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What happens in MCPS (and others) if your child does not do the homework,
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Anonymous
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but does well on tests.
We are thinking of switching form private to public, but I am concerned about the homework volume in public schools. My son does well in school, and I see no reason for him to do all of the math problems I see our neighbor's child going through. What do you think the reaction would be if we did say half of the homework, but he also did well in class. That is, will there be a punishment? BTW, the reason we probably won't get through everything is we do music and swimming that takes up lots of time. |
Anonymous
| Yes, he will be penalized for not doing his homework; it's not optional. With that said, I don't know how much they will ding him. How old is he? If he is middle school or older, I would expect a pretty harsh penalty. |
Anonymous
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Homework is no more than 10% of the student's grade.
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/grading/ Keep in mind, however, that your son's after school activities should not be an excuse - especially when he reaches the upper grades - b/c much of the homework assigned (esp. in honors, AP or IB courses) are more than just reinforcement. |
Anonymous
PP here again - The policy is for MCPS schools. |
Anonymous
| At our MCPS ES, kids are kept in from recess if they don't finish their homework. |
Anonymous
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He is in 4th grade.
Not making excuses by mentioning the activities, it is just impossible for us to get through that much homework and make it to the practices and so on. Thanks for the info. |
Anonymous
Oy. Well, I might have to finish it for him. |
Anonymous
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It varies a great deal by teacher. We are in FCPS, but on nights when my DD has been truly working long and hard (and not goofing off) and she's been at it for over an hour, I tell her to stop and I write a note to the teacher. He says that is sufficient for it to not "count" against them.
But in general if they don't finish their homework, they will have to stay in at recess and finish it or may miss out on special class "prizes" for getting all their work done. |
Anonymous
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If "we" did half the homework?
Impossible for "us" to get through that much? Did I miss the post where you were also enrolled in fourth grade? Or are you perhaps having a wee bit of trouble separating your son's interests and responsibilities from your own? |
Anonymous
I want my kids to have fun outside of school. I see that homework load as a potential problem. Of course I would work with him in areas if he has difficulty, but if he wants to swim and play music and does well in school with minimal effort, what is the problem? "we" and "us" meaning I supervise the homework. |
Anonymous
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4th grade should be 40 minutes of homework. If that's too much, you guys should work on time management. I understand that some nights it can take longer, but in general, a student should be able to get the homework done and still have time for activities, dinner, a shower, etc.
I see it as a life lesson. It is very important to have a well-rounded child, but also to learn about priorities. A child's "job" is going to school. They need to be able to complete their work before enjoying outside activities. I can't imagine what my boss would say if I didn't get a project done because of my golf lessons. Some will see this as completely different, but I see it as preparing a child for the future. |
Anonymous
Homework before high school is pointless. I agree with OP; that's a huge drawback to public schools. 
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Anonymous
| I disagree, 11:49. It gives a teacher information about whether or not a student is retaining the information at home, in a different setting. Some students understand a new concept in class, then get home and struggle a bit. Letting the teacher know that a student struggled (if you worked with them or corrected their work with them) or leaving the homework as is and letting the teacher see for him/herself is important information. Similarly, if a child is taking longer than the expected time frame to complete the homework, maybe they are having too much difficulty. |
Anonymous
| 11:58 here. I forgot to add that maybe the teacher is assigning too much homework. If a child is taking longer than 10 minutes per grade level and not seeming to have difficulty, a parent should talk to the teacher and see why so much is being assigned. |
Anonymous
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Which child gets the dumb homework done in that 10 minutes per grade level?
Agree that homework is a waste of time. |