Upper school homework load?

[Anonymous]

Two factors that are different today are:

1. If you are a good athlete (defined as someone who might want to play at the college level), the time demands of playing club -- which admittedly vary by sport -- are far more significant than a generation ago.

2. The means of distraction are exponentially greater than "when we were kids." A smart phone is, essentially, an entertainment center. Talk to your friends, text your friends, tweet to your friends, Facebook your friends, watch YouTube links sent by your friends, text some more, send YouTube links to your friends, listen to Spotify, text your friends some more. (And that's not even getting us started on video games, more an issue with boys.) In my day (yes I said "in my day" good lord!), there was TV (didn't have one in my room), the telephone (parents knew if I was on it), and radio (actually helped me study, probably).

Even the most diligent students, unless they turn off their "screens" (phone, tablet, PC) during study time, burn a lot of time with "short distraction" that may add up to an extra hour or more (being conservative) during the "five hours of homework." If you're up for a little battle, or even better if your child is willing to try it voluntarily, try embargoing screens during homework for first a night, then a couple consecutively. It really makes a big difference, and unless they need to type they often won't really need a computer for most nightly homework.

I still think schools need to think about how to get kids to work "smart" not just "hard," and I'm not judgmental about the distractions -- but I know how much time I can waste at work if I decide to surf the internet, and (theoretically) I've got the self-discipline to decide when I can do that and when I can't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DC is a junior at a MoCo school. He takes AP and honors classes. In the High School Course Bulletin, beside each course name is a indicator of how much time each night that course requires. In my opinion, they waaayy underestimate the amount of work.

For example, AP English 12th grade (Literature/Composition) indicates only 20 minutes/night. This is ridiculous because just the reading alone for the class would take at least that amount of time. Then when you add in the papers they have to write and studying for tests and quizzes...... well, you get the point. My DC is a very good student and a fast reader but he is looking at 35 - 45 minutes minimum, each night, for that class alone. Then add on foreign language 5, AP or Honors World History, Calculus and Molecular Genetics plus a couple other classes it becomes a major endeavor. If I'd had to go through this back in the 70's I'd probably be flippin burgers somewhere instead of working at NIH.

No offense intended PP, but honors classes aren't for the just "good students". Perhaps itis taking DC so long to do the reading and writing because it is too challenging for his developmental level. Honors or AP level courses are taught at college level and are intended for gifted/ kids with genius IQ, to keep them engaged while tehy are stuck in HS. They were never intended to be used by above average kids as a way to beef up a college AP or save money on freshman year tuition. Unfortunately, many parents pressure their kids to take these classes which they are not equipped to handle. The result: cramming and cheating, not honours level discourse.

[Anonymous]

when you add in the studying for tests and quizzes......

When I took honors classes in the late 70's there were no "quizes" and "tests" and tehre were only two possible grades : A or B. You were graded based on the quality of your participation in class discussion ( much of which was often heated debate) and a few papers you had to write. If you did not do " B" level work in the teachers opinion, you were asked to drop the class.

Students could not simply "sign up" for an AP/Honors class, you had to be selected/nominated by two teachers who had taught you before. Many students took the AP exam, and of course, passed with a 5, but it was almost an after thought, not the point of the course.

The point of taking these classes was to avoid being bored out of your mind in the reg academic track.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Two factors that are different today are:

1. If you are a good athlete (defined as someone who might want to play at the college level), the time demands of playing club -- which admittedly vary by sport -- are far more significant than a generation ago.

2. The means of distraction are exponentially greater than "when we were kids." A smart phone is, essentially, an entertainment center. Talk to your friends, text your friends, tweet to your friends, Facebook your friends, watch YouTube links sent by your friends, text some more, send YouTube links to your friends, listen to Spotify, text your friends some more. (And that's not even getting us started on video games, more an issue with boys.) In my day (yes I said "in my day" good lord!), there was TV (didn't have one in my room), the telephone (parents knew if I was on it), and radio (actually helped me study, probably).

Even the most diligent students, unless they turn off their "screens" (phone, tablet, PC) during study time, burn a lot of time with "short distraction" that may add up to an extra hour or more (being conservative) during the "five hours of homework." If you're up for a little battle, or even better if your child is willing to try it voluntarily, try embargoing screens during homework for first a night, then a couple consecutively. It really makes a big difference, and unless they need to type they often won't really need a computer for most nightly homework.

I still think schools need to think about how to get kids to work "smart" not just "hard," and I'm not judgmental about the distractions -- but I know how much time I can waste at work if I decide to surf the internet, and (theoretically) I've got the self-discipline to decide when I can do that and when I can't.

ITA as to #2.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DC is a junior at a MoCo school. He takes AP and honors classes. In the High School Course Bulletin, beside each course name is a indicator of how much time each night that course requires. In my opinion, they waaayy underestimate the amount of work.

For example, AP English 12th grade (Literature/Composition) indicates only 20 minutes/night. This is ridiculous because just the reading alone for the class would take at least that amount of time. Then when you add in the papers they have to write and studying for tests and quizzes...... well, you get the point. My DC is a very good student and a fast reader but he is looking at 35 - 45 minutes minimum, each night, for that class alone. Then add on foreign language 5, AP or Honors World History, Calculus and Molecular Genetics plus a couple other classes it becomes a major endeavor. If I'd had to go through this back in the 70's I'd probably be flippin burgers somewhere instead of working at NIH.

I totally agree! The amount of homework my kids must endure is just mind blowing to me! I sometimes long for the "good old days" when I had time to come home from school, watch a tV show or chat with my friends, and still get my work done before 11pm. Those days are gone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC is a junior at a MoCo school. He takes AP and honors classes. In the High School Course Bulletin, beside each course name is a indicator of how much time each night that course requires. In my opinion, they waaayy underestimate the amount of work.

For example, AP English 12th grade (Literature/Composition) indicates only 20 minutes/night. This is ridiculous because just the reading alone for the class would take at least that amount of time. Then when you add in the papers they have to write and studying for tests and quizzes...... well, you get the point. My DC is a very good student and a fast reader but he is looking at 35 - 45 minutes minimum, each night, for that class alone. Then add on foreign language 5, AP or Honors World History, Calculus and Molecular Genetics plus a couple other classes it becomes a major endeavor. If I'd had to go through this back in the 70's I'd probably be flippin burgers somewhere instead of working at NIH.

No offense intended PP, but honors classes aren't for the just "good students". Perhaps itis taking DC so long to do the reading and writing because it is too challenging for his developmental level. Honors or AP level courses are taught at college level and are intended for gifted/ kids with genius IQ, to keep them engaged while tehy are stuck in HS. They were never intended to be used by above average kids as a way to beef up a college AP or save money on freshman year tuition. Unfortunately, many parents pressure their kids to take these classes which they are not equipped to handle. The result: cramming and cheating, not honours level discourse.

This is incorrect. At many top public high schools, honors level classes are the new "on level" sequence.