I hate homework!!!

nursesheri
nursesheri Member Posts: 50
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Why is it that my children's homework stresses ME out? I want care free summer days and nights back.

Comments

  • HollyID
    HollyID Member Posts: 946 Member
    #2
    Sheri...
    I so feel your pain.

    You know that show, "Are you smarter than a 5th grader?" I'd lose.

    I never thought I was smart enough to help my kids with their homework. Honestly, my daughter had to tutor me through college algebra when she was a 6th grader. When I took stats, I asked her to help me again, that time she told me no... she was in calculus and just knew I'd make her regress. LOL
  • Lovekitties
    Lovekitties Member Posts: 3,364 Member
    #3
    It doesn't stop there!
    I get calls from my grandkids to help with homework!

    They are doing stuff I don't have a clue with...thank goodness for the internet!
  • AnneCan
    AnneCan Member Posts: 3,673 Member
    #4
    How true! One of our
    How true! One of our newspapers, I think it was the Toronto Star, did a huge story about this ~ 1 year ago - some parents were so stressed they were going to their kids' schools to complain there was too much homework + in some cases the schools were agreeing to give less. When I was young, my parents were not as involved in our schoolwork as we have been with our kids'. Now, often both parents work, + come home to household duties, making dinner + HOMEWORK.
  • Nana b
    Nana b Member Posts: 3,030 Member
    #5
    AnneCan said:

    How true! One of our
    How true! One of our newspapers, I think it was the Toronto Star, did a huge story about this ~ 1 year ago - some parents were so stressed they were going to their kids' schools to complain there was too much homework + in some cases the schools were agreeing to give less. When I was young, my parents were not as involved in our schoolwork as we have been with our kids'. Now, often both parents work, + come home to household duties, making dinner + HOMEWORK.

    Oh gosh! I could not do it
    Oh gosh! I could not do it again. My oldest took an hour to digest a paragraph....with my help! Thank Goodness she is in college now and not asking for help!! :-)
  • khl8
    khl8 Member Posts: 807
    #6
    Nana b said:

    Oh gosh! I could not do it
    Oh gosh! I could not do it again. My oldest took an hour to digest a paragraph....with my help! Thank Goodness she is in college now and not asking for help!! :-)

    It really is not right, we
    It really is not right, we as parents paid our dues with homework, we should not have to do it again. And if these teachers could see what it is like on homes across the country they would understand. Luckily my son graduated in June, so I am done! But my niegbors son came home from the first day of his senior year with an entire packet of questions abouthim that his parents needed to fill out, not registration info, just things like "when your child was younger, tell us a story" ! I think not!
    Kathy
  • lisa42
    lisa42 Member Posts: 3,625 Member
    #7
    me too!
    Sheri,

    I totally feel the same, and I'm (was) a teacher! I taught 5th grade the 5 years prior to my quitting with the cancer dx. I've also taught 1st grade, 2nd grade, 4th grade, and 6th grade! After my own kids got old enough to have regular homework, I realized how rough it is on a family. I wasn't blessed with the type of children who just dubiously do their homework and get it done quickly and easily. Homework in my household is a dreaded word and we've had many, many evenings of being up far too late trying to finish up all the work (some of which was just crappy busy work that didn't seem neccessary or helpful for learning). Now that I have chemo brain, I really can't even help my kids with anything math or science- my brain just can't grasp it anymore- that makes me so sad. Anyhow, after my own kids were in school getting regular homework, I actually became much more conscious of the types of assignments I gave to my own students, although I still definitely assigned homework because it was expected. It amazes me that some parents expect and wants lots of homework assigned to their kids- I actually had a few different times where I got a parent who complained because I didn't assign work over the Christmas break, Thanksgiving, etc. Then, I'd always have something their kid could do, but I would tell those parents that I wasn't going to assign work over a holiday for the whole class just because they wanted their child to have the homework then. I could never understand that- what don't they understand about the word vacation or holiday? Would they want their boss giving them work to do on their day off? What always gets to me now especially, is that the middle school and high school here have teachers who regularly assign weekend homework. Last year my son and daughter had math and science homework assigned every Friday, due Monday morning. I HATE that and NEVER assigned weekend homework to my students! If there had been a project assigned, they had the option of working on it on the weekends, but I never made something due on a Monday or the first day back after a holiday.
    I really am not looking forward to it starting all up again! In fact, I have gotten so adamently opposed to homework lately, that I don't know I could even go back and be a teacher (if I was even able to), just because I don't want to be "one of those people who causes children and families misery". Isn't that awful that I feel that way now about teaching and homework, when I loved teaching and taught for 20 years?! I guess especially with cancer now, I've just realized that school is NOT everything and having quality time with your family together is WAY more important. I definitely believe that quality learning can take place without homework. Reports or projects assigned outside of school are definitely needed, but regular busy work just doesn't cut it! I know of families in my area who started home schooling their kids just to avoid having evening and weekend homework cut into their family life. I actually even gave thought to doing that last year with my 14 yr old, who was having a hard time ever doing any of her work. She still is having a hard time & I just don't know how she's going to do this year in high school, where definitely a lot is expected. She's really not wanting to be homeschooled (and, frankly, I'm not capable of doing it now- too many dr appts, chemo, feeling tired, etc.)
    The school district where I taught did get many, many parents going to the school board complaining about too much homework. So, the board sent out a parent survey to question the amount of homework their kids were being assigned and what they thought of it, etc. The board compiled the results and their report said (which I still don't believe) was that 80% of the parents reported that the amount of homework and time spent on school work was "just about right". So the board did not end up issuing any change in the homework policy to the teachers. The state of California does have homework guidelines- starting with a 1/2 hr in kindergarten and increasing by a 1/2 hr per grade. I still think that could get to be too much by the higher grades, plus not all kids work diligently. Some kids take 2 hours to do what another child could accomplish in a 1/2 hour.
    Oh, I'm praying right now for a stressfree school year for my kids and me!

    Lisa
  • imagineit2010
    imagineit2010 Member Posts: 152 Member
    #8
    lisa42 said:

    me too!
    Sheri,

    I totally feel the same, and I'm (was) a teacher! I taught 5th grade the 5 years prior to my quitting with the cancer dx. I've also taught 1st grade, 2nd grade, 4th grade, and 6th grade! After my own kids got old enough to have regular homework, I realized how rough it is on a family. I wasn't blessed with the type of children who just dubiously do their homework and get it done quickly and easily. Homework in my household is a dreaded word and we've had many, many evenings of being up far too late trying to finish up all the work (some of which was just crappy busy work that didn't seem neccessary or helpful for learning). Now that I have chemo brain, I really can't even help my kids with anything math or science- my brain just can't grasp it anymore- that makes me so sad. Anyhow, after my own kids were in school getting regular homework, I actually became much more conscious of the types of assignments I gave to my own students, although I still definitely assigned homework because it was expected. It amazes me that some parents expect and wants lots of homework assigned to their kids- I actually had a few different times where I got a parent who complained because I didn't assign work over the Christmas break, Thanksgiving, etc. Then, I'd always have something their kid could do, but I would tell those parents that I wasn't going to assign work over a holiday for the whole class just because they wanted their child to have the homework then. I could never understand that- what don't they understand about the word vacation or holiday? Would they want their boss giving them work to do on their day off? What always gets to me now especially, is that the middle school and high school here have teachers who regularly assign weekend homework. Last year my son and daughter had math and science homework assigned every Friday, due Monday morning. I HATE that and NEVER assigned weekend homework to my students! If there had been a project assigned, they had the option of working on it on the weekends, but I never made something due on a Monday or the first day back after a holiday.
    I really am not looking forward to it starting all up again! In fact, I have gotten so adamently opposed to homework lately, that I don't know I could even go back and be a teacher (if I was even able to), just because I don't want to be "one of those people who causes children and families misery". Isn't that awful that I feel that way now about teaching and homework, when I loved teaching and taught for 20 years?! I guess especially with cancer now, I've just realized that school is NOT everything and having quality time with your family together is WAY more important. I definitely believe that quality learning can take place without homework. Reports or projects assigned outside of school are definitely needed, but regular busy work just doesn't cut it! I know of families in my area who started home schooling their kids just to avoid having evening and weekend homework cut into their family life. I actually even gave thought to doing that last year with my 14 yr old, who was having a hard time ever doing any of her work. She still is having a hard time & I just don't know how she's going to do this year in high school, where definitely a lot is expected. She's really not wanting to be homeschooled (and, frankly, I'm not capable of doing it now- too many dr appts, chemo, feeling tired, etc.)
    The school district where I taught did get many, many parents going to the school board complaining about too much homework. So, the board sent out a parent survey to question the amount of homework their kids were being assigned and what they thought of it, etc. The board compiled the results and their report said (which I still don't believe) was that 80% of the parents reported that the amount of homework and time spent on school work was "just about right". So the board did not end up issuing any change in the homework policy to the teachers. The state of California does have homework guidelines- starting with a 1/2 hr in kindergarten and increasing by a 1/2 hr per grade. I still think that could get to be too much by the higher grades, plus not all kids work diligently. Some kids take 2 hours to do what another child could accomplish in a 1/2 hour.
    Oh, I'm praying right now for a stressfree school year for my kids and me!

    Lisa

    Only the second week and stressed
    Lisa, you said it all. My kids just started the second week and it's bad already. I have a seventh grade boy and ninth grade girl and they BOTH had weekend homework. Throw in football and cheerleading and they are feeling burned out already. I seriously cannot help with any math. Haven't in a few years. What gets me is all the internet homework. They have to fight over the computer to do assignments online. I can't even use my own computer until they go to bed. (I always stay at work for this kinda stuff.)My kids are like you explained, my son can get his homework done in an hour and my daughter struggles all night which only adds to the stress. I know it's supposed to be kinda hard in school but it's tough to be a parent these days..
    Good luck......
  • PGLGreg
    PGLGreg Member Posts: 731
    #9
    I'm sure I would have a
    I'm sure I would have a totally different take on all this if I had children with homework assignments. I don't. I'm a college teacher who has to deal with students who know less than they would if they hadn't been able to depend on their parents to do their homework. Why do you do your kids' homework? What good is the homework to them if they don't do it? The point to assigning homework is for students to learn something by doing it. If you do it for them, you're not really doing them a favor, because then they don't learn what they were supposed to.

    --Greg

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