If MS don't give homework, how are kids prepared for HS?

[Anonymous]

They aren't.

[Anonymous]

My kid is at Silver Creek and regularly has homework for math, French, and English. No homework in math and social studies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am hearing many MCPS MS don't give any homework or very little. Not that I am a fan of hours of homework, but how do kids develop organizational and time management skills if not given homework in preparation for HS? Granted, our MS will have a block schedule which allows time for hw apparently.
TIA!

Ok Juli, once again, they slowly ease them into homework and by 9th grade have more if they take an AP class. And it increases from there. Kids continue to develop time management and other skill from middle school until they end their higher education. It's not something they are going to do well necessarily because they started getting more homework in middle school.

[Anonymous]

My child is at Loiederman and has never received homework. I use to think my child was lying about having homework until I asked the teacher during back to school night and during parent/teacher conferences. They said they’re not allowed to assign homework because of equity issues.

[Anonymous]

My kids never got homework in MS. Ever. And they were fine in HS. There is plenty of time to learn time management when you hit 9th grade. Even my kid who played fall and winter sports while doing AP classes is just fine even though she never had homework between 6th and 8th grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is at Silver Creek and regularly has homework for math, French, and English. No homework in science and social studies.

Oops sorry just corrected this - no HW in science and ss.

[Anonymous]

There was a good amount of homework for both my kids in middle school. I felt it was a great prep for high school

[Anonymous]

I teach MS and assign hw 2-3x a week. It’s never busy work. Parents think it should be optional and then complain about their child’s grade.

[Anonymous]

My middle school kids almost never brought home homework in MCPS. Turns out they were both really good at just getting stuff done in class - or they would have bits of homework they could do quickly and just took care of without us really noticing. They definitely had friends though who had more to do outside of school and struggled with missing assignments.

We were similarly worried, but the one that is in high school now adjusted very easily even with a pretty challenging workload (4 APs in 9th and 10th). He still gets a lot done at school, especially by finishing work early in easier classes and then starting homework for others. I do wish they assigned more reading at both ages.

[Anonymous]

I'm fine with it, because schools usually tend to give too much and I want my MS kids to have time yo be a kid. Some is fine, but not too much. I didn't have alot in MS and HS was fun, but we didn't receive a ton either.

[Anonymous]

Teachers can't even get MS kids to focus and complete assignments in class. How would they get them to do any homework? Students are not ready for HS, they're also not ready for college or the real world. An alarming amount of them don't even know how to read in general education HS in MCPS.

[Anonymous]

I like doing the work at school. It's better preparation for real life.

[Anonymous]

When they are in school they know that no one can tell them what to do and they are also addicted to their phones and I feel more and more are illiterate and ashamed about it. It's a downward spiral not to mention admins blame and bully teachers humiliating them as well in front of impressionable students.

[Anonymous]

Schools are desperately trying to hold on to 20th century classroom and school practices in the 21st century. Worksheets so students aren't on the screens? Guess what? They're going to be on screens regardless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who told you this? My 6th grade middle schooler at Pyle has plenty of homework every day which he complains endlessly about.

My kid at Westland has homework to do every weekday (and most weekends) too. Not sure who "told you" middle school kids don't get homework. Sometimes kids can finish assignments in class, but my kid typically has 3 courses a day where he's doing some assignment or other...this doesn't include the time studying for whatever assessments they have for the week.

My kid was at Westland (and is now in 9th grade at BCC) and never brought home homework: she was one of those taking Alg 1 in 6th, language all three years, etc.

This is the point about executive function. Some kids need to finish homework at home, others don't. She still does most of her homework at school in 9th grade, except some pre-calc and AP US Gov.

Very few MCPS middle school kids are taking Algebra 1 in 6th grade. But congrats on the humble brag and that your kid never had homework. Mine certainly does (and it seems like thoughtful assignments, not busy work).