SKL Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 My kids are in KG and they get homework up to 4 days per week. Their KG is at a daycare, and I pick them up around 6:30pm, so I tell them to do their homework before I pick them up. The I look at their homework and if they seem to have made a reasonable effort (which they normally do), I leave it in their folder as is for them to hand in the next day. I try to spend the evening doing enriching things that are different from schoolwork. Also, if there is something they are doing wrong or misunderstanding, I think the teacher should see this so she can remedy the situation at school. I told the teacher this at the beginning of the school year, so she would not expect perfection in homework papers. The other day, I noticed that one of my kids had forgotten to do page 2 of stapled homework, and the other had written two lines of numbers backwards. I made them correct this at home. Then I asked myself whether this was the right thing to do. I mean, it's better for them to mess up in KG than at an older age, right? What do you all think about involvement in your kids' homework? Is it their responsibility or yours, and what do you do if they do it wrong? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snickelfritz Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 My dd is in third. I check all of her work and have her correct it, before she turns it in. I don't do it for the grade, but so she can have immediate feedback. All of their graded homework comes home on Monday (which is a big lag time in learning from mistakes) and her teacher has 18 students. I feel like I am in a better position to make sure my daughter understands. Now, I know her teacher catches things. dd has had to go in at recess to re-work things with the teacher. But I just think that my student teacher ratio is more likely to catch things. Between assessments and assignments only done in class, her teacher can figure out if kids or the parents are the ones doing the work at home. Her teacher encourages parents to check work, so I'm not artificially inflating her grade. And I'm not doing her work for her. We have had to relax our afterschooling ideals. But, I feel like that if we are going to put her in school, I need to be supportive of what her teacher assigns. I've heard from moms of older kids that there IS a grade where the teachers, as grade policy, ask parents to be hands-off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 I wonder how useful it really is for them to be doing it themselves? If they get it wrong, is that what they will remember, or the correction, if they get it, the next day? However,I wouldn't be spending the time we had together in the evening doing homework for K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarreymere Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 The public schools in our area do not check homework to see if it is correct. The kids get credit for the homework as long as it is done and turned in. They get no feedback on what they did wrong, the teacher barely glances at it, and since I've been volunteering at an afterschool program I've found that all the kids know this and take advantage of it. Since it doesn't matter whether their homework is right or wrong they just write down random answers and make no effort. I think in this scenario a parent has an obligation to check homework and insist on a redo if it is not correct or else how is the child supposed to learn anything? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted January 20, 2012 Author Share Posted January 20, 2012 I guess I should note that the kids do get their homework back, usually the next day, with corrections. The other day I was there when the girls handed their papers in, and the teacher definitely looked them over carefully right away. I don't know whether she points the corrections out to the kids directly, or just takes a mental note to help the child with that particular skill. I do show the kids when the teacher writes anything on their returned homework papers. I see the point of immediate feedback with young kids. But I do want the girls to view this as their own responsibility, and between them and their teacher. Usually if I see an apparent "problem," I will mention it to them as something to pay more attention to, and perhaps do more if it persists. The backwards number writing is a recurring issue with one dd, so that is why I made her do them over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lecka Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 I am heavily involved in my son's reading and spelling in 1st grade. I sit with him while he reads and help him, and for spelling, he needs to have a lot of the words explained to him. He is starting to do many pieces of this on his own but not all. So -- I am asking him what is tricky about a word, what spelling pattern is in a word, how he sounds it out, how he can remember it. This week his tricky words were more, here, and about. He is not a natural speller, lol. Telling him copy his words to practice does nothing for him. He just copies the letters, iykwim. He can do math homework by himself no problem, but he doesn't get much -- his teacher told me at conference that she would like me to concentrate on helping him with reading b/c that is his weak area, and he is doing well in math at school. I am planning to do Rightstart Math Level B with him soon, though. Definitely we are doing it this summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 I believe that if homework is assigned, it needs to get done. I can't stand some of what comes home, but I tell my kids they better finish it and do their best on it, because that's the responsible thing to do. My kids are young and we get weekly homework. My K-er can finish his homework for the entire week in less than 10 minutes. I love it, because it gives us time to afterschool math (and read and read and read). My first grader gets ton of homework and it's also weekly. His teacher has decided to increase the quantity of his homework and the difficulty level because he is ahead. I don't like it, but I think it is what it is, so I make sure it gets done. There are aspects of homework that have to be done with a parent (math games and the sort). I have my kid do any busy work on his own. I take a different approach with writing. I agree that there is no point in letting the kid do homework wrong. Basically I use my son's writing assignments to teach him how to write well. We take time on sentences and then I ask him to apply MCT analysis to it. Frankly, I would sign any petition that would prohibit the school from assigning homework. It eats up into our afterschool time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sneezyone Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 I treat DD's math homework as a guide since, per our school's homework policy, homework is not differentiated for different learners (and her teacher never, ever, returns or comments on it). We do MiF each afternoon (just switched over from SM Standards Ed.) and send in workbook pages in place of the Everyday Math in DD's homework packet. DD reads well but reluctantly so we usually complete the language arts homework as is. Her teacher is really strong on phonics so we just use ETC for reinforcement on the weekends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lecka Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 My son's school does Math in Focus. I think it is a good program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sneezyone Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 My son's school does Math in Focus. I think it is a good program. I do too. I also like that the textbooks will be in perfect condition for DS when he's ready. I don't know if I would have made the switch at regular retail prices but I was able to cobble together new/like new texts, workbooks, assessment and enrichment books for Grades 2 and 3 for only $50 on amazon. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted January 20, 2012 Author Share Posted January 20, 2012 I would sign any petition that would prohibit the school from assigning homework. It eats up into our afterschool time. I used to be against homework in principle. But since my kids are in afterschool care anyway, and they don't have a lot of challenging things to do there, I don't mind them spending part of this time on homework. My kids' homework takes a fair amount of time each week, considering their age. It often involves coloring and cutting/pasting in addition to writing practice. Recently they have begun to get math homework that requires actual thinking (and if one of my kids weren't a good reader, they'd need my help to do it). And in addition to this, they are supposed to drill sight words with me each evening (10 new per week, which is a significant challenge for my oldest). I do the sight word drill with the oldest (the youngest doesn't need it), but the written homework is done on their own as described in my original post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 I used to be against homework in principle. But since my kids are in afterschool care anyway, and they don't have a lot of challenging things to do there, I don't mind them spending part of this time on homework. My kids' homework takes a fair amount of time each week, considering their age. It often involves coloring and cutting/pasting in addition to writing practice. Recently they have begun to get math homework that requires actual thinking (and if one of my kids weren't a good reader, they'd need my help to do it). And in addition to this, they are supposed to drill sight words with me each evening (10 new per week, which is a significant challenge for my oldest). I do the sight word drill with the oldest (the youngest doesn't need it), but the written homework is done on their own as described in my original post. I know what you mean. Last year my older was in afterschool care until 6pm because I had to pick up his younger brother from preschool. Now that they are both in the same place, I have been good at fetching them from afterschool care at around 4:30. The good thing is they mostly play soccer outside until about 4:30 and then they sit doing nothing inside. I am lucky that I am managing to grab them just before "doing nothing" begins. I think they should send home work when our kids need extra help. I think spelling is a good example. I don't see a point of sending me 4 pages of addition/subtraction up to 20 when the teacher knows well my kid can add any number and regroup. Then adding 4 more pages of "advanced" work, which is their designated homework for advanced 1st grade kids, but which still doesn't teach my kid anything new (we just started 3rd grade SM) and take up our evenings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 1) Kindergarten is too young to have to "take responsibility" for ensuring they get things done, so if you noticed that they missed something, like forgetting a page, then, yes, it was the right thing to do to point it out and have them do it. However, with that said.... 2) It's absolutely ridiculous that Kindergarten children are being assigned homework, especially four days a week, to begin with. It's already such a long day for such young children. When that school day is over, they should get to go home and play and do the things they enjoy doing and spend quality time with their families. They should not have to do yet more schoolwork, and their families should not be expected to enforce schoolwork. They should just get to enjoy each other and their "free" time. I hate the idea of homework. And in Kindergarten no less. Ugh! For older kids, if they HAVE to have homework (I still hate the idea of homework, kids should be able to leave school at school just like most adults get to leave work at work), then I guess I agree with you that if the kids aren't totally "getting it," the teacher should be able to see that. Plus I still don't think that your family time with your kids should have to be eaten up with "homework" and enforcing stuff for the school, it should used on the things you guys want to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 1) Kindergarten is too young to have to "take responsibility" for ensuring they get things done, so if you noticed that they missed something, like forgetting a page, then, yes, it was the right thing to do to point it out and have them do it. However, with that said.... 2) It's absolutely ridiculous that Kindergarten children are being assigned homework, especially four days a week, to begin with. It's already such a long day for such young children. When that school day is over, they should get to go home and play and do the things they enjoy doing and spend quality time with their families. They should not have to do yet more schoolwork, and their families should not be expected to enforce schoolwork. They should just get to enjoy each other and their "free" time. I hate the idea of homework. And in Kindergarten no less. Ugh! For older kids, if they HAVE to have homework (I still hate the idea of homework, kids should be able to leave school at school just like most adults get to leave work at work), then I guess I agree with you that if the kids aren't totally "getting it," the teacher should be able to see that. Plus I still don't think that your family time with your kids should have to be eaten up with "homework" and enforcing stuff for the school, it should used on the things you guys want to do. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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