do the kindergarten classes in Arlington have homework?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kinders should not have homework, period. Everyone should be reading regularly to his/her own child. It's obnoxious some of you have a reading log.

Because believe it or not, not all families do read to their kids every single day and definitely not for 20min per day. One 2min story at bedtime isn't enough.

Not PP but I have a hard time believing those families are suddenly compelled to read by a book log. It's just a pain for the parents who DO already do this. At least this is what our principal seemed to hint at and a main reason why she does not push our school's teachers to require a log.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kinders should not have homework, period. Everyone should be reading regularly to his/her own child. It's obnoxious some of you have a reading log.

Because believe it or not, not all families do read to their kids every single day and definitely not for 20min per day. One 2min story at bedtime isn't enough.

True, but a log is beyond obnoxious and proves nothing.

[Anonymous]

It depends on the school. The APS school where I teach has eliminated assigned homework for all grade levels. Twenty to thirty minutes of reading is expected, but teachers aren't allowed to assign reading logs or any specific homework. Math homework workbooks are provided for parents to use at their discretion.

[Anonymous]

Reading logs are very important.

[Anonymous]

If you don't want K homework (not just reading), don't send them to ATS or ASFS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teachers can't win. Parents will complain when there is homework, or they'll complain when there isn't.

My experience has been in higher FARMS rate schools umc parents want homework to prove to themselves that their child is learning and doing advanced work

Low FARMs rate school - parents want no homework,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers can't win. Parents will complain when there is homework, or they'll complain when there isn't.

My experience has been in higher FARMS rate schools umc parents want homework to prove to themselves that their child is learning and doing advanced work

Low FARMs rate school - parents want no homework,

Okay, I am certain you have no experience in any such schools. But then I only have the actual experience of having a student at a high FARMs school and the parents pushing for no homework until at least 2nd grade were all UMC, myself included. Also, I am aware of a discussion on another high FARMs school's listserv where a number of UMC parents were questioning the validity of homework in the early grades. Principal shut the conversation down. It's not the UMC parents who want homework. Administrators are under a lot of pressure to get kids in "gap groups" up to speed ASAP so that their test scores improve. That means everbody gets homework. At least at our school I feel like they are striking a reasonable balance--reading with no logs in K. They get math worksheets and are asked to write in their journals in 1st and 2nd in addition to the reading, but my understanding is that nobody is compelled to do it at all-it's optional and kids won't be punished for not doing it. I think many UMC parents opt out for everything but the reading. It's a reasonable enough policy for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Reading logs are very important.

Citation?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers can't win. Parents will complain when there is homework, or they'll complain when there isn't.

My experience has been in higher FARMS rate schools umc parents want homework to prove to themselves that their child is learning and doing advanced work

Low FARMs rate school - parents want no homework,

Okay, I am certain you have no experience in any such schools. But then I only have the actual experience of having a student at a high FARMs school and the parents pushing for no homework until at least 2nd grade were all UMC, myself included. Also, I am aware of a discussion on another high FARMs school's listserv where a number of UMC parents were questioning the validity of homework in the early grades. Principal shut the conversation down. It's not the UMC parents who want homework. Administrators are under a lot of pressure to get kids in "gap groups" up to speed ASAP so that their test scores improve. That means everbody gets homework. At least at our school I feel like they are striking a reasonable balance--reading with no logs in K. They get math worksheets and are asked to write in their journals in 1st and 2nd in addition to the reading, but my understanding is that nobody is compelled to do it at all-it's optional and kids won't be punished for not doing it. I think many UMC parents opt out for everything but the reading. It's a reasonable enough policy for me.

so unless my experience is not exactly like yours, then it's not valid and couldn't have happened?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers can't win. Parents will complain when there is homework, or they'll complain when there isn't.

My experience has been in higher FARMS rate schools umc parents want homework to prove to themselves that their child is learning and doing advanced work

Low FARMs rate school - parents want no homework,

Okay, I am certain you have no experience in any such schools. But then I only have the actual experience of having a student at a high FARMs school and the parents pushing for no homework until at least 2nd grade were all UMC, myself included. Also, I am aware of a discussion on another high FARMs school's listserv where a number of UMC parents were questioning the validity of homework in the early grades. Principal shut the conversation down. It's not the UMC parents who want homework. Administrators are under a lot of pressure to get kids in "gap groups" up to speed ASAP so that their test scores improve. That means everbody gets homework. At least at our school I feel like they are striking a reasonable balance--reading with no logs in K. They get math worksheets and are asked to write in their journals in 1st and 2nd in addition to the reading, but my understanding is that nobody is compelled to do it at all-it's optional and kids won't be punished for not doing it. I think many UMC parents opt out for everything but the reading. It's a reasonable enough policy for me.

so unless my experience is not exactly like yours, then it's not valid and couldn't have happened?

No, it just sounds very far removed from more recent conversations happening at the high FARM's schools I am familiar with (I have friends who are involved in PTAs at a number of them). I have to ask: what do you consider "high FARMs" and how recent was your experience?

[Anonymous]

My recollection was there was a homework packet to do every week but it was kind of optional.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers can't win. Parents will complain when there is homework, or they'll complain when there isn't.

My experience has been in higher FARMS rate schools umc parents want homework to prove to themselves that their child is learning and doing advanced work

Low FARMs rate school - parents want no homework,

Okay, I am certain you have no experience in any such schools. But then I only have the actual experience of having a student at a high FARMs school and the parents pushing for no homework until at least 2nd grade were all UMC, myself included. Also, I am aware of a discussion on another high FARMs school's listserv where a number of UMC parents were questioning the validity of homework in the early grades. Principal shut the conversation down. It's not the UMC parents who want homework. Administrators are under a lot of pressure to get kids in "gap groups" up to speed ASAP so that their test scores improve. That means everbody gets homework. At least at our school I feel like they are striking a reasonable balance--reading with no logs in K. They get math worksheets and are asked to write in their journals in 1st and 2nd in addition to the reading, but my understanding is that nobody is compelled to do it at all-it's optional and kids won't be punished for not doing it. I think many UMC parents opt out for everything but the reading. It's a reasonable enough policy for me.

So either way its the UMC parents wanting no homework and FARMS parents wanting homework?

[Anonymous]

We are zoned for Ashlawn and I believe there is no homework before 3rd grade. I think Oakridge is also a no / low homework elementary in APS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers can't win. Parents will complain when there is homework, or they'll complain when there isn't.

Do you keep a giant crucifix in your classroom as a reminder of your martyrdom?

As a parent who is not a teacher, I back up the original poster above. I have heard both arguments in the same grade level at our school (it's too much, it's not enough). The reality is, it probably doesn't matter. And as a parent, if my kid needs to work harder, I give him more work. And if he's done too much, he skips it. Although 95% of the time we follow the teacher's direction b/c THEY ARE THE TEACHER.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are zoned for Ashlawn and I believe there is no homework before 3rd grade. I think Oakridge is also a no / low homework elementary in APS

Correct re Oakridge, new this year. No assigned homework, just reading every night. No logs, though (at least not for my third grader, I don't know what they are doing in other grades.)