or not going to be prepared. Such a hard place for educators.

Sorry, for my ramble. It is on the brain.

You would not believe the homework L has already. At least 5 pages front and back of math each week, spelling words, reading, writing assigments and verbal assignments/tasks to work on with family/parents. It gets sent home on Monday and is due on Friday. They have computer lab class assignments from time to time too. She is attending an advanced charter technology school. She loves it and it is the perfect school for Lauren. Anna will be grandfathered in, however, it may not be the perfect fit for her.