Jump to content

Menu

Homework-Am I just too whinny?


Recommended Posts

I put my dd, age 5, in a new charter school that opened near us. This is the 3rd wk. of school and she is in kindergarten. We've had 14 pages of homework (10-math, 3-ss, 1-letter writing), 7 spelling words to practice (including quack, sock, little), 2 books to read ea. night and we are to read a book of our choosing to her ea. night. We've been reading to her since she was an infant so, this last part is already in our routine.

 

There will be a few more pages of hw tonight plus 2 new books for her to read. Then, a journal comes home for the weekend. She is to write in her journal ea. weekend.

 

We just got info. on logging into SucessNet, which will be social studies work. Soon, there will be Chinese practice coming home. So, is this a lot for a kindergartener or am I complaining too much? Also, am I crazy or is giving a spelling test ea. week on words like "quack" and "little" to children who haven't yet learned to read putting the cart before the horse?

 

To my knowledge, no other parents are complaining. Maybe I've just homeschooled too long and am not used to all this? Help.

Denise

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sounds like a terrific way to make kids hate school! I've never heard of a kindergarten putting out that much homework. Maybe it is what the other parents want? It is a charter school so maybe their way of being "different and better" is to require lots of homework.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No, it's not a gifted charter. Dd does complain about the volume of work. Some of it is fluff, she rolled her eyes at certain assignments. Other things, like the spelling, is difficult.

 

Ok, I'll contact her teacher. I'm the only homeschooler there and I'm sure I'll be seen as the troublemaker. :glare:

Denise

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sounds like a terrific way to make kids hate school! I've never heard of a kindergarten putting out that much homework. Maybe it is what the other parents want? It is a charter school so maybe their way of being "different and better" is to require lots of homework.

 

The funny thing is, during orientation and again the first week of school we were all told there would be very little homework and none over the weekend. I'm pretty frustrated at this point.

Denise

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No, it's not a gifted charter. Dd does complain about the volume of work. Some of it is fluff, she rolled her eyes at certain assignments. Other things, like the spelling, is difficult.

 

Ok, I'll contact her teacher. I'm the only homeschooler there and I'm sure I'll be seen as the troublemaker. :glare:

Denise

 

I don't see it as having anything at all to do with hs'ing. We are encouraged to contact our teachers for any concerns at all.

 

The funny thing is, during orientation and again the first week of school we were all told there would be very little homework and none over the weekend. I'm pretty frustrated at this point.

Denise

 

This is where I'd start. You are trying to clarify the expectations. See where it goes from there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's too much. They don't actually need any homework at all, though I would definitely want to see kids that age doing something with books every day.

 

When my kids were getting ready to start KG (also an advanced charter), I asked whether there would be homework. When told yes, I explained that the kids would be responsible for their own homework, so she'd only be getting completed homework back if it was appropriate and could be done independently during after-school care. (I sent a little box of supplies with each child for after-school homework.)

 

I told the teacher that I do a lot of things with my kids in the evenings and we aren't home much. I said that I felt the things we do together are too important to give them up just so we could sit home and go over what they already spent the whole school day doing. She seemed OK with that.

 

She would generally assign one paper each day, which was OK by me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's way too much work.

 

Last year my son had no homework in K, except toward the end of the year. Then, the teacher would send home a pouch with 4 books at about my son's instructional reading level and ask us to read them to him or have him read them to us. Every Tuesday we'd send back the books and get a new batch. No reading log. No checking up to see what we were doing.

 

So far in first grade, no homework. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is it all homework or is some of it classwork that wasn't completed during the day?

 

It's all homework. I could understand if dd was goofing off and not getting her work done but, no, this is all homework.

 

I wrote to the teacher. Hopefully, I'll get a positive response. No other parents are complaining yet.

Denise

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I put my dd, age 5, in a new charter school that opened near us. This is the 3rd wk. of school and she is in kindergarten. We've had 14 pages of homework (10-math, 3-ss, 1-letter writing), 7 spelling words to practice (including quack, sock, little), 2 books to read ea. night and we are to read a book of our choosing to her ea. night. We've been reading to her since she was an infant so, this last part is already in our routine.

 

There will be a few more pages of hw tonight plus 2 new books for her to read. Then, a journal comes home for the weekend. She is to write in her journal ea. weekend.

 

We just got info. on logging into SucessNet, which will be social studies work. Soon, there will be Chinese practice coming home. So, is this a lot for a kindergartener or am I complaining too much? Also, am I crazy or is giving a spelling test ea. week on words like "quack" and "little" to children who haven't yet learned to read putting the cart before the horse?

 

To my knowledge, no other parents are complaining. Maybe I've just homeschooled too long and am not used to all this? Help.

Denise

Oh my goodness! A FIVE year old is "required" to do all this for school. Ugh.

 

Unbelievably over the top ridiculous.

 

My kids could have easily done this, especially my girl, but how she would have hated doing it if it were required.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My son started half-day kinder three weeks ago. This week his homework For the whole week is

1. Memorize a poem

2. Write the number 4 a few times and draw or put 4 stickers on the page.

3. Write the number 5 a few times and draw or put 5 stickers on paper.

4. Fill out an "all about me" sheet (name, address, phone number, age) and color it.

5. Two pages of Everyday math home connection. The teacher sent the whole book home and said not to turn it in, just spiral through it. It is really easy like count the number of steps to your door or find numbers around the house.

6 Read or have someone read to you for 15 minutes.

 

So far the written homework takes less than 2 minutes to complete a night. The poem we practice during the car ride. I don't have him do Everyday Math because he doesn't have to turn it in; instead he does SM. The reading we have always done. I would be annoyed if he had too much homework because it would interfere with after schooling.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

sounds crazy. My 5 year old is in week 18 of his first year and his weekly homework is: 10 very simple maths problems, 5 spelling words, 1 circle/fill in the blank phonics sheet (2 mins worth) plus a reader each night. And quack is a very odd Choice of spelling word unless she knows all the appropriate words.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How do they expect to have K'ers spelling "quack"? That is bizarre, imo. Most K's start the year barely being able to read, let alone spell. True, there are always kids that are more advanced but don't they usuallly start spelling in 1st, or at least when the teachers know the kids can actually READ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, the teacher responded. She said that if I feel this way, other parents probably do too. Then she said, essentially, that nothing will change.

 

She suggested I use the little reader she sends home each night in place of the literature reading for the log. :001_huh: Why on earth I would want to replace good literature of my choosing for those fluff readers is beyond me.

 

At the end, she thanked me for my patience while they work out a balanced schedule of work for the children. So, is there hope? I'm skeptical.

 

The problem is, dd loves this school. It is filled with bright, interesting kids who are from or have been exposed to cultures from all over the world. Plus, dd loves learning Chinese. Oh, and Chinese homework came home this weekend, along with the journal and another reader book. I don't mind the Chinese but, the other stuff is unnecessary, imo.

 

Dh said we either decide to pull her out and deal w/the lack of homeschool playmates or leave her there and tolerate the homework. I guess we'll see how things progress and hope other parents complain enough that the homework reduces.

 

Wish me luck. Other than this homework issue, it's a really good school.

Denise

Edited by FrogMom5
Correction.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, the teacher responded. She said that if I feel this way, other parents probably do too. Then she said, essentially, that nothing will change.

 

She suggested I use the little reader she sends home each night in place of the literature reading for the log. :001_huh: Why on earth I would want to replace good literature of my choosing for those fluff readers is beyond me.

 

At the end, she thanked me for my patience while they work out a balanced schedule of work for the children. So, is there hope? I'm skeptical.

 

The problem is, dd loves this school. It is filled with bright, interesting kids who are from or have been exposed to cultures from all over the world. Plus, dd loves learning Chinese. Oh, and Chinese homework came home this weekend, along with the journal and another reader book. I don't mind the Chinese but, the other stuff is unnecessary, imo.

 

Dh said we either decide to pull her out and deal w/the lack of homeschool playmates or leave her there and tolerate the homework. I guess we'll see how things progress and hope other parents complain enough that the homework reduces.

 

Wish me luck. Other than this homework issue, it's a really good school.

Denise

 

Can you just prioritize the homework you believe is "worth it" and let your daughter tinker with the rest as she pleases? Will there be any serious repercussions if the homework isn't all done wonderfully?

 

It sounds like a very nice place for your daughter to be. The homework may be more or less a suggestion at this point. Maybe if you try sending back whatever reflects your feelings on what's meaningful, it will be OK. Maybe that's what other parents are doing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It sounds like a great school that is set up for unclassified students who want to learn. Could you explain what the nightly hw load is, in terms of assignments and actual time needed to complete (not time to gather supplies, sharpen pencils, or chat)? It sounds like a leveled reader, some spelling words, some fl, and occasionally journaling which would take 20 minutes if the leveled reader is I or greater. To me that is reasonable, but my sons were always in the high acheiver, noninclusion sections of K-2, pre-nclb, which meant more was done than in the other sections. The hw was usually read to your heart's content and work on your project (science or ss) and write in your journal. They were expected to add to their personal spelling dictionary as needed. My kids were delighted, especially since their friends had boring books and coloring sheets. They were not happy about the pace and depth of math and did more at home (usually playing store and edutainment games). If the nightly hw is a math wksht, study spelling & fl vocab, and read it is fine unless your child is placed at the wrong level and takes a long time. If it's too easy, it sounds from the comment you relayed that they'll be adjusting.

 

Until last week, I was fine w/the hw. The spelling is the only area that was too advanced. Everything else was easy for her. It's the volume of work that I was most upset about. Although, the readers had lots of words like "expressway" in them, which is too advanced for the beginning of kindergarten, too. Everything is sightword heavy.

 

They are also adding SuccessMakerPlus for social studies, which is online work. I don't yet know whether that will be done at school, home or a combo. Soon, there will also be an online science program. Again, I'm not sure how that will be handled.

 

The good news is that this week, the schedule is 1 math pg., 1 reader and the 7 spelling words per night. Journal and Chinese over the weekend. That is very doable.

 

Again, the spelling is too advanced, imo, with words like "come" and "back." Dd is able to spell these words, I just don't think that she should. But, the hw is more in line w/kindergarten level. I will continue teaching phonics and handwriting at home (she's getting no handwriting instruction at school-weird to me).

 

Thank you all for responding and helping me w/this issue. I really appreciate it.

Denise

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't see it as having anything at all to do with hs'ing.

 

IME, homeschoolers are more willing to go to bat for what they see as appropriate education of their kids. We are the only homeschooling family at dd18's school. They definitely see us as troublemakers because we don't just passively march along the way they want us to. We question and advocate.

 

Tara

Link to comment
Share on other sites

IME, homeschoolers are more willing to go to bat for what they see as appropriate education of their kids. We are the only homeschooling family at dd18's school. They definitely see us as troublemakers because we don't just passively march along the way they want us to. We question and advocate.

 

Tara

 

I see what you're saying. Although, I'd label myself as "involved and caring parent" rather than "former-homeschooler-troublemaker". :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is a difficult position at times that some years you get a teacher that is super excited and ready to work with you...and other years you get a teacher that isnt as happy you are so involved.

 

I feel so blessed to be able to continue to help my kids through school and be knowledgeable on their subjects. Every once in a while you will get a teacher come along and tell you what a good advocate you are being for you child. This has been my year with my son's teacher.

 

It sounds like it is falling together for you. My DD is getting the hang of her new teacher's routine this year and finally getting everything done in a good amount of time. Have you tried Spelling City.com ? That is a great way to help the kids learn the spelling words that are more difficult. My DD has to study them every night or she cant get them. We have 20 words...and they are SO hard this year but she is doing great. Another thing I see that works really well...it her teacher has her breaking the word down into syllables. Maybe that would help her on the HARD words. I only study the ones my DD misses...and we skip the rest. It really cuts down on the work load.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...