Should public school parents be allowed to opt their child out of homework?

[Anonymous]

I'm new to the thread and haven't read every post, so this may have been mentioned, but has anyone considered how if homework counts for 30% of a grade, then you are pretty much considered to be the teacher for 30% of your child's schooling? So if there is a problem w/ failing schools, then parents, in general, are 30% at fault. I think this system of grading is 1) letting teachers/schools off the hook for learning and 2) completely biased toward educated parents who can coach/help/teach their children at home. Kids who have parents who don't speak the language, don't have an education or who are unavailable to help are seriously disadvantaged and are deprived of their right to a free and appropriate educaiton.

just a thought

[Anonymous]

Well since this thread has been bumped up again can I just Oh. My.God. The amount of Winter Break homework my 3rd grade child got this week has been overwhelming. I forced him to finish it yesterday. I don't think it is fair to give kids homework over break.

The homework itself wasn't inappropriate or anything, and my child didn't breeze through it so I guess I can see that he shoudln't skip it. It was mostly long reading assignments an dthen multiple choice questions, plus writing 3 short paragraph essays... plus some math, and of course reading log -- but it was VERY time consuming.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I came across the following website http://stophomework.com/ where a few parents have indicated that they have negotiated an agreement with their children's schools to not allow them to do homework. Is this good to allow parents this option? I have to admit, I hate homework. My 3rd grader gets piles of homework each night and I do feel like it impacts our time at home, and if I could I would love to be able to opt her out, but is this fair to other kids who don't get opted out? Obviously this wouldn't go over in a private school, but do you think public schools should allow families to do this?

Entirely unfair to kids whose parents don't opt out, and that is bound to cause resentment, etc., between kids.

I think if the kid can maintain an "A" average on the tests/quizzes, I think that should earn her/him an opt-out. Why should my DC have to do 25 math problems which amount to 15-25 minutes of busywork if she is getting an "A" on the tests?

[Anonymous]

Because that's the "law" or rule at some schools. Start your own school with your own "law" or rules. Establishment of certain rules in private or public school is not by democracy or parent choice. If you don't like it youu can op out. No one has a gun to your head ... or that of your child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:9:50 I don't think that's true. Maybe too much parent help in certain projects, like the Science Fair, but parents can't exactly write like their children. Students don't start turning in typed work until they're in Middle School.

The teacher told us at the open house not to help with homework and she can tell if it was done by the parent!

Nah, she probably can't tell as long as it is written in your child's handwriting.

Are you commenting from experience? Not saying you are, but for those parents who do that, what a terrible thing to teach a child how to cheat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:9:50 I don't think that's true. Maybe too much parent help in certain projects, like the Science Fair, but parents can't exactly write like their children. Students don't start turning in typed work until they're in Middle School.

The teacher told us at the open house not to help with homework and she can tell if it was done by the parent!

Nah, she probably can't tell as long as it is written in your child's handwriting.

Are you commenting from experience? Not saying you are, but for those parents who do that, what a terrible thing to teach a child how to cheat.

I'm the person you were responding to -- I'm a teacher, and I'm just saying -- no, at the elementary school level a teacher probably can't tell if a parent has helped a child withhomework, if the homework is in a child's own handwriting.

[Anonymous]

I'm new to the thread and haven't read every post, so this may have been mentioned, but has anyone considered how if homework counts for 30% of a grade, then you are pretty much considered to be the teacher for 30% of your child's schooling? So if there is a problem w/ failing schools, then parents, in general, are 30% at fault. I think this system of grading is 1) letting teachers/schools off the hook for learning and 2) completely biased toward educated parents who can coach/help/teach their children at home. Kids who have parents who don't speak the language, don't have an education or who are unavailable to help are seriously disadvantaged and are deprived of their right to a free and appropriate educaiton.

just a thought

You are right. Educated parents can coach/help/teach their children at home. This is an advantage for their children.

Uneducated parents can support their children by emphasizing the importance of education and working with the schools and teachers to demonstrate the importance of education. This is also an advantage for children.

If uneducated parents do not support educational habits of children, emphasize the importance of education or work with the schools and teachers, then children are at a disadvantage and may be dependent on surrogate parents and mentors (e.g., other family members, coaches, pastors) for this support or good fortune. Unfortunately, it is not the school's responsibility, objective or mandate to take over for a dysfunctional or absent family support after school hours without increasing the tax base and further deficit spending by the State and Counties to fund this (Note that half of the Montgomery County budget already goes to the schools)

I seriously doubt the elimination of homework as 30% of a student's grade will improve the overall educational performance of students from uneducated, absent, single or unsupporting parents in the short or the long run.

Homework is an important part of the educational process throughout life -- both in formal educational settings and on the job (particularly for the learned and the professions)

The optimal education of children is not solely the domain of schools. Families must play a role. The children of longstanding broken families are destined on average to perform worse in school systems secondary to lack of support or dysfunctional and incoherent support.