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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]just wondering why the worksheets are bad? mine enjoys doing them and generally takes 10 minutes.[/quote]

They are not bad for your child.

They are bad for the many children — and the families of children — who don’t enjoy them, because then it’s a struggle with no benefit.  (Research says it doesn’t help learning.)[/quote]

But is that because the worksheets are "bad" for these kids or is it because these children are struggling with something on the worksheet, which is what makes them unpleasant? So for instance, if a kid struggles with letters or numbers (maybe simply because they are still working on these concepts, which is fine, or because they might have an LD like dyslexia) doing a worksheet could be really not fun. But then that's useful information for a parent that they might not have gotten if a teacher had not sent home a worksheet. And you now have the opportunity to explore why this feels frustrating or why it's a struggle, and that's probably something that needs to happen if a kid is struggling to complete a worksheet with some basic concepts.

Also, for kids who DO like worksheets, they might not be learning directly from them, but I have observed that the process of successfully completing worksheets can feel really satisfying to them and encourage a love of learning. People always talk about worksheets like they are drudgery, but I've watched kids complete a phonics or math worksheet and get very excited, or ask for another. That doesn't seem like "no benefit" to me.[/quote]

I completely agree with this. My first grader doesn't mind worksheets because they're easy and quick for her. And "new math" is so different that I feel like I need to see what AND HOW they're doing things to have any clue as to what's going on. It's all pretty straightforward at this stage, but I know that I'll be totally lost in a few years if I'm not familiar with the foundational techniques they're building now. And if she was struggling, I would want to see with what exactly so I could help. How else would you get that understanding if not through homework? Ours is optional and we skip it if we just run out of time, but at least it's there if we need it.[/quote]

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