Reply to HW has no benefit in elementary school

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]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.
[/quote]

I figure that the many anti-homework complainers on DCUM are mostly parents of elementary kids or kids even younger than elementary; OP, that seems to be you.

OP, your child is in pre-K. No pre-K has any business sending worksheets home; find a new pre-K since the one you're using sends homework. Or just say that your child is not doing it. It's pre-K. There are no grades.

But beware if you give your child the idea that when "real" elementary school starts, it's fine to not do things you don't like and to treat homework as optional. That's not what you want an elementary kid to pick up as the message here. You've dragged all of elementary into your issues with one pre-K program.

If kids have zero homework until they begin middle school (or if their parents tell them, "Ignore the teachers and don't do what they ask"), they will be utterly slammed by the idea of required homework when they hit middle school. They need to learn that the expectation of doing regular homework is important -- and in MS and HS, homework assignments are part of the class grade. Doing the homework consistently and with real effort can help a kid's overall class grade, both because the assignments themselves get graded, and because they help the kid understand concepts that will turn up on tests and classroom assignments.

If kids don't learn how to deal with homework [i]gradually[/i] as they move into older elementary grades, they will be overwhelmed in middle school.[/quote]

I disagree with much you have written, but one thing I want to address is homework at the MS level. 
Yes, kids have homework at MS.  And, some of the research shows some value in that HW.  But, to think that doing homework at the ES level prepares kids for HW at the MS level is just not true.  MS is different.  Kids learn that right away when they start switching classes every hour or two.  Learning that HW is expected at the MS level is something they can transition to.  As for the grading of HW, I am vehemently against that.  Checking it over for errors - absolutely.  But grading?  No.  The teacher has no earthly way of knowing who did the homework.  A grade a student receives should reflect his/her achievement in learning the content.  Since homework is done at home, who knows if that homework demonstrates STUDENT learning or PARENT learning.  So, the grade could actually be grading what the parent knows.  I realize this is more about what teachers do than what parents do, but it is something that parents should advocate for, IMO.  [/quote]

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