Homework - is this normal? Pediatrician says some children are just aloof. Nightly frustration.
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
| First grader is not writing letters on the lines as they should be and it's constant marking off by the teacher for this issue. Homework is basically all writing of sight words. It's as if he never learned but we've been doing this nightly since October. The assignment remains the same each week. We're talking two hours to finish two sentences tonight. He thinks I am being mean and I admit to getting frustrated but should he not be able to do this since it's nightly work and remains the same just different words? He will write everything extremely tiny under the bottom line or have some letters correct and others too large or small, capitalized in random areas etc... |
Anonymous
| Who cares? Who needs to do that at 6? Most homework is so pointless. Give him time. I wouldn't push it. Disclaimer: I left public school because the assignments and teaching methods were so absurd. |
Anonymous
| My first grade son has terrible handwriting. It has not affected his grades. Which school system are you in? |
Anonymous
| This is a physical skill. Stop torturing him. |
Anonymous
| Your son may lack fine motor coordination. This is ridiculous. Who cares if he's being "marked down" for not getting the sentences on the lines? Are you determined to make him hate writing? |
Anonymous
| He's not aloof. You're crazy. |
Anonymous
| I wouldn't let my first grader spend two hours on homework. That's absurd. Half an hour at the absolute maximum. And it it doesn't get finished, oh well. At a certain point his work will just get worse and worse because he's so tired and frustrated. Why keep going? |
Anonymous
| A nightly two hour battle over homework is far more damaging than being "marked off" on first grade homework. Let him do it as he sees fit and let it go. |
Anonymous
|
I don't know about you but, if this was my child I would seek out testing to see what is going on. It could be physical ( muscles not strong) or something else. There is no shame if there are learning differences than you can get the help your son needs.
No way would I be forcing my kid to do two hours of work every night in the first grade. He will learn to hate school and that is a shame. My niece is also like your son and now in 4th really hates it. Pediatricians really aren't experts in this area so I would take their advice with a grain of salt. |
Anonymous
This. What does the Pediatrician mean by aloof? Strange choice of words. |
Anonymous
|
Beware: there are a number of ill-educated (in terms of developmental knowledge) parents who will chime in to tell you that your child should be doing homework, and lots of it!
Ignore them, and listen to the parents (and teachers) who tell you that homework for young children is useless at best and harmful at worst. Signed, a teacher and parent of young children. |
Anonymous
+1 And yes, have him tested. An OT can tell you if there is a physical issue. |
Anonymous
An OT *will* tell you there's a physical issue. And that he needs therapy. Just a warning. No one has ever done a OT Eval without being told there's an issue. |
Anonymous
| Terrible advice from your pediatrician. Set up a plan with his teacher, ask the school to do an evaluation and show your kid you are on his team. He needs help not discipline. If he could do it, he would. |
Anonymous
Could you break down the two hours for us? |