I don't agree at all with assigning homework in the early grades. My 1st grader chooses to do it. I applaud his work ethic, but his packet is clearly busy work. I'd rather him go outside and play after sitting in school all day. Kids need exercise and time to explore and create. But if he wants to do it, so be it. I honestly wish he didn't want to do it.

My 5th grader does his homework these days because the assignments are mostly well thought out and creative, His teacher is highly engaging. However, we had years where we were selective about which assignments to complete. If it was busy work, I prioritized playtime. If it was too difficult to be completed independently, I wrote the teacher a note.

Some people interpret my dislike for homework to mean education is not important to me. We highly value education in our house. We just have a different idea of how children learn.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am amazed about how cavalier people on this thread are about homework. What a horrible message to send to your kids. How arrogant. "I'll decide if my child does homework or not. The rules don't apply to us." Ugh. I hate people like you.

OP here. This is how I feel. I'm not a rule follower but I think it's important that my kids know that certain things just need to be done. I think it also helps go over things they learned that day. If teachers give zero for missing homework wouldn't more kids fail the grade? My first grader gets a lot of homework. Every night he has to read a book, a sheet of math, a sheet of English and a spelling test on Friedays.

This. I view homework in early elementary grades mostly as habit formation, and secondarily as a means of reinforcing whatever is going on in the classroom. Unless there is a very compelling reason, such as moral/ethical issues with a specific assignment or a family emergency, my kids will do the homework that is assigned (at least until high school when realistically some prioritization may have to happen, letting an occasional less important assignment slide in favor of a larger or more significant one).

Oh I didn't know you could get into an Ivy League without knowing math or English. Then again I guess you can pay your kids way through anything.

Ha, for the record, DH is a college professor. I don't know what opting out of bullshit lower elementary school homework has to do with college assignments or toileting needs. The children at our private school frequently attend elite universities. I am not terribly concerned about these colleges assigning word searches. Imagine making it into the Ivy League without first grade worksheets. Blows your mind, I know. Happy New Year!

I'm not sure how learning to add and spell correctly is meaningless drivel? Explain that one?? Should you not learn English first before you start Japanese?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well teacher, you will not need to give our child a zero because we send them to an school where they don't assign meaningless drivel. Further, there is no homework in the early years.

But when will you stop wiping their ass? What if their college professor assigns them "meaningless drivel?" What then?

This.

Anonymous wrote:Well teacher, you will not need to give our child a zero because we send them to an school where they don't assign meaningless drivel. Further, there is no homework in the early years.

But when will you stop wiping their ass? What if their college professor assigns them "meaningless drivel?" What then?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Of course I toss out homework. After it gets graded and returned by the teacher. I keep the most original ones.

Really? We are halfway through the year and I have a ton of returned homework and worksheets.
How do you decide was to toss? I hate to throw any of it away but I also can't see keeping it all.

Different poster here, but to this I ask "REALLY?!?!" How do you decide to keep anything at all? What are you keeping it for? My kid is in sixth grade and she keeps the stuff she'll need for midterms/finals and that's it - at the end of each quarter we toss everything else.

It is my only child. He is in K so everything seems so cute it makes it hard to toss. As I mentioned I know I can't keep it all. I'll toss about 10% now. At the end of the year I will likely go through it all and keep a few choice things like a PP mentioned. Things that are great or I know he would get a kick out of seeing when he is older.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am amazed about how cavalier people on this thread are about homework. What a horrible message to send to your kids. How arrogant. "I'll decide if my child does homework or not. The rules don't apply to us." Ugh. I hate people like you.

OP here. This is how I feel. I'm not a rule follower but I think it's important that my kids know that certain things just need to be done. I think it also helps go over things they learned that day. If teachers give zero for missing homework wouldn't more kids fail the grade? My first grader gets a lot of homework. Every night he has to read a book, a sheet of math, a sheet of English and a spelling test on Friedays.

See, and I think it's important that my kids learn critical thinking skills and to be able to realize "This is bullshit and won't benefit me at all." But while they're too young to realize that I'll do it for them. I rather my middle school kid try to teach herself clarinet and Japanese and back walkovers and coding (current interests).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Of course I toss out homework. After it gets graded and returned by the teacher. I keep the most original ones.

Really? We are halfway through the year and I have a ton of returned homework and worksheets.
How do you decide was to toss? I hate to throw any of it away but I also can't see keeping it all.

Different poster here, but to this I ask "REALLY?!?!" How do you decide to keep anything at all? What are you keeping it for? My kid is in sixth grade and she keeps the stuff she'll need for midterms/finals and that's it - at the end of each quarter we toss everything else.

That was supposed to be *an independent school*. Life is all about choices. I choose for my child not to be in your class.

Well teacher, you will not need to give our child a zero because we send them to an school where they don't assign meaningless drivel. Further, there is no homework in the early years.

Anonymous wrote:I am amazed about how cavalier people on this thread are about homework. What a horrible message to send to your kids. How arrogant. "I'll decide if my child does homework or not. The rules don't apply to us." Ugh. I hate people like you.

OP here. This is how I feel. I'm not a rule follower but I think it's important that my kids know that certain things just need to be done. I think it also helps go over things they learned that day. If teachers give zero for missing homework wouldn't more kids fail the grade? My first grader gets a lot of homework. Every night he has to read a book, a sheet of math, a sheet of English and a spelling test on Friedays.

Anonymous wrote:Two of my kids have LDs When they come home, they're exhausted. They've given their best at school and are done by the time they get home. I'm not going to push homework - for what purpose. Research is pretty clear that homework at the elementary grades provides little benefit. And, my kids have private therapy appointments after school. There's no way I'm pushing homework on those days.

At the beginning of the school year, I make sure the teachers are aware of what my kids do after school and my position on homework. We also have it written into the kids' IEPs that home work will be kept to a minimum and that time will be made available during the school day if it's required.

Yep. This is our case as well.

I had zero homework until third grade. Homework in younger grades is pointless.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Of course I toss out homework.

After it gets graded and returned by the teacher.

I keep the most original ones.

Really? We are halfway through the year and I have a ton of returned homework and worksheets.
How do you decide was to toss? I hate to throw any of it away but I also can't see keeping it all.

80% of it goes in the recycling. 10% are exceptional work that I keep out of maternal pride, and 10% are just funny, whether intentionally or not, and are characteristic of my son.