Homework isn't supposed to be challenging. It's supposed to be reinforcement of skills learned in class. Kids should be able to do it independently. It doesn't mean your kids aren't being challenged in class.

I felt the opposite PP. My son also learned quickly or already knew most of what was being taught in ES. He did barely any work and got straight As. Great....until middle school when the work was actually challenging (he switched from public to private) and since he had developed lazy habits, he was crushed under the work load. It took a good 2 yrs to dig out. Not challenging kids could backfire. I have no idea if this describes the OP's child but I would meet with the teacher to discuss it in person.

Apparently I'm in the minority but I wasn't overly bothered by how challenged my kids were (or were not, really) in school. Throughout elementary school and at least most of middle school, two of my kids either knew the material before it was taught, or grasped it with 90+% accuracy very quickly the first time a new concept was taught; from the time report cards with grades were instituted both of them got straight A's until sometime in high school. This may be a somewhat cynical viewpoint but they and I were all quietly happy that they could grasp the necessary material and get excellent grades with little effort. They took the most advanced options available to them once differentiation was an option from 3rd grade on, of course, but if kids already know what is necessary, or more, for their grade I personally don't see a reason to want more or harder schoolwork for them since the same result (an A on their record for the grade they're in's class/subject) will come from doing an excellent job on just the assigned classwork and doing the same excellent job on much harder work.

Personally, we preferred for school to be fairly easy and enrichment to be an individual or family matter where we could customize it to fit the kids' interests. If you're confident he's at or above grade level on all Language Arts skills, I would suggest just have your child do what's needed for the school homework (if it's not challenging, it won't take long) and then enjoy reading whatever he wants in his own time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
What crappy teaching. The teacher should allow your child to read what interests him at home, so that reading continues to be as fun as possible.

Ask for exactly that, OP. Is there any testing score you can based your argument on?

PP here, the one with the 97% comment.

I'm not a big fan of early elementary homework, but we're talking about a reading assignment of 76 words, that OP's kid apparently read fluently. Surely he still has time to read other things.

I've heard of teachers trying to limit everything students read to books that are on level, and that's wrong, but sending home one text at a time that a kid can read fluently is not anywhere close to the same thing.

OP here. I'm just hoping this is what the teacher is doing, and not that my child isn't reading for his teacher as he reads for me. I'm afraid he might be shy to read for her (afraid he will get a word wrong or something.) Though I ask and he says he reads the same kind of books with his teacher and "never slips up" on words.

Have you asked the teacher how he's doing with reading specifically? I find that the best way to handle these questions is if you have a good relationship with the teacher. I usually stop in every few weeks to ask how my child is doing and if there is anything I need to work with him on at home.

Anonymous wrote:
What crappy teaching. The teacher should allow your child to read what interests him at home, so that reading continues to be as fun as possible.

Ask for exactly that, OP. Is there any testing score you can based your argument on?

Lol, I'm pretty sure the teacher is not preventing the child from reading what interests him at home. His parents would be the ones allow/disallow that, and it sounds like he does get to read what he chooses.