Why do parents think it's ok to toss out homework? What do teachers think of this?

[Anonymous]

I assign homework that reinforces the concepts we did in class. I try to make sure it is not too long or "meaningless." It does give me clues as to who truly grasped the concept and who might still be struggling. And yes, in the grand scheme it is a little glimpse into the work ethic and responsibility of the student. All are graded and recorded. There are report card comments I add if work is regularly incomplete, late or missing. I teach grade 5.

[Anonymous]

Slight tangent, but I was so disappointed on the first day of first grade when we were assigned no homework. For some odd reason, I was really looking forward to it. My parents still laugh about it.

A lot of homework IS meaningless drivel, but my kid needs to do it. that doesn't mean we can't talk about the fact that it is busy work -- rant away -- but sometimes you need to do dumb/boring/pointless stuff in life.

That said, if it's hours of pointless bullshit each night, I'd likely be evaluating whether my kid is in the right place.

[Anonymous]

Our 1st grade teacher does not give meaningless homework. It's math that they learned and reading comprehension, plus a book and spelling. It shows if he is learning what they went over in class. If he's getting it great its practice, if not then we can go over it again with him and teach him. If the teacher was giving coloring sheets or mazes I might feel differently about him finishing it. I think it also teaches respect that the teacher is asking them to do something that she feels is aiding their education. If I let my son not do his homework I really dont want him thinking that classroom work is optional.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well teacher, you will not need to give our child a zero because we send them to an school where they don't assign meaningless drivel. Further, there is no homework in the early years.

But when will you stop wiping their ass? What if their college professor assigns them "meaningless drivel?" What then?

In college and grad school (and life in general) figuring out what to do and what to skip is actually an essential skill. Blind rule following is not the path to success.

I am giggling about the idea of telling my college professor, or my boss, "I didn't do the work you assigned me because it was meaningless drivel."

Lol apparently you can just say my mom says it's ok for me not to do it and expect to keep your job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For me, busy work or not, homework in the younger grades teaches our son responsibility, follow-through and meeting expectations. I truly don't care about the homework itself, it is the skills that go along with doing the homework that I care about. If you are going to be a productive member of the workforce, especially in the corporate world, you have to do a ton of busy work in the early years to rise through the ranks.

I am a Sr. Manager in a Fortune 500 and I have seen a number of really bright recent grads struggle because they don't want to do the work assigned to them because it isn't "meaningful". As a result their performance reviews are bad and they earn a reputation of not being a team player. Some drop out of the workforce all together, others move on and face the same problems at another company, and the remaining figure out the problem is them and work really hard to restore their reputation. My job as a parent is to give my son the skills he needs to pursue whatever career he wants in the future, and that includes learning how to do busy work without a chip on his shoulder.

Best post I have ever read on DCUM. I agree completely.

[Anonymous]

This kind of stuff drives me nuts about Americans. Everyone pays lip service to the value of education, and wanting to improve performance so we're not in the toilet compared to the rest of the developed world, but then they pull their kids out for a week to go to Disney and tell them they don't have to do their homework because the parent has decided it's not worth doing, without even talking to the teacher to determine whether there's value the parent doesn't appreciate (you know, because they're not a trained educator). I talk to my cousins in Europe about what their kids are doing in school, and this shit just doesn't happen. Yes, there are other differences in the educational systems, but at the end of the day, the parents have more respect for schools, teachers, and the educational process, and don't undermine it at every turn.

So yes, my kids do all the homework. Even if I look at it and am not sure what they're getting out of it, they do it. Not because I'm raising unthinking robots, but because I'm teaching them to understand that you don't get to choose not to do something just because it's not fun and interesting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This kind of stuff drives me nuts about Americans. Everyone pays lip service to the value of education, and wanting to improve performance so we're not in the toilet compared to the rest of the developed world, but then they pull their kids out for a week to go to Disney and tell them they don't have to do their homework because the parent has decided it's not worth doing, without even talking to the teacher to determine whether there's value the parent doesn't appreciate (you know, because they're not a trained educator). I talk to my cousins in Europe about what their kids are doing in school, and this shit just doesn't happen. Yes, there are other differences in the educational systems, but at the end of the day, the parents have more respect for schools, teachers, and the educational process, and don't undermine it at every turn.

So yes, my kids do all the homework. Even if I look at it and am not sure what they're getting out of it, they do it. Not because I'm raising unthinking robots, but because I'm teaching them to understand that you don't get to choose not to do something just because it's not fun and interesting.

A very good and smart response. I agree with you. I believe if we want to improve on the education of our kids we need to support the teachers and by doing that you make sure your kid gets their homework done. It also shows you what they are working on in class and helps you incororate those lessons in life.

[Anonymous]

You know, I find doing dishes quite boring. However, I still have to wash them. Sometimes, there are things in life you just have to do. Kids benefit by learning that early. That is a life skill--whether you want to believe it or not.

[Anonymous]

Even if it seems repetitive like math problem sets or vocabulary drills, the idea is to build command of foundational skills and knowledge so that a student develops mastery and has that information available in an instant, so that other knowledge and skills can be built atop of that foundation. Merely exposing a student to the materials, without reinforcement via homework and exercises does not cut it - because without having a solid foundation, it would essentially be like trying to build a house on quicksand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Slight tangent, but I was so disappointed on the first day of first grade when we were assigned no homework. For some odd reason, I was really looking forward to it. My parents still laugh about it.

A lot of homework IS meaningless drivel, but my kid needs to do it. that doesn't mean we can't talk about the fact that it is busy work -- rant away -- but sometimes you need to do dumb/boring/pointless stuff in life.

That said, if it's hours of pointless bullshit each night, I'd likely be evaluating whether my kid is in the right place.

This sums it up well. In general I want my kids to follow rules and learn discipline, even where they don't see the reason or disagree. However, there is a point where I draw the line.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You know, I find doing dishes quite boring. However, I still have to wash them. Sometimes, there are things in life you just have to do. Kids benefit by learning that early. That is a life skill--whether you want to believe it or not.

I tell my son this all of the time when he says, "But I don't want to!" I make a list of all of the things I don't want to do and then say that they need to be done. Sometimes kids don't see the point of everything (and adults too). Sometimes homework can be busywork but most of the time, it is to practice a skill in math or to develop fluency in reading. I am a teacher and kids who don't do homework usually do poorly on tests and quizzes. If I had a student who did well even without doing homework, great. Homework counts for 15% of their grade so if they ace everything else, they will still get a B if they don't do any homework. If they are okay with that, the decision is theirs. But in the last 9 years of teaching at my school, I've only had one student who this would've applied to. As a parent, I occasionally question my son's homework (but I don't do it aloud in front of him!). I give homework at the beginning of the week so students can choose when to do it. The math homework are skills from the week before so they could knock it all out in one night if they choose to. They also need to read every night for 25-30 mins and do one book review every other week. Their LA is a packet and it is a skill I teach that week (run on sentences, etc). I don't ever give crosswords or other busywork like that for homework.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am amazed about how cavalier people on this thread are about homework. What a horrible message to send to your kids. How arrogant. "I'll decide if my child does homework or not. The rules don't apply to us." Ugh. I hate people like you.

OP here. This is how I feel. I'm not a rule follower but I think it's important that my kids know that certain things just need to be done. I think it also helps go over things they learned that day. If teachers give zero for missing homework wouldn't more kids fail the grade? My first grader gets a lot of homework. Every night he has to read a book, a sheet of math, a sheet of English and a spelling test on Friedays.

See, and I think it's important that my kids learn critical thinking skills and to be able to realize "This is bullshit and won't benefit me at all." But while they're too young to realize that I'll do it for them. I rather my middle school kid try to teach herself clarinet and Japanese and back walkovers and coding (current interests).

I hope your child finds a great job as a clarinet playing, Japanese speaking, coding acrobat. All great hobbies, but you're teaching her that you don't respect her teachers and therefore she shouldn't have to either. As the manager PP pointed out, this attitude will not take her far in the workplace. There is time for hobbies after responsibilities have been fulfilled.

[Anonymous]

Sam Donaldson pointed out in a graduation speech that you can do what you are passionate about--but you may not earn a living. It's better to do something that you are good at and follow your passions for a hobby. Good point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a teacher and I don't think anything about it. I give the student a zero. Life is all about choices.

+1.

Parent and teacher here. I agree completely. If a kid doesn't want to do their homework for whatever reason, then don't do it. I don't give homework for homework sake. I give it to allow a student to practice concepts learned in class. If you know the concepts, great. On the test you'll demonstrate mastery of the material and your grade will reflect your knowledge. If you fail the test though and mom wants a conference, the first place I look is to see if you've turned in your homework.

Thank you. Agree 100%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a teacher and I don't think anything about it. I give the student a zero. Life is all about choices.

+1.

Parent and teacher here. I agree completely. If a kid doesn't want to do their homework for whatever reason, then don't do it. I don't give homework for homework sake. I give it to allow a student to practice concepts learned in class. If you know the concepts, great. On the test you'll demonstrate mastery of the material and your grade will reflect your knowledge. If you fail the test though and mom wants a conference, the first place I look is to see if you've turned in your homework.

Thank you. Agree 100%.

Same kids who want help after school, or extra credit projects.

More than happy to help a student before or after school, but they must have their homework attempted. Not an empty notebook.