HW has no benefit in elementary school

[Anonymous]

And in addition at least half of you complain constantly that you have too many kids and too much paperwork to handle observation. How many discussions are on here about DRA tests and how long they take to just listen to a child read two paragraphs?

[Anonymous]

16:38 Are you aware that both the federal government and many state governments are pushing private and private charter schools instead of public schools because of failing students? Are you aware that your fellow teachers have been complaining about too much required testing and observation notetaking in their profession? Are you aware that they feel there are too many requirements in teaching for the pay they receive and the time they have to teach children? Are you aware of the fight they've put up against testing saying they shouldn't be graded on how much a student improves or is capable of but mostly on their ability to teach? All of these arguments have good points but what they also point to is the fact that teachers alone cannot ensure that all children will be educated and be ready for the workforce with just a teacher's help. There needs to also be outside support. It makes no sense to both fight parents and state regulations at the same time. Why not work with parents to be on your side and help you out? Especially if as you say you can do most of your observations in class and don't need to grade homework.

Right now your arguments are similar to WOHM's who both say they want more flexibility in their jobs for childcare needs but yet both want higher salaries and pretend they can take care of everything with ease.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:16:38 Are you aware that both the federal government and many state governments are pushing private and private charter schools instead of public schools because of failing students? Are you aware that your fellow teachers have been complaining about too much required testing and observation notetaking in their profession? Are you aware that they feel there are too many requirements in teaching for the pay they receive and the time they have to teach children? Are you aware of the fight they've put up against testing saying they shouldn't be graded on how much a student improves or is capable of but mostly on their ability to teach? All of these arguments have good points but what they also point to is the fact that teachers alone cannot ensure that all children will be educated and be ready for the workforce with just a teacher's help. There needs to also be outside support. It makes no sense to both fight parents and state regulations at the same time. Why not work with parents to be on your side and help you out? Especially if as you say you can do most of your observations in class and don't need to grade homework.

Right now your arguments are similar to WOHM's who both say they want more flexibility in their jobs for childcare needs but yet both want higher salaries and pretend they can take care of everything with ease.

It's not a fight. Most of our parents don't want homework or don't want a lot of it. We can still work with the parents without assigning homework. Schools throughout our system are moving to no homework policies.

It's the school district's policy that homework in the elementary grades is not to be graded.

[Anonymous]

Our school has a little to no homework policy. I think it's bunk. I actually assign my own, lol.

[Anonymous]

I'm all for parent involvement. I was a very involved parent. That being said, I think it is a huge error to structure education to be dependent on parents. Some parents may not have the resources, education, or will to implement your suggestions. Society has an expectation that children will be provided food, shelter, and safety by their parents. Nonetheless, we know there are far too many homeless, hungry, and suffering children in our country.

A teacher sending an assignment home requiring parental support does not guarantee parental support. Yes, the supportive parents will probably comply. However, the kids most in need of it are least likely to get it. One of the most wonderful things about public education is that it has a leveling effect and gives kids an opportunity to succeed regardless of their home circumstances. If your parents are illiterate, or busy working two jobs to put food on the table, or drunk, or ill, etc., you can still go to school and get the education you need to make a good life for yourself.

Have teachers correct homework, or have the kids swap papers for correction, use parent volunteers, but whatever you do should be school based. Expecting support from home means those who need help the most are least likely to get it. Encourage parents to help, but treat that as a bonus and not something you count on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a teacher in Fairfax County. Homework up through grade 6 isn't supposed to be graded. Most teachers in my building assign very little if any hw. I don't see much purpose for assigning it.

I agree that if homework isn't graded there is no point in assigning it. In fact I think it can have a negative effect if it isn't corrected, because it can reinforce errors. Ideally, I think there should be homework that is corrected so that students misunderstandings can be caught early.

But HW doesn't give you that opportunity because you have no idea, as a teacher, whether the kid or the parent did it.

Classwork that is checked to correct misunderstandings? Yes, please!

[Anonymous]

As a parent I want my children to do homework so that I can see how they approach things like problem solving and critical thinking, and so that I can give direction, input or advice as needed. It helps me ensure that my children are developing good work habits, keeping their materials neat and organized, and that they can handle small responsibilities like recording the assignment, bringing home the papers, completing the work and turning it in.

As a middle school math teacher I give my students homework, graded only for whether it was attempted or not, so that they have an opportunity to practice class material in a place that doesn't have all the prompts like posters or other student work on the walls. All of the homework problems assigned have been modeled after the Do Now, the I Do, We Do, You Do and the Exit Ticket so there are no surprises. My homework takes no more than 10 minutes max. At the beginning of class the next day I ask students to pull out the homework and I check off those who have something. Then I ask if there are any questions. If there are not then we move on. If I think there should be questions about a particular item then I illustrate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a parent I want my children to do homework so that I can see how they approach things like problem solving and critical thinking, and so that I can give direction, input or advice as needed. It helps me ensure that my children are developing good work habits, keeping their materials neat and organized, and that they can handle small responsibilities like recording the assignment, bringing home the papers, completing the work and turning it in.

As a middle school math teacher I give my students homework, graded only for whether it was attempted or not, so that they have an opportunity to practice class material in a place that doesn't have all the prompts like posters or other student work on the walls. All of the homework problems assigned have been modeled after the Do Now, the I Do, We Do, You Do and the Exit Ticket so there are no surprises. My homework takes no more than 10 minutes max. At the beginning of class the next day I ask students to pull out the homework and I check off those who have something. Then I ask if there are any questions. If there are not then we move on. If I think there should be questions about a particular item then I illustrate.

I hit submit too fast. Homework is like a set of stairs and it builds skills both academic and organizational. So having homework in elementary school is good preparation for middle school just like having homework in middle school is good practice for high school. And high school homework is important for college when all of the scaffolds are removed and the grade for an entire term may be based on what the student has done with the non-graded 'homework' readings and stuff that are never addressed in class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a teacher in Fairfax County. Homework up through grade 6 isn't supposed to be graded. Most teachers in my building assign very little if any hw. I don't see much purpose for assigning it.

I agree that if homework isn't graded there is no point in assigning it. In fact I think it can have a negative effect if it isn't corrected, because it can reinforce errors. Ideally, I think there should be homework that is corrected so that students misunderstandings can be caught early.

But HW doesn't give you that opportunity because you have no idea, as a teacher, whether the kid or the parent did it.

Classwork that is checked to correct misunderstandings? Yes, please!

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent I want my children to do homework so that I can see how they approach things like problem solving and critical thinking, and so that I can give direction, input or advice as needed. It helps me ensure that my children are developing good work habits, keeping their materials neat and organized, and that they can handle small responsibilities like recording the assignment, bringing home the papers, completing the work and turning it in.

As a middle school math teacher I give my students homework, graded only for whether it was attempted or not, so that they have an opportunity to practice class material in a place that doesn't have all the prompts like posters or other student work on the walls. All of the homework problems assigned have been modeled after the Do Now, the I Do, We Do, You Do and the Exit Ticket so there are no surprises. My homework takes no more than 10 minutes max. At the beginning of class the next day I ask students to pull out the homework and I check off those who have something. Then I ask if there are any questions. If there are not then we move on. If I think there should be questions about a particular item then I illustrate.

I hit submit too fast. Homework is like a set of stairs and it builds skills both academic and organizational. So having homework in elementary school is good preparation for middle school just like having homework in middle school is good practice for high school. And high school homework is important for college when all of the scaffolds are removed and the grade for an entire term may be based on what the student has done with the non-graded 'homework' readings and stuff that are never addressed in class.

+1 totally agree with this approach. It's an opportunity to see how a child works independently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well if studying at home for the inevitable spelling test is a waste of time, I'd love to know how you otherwise go about doing well on it.

Spelling tests work about as well as homework when you look at the research. They certainly don't need to be inevitable and many schools don't have them.

Really? which schools? My two kids have collectively been to total of 10 schools between them (we move a lot) and I haven't come across a single one that does not have spelling tests from 1st grade onwards.

I know Waldorf leaves it later - but they do have them.

My kids are excellent spellers and never had a spelling test in DCPS. They do have spelling bees though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well if studying at home for the inevitable spelling test is a waste of time, I'd love to know how you otherwise go about doing well on it.

Spelling tests work about as well as homework when you look at the research. They certainly don't need to be inevitable and many schools don't have them.

Really? which schools? My two kids have collectively been to total of 10 schools between them (we move a lot) and I haven't come across a single one that does not have spelling tests from 1st grade onwards.

I know Waldorf leaves it later - but they do have them.

My kids are excellent spellers and never had a spelling test in DCPS. They do have spelling bees though.

Is this the yearly spelling bee that leads up to the national level or is this something more regular on the classroom level to replace tests?
Do the kids work as a class preparing for the bee?

My youngest was very motivated by the national spelling bee and studied a lot for it, but I would guess that most of her classmates were not similarly motivated. I know her older sister wasn't.

Are your kids big readers? That might help their language skills (including spelling), but I don't think we can count on all students reading enough to become expert spellers.

I am glad your kids spell well, but how are their fellow students? I came to college in DC, and after graduation I worked for a short while as a temp. I still remember being shocked at how impressed the agency was after I completed my skills assessment that I could spell. Apparently, that was not something they could take for granted. That was over 20 years ago, so things may have changed drastically. However, if you don't teach kids to spell, how can you assume that they have learned?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a teacher in Fairfax County. Homework up through grade 6 isn't supposed to be graded. Most teachers in my building assign very little if any hw. I don't see much purpose for assigning it.

I agree that if homework isn't graded there is no point in assigning it. In fact I think it can have a negative effect if it isn't corrected, because it can reinforce errors. Ideally, I think there should be homework that is corrected so that students misunderstandings can be caught early.

But HW doesn't give you that opportunity because you have no idea, as a teacher, whether the kid or the parent did it.

Classwork that is checked to correct misunderstandings? Yes, please!

No, but the kids know. Those who have done the homework will see if they are on the right track or if they need extra help. I think in most cases this would be the majority.

Is there always the possibility that a parent will do their kids homework? Yes. Do I think there are scores of parents who sit down each night (probably after a full night's work) and do homework for their kids? If they have multiple kids, are they going to do multiple sets of homework? Aside from general complaints about a lack of parental involvement, I think most parents understand that there is a purpose to homework and their children benefit from doing it themselves. If nothing else, I think most parents feel they already paid their dues doing homework, and it's their kids turn now.

I suspect if a child gets the answers from somebody else, it is far more likely to be a classmate than a parent.

I think the teacher would find out at test time if a kid hadn't actually learned the material. Of course, the possibility always exists that a kid might cheat on a test, but I don't think that's a reason to do away with tests.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a teacher in Fairfax County. Homework up through grade 6 isn't supposed to be graded. Most teachers in my building assign very little if any hw. I don't see much purpose for assigning it.

I agree that if homework isn't graded there is no point in assigning it. In fact I think it can have a negative effect if it isn't corrected, because it can reinforce errors. Ideally, I think there should be homework that is corrected so that students misunderstandings can be caught early.

But HW doesn't give you that opportunity because you have no idea, as a teacher, whether the kid or the parent did it.

Classwork that is checked to correct misunderstandings? Yes, please!

+1

Homework is practice for the child. What do you not understand about it. Not everything is done for your observation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I disagree. Homework has some value, one of which is preparing the expectation to do homework. Also, especially in math it does help reinforce the concepts taught in class.

Homework is not "wrecking" schools -- such nonsense and hyperbole. I swear parents today want to coddle kids with their demands for four/five recess and less pressure. Good Lord, expect more from your children. They are capable and want to learn.

There are actual studies out there that support the assertion that homework has no benefit in elementary school.

Are you also a climate change denier?