Homework-

[Anonymous]

Why does everybody like Alfie Kohn so much? I tried to wade through one of his books but couldn't finish, it was so redundant. I found that he offers a lot of criticisms but not a lot of alternatives. He just seems contrarian. Although he insists his writings are based on studies in the social sciences, I didn't see a lot of evidence of that in Unconditional Parenting. He's a self appointed expert.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When my daughter was in K, I read Kohn's book and Bennet and Kalish's book and decided homework in elementary school was not for us. I encourage as much reading as possible and we don't have a television so my kids pretty much have to occupy their time with something constructive. Each year the teachers send home a thing for us to sign that says that we'll help the kids with homework or sign the agenda and I send it back unsigned and say that my kids will read every day and that I will evaluate each homework assignment and have the kids complete the ones that meet the hallmarks of quality homework.

Just curious to know which school is this flexible about this. I could see taking this approach up through 2nd grade or so--but then I would expect some flack from most schools, even motessori, after that. Does your school follow some traditional format like Waldorf or Steiner or some such?

Which school is this and what grade are you dong this in?

[Anonymous]

Sorry doing not DONG. Hee, yes, I'm 12.

[Anonymous]

I'm the one who stopped bothering with homework after reading Bennet, Kalish and Kohn. Yeah, I've gotten flack but what can the schools do? I go over the research with the teachers and discuss the hallmarks of quality homework and tell them we're not doing busywork. It's the school's responsiblity to make the homework worth doing. The schools' arguments for homework have been weak and easily refuted so far. My kids are in grades 2 and 4 now and I've really had no trouble keeping the schools in their cage on this issue so far.

[Anonymous]

But the homework I've been seeing is good stuff. well worth doing. And you want to get them in good habits for middle school and beyond.
If it didn't come home, I'd give them my own homework for 1 hour at least.

[Anonymous]

The "good habits" argument is a favorite! I never had homework in elementary school and neither did other kids of my generation and I daresay that I and many of my contemporaries are far more responsible and self motivated than many of the generation Y kids that are now flooding the job market. A fat lot of good it seems to have done them to have their parents hanging over their shoulders every night in elementary school.

[Anonymous]

Why don't you just homeschool then if you're the expert?

Just wait until middle and high school; you'll be sorry that you enabled your children to be lazy.

Anonymous wrote:I'm the one who stopped bothering with homework after reading Bennet, Kalish and Kohn. Yeah, I've gotten flack but what can the schools do? I go over the research with the teachers and discuss the hallmarks of quality homework and tell them we're not doing busywork. It's the school's responsiblity to make the homework worth doing. The schools' arguments for homework have been weak and easily refuted so far. My kids are in grades 2 and 4 now and I've really had no trouble keeping the schools in their cage on this issue so far.

[Anonymous]

The only habit that homework created for my kids was to make them hate school. Good habits?! Give me a break. It is us parents who end up dealing with the homework. Young kids don't know how to truly manage their time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The only habit that homework created for my kids was to make them hate school. Good habits?! Give me a break. It is us parents who end up dealing with the homework. Young kids don't know how to truly manage their time.

when you say "young kids" - do you mean up to second graders?
My DC has dinner with us, then either Tae Kwon Do or swimming, and then at least an hour of homework, and still gets a little time for t.v. or the nintendo.
When there isn't enoughhomeowrk from the school, I would create it myself.
I think you're doing your kids a tremendous disservice but that's your business.

[Anonymous]

I like a bit of homework to come home since that's how I know specifically what they're working on in school, and I can tell if they're catching on. In the lower grades it took my kids only a few minutes. Now if it gets to be 3 hours a night in high school, that's too much in my opinion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm the one who stopped bothering with homework after reading Bennet, Kalish and Kohn. Yeah, I've gotten flack but what can the schools do? I go over the research with the teachers and discuss the hallmarks of quality homework and tell them we're not doing busywork. It's the school's responsiblity to make the homework worth doing. The schools' arguments for homework have been weak and easily refuted so far. My kids are in grades 2 and 4 now and I've really had no trouble keeping the schools in their cage on this issue so far.

good for you! I have started to grow a pair with my kids' 4th grade teacher recently. They are very bright curious kids. I can't fathom the bizarre piling on of homework this year. I really had deep personal reasons for keeping them at their public school--I hope my faith can be restored. I'm taking it one day (one assignment) at a time.

[Anonymous]

"busywork" isn't useful.
and nobody's going to advocate three hours of homework a night for elementry schoolers.
beyond that I haven't read anything here to support the case for not doing at least an hour of homework a night, so lanf as it's not busywork.
The stuff I've seen from my kid's GT class definitely isn't busy-work.

[Anonymous]

For parents and children who do not subscribe to homework for elementary school children...don't do any. If you decide homework is busy work ... don't do any of it.
If your children do not want to go to swim, tennis, lacrosse, gymnastics practise because they hate it or it is busy work ...keep them at home. If they hate their music and language lessons let them do what they want do do; after all they will grow to hate music and speak other languages. If they do not want to go to church, synagogue, Sunday school because it feels like homework or busy work ... stay home or arrange rotating play dates. There is no one forcing families into these decisions (but their alter ego). Let kids play, watch TV, play Wi and DS because this is fun, not busy work and science papers claim promotes maximal learning. Furthermore, these kids will not grow up hating TV, Wi, DS and intendo games and this is the most important end point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For parents and children who do not subscribe to homework for elementary school children...don't do any. If you decide homework is busy work ... don't do any of it.
If your children do not want to go to swim, tennis, lacrosse, gymnastics practise because they hate it or it is busy work ...keep them at home. If they hate their music and language lessons let them do what they want do do; after all they will grow to hate music and speak other languages. If they do not want to go to church, synagogue, Sunday school because it feels like homework or busy work ... stay home or arrange rotating play dates. There is no one forcing families into these decisions (but their alter ego). Let kids play, watch TV, play Wi and DS because this is fun, not busy work and science papers claim promotes maximal learning. Furthermore, these kids will not grow up hating TV, Wi, DS and intendo games and this is the most important end point.

a tad facetious perhaps, but I get your point.

[Anonymous]

I'm glad you've seen the lightening without feeling the thunder.