Homework in Kindergarten is ridiculous!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think we all have our struggles with our kids. Some might be severely picky eaters who only want to eat Goldfish crackers for breakfast/lunch/dinner. That doesn't mean that they don't need a more varied diet, though.

Some kids are terrible sleepers. That doesn't mean that they wouldn't benefit from a good night's sleep.

Some kids have a harder time with impulse control. That doesn't mean that hitting their siblings is acceptable.

I get that homework is not an easy thing for all young kids. But in full day kindergarten kids are going to be doing worksheets, crafts and other activities that will require them to sit still and follow multi-step directions. Kids who have had little to no practice following multi-step instructions are usually going to have a harder time than kids who have had some practice at home.

If you doubt me, volunteer in a K class sometime.

I think some of the parents who are insistent that ven a little HW is developmentally inappropriate for K will simply redshirt their boys in protest of the "overly academic" nature of kindergarten--problem solved. /s

Indeed, problem solved. If a parent of an especially wiggly late summer/fall birthday boy know that the local K inflicts 30 minutes of homework a night, then that's a great reason to redshirt. Developmentally inappropriate expectations will result in parents making choices for their child such as opting out of homework or redshirting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think we all have our struggles with our kids. Some might be severely picky eaters who only want to eat Goldfish crackers for breakfast/lunch/dinner. That doesn't mean that they don't need a more varied diet, though.

Some kids are terrible sleepers. That doesn't mean that they wouldn't benefit from a good night's sleep.

Some kids have a harder time with impulse control. That doesn't mean that hitting their siblings is acceptable.

I get that homework is not an easy thing for all young kids. But in full day kindergarten kids are going to be doing worksheets, crafts and other activities that will require them to sit still and follow multi-step directions. Kids who have had little to no practice following multi-step instructions are usually going to have a harder time than kids who have had some practice at home.

If you doubt me, volunteer in a K class sometime.

I think some of the parents who are insistent that ven a little HW is developmentally inappropriate for K will simply redshirt their boys in protest of the "overly academic" nature of kindergarten--problem solved. /s

Indeed, problem solved. If a parent of an especially wiggly late summer/fall birthday boy know that the local K inflicts 30 minutes of homework a night, then that's a great reason to redshirt. Developmentally inappropriate expectations will result in parents making choices for their child such as opting out of homework or redshirting.

I really can't tell whether you're being serious or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think we all have our struggles with our kids. Some might be severely picky eaters who only want to eat Goldfish crackers for breakfast/lunch/dinner. That doesn't mean that they don't need a more varied diet, though.

Some kids are terrible sleepers. That doesn't mean that they wouldn't benefit from a good night's sleep.

Some kids have a harder time with impulse control. That doesn't mean that hitting their siblings is acceptable.

I get that homework is not an easy thing for all young kids. But in full day kindergarten kids are going to be doing worksheets, crafts and other activities that will require them to sit still and follow multi-step directions. Kids who have had little to no practice following multi-step instructions are usually going to have a harder time than kids who have had some practice at home.

If you doubt me, volunteer in a K class sometime.

So because the demands of Kindergarten are excessive, we should place even more demands on kids through homework? Do you have any evidence to support the idea that homework improves classroom behavior in Kindergarten? Kids get plenty of practice following directions and doing worksheets in class. There's no need to follow that up at home. Plus, home and the classroom are two totally different settings for following rules and completing work.

I agree. The person who wrote the sleep/goldfish analogy sounds like a public school teacher. They have so many demands on them and need kids to show progress and be managed. It doesn’t matter that research doesn’t show it’s helpful because teachers don’t get to decide the curriculum or standards and perhaps the policy of HW. The kids are doing this stuff everyday. They don’t need additional practice at home. Y

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think we all have our struggles with our kids. Some might be severely picky eaters who only want to eat Goldfish crackers for breakfast/lunch/dinner. That doesn't mean that they don't need a more varied diet, though.

Some kids are terrible sleepers. That doesn't mean that they wouldn't benefit from a good night's sleep.

Some kids have a harder time with impulse control. That doesn't mean that hitting their siblings is acceptable.

I get that homework is not an easy thing for all young kids. But in full day kindergarten kids are going to be doing worksheets, crafts and other activities that will require them to sit still and follow multi-step directions. Kids who have had little to no practice following multi-step instructions are usually going to have a harder time than kids who have had some practice at home.

If you doubt me, volunteer in a K class sometime.

I think some of the parents who are insistent that ven a little HW is developmentally inappropriate for K will simply redshirt their boys in protest of the "overly academic" nature of kindergarten--problem solved. /s

Indeed, problem solved. If a parent of an especially wiggly late summer/fall birthday boy know that the local K inflicts 30 minutes of homework a night, then that's a great reason to redshirt. Developmentally inappropriate expectations will result in parents making choices for their child such as opting out of homework or redshirting.

I really can't tell whether you're being serious or not.

I'm absolutely serious! The expectations of K, including homework, are usually one of the good reasons parents redshirt or consider redshirting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think we all have our struggles with our kids. Some might be severely picky eaters who only want to eat Goldfish crackers for breakfast/lunch/dinner. That doesn't mean that they don't need a more varied diet, though.

Some kids are terrible sleepers. That doesn't mean that they wouldn't benefit from a good night's sleep.

Some kids have a harder time with impulse control. That doesn't mean that hitting their siblings is acceptable.

I get that homework is not an easy thing for all young kids. But in full day kindergarten kids are going to be doing worksheets, crafts and other activities that will require them to sit still and follow multi-step directions. Kids who have had little to no practice following multi-step instructions are usually going to have a harder time than kids who have had some practice at home.

If you doubt me, volunteer in a K class sometime.

I think some of the parents who are insistent that ven a little HW is developmentally inappropriate for K will simply redshirt their boys in protest of the "overly academic" nature of kindergarten--problem solved. /s

Indeed, problem solved. If a parent of an especially wiggly late summer/fall birthday boy know that the local K inflicts 30 minutes of homework a night, then that's a great reason to redshirt. Developmentally inappropriate expectations will result in parents making choices for their child such as opting out of homework or redshirting.

I wasn't a big fan of full day K but everyone else seemed to be screaming for it at the time. I would have been happy to have sent my 5 year old boys (one of which had a summer bday) to 1/2 day K. But they went on time and they did fine. Holding a kid back isn't necessarily going to help them.

Kindergarten isn't being stuck at a desk doing paperwork all day long. The kids move around a fair amount during the day. They sing songs, listen to stories during circle time, they talk, they go to recess. lunch, music, PE. They are busy. But they also have times when they sit at their table, follow instructions and do work. I do think that the kids who have been reading at home and have some experience following directions do better.

But I am not an expert on this by any stretch of the imagination.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think we all have our struggles with our kids. Some might be severely picky eaters who only want to eat Goldfish crackers for breakfast/lunch/dinner. That doesn't mean that they don't need a more varied diet, though.

Some kids are terrible sleepers. That doesn't mean that they wouldn't benefit from a good night's sleep.

Some kids have a harder time with impulse control. That doesn't mean that hitting their siblings is acceptable.

I get that homework is not an easy thing for all young kids. But in full day kindergarten kids are going to be doing worksheets, crafts and other activities that will require them to sit still and follow multi-step directions. Kids who have had little to no practice following multi-step instructions are usually going to have a harder time than kids who have had some practice at home.

If you doubt me, volunteer in a K class sometime.

I think some of the parents who are insistent that ven a little HW is developmentally inappropriate for K will simply redshirt their boys in protest of the "overly academic" nature of kindergarten--problem solved. /s

Indeed, problem solved. If a parent of an especially wiggly late summer/fall birthday boy know that the local K inflicts 30 minutes of homework a night, then that's a great reason to redshirt. Developmentally inappropriate expectations will result in parents making choices for their child such as opting out of homework or redshirting.

I really can't tell whether you're being serious or not.

I'm absolutely serious! The expectations of K, including homework, are usually one of the good reasons parents redshirt or consider redshirting.

No, I don't think so. I think that most people redshirt due to potty training issues and problems sitting still during circle time, as well as, social immaturity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think we all have our struggles with our kids. Some might be severely picky eaters who only want to eat Goldfish crackers for breakfast/lunch/dinner. That doesn't mean that they don't need a more varied diet, though.

Some kids are terrible sleepers. That doesn't mean that they wouldn't benefit from a good night's sleep.

Some kids have a harder time with impulse control. That doesn't mean that hitting their siblings is acceptable.

I get that homework is not an easy thing for all young kids. But in full day kindergarten kids are going to be doing worksheets, crafts and other activities that will require them to sit still and follow multi-step directions. Kids who have had little to no practice following multi-step instructions are usually going to have a harder time than kids who have had some practice at home.

If you doubt me, volunteer in a K class sometime.

I think some of the parents who are insistent that ven a little HW is developmentally inappropriate for K will simply redshirt their boys in protest of the "overly academic" nature of kindergarten--problem solved. /s

Indeed, problem solved. If a parent of an especially wiggly late summer/fall birthday boy know that the local K inflicts 30 minutes of homework a night, then that's a great reason to redshirt. Developmentally inappropriate expectations will result in parents making choices for their child such as opting out of homework or redshirting.

I really can't tell whether you're being serious or not.

I'm absolutely serious! The expectations of K, including homework, are usually one of the good reasons parents redshirt or consider redshirting.

No, I don't think so. I think that most people redshirt due to potty training issues and problems sitting still during circle time, as well as, social immaturity.

What you describe actually sounds like the more severe end of justifications for redshirting. And obviously, if you have a 5 year old who isn't fully potty trained and can't sit during circle time, a K program that expects 30 mins/homework a night is going to add to the rationale for redshirting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think we all have our struggles with our kids. Some might be severely picky eaters who only want to eat Goldfish crackers for breakfast/lunch/dinner. That doesn't mean that they don't need a more varied diet, though.

Some kids are terrible sleepers. That doesn't mean that they wouldn't benefit from a good night's sleep.

Some kids have a harder time with impulse control. That doesn't mean that hitting their siblings is acceptable.

I get that homework is not an easy thing for all young kids. But in full day kindergarten kids are going to be doing worksheets, crafts and other activities that will require them to sit still and follow multi-step directions. Kids who have had little to no practice following multi-step instructions are usually going to have a harder time than kids who have had some practice at home.

If you doubt me, volunteer in a K class sometime.

So because the demands of Kindergarten are excessive, we should place even more demands on kids through homework? Do you have any evidence to support the idea that homework improves classroom behavior in Kindergarten? Kids get plenty of practice following directions and doing worksheets in class. There's no need to follow that up at home. Plus, home and the classroom are two totally different settings for following rules and completing work.

Agree. When I was a kid kindergarten was a half-day program. Now that kindergartners are in class all day, they have a lot more time than they once did to practice doing worksheets in class. To me, that's not a persuasive argument for also demanding that they also spend additional time at home doing busywork.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think we all have our struggles with our kids. Some might be severely picky eaters who only want to eat Goldfish crackers for breakfast/lunch/dinner. That doesn't mean that they don't need a more varied diet, though.

Some kids are terrible sleepers. That doesn't mean that they wouldn't benefit from a good night's sleep.

Some kids have a harder time with impulse control. That doesn't mean that hitting their siblings is acceptable.

I get that homework is not an easy thing for all young kids. But in full day kindergarten kids are going to be doing worksheets, crafts and other activities that will require them to sit still and follow multi-step directions. Kids who have had little to no practice following multi-step instructions are usually going to have a harder time than kids who have had some practice at home.

If you doubt me, volunteer in a K class sometime.

So because the demands of Kindergarten are excessive, we should place even more demands on kids through homework? Do you have any evidence to support the idea that homework improves classroom behavior in Kindergarten? Kids get plenty of practice following directions and doing worksheets in class. There's no need to follow that up at home. Plus, home and the classroom are two totally different settings for following rules and completing work.

Agree. When I was a kid kindergarten was a half-day program. Now that kindergartners are in class all day, they have a lot more time than they once did to practice doing worksheets in class. To me, that's not a persuasive argument for also demanding that they also spend additional time at home doing busywork.

+1

They are in school for six hours a day. Piling on homework after that because they need MORE practice doing worksheets is silly. They are little kids, and they have plenty of time to do schoolwork in school. They don't need to sit still MORE--usually it's the opposite. They don't get enough exercise and free play, and it affects their ability to sit still and pay attention in class. There are lots of other ways to develop skills in following directions--playing games with family, helping prepare dinner, cleaning up toys, etc.--that aren't worksheets and other busywork.

[Anonymous]

They have hours and hours to practice worksheets, learn anything and everything that a kindergartener needs to know academically, learn to follow directions, etc. Balance, people. K homework is for lower performing schools with at risk kids, or parents who don't know better and think that the leg up on worksheet-filling-in in Kindergarten is going to get their child into Harvard.

[Anonymous]

Let's get some perspective people. We're talking about 20 minutes a day of HM. The universe is not going to explode. I question whether it's even 20 minutes a day. My DC had kindergarten homework and it took about 10 minutes to complete, if that.

Have your child do the homework or not. I don't care. But all this handwringing is a bit much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think we all have our struggles with our kids. Some might be severely picky eaters who only want to eat Goldfish crackers for breakfast/lunch/dinner. That doesn't mean that they don't need a more varied diet, though.

Some kids are terrible sleepers. That doesn't mean that they wouldn't benefit from a good night's sleep.

Some kids have a harder time with impulse control. That doesn't mean that hitting their siblings is acceptable.

I get that homework is not an easy thing for all young kids. But in full day kindergarten kids are going to be doing worksheets, crafts and other activities that will require them to sit still and follow multi-step directions. Kids who have had little to no practice following multi-step instructions are usually going to have a harder time than kids who have had some practice at home.

If you doubt me, volunteer in a K class sometime.

So because the demands of Kindergarten are excessive, we should place even more demands on kids through homework? Do you have any evidence to support the idea that homework improves classroom behavior in Kindergarten? Kids get plenty of practice following directions and doing worksheets in class. There's no need to follow that up at home. Plus, home and the classroom are two totally different settings for following rules and completing work.

Agree. When I was a kid kindergarten was a half-day program. Now that kindergartners are in class all day, they have a lot more time than they once did to practice doing worksheets in class. To me, that's not a persuasive argument for also demanding that they also spend additional time at home doing busywork.

+1

They are in school for six hours a day. Piling on homework after that because they need MORE practice doing worksheets is silly. They are little kids, and they have plenty of time to do schoolwork in school. They don't need to sit still MORE--usually it's the opposite. They don't get enough exercise and free play, and it affects their ability to sit still and pay attention in class. There are lots of other ways to develop skills in following directions--playing games with family, helping prepare dinner, cleaning up toys, etc.--that aren't worksheets and other busywork.

Exactly. And I'd rather spend my parenting time and energy on teaching my kid to help with household tasks, than making him do worksheets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let's get some perspective people. We're talking about 20 minutes a day of HM. The universe is not going to explode. I question whether it's even 20 minutes a day. My DC had kindergarten homework and it took about 10 minutes to complete, if that.

Have your child do the homework or not. I don't care. But all this handwringing is a bit much.

+1. At our Deal/Wilson feeder, HW was like 5-10 min/day in K. Some weeks, it wasn't even assigned. Was never anything we got bent out of shape over.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let's get some perspective people. We're talking about 20 minutes a day of HM. The universe is not going to explode. I question whether it's even 20 minutes a day. My DC had kindergarten homework and it took about 10 minutes to complete, if that.

Have your child do the homework or not. I don't care. But all this handwringing is a bit much.

For a kid that's resistant to homework, and a 2-parent working family where you have approximately 2 hrs/night with your kids anyway, 20 minutes is actually a lot. That time and energy could be much better spent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's get some perspective people. We're talking about 20 minutes a day of HM. The universe is not going to explode. I question whether it's even 20 minutes a day. My DC had kindergarten homework and it took about 10 minutes to complete, if that.

Have your child do the homework or not. I don't care. But all this handwringing is a bit much.

+1. At our Deal/Wilson feeder, HW was like 5-10 min/day in K. Some weeks, it wasn't even assigned. Was never anything we got bent out of shape over.

Oh, and we both work FT. One parent managed HW while the other did other tasks.