Homework in Kindergarten is ridiculous!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Homework at the kinder level is less about content and more about forming good habits - both the parents and the kid. A can find a study to prove any point. I would rather refer to the experts - the teachers - who have studied education and child development. Some children need to practice more than others. I think it's a disservice to ban homework for other children that might need to practice a skill 100 times more than another peer.

+1. The extreme positions re: HW evidenced here are really the worst examples of privilege.

Are you kidding? It's the privileged parents that can mange the homework, by having an after-school sitter, quality after-care, or being able to make the time for it at home. It's the parents with 2 jobs who can't oversee it.

No, what I meant is that it's the few highly educated, affluent parents in the system that are more likely to challenge authority and either decide that the rules don't apply to them, or try to get the rules changed. They care less about the fact that repeated practice at home might be beneficial for the majority of DC kids, who are from poor backgrounds, and could benefit from having their parents engaged in their learning. Of course, it is not ALL educated parents, but there are certainly some for whom this applies.

\

Whataboutism. Busywork's not good for my kid; and it's certainly not going to help close the acheivement gap. next?

Actually, this study found that parental involvement with HW was more consistently associated with academic achievement among families of color vs. among U.S.-born white families.

I don't think anyone is saying that HW alone will close the achievement gap, but it seems that parental involvement can be helpful, especially for students of color.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/pits.21784

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I want to stick THIS thread, among others, so I can link to it whenever you people with options say with a straight face:

Private school in elementary is silly.

There is no appreciable difference between a JKLMxyz and an independent school for the early years - save your money.

Ross/Janney/Brent is just like getting a private school education for free!!!!!!!!!!!

How is this thread relevant? No homework in K at our JKLM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Homework at the kinder level is less about content and more about forming good habits - both the parents and the kid. A can find a study to prove any point. I would rather refer to the experts - the teachers - who have studied education and child development. Some children need to practice more than others. I think it's a disservice to ban homework for other children that might need to practice a skill 100 times more than another peer.

+1. The extreme positions re: HW evidenced here are really the worst examples of privilege.

Are you kidding? It's the privileged parents that can mange the homework, by having an after-school sitter, quality after-care, or being able to make the time for it at home. It's the parents with 2 jobs who can't oversee it.

No, what I meant is that it's the few highly educated, affluent parents in the system that are more likely to challenge authority and either decide that the rules don't apply to them, or try to get the rules changed. They care less about the fact that repeated practice at home might be beneficial for the majority of DC kids, who are from poor backgrounds, and could benefit from having their parents engaged in their learning. Of course, it is not ALL educated parents, but there are certainly some for whom this applies.

\

Whataboutism. Busywork's not good for my kid; and it's certainly not going to help close the acheivement gap. next?

Actually, this study found that parental involvement with HW was more consistently associated with academic achievement among families of color vs. among U.S.-born white families.

I don't think anyone is saying that HW alone will close the achievement gap, but it seems that parental involvement can be helpful, especially for students of color.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/pits.21784

Is there any evidence that loading 5 year olds up with homework (including homework that requires access to a computer & internet at home) helps increase parental involvement? And it's infinitely more likely that parents who chose to be involved in HW are doing other things that improve acheivement; not that kindergarten homework causes achievement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I want to stick THIS thread, among others, so I can link to it whenever you people with options say with a straight face:

Private school in elementary is silly.

There is no appreciable difference between a JKLMxyz and an independent school for the early years - save your money.

Ross/Janney/Brent is just like getting a private school education for free!!!!!!!!!!!

How is this thread relevant? No homework in K at our JKLM.

We moved from our IB Deal/Wilson feeder to private last year for 1st. There was minimal HW in K at our IB. Now, our child has very brief HW daily that is part of our routine, and we find it helpful.

[Anonymous]

I wish my K student got homework.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Homework at the kinder level is less about content and more about forming good habits - both the parents and the kid. A can find a study to prove any point. I would rather refer to the experts - the teachers - who have studied education and child development. Some children need to practice more than others. I think it's a disservice to ban homework for other children that might need to practice a skill 100 times more than another peer.

+1. The extreme positions re: HW evidenced here are really the worst examples of privilege.

Are you kidding? It's the privileged parents that can mange the homework, by having an after-school sitter, quality after-care, or being able to make the time for it at home. It's the parents with 2 jobs who can't oversee it.

No, what I meant is that it's the few highly educated, affluent parents in the system that are more likely to challenge authority and either decide that the rules don't apply to them, or try to get the rules changed. They care less about the fact that repeated practice at home might be beneficial for the majority of DC kids, who are from poor backgrounds, and could benefit from having their parents engaged in their learning. Of course, it is not ALL educated parents, but there are certainly some for whom this applies.

\

Whataboutism. Busywork's not good for my kid; and it's certainly not going to help close the acheivement gap. next?

Actually, this study found that parental involvement with HW was more consistently associated with academic achievement among families of color vs. among U.S.-born white families.

I don't think anyone is saying that HW alone will close the achievement gap, but it seems that parental involvement can be helpful, especially for students of color.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/pits.21784

Is there any evidence that loading 5 year olds up with homework (including homework that requires access to a computer & internet at home) helps increase parental involvement? And it's infinitely more likely that parents who chose to be involved in HW are doing other things that improve acheivement; not that kindergarten homework causes achievement.

You are totally right that correlation doesn't necessarily mean causation. However, if I were to guess, I'd think it's a bidirectional relationship--minority and/or low SES parents who choose to be involved in HW are more invested in academic achievement for their kids in the first place, AND being involved increases the likelihood of high academic achievement for their kids. But you're right, this study doesn't test that--you'd need a different study to try to get at causation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I want to stick THIS thread, among others, so I can link to it whenever you people with options say with a straight face:

Private school in elementary is silly.

There is no appreciable difference between a JKLMxyz and an independent school for the early years - save your money.

Ross/Janney/Brent is just like getting a private school education for free!!!!!!!!!!!

How is this thread relevant? No homework in K at our JKLM.

We moved from our IB Deal/Wilson feeder to private last year for 1st. There was minimal HW in K at our IB. Now, our child has very brief HW daily that is part of our routine, and we find it helpful.

That is evidence of the difference between K and 1st more than of that between public and private.

[Anonymous]

Lazy parent, lazy kid. It’s probably genetic; no use dragging everyone else down to your level though, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lazy parent, lazy kid. It’s probably genetic; no use dragging everyone else down to your level though, OP.

Lazy parents are the ones who can’t be bothered to do something constructive with their children in the evening without teachers telling them what to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I want to stick THIS thread, among others, so I can link to it whenever you people with options say with a straight face:

Private school in elementary is silly.

There is no appreciable difference between a JKLMxyz and an independent school for the early years - save your money.

Ross/Janney/Brent is just like getting a private school education for free!!!!!!!!!!!

How is this thread relevant? No homework in K at our JKLM.

Think a little bigger: 1. your kid will get homework by the end of the year in all likelihood 2. your child WILL get worksheet homework next year in 1st. 3. Your child will start taking standardized tests in 3rd and the curriculum is tied to that even if Leo "opts out" of the actual test.

The private schools surrounding J, K, L, and MM do none of the above

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I haven't seen any studies that say that homework - beyond reading to a kid - is helpful to their overall academic achievements until middle to late elementary school.

Kindergarten - No brainier that there should be no homework
First grade - Rarely (extra help where needed to keep up)
Second grade - Seems like debatable territory

+1

I would be pissed about a kindergarten teacher requiring this much homework. If it's a charter or something where this is part of the school's philosophy, OK, I get it, it's not the charter for my kid, I will look for a different school. But your neighborhood DCPS? No. It's not necessary or developmentally appropriate to demand that much homework. I would talk to the teacher about the stress homework is causing for you and the child and suggest that your child only do one worksheet per night (or week, or whatever you think is reasonable). Then tell your child that the teacher said that was the required amount and do only that amount. If the teacher really pushes back, go up the chain of command. We are the consumers here and some flexibility is warranted.

[Anonymous]

Can we please take a moment to just acknowledge that transition is tough, and a lot of us feel the strain of our mental, physical and emotional loads sometimes? The start of anything new and big is tough, OP.

You'll settle into a routine soon. Soon, this will just feel like how it is. The time might even come where homework time is a special, connecting time of day. Who knows? Looking back, that might be the 20 minutes of dedicated time together that you remember most.

And some days, it will be a sh*t show, I have no doubt!

I know everyone reading this is doing her or his best at the start of a new school year to get it all done, help everyone stay calm and happy, and find that darn pair of shoes that just HAS to be worn today. Keep on keepin' on!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I want to stick THIS thread, among others, so I can link to it whenever you people with options say with a straight face:

Private school in elementary is silly.

There is no appreciable difference between a JKLMxyz and an independent school for the early years - save your money.

Ross/Janney/Brent is just like getting a private school education for free!!!!!!!!!!!

How is this thread relevant? No homework in K at our JKLM.

Think a little bigger: 1. your kid will get homework by the end of the year in all likelihood 2. your child WILL get worksheet homework next year in 1st. 3. Your child will start taking standardized tests in 3rd and the curriculum is tied to that even if Leo "opts out" of the actual test.

The private schools surrounding J, K, L, and MM do none of the above

Think EVEN bigger.

1) Most of us don't have an extra $40-45k per child per year sitting around
2) That money might be spent doing more life-enriching things, or even donated to charity
3) Even if homework and testing is annoying in DCPS, that doesn't mean that privates are always better - just that there's one way in which privates are better
4) There aren't limitless seats in private schools. Even if every DCPS child who could afford to go applied, they wouldn't get in
5) Research indicates that there's no difference. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2018/07/26/no-private-schools-arent-better-at-educating-kids-than-public-schools-why-this-new-study-matters/?utm_term=.fcfa5b8548b7

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a kid in K also. He gets a weekly packet that is due Mondays. My philosophy is that if he cannot read the instructions (sometimes there are picture instructions, and he can follow those) and know what to do on his own (because, um, he can't read yet, which is one of the goals of K), he doesn't do it. If he doesn't want to do it, he doesn't have to. I am not taking away family time or making family time full of fights over HW in K. So - he does what he can do and doesn't do what he can't, and I don't lose any sleep over it. I think HW in elementary school is ridiculous.

That's kind of awesome. My philosophy is similar--I already attending elementary school, so I don't need homework. I'm happy to help, and I ensure that my kid has a place to do the work and appropriate supplies, but if my kid is not capable of doing it herself, then it won't be done, because the teacher doesn't need to see what I know, she needs to see what my kid knows.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I want to stick THIS thread, among others, so I can link to it whenever you people with options say with a straight face:

Private school in elementary is silly.

There is no appreciable difference between a JKLMxyz and an independent school for the early years - save your money.

Ross/Janney/Brent is just like getting a private school education for free!!!!!!!!!!!

How is this thread relevant? No homework in K at our JKLM.

Think a little bigger: 1. your kid will get homework by the end of the year in all likelihood 2. your child WILL get worksheet homework next year in 1st. 3. Your child will start taking standardized tests in 3rd and the curriculum is tied to that even if Leo "opts out" of the actual test.

The private schools surrounding J, K, L, and MM do none of the above

My kid does not get homework in our JKLMM first grade.