HW has no benefit in elementary school

[Anonymous]

Well itr would have benefit if teachers paid attention and gave a flip. If teachers took note of which students needed reinforcement on which concepts, and then did something about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I disagree. Homework has some value, one of which is preparing the expectation to do homework. Also, especially in math it does help reinforce the concepts taught in class.

Homework is not "wrecking" schools -- such nonsense and hyperbole. I swear parents today want to coddle kids with their demands for four/five recess and less pressure. Good Lord, expect more from your children. They are capable and want to learn.

+1,000 kids don't learn anything from extra time for play or movement, Good Lord people!

You are completely clueless. Do yourself a favor and research childhood development a bit before you get on here and write utter nonsense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I disagree. Homework has some value, one of which is preparing the expectation to do homework. Also, especially in math it does help reinforce the concepts taught in class.

Homework is not "wrecking" schools -- such nonsense and hyperbole. I swear parents today want to coddle kids with their demands for four/five recess and less pressure. Good Lord, expect more from your children. They are capable and want to learn.

+1,000 kids don't learn anything from extra time for play or movement, Good Lord people!

Said no one with early childhood education education ever.

(Unless you were being sarcastic. In which case, hahaha!)

PP here, I was being snarky - the more play time & moving around the better!

Ok. PHEW!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Being a parent takes lots of extra effort. If you are not willing to put in the effort, why have kids? The things that you do while the kids are young, set the example they will live by. Learning should be both at home and at schools.

This is true, but what does this have to do with homework??

Anonymous wrote:
Schools cannot provide everything.

I don't see anyone saying they should! Please explain this remark -- what made you write it? Did you think someone wants school to 'provide everything'?

Helping your kids with homework is part of parenting. Most parents who complain about it do not want to sit down and help their kids. They'd prefer homework when the kids are older so they do not have to deal with it. That is lazy parenting.

Yes, lots of people expect the schools to provide everything.

It is part of parenting because that is what you grew up remembering. It doesn’t mean it HAS to be part of parenting. And, those that complain about it do so because they see little benefit - NOT because they are lazy. As a teacher, I resent the statement you made.
I truly believe one of the reasons we have such an obesity problem today is because homework, a generally sedentary activity, has become the norm. Students are being assigned more and more homework and have less and less time to be physically active.

+100000

Kids should be outside running around after school. Not cramming in busy work because some knucklehead parents think their kids need piles of worksheets to get ahead.

You don't need to assign worksheets to Kindergarteners to ensure good study habits in older grades. That is ridiculous. The ONLY thing it could accomplish is driving out the joy of school.

-1000 why can't kids do both. Go to the playground for 30-45 minutes after school, come home, have a snack and 20 minutes of homework. Why is it all or nothing? Balance is important.

But why do it at all for such little kids? Zero value.

Plus, 30-45 min is really short after sitting in the classroom for 6 hrs. They are just starting to get some good play started then. Kids need long stretches of unstructured play.

I think it's a crime to assign homework (outside of reading) for grade 2 and below. Questionable value for grade 3-5.

[Anonymous]

2nd grade. 10 minutes a night. Sometimes a math sheet, sometimes a grammar sheet.

It's an appropriate amount. There are also spelling tests and math tests each week...some kids would need to study for those, and some wouldn't. Book reports once a month.

I'm happy w/ it. Would be annoyed if there was no homework and likewise I would be ticked off if there was a ton!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Salon article is a very biased reading of the expert opinion. This is straight from the mouth of Harris Cooper.

http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2010/12/12/stress-and-the-high-school-student/homeworks-diminishing-returns

He recommends a little homework to build study habit. My son is 1st grade and probably spend 5-10 minutes 4 night a week. I think this is correct amount for this age. Nothing before K. 10 minutes k-2 sounds about right.

And yet somehow, generations of kids (including probably most people on DCUM) managed to develop the skills to do homework when homework actually became important to learning round about jr high ... drilling a skill far before a child is ready for it or needs it does not necessarily help. [/quote

Yes. Cooper is a joke.

[Anonymous]

Yes, please stop quoting Cooper on local mom email groups. It just makes you look like you have no idea what you're talking about.

[Anonymous]

The op linked a salon article that mostly relied in Cooper. Tell me who is your guru?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The op linked a salon article that mostly relied in Cooper. Tell me who is your guru?

The professors in my early childhood education master's program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The op linked a salon article that mostly relied in Cooper. Tell me who is your guru?

The professors in my early childhood education master's program.

The article is right on. Cooper does encourage homework, just not "too much". But it's all unnecessary in the very early years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, please stop quoting Cooper on local mom email groups. It just makes you look like you have no idea what you're talking about.

Well then don't send around a salon.com article that incorrectly implies Cooper thinks elementary kids shouldn't have any homework. Cooper recommends 10 minutes of homework for first grade, 20 for second, 30 for third, etc. Who has no idea what they're talking about now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, please stop quoting Cooper on local mom email groups. It just makes you look like you have no idea what you're talking about.

Did you get that MONA email too?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, please stop quoting Cooper on local mom email groups. It just makes you look like you have no idea what you're talking about.

Well then don't send around a salon.com article that incorrectly implies Cooper thinks elementary kids shouldn't have any homework. Cooper recommends 10 minutes of homework for first grade, 20 for second, 30 for third, etc. Who has no idea what they're talking about now?

I haven't posted anything about it.

He's a hack.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's a difference between studying and busywork. Most of what kids are assigned for homework is busywork. When kids get to college and they are expected to study with nobody collecting assignments, they often struggle. Elementary homework should be read for minimum of 30 minutes, ideally an hour in upper elementary and probably done math fact practice (but not necessarily by worksheet). Spelling words can be practice by going over them with a parent, no need to do a word search or crossword puzzle. And don't even get me started on teachers who assign students to write every word in a sentence without stipulating quality and approx. length of sentences. I've seen students write the sentence "I am hopeless" as their sentence and they weren't being sarcastic.

Some kids like the word searches and crossword puzzles. We do spelling tests where everyone takes the test and make it fun. Busy work creates good work habits. It also shows them they can be successful. I see the benefit with my child.

Then give your kid your own busy work. Some parents don't like the school intruding on their family life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PreK and kindergarten homework should be limited to things like:

Go outside and count how many bees and butterflies you see. Draw a picture of them pollinating a flower.

Count the numbers of windows and doors in your house. Which number is greater?

Have a grown up help you cook a recipe. How many fractions did you use when cooking? What other types of numbers did you need to know to make your recipe?

Read for 20 minutes and draw a picture about your favorite part of the story. Explain why you liked it, either by writing it and reading what you wrote to a grown up or telling them why you liked the story.
Etc.

Drill and kill worksheets should not be part of homework at that age.

Amen

I don't think worksheets have a place in PreK at all, and ideally not in K bit the kinds of assients you propose that not only take time but require parents to take kids to specific locations are absolutely unacceptable.

You don't have an outside? Windows? Doors? You don't cook dinner?

All of these ideas are perfect "homework" for early childhood education and take no extra effort or resources from parents (assuming you cook dinner in your home at least occasionally).

NP here. This is wholly unnecessary in PreK and K, at least if you have involved, educated parents. Families should be able to decide what activities to do, whether to count doors and windows or go to the Museum of Natural History, or a Nature Center, or play tag, or garden. School doesn't need to dictate what families are doing outside of school hours, especially at that age.