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

[Anonymous]

Since this thread is continuing on and on, let me add that I will talk to DC1's teachers and modify his IEP if ever the homework load becomes too burdensome. For a very small number of learning disabilities and special needs, this accommodation is sometimes justified - for those with very low processing speed in particular.

For now, I have helped him do the homework religiously. There may come a time when DC1 will not be able to do it all.

[Anonymous]

My son is in K and does the assigned homework. It takes 15 minutes tops. Most of it is not very challenging but it doesn't hurt to practice concepts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

So true! And, I hope to teach my kids this.

I agree with the posters who say that sometimes you just have to do things even if you don't want to. I actually find the homework in MCPS pretty reasonable so far. But, we're only in 2nd grade. It doesn't take long and it reinforces what is going on in class. Spelling, math, reading, etc. And, it gives me a chance to help DD with the things she's finding challenging.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

If you need homework for this reason, you are doing it wrong.

[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 prefer to teach my child this lesson by doing dishes, not word searches etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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 prefer to teach my child this lesson by doing dishes, not word searches etc.

I think that you are missing the point. And I'm speaking as somebody who thinks that word searches are just about the most useless waste of time anybody has ever invented.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Say it with me: research shows no benefit for homework in early elementary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

But every good job these days requires being smart about how you do the job - very few involve a list of tasks with no discretion about how to do them. And often you do have to prioritize and leave some tasks behind. Blind obedience teaches none of those skills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

The problems with us education have nothing to do with 6 year ods not doing their homework, lol. Please do a tiny bit of researcch and you will find the problem is poverty and the low wquality of teacher training compared to countries like Finland.

[Anonymous]

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.

So true. Sometimes it's fine to be a sheep and blindly follow. Sometimes it's not. We need to learn to distinguish the difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

But every good job these days requires being smart about how you do the job - very few involve a list of tasks with no discretion about how to do them. And often you do have to prioritize and leave some tasks behind. Blind obedience teaches none of those skills.

The problem with this approach is that I doubt you're fully educated yourself as to why an assignment is being given, and what the teacher is hoping your accomplish. You're assuming it's not useful when you're not in the best position to make that determination. Yes, in their careers out kids will need to be able to use their judgment about what is important and what isn't, but they will need to have sufficient knowledge and experience to make that judgment first. If they start doing that on their own on day one out of college, they'll probably end up fired because they don't know enough yet to make good judgments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

The problems with us education have nothing to do with 6 year ods not doing their homework, lol. Please do a tiny bit of researcch and you will find the problem is poverty and the low wquality of teacher training compared to countries like Finland.

Why, unlike in Finland, do many smart, ambitious young people in the US decide that teaching is not the career for them? One reason is that in the US, everybody thinks that they know better than the teacher about teaching.

[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%.

Not a teacher but this is an approach I can appreciate.

I was annoyed when the teacher (one in particular one year) sent home meaningless homework, and then didn't even look at it again. If it's going to be sent home at least take the time to notice if anyone did it. That was homework for the sake of homework.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

The problems with us education have nothing to do with 6 year ods not doing their homework, lol. Please do a tiny bit of researcch and you will find the problem is poverty and the low wquality of teacher training compared to countries like Finland.

Why, unlike in Finland, do many smart, ambitious young people in the US decide that teaching is not the career for them? One reason is that in the US, everybody thinks that they know better than the teacher about teaching.

So I should mollify crappy teachers and teaching practices as a wat to support the profession? Hardly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

The problems with us education have nothing to do with 6 year ods not doing their homework, lol. Please do a tiny bit of researcch and you will find the problem is poverty and the low wquality of teacher training compared to countries like Finland.

Why, unlike in Finland, do many smart, ambitious young people in the US decide that teaching is not the career for them? One reason is that in the US, everybody thinks that they know better than the teacher about teaching.

So I should mollify crappy teachers and teaching practices as a wat to support the profession? Hardly.

You should consider the possibility that the teacher actually does know more about teaching than you do.