Are you giving your kids any summer school work?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love me some worksheets ! They reinforce what was taught. Growing up I played school almost daily with my friends. I did tons of worksheets. I read books and wrote my own book reports.

They do not, but you can continue to play with them if you like them.

-teacher who doesn’t assign any school work over any break and doesn’t make my kids do it either

I don’t understand this and would love one of you teachers to explain please. My kid forgets their long division etc and I feel benefits from just doing then. Why is that wrong?

No way would I waste my time. Multiple teachers have said the same thing but you still think what you want and will do them anyway. It’s your choice and it won’t kill your kids but if there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s explaining the theories of education and how kids’ brains work and why some pedagogies and practices are better than others is a huge waste of time when it comes to DCUM parents who already think they know what’s best. I or any other teacher could lay it all out and someone would say “you sound like my kid’s 4th grade teacher who was awful.”

[Anonymous]

My DS is in a Catholic MS and he always has required summer work. He gets graded on the summer work so he has to do it. He has to read 2-3 books, write a paper on one of them and fill out chapter summaries on the other ones. He has IXL math questions assigned as well. He went to a public ES and didn't do any of the optional summer work because it was always reading and he reads a lot anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love me some worksheets ! They reinforce what was taught. Growing up I played school almost daily with my friends. I did tons of worksheets. I read books and wrote my own book reports.

They do not, but you can continue to play with them if you like them.

-teacher who doesn’t assign any school work over any break and doesn’t make my kids do it either

I don’t understand this and would love one of you teachers to explain please. My kid forgets their long division etc and I feel benefits from just doing then. Why is that wrong?

No way would I waste my time. Multiple teachers have said the same thing but you still think what you want and will do them anyway. It’s your choice and it won’t kill your kids but if there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s explaining the theories of education and how kids’ brains work and why some pedagogies and practices are better than others is a huge waste of time when it comes to DCUM parents who already think they know what’s best. I or any other teacher could lay it all out and someone would say “you sound like my kid’s 4th grade teacher who was awful.”

Your perspective doesn't jibe with research on summer slide, which appears to particularly effects kids of color and kids from lower SES backgrounds.

"An early comprehensive review of the literature summarized several findings regarding summer loss.[2] The authors concluded that:

(1) on average, students’ achievement scores declined over summer vacation by one month’s worth of school-year learning,
(2) declines were sharper for math than for reading, and
(3) the extent of loss was larger at higher grade levels."

https://www.brookings.edu/research/summer-learning-loss-what-is-it-and-what-can-we-do-about-it/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love me some worksheets ! They reinforce what was taught. Growing up I played school almost daily with my friends. I did tons of worksheets. I read books and wrote my own book reports.

They do not, but you can continue to play with them if you like them.

-teacher who doesn’t assign any school work over any break and doesn’t make my kids do it either

I don’t understand this and would love one of you teachers to explain please. My kid forgets their long division etc and I feel benefits from just doing then. Why is that wrong?

No way would I waste my time. Multiple teachers have said the same thing but you still think what you want and will do them anyway. It’s your choice and it won’t kill your kids but if there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s explaining the theories of education and how kids’ brains work and why some pedagogies and practices are better than others is a huge waste of time when it comes to DCUM parents who already think they know what’s best. I or any other teacher could lay it all out and someone would say “you sound like my kid’s 4th grade teacher who was awful.”

BUt there are also many teachers who think summer work is good. There are schools that assign it. You sound as though theories of child development and best educational practices are set in stone, and yet they often change. Maybe you are right; maybe you are wrong, perhaps it depends on individual chikdren. But you are pretty arrogant to attempt to speak for all teachers and all kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Always. Math and writing (they do their own reading). I call it Mom Camp. There's also music practice, daily swimming, cooking, early morning or late night walks with the dog, and board games. In the past, my friends used to send me their kids too, but now they're all older, they've each got their own thing.

The one year we were away for almost the entire summer and did no math was the year their MAP-M dipped a bit between Spring and Fall. Brain drain is real.

Oh the horror! Have you and the kids recovered yet? That must have been so traumatic. Bye bye to top colleges.

Yes, we laughed it off, just like you. My point, however, is important. We need shorter summer breaks, because not everyone can get their kids to review or study ahead in the summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, no, no, no, and no. My kids tracked reading minutes when they were in ES. Which was never a problem because they are great readers. They had math packets assigned in MS and a school One Book. Now, both are at TJ and up to this point have had summer school AND a huge soul sucking, time sucking amount of summer homework. New school policy—. NO HOMEWORK THIS SUMMER!!!! Can you tell how happy I am?

Thank goodness. They work hard enough during the school year. Plus, one has a semester of summer history and one has a school years worth of CS at the school. And summer history kid also has marching band start August 1 and college applications to start. Before you know it, this will be your kids summer. Enjoy the downtime while you have it.

Research has shown little to no benefit of summer homework for UMC kids. And UMC kid don’t experience much, if any, summer brain drain. Basically, if you are the kind of parent who asks if your kid should do dummer homework, your kid doesn’t need it.

Limit screen time. Take your kids to the library regularly. Limit screen time. Did I mention limit screentime? Otherwise turn them loose or send them to a camp in an area they find interesting. They will start formal summer homework and summer classes and summer jobs and college applications and internships and... soon enough— most middle and high schools have some summer homework.

Wow. You think “UMC” kids are exempt from summer brain drain?
Sounds like you have older kids & built-up frustrations. Sorry to hear that.
But when you have little ones who need extra practice with math or reading, it’s super important to do it over the summer. If you don’t, they really suffer when school starts again. It’s hard to keep up when you can’t remember math facts or your reading is slow.
Good luck to you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, no, no, no, and no. My kids tracked reading minutes when they were in ES. Which was never a problem because they are great readers. They had math packets assigned in MS and a school One Book. Now, both are at TJ and up to this point have had summer school AND a huge soul sucking, time sucking amount of summer homework. New school policy—. NO HOMEWORK THIS SUMMER!!!! Can you tell how happy I am?

Thank goodness. They work hard enough during the school year. Plus, one has a semester of summer history and one has a school years worth of CS at the school. And summer history kid also has marching band start August 1 and college applications to start. Before you know it, this will be your kids summer. Enjoy the downtime while you have it.

Research has shown little to no benefit of summer homework for UMC kids. And UMC kid don’t experience much, if any, summer brain drain. Basically, if you are the kind of parent who asks if your kid should do dummer homework, your kid doesn’t need it.

Limit screen time. Take your kids to the library regularly. Limit screen time. Did I mention limit screentime? Otherwise turn them loose or send them to a camp in an area they find interesting. They will start formal summer homework and summer classes and summer jobs and college applications and internships and... soon enough— most middle and high schools have some summer homework.

Wow. You think “UMC” kids are exempt from summer brain drain?
Sounds like you have older kids & built-up frustrations. Sorry to hear that.
But when you have little ones who need extra practice with math or reading, it’s super important to do it over the summer. If you don’t, they really suffer when school starts again. It’s hard to keep up when you can’t remember math facts or your reading is slow.
Good luck to you!

Yes. I think any credible research you find shows that summer brain drain affects UMC and upper class kids much, much less.

https://www.noodle.com/articles/summer-brain-drain-has-a-lot-to-do-with-the-education-gap

I do have high school kids. I am frustrated that we have reached a point where unstructured time has become the enemy. I think reading a book and taking 15 pages of notes, one page per chapter, is dumb and a time suck.

And there is a difference between a kid who is behind and needs extra help, and most of the DCUM kids who are ahead of grade level.

And I do t think you do nothing. You take kids on field trips. Both my kids did summer band and strings camp for years. Art camp. Splashing in the pond science camp. Lounged around and read stacks of books from the library. Went to girl scout summer camps. Did SEP and CTY camps. Did some computer camps. Stuff they chose and were interested in. Encouraged them to go to the pool. Had friends sleep over. I do not have sporty kids, so no sports camps.

We also kept the TV turned off and still severely limit electronics.

What we did not do is a formal learning program. Worksheets and workbooks and assigned reading and X minutes a day of instrument practice. They get homework and structure during the school year. At TJ, they also end up in summer school to make room for all the classes.

And thanks for the concern. They are just fine academically.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, no, no, no, and no. My kids tracked reading minutes when they were in ES. Which was never a problem because they are great readers. They had math packets assigned in MS and a school One Book. Now, both are at TJ and up to this point have had summer school AND a huge soul sucking, time sucking amount of summer homework. New school policy—. NO HOMEWORK THIS SUMMER!!!! Can you tell how happy I am?

Thank goodness. They work hard enough during the school year. Plus, one has a semester of summer history and one has a school years worth of CS at the school. And summer history kid also has marching band start August 1 and college applications to start. Before you know it, this will be your kids summer. Enjoy the downtime while you have it.

Research has shown little to no benefit of summer homework for UMC kids. And UMC kid don’t experience much, if any, summer brain drain. Basically, if you are the kind of parent who asks if your kid should do dummer homework, your kid doesn’t need it.

Limit screen time. Take your kids to the library regularly. Limit screen time. Did I mention limit screentime? Otherwise turn them loose or send them to a camp in an area they find interesting. They will start formal summer homework and summer classes and summer jobs and college applications and internships and... soon enough— most middle and high schools have some summer homework.

Wow. You think “UMC” kids are exempt from summer brain drain?
Sounds like you have older kids & built-up frustrations. Sorry to hear that.
But when you have little ones who need extra practice with math or reading, it’s super important to do it over the summer. If you don’t, they really suffer when school starts again. It’s hard to keep up when you can’t remember math facts or your reading is slow.
Good luck to you!

Yes. I think any credible research you find shows that summer brain drain affects UMC and upper class kids much, much less.

https://www.noodle.com/articles/summer-brain-drain-has-a-lot-to-do-with-the-education-gap

I do have high school kids. I am frustrated that we have reached a point where unstructured time has become the enemy. I think reading a book and taking 15 pages of notes, one page per chapter, is dumb and a time suck.

And there is a difference between a kid who is behind and needs extra help, and most of the DCUM kids who are ahead of grade level.

And I do t think you do nothing. You take kids on field trips. Both my kids did summer band and strings camp for years. Art camp. Splashing in the pond science camp. Lounged around and read stacks of books from the library. Went to girl scout summer camps. Did SEP and CTY camps. Did some computer camps. Stuff they chose and were interested in. Encouraged them to go to the pool. Had friends sleep over. I do not have sporty kids, so no sports camps.

We also kept the TV turned off and still severely limit electronics.

What we did not do is a formal learning program. Worksheets and workbooks and assigned reading and X minutes a day of instrument practice. They get homework and structure during the school year. At TJ, they also end up in summer school to make room for all the classes.

And thanks for the concern. They are just fine academically.

Why the myopic focus on your own kids? Some kids from UMC/educated families may also benefit from a bit of summer practice to keep skills fresh. Heck, there's a thread in the elementary schools forum now from a parent who is worried about summer slide for their 2nd grader.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love me some worksheets ! They reinforce what was taught. Growing up I played school almost daily with my friends. I did tons of worksheets. I read books and wrote my own book reports.

They do not, but you can continue to play with them if you like them.

-teacher who doesn’t assign any school work over any break and doesn’t make my kids do it either

I don’t understand this and would love one of you teachers to explain please. My kid forgets their long division etc and I feel benefits from just doing then. Why is that wrong?

No way would I waste my time. Multiple teachers have said the same thing but you still think what you want and will do them anyway. It’s your choice and it won’t kill your kids but if there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s explaining the theories of education and how kids’ brains work and why some pedagogies and practices are better than others is a huge waste of time when it comes to DCUM parents who already think they know what’s best. I or any other teacher could lay it all out and someone would say “you sound like my kid’s 4th grade teacher who was awful.”

BUt there are also many teachers who think summer work is good. There are schools that assign it. You sound as though theories of child development and best educational practices are set in stone, and yet they often change. Maybe you are right; maybe you are wrong, perhaps it depends on individual chikdren. But you are pretty arrogant to attempt to speak for all teachers and all kids.

As I suspected ted, you just wanted to argue it. Summer work is not good. Assigning it is not automatically good teaching. People want to believe that, so they can. I have advanced degrees and training and experience in this, it’s only my career and life's work, but of course, that knowledge means nothing to anyone who is determined their kid needs summer packets and worksheets, so do want you want and don’t ask for advice you aren’t willing to take!

[Anonymous]

I’ll have my kids read daily and maybe occasionally do some math fluency. Rising 3rd and 5th graders.

[Anonymous]

The review should be done in school the first 2 weeks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The review should be done in school the first 2 weeks.

+1

It's not as if summer slide is permanent. Some posters seem to be confused about that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The review should be done in school the first 2 weeks.

+1

It's not as if summer slide is permanent. Some posters seem to be confused about that.

It is cumulative especially for low income students.

"By middle school, this cumulative effect can total as much as two years of lost academic skills and is a significant predictor of who will drop out of high school."

https://blog.schoolspecialty.com/causes-summer-slide/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The review should be done in school the first 2 weeks.

+1

It's not as if summer slide is permanent. Some posters seem to be confused about that.

It is cumulative especially for low income students.

"By middle school, this cumulative effect can total as much as two years of lost academic skills and is a significant predictor of who will drop out of high school."

https://blog.schoolspecialty.com/causes-summer-slide/

Summer work, from parents or from teachers, is obviously not the solution for those students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The review should be done in school the first 2 weeks.

+1

It's not as if summer slide is permanent. Some posters seem to be confused about that.

It is cumulative especially for low income students.

"By middle school, this cumulative effect can total as much as two years of lost academic skills and is a significant predictor of who will drop out of high school."

https://blog.schoolspecialty.com/causes-summer-slide/

Summer work, from parents or from teachers, is obviously not the solution for those students.

So then what is the solution? Enlighten us plebes.