Homework Question

[littlebeast13]

Face it--you're old no matter WHAT I say...

Tell me about it! My back's still killing me from that first Prison Throw session 2 weeks ago....

lb13

You were supposed to use the catapult, not just brute strength.....

Well, I replaced my old, decrepit computer chair after that... but while the back was broken and dangling well behind the chair on the old one, this one has a back that doesn't recline at all. I can't seem to win....

I should know better than to shop where I work....

lb13

[PlacentiaSoccerMom]

Does your discount work at Sam's Club? They have nice chairs.

[littlebeast13]

Does your discount work at Sam's Club? They have nice chairs.

No, but I think we get a discounted membership.

Unfortunately, I'd be done in by my cheapness....

lb13

[Bob78164]

The Little Guy is assigned homework every day. Getting him to do it, on the other hand, is another issue entirely. We haven't found anything yet that works consistently. --Bob

[BackInTex]

[quote="peacock2121
I wonder if I will ever learn.[/quote]

I wonder that as well.

[Appa23]

I guess that I should have noted that The Boy had homework every day at his school last year, and that was Kindergarten.

Rarely does PP have homework in Kindergarten this year. So, we assign her homework, working on math and reading with her. (I think that I previously mentioned that we are not as impressed with this Kindergarten teacher.)

Jack does his homework on the 10-15 minute bus ride home. If he doesn't do it then, he does it as soon as he gets home.

Oh, we also had our first dose of "standardized" testing this week, although Nebraska has been a "rebel state" on the NCLB. It allows each district to give its own tests and access its own results.

[MarleysGh0st]

I guess that I should have noted that The Boy had homework every day at his school last year, and that was Kindergarten.

If you're going to keep calling Jack "The Boy" should we start calling you Homer?

[minimetoo26]

Oh, we also had our first dose of "standardized" testing this week, although Nebraska has been a "rebel state" on the NCLB. It allows each district to give its own tests and access its own results.

If you're going to keep calling Jack "The Boy" should we start calling you Homer?

If he refuses to admit he misspells sometimes....

[mrkelley23]

Oh, we also had our first dose of "standardized" testing this week, although Nebraska has been a "rebel state" on the NCLB. It allows each district to give its own tests and access its own results.

If you're going to keep calling Jack "The Boy" should we start calling you Homer?

If he refuses to admit he misspells sometimes....

No, no that's exactly the word he meant to us.

The districts give the tests, and then, by the grace of God, they're allowed to look at the results.

[Appa23]

Oh, we also had our first dose of "standardized" testing this week, although Nebraska has been a "rebel state" on the NCLB. It allows each district to give its own tests and access its own results.

If you're going to keep calling Jack "The Boy" should we start calling you Homer?

If he refuses to admit he misspells sometimes....

D'OH!

Yes, that should have been "assess its own results", not "access its own results." Although, I imagine that they easily can access the results, as well.

[mrkelley23]

Oh, we also had our first dose of "standardized" testing this week, although Nebraska has been a "rebel state" on the NCLB. It allows each district to give its own tests and access its own results.

If you're going to keep calling Jack "The Boy" should we start calling you Homer?

If he refuses to admit he misspells sometimes....

D'OH!

Yes, that should have been "assess its own results", not "access its own results." Although, I imagine that they easily can access the results, as well.

Nice!

Acknowledge it, correct it, even throw in a relevant bit of humor. There may be hope for you yet!

[Appa23]

I may have some questions for you later.

My wife is helping chair the "Enrichment" committee for our new school. Essentially, since this is the first year, we (o.k. they) will be quickly trying to figure out what they want the school to be. Focus of the instruction, "selling points", essentially the whole nine yards of trying to make it the best school possible.

[mrkelley23]

I should've answered this question earlier. My kids get varying amounts of homework. #1 finishes his before he even leaves school, usually. #2 has his share, but it usually only comes down to twice a week or so. #3 has much more, but it's usually because he got distracted at school and daydreamed the class away, and therefore didn't get the in-class work done.

As for the classes I teach, I think parents like Appa would say I don't give enough. In sympathy for my own busy-work-hating days, though, I put the burden back on the kids I teach, mostly. I tell them what they're expected to know, and when to know it by, and then quiz or test them over it. If they haven't kept up, they won't do well on the quizzes. I can get away with that in high school -- not so much in lower grades.

But I do think homework is overdone these days. Here's one reason, that's true in my state, at least. When I was in school, we had to take six classes a day. By our senior year, we could take a "free seventh" if we wanted, which cut it down to 5. The classes were longer, too, so we got more work done in class, leaving less time necessary for homework.

Now we have 7 classes a day in high school, 8 in middle school. There are no "free sevenths" and half as long for lunch. The classes are shorter, so many teachers feel like they have to assign lots of homework just to cover all the content.

Personally, I did more learning when I was left to my own devices, rather than being forced to do the equivalent of Harry Potter's "writing lines." Yes, drill and practice are necessary, but inwidely varying doses for different kids.

[PlacentiaSoccerMom]

I may have some questions for you later.

I am sure that nobody around here will have any opinions.

[PlacentiaSoccerMom]

Now we have 7 classes a day in high school, 8 in middle school. There are no "free sevenths" and half as long for lunch. The classes are shorter, so many teachers feel like they have to assign lots of homework just to cover all the content.

That's a lot of classes.

Maddie had 7 classes a day in Middle School (English, Social Studies, Science, Math, PE and two electives).

In High School, the norm is six classes per year, which she is taking. Because she has to get a Health class out of the way, she will be taking it this summer. (Apparently she also gets 5 units credit from Mock Trial, which would be six and a half classes, but I haven't seen it show up on her transcript yet.)

[Appa23]

I may have some questions for you later.

I am sure that nobody around here will have any opinions.

LOL. I have thought about starting a different thread, asking everyone to describe their "ideal" school. (Much like my college political theory course where the final was a massive paper constructing your own "utopian" society.)

I am interested in what the varying parents (sorry Marley) and teachers look for (wish for) in an elementary school.

[mrkelley23]

I may have some questions for you later.

My wife is helping chair the "Enrichment" committee for our new school. Essentially, since this is the first year, we (o.k. they) will be quickly trying to figure out what they want the school to be. Focus of the instruction, "selling points", essentially the whole nine yards of trying to make it the best school possible.

If this was addressed to me, feel free. I think it was, but it shows up in message thread above my message, which seemed odd.

But I'll be happy to provide my input. It's what I do best, after all.

Or second best, depending on to whom you talk (take THAT, grammar police!)

[PlacentiaSoccerMom]

LOL. I have thought abotu starting a different thread, asking everyone to describe their "ideal" school. (Much like my college political theory course where the final was a massive paper constructing your own "utopian" society.)

I am interested in what the varying parents (sorry Marley) and teachers look for (wish for) in an elementary school.

Watch out for the fuzz.

[mrkelley23]

LOL. I have thought abotu starting a different thread, asking everyone to describe their "ideal" school. (Much like my college political theory course where the final was a massive paper constructing your own "utopian" society.)

I am interested in what the varying parents (sorry Marley) and teachers look for (wish for) in an elementary school.

Watch out for the fuzz.

Nonononono. You misunderstand. That's Swahili for "about."

[Appa23]

As for the classes I teach, I think parents like Appa would say I don't give enough.

Of course, I would. If I had to slog though it, then so should they.

I can remember Junior Year Physics requiring a minimum of one hour for homework, and often many, many more. Senior Physics (same teacher, but credit through Creighton Univ.) probably was 1-2 hours. Other homework probably ran 2 hours a night.

That "sadistic" physics teacher now is the Abbot. (So, I imagine that the girls now have to call him Abbot What-a-Waste, rather than Father What-a-Waste)

IIRC, my high school also had seven periods, running 50 minutes each. 30 minutes for lunch.

[Spelling Police]

LOL. I have thought abotu starting a different thread, asking everyone to describe their "ideal" school.

Violation.

[mrkelley23]

As for the classes I teach, I think parents like Appa would say I don't give enough.

Of course, I would. If I had to slog though it, then so should they.

I can remember Junior Year Physics requiring a minimum of one hour for homework, and often many, many more. Senior Physics (same teacher, but credit through Creighton Univ.) probably was 1-2 hours. Other homework probably ran 2 hours a night.

That "sadistic" physics teacher now is the Abbot. (So, I imagine that the girls now have to call him Abbot What-a-Waste, rather than Father What-a-Waste)

IIRC, my high school also had seven periods, running 50 minutes each. 30 minutes for lunch.

Yeah, but you're a young pup, IIRC. I graduated in 1978.

Hee's my reasoning. The standard in college has always been 2 hours of time outside of class for every hour in class. I know high school teachers who try to enforce this standard. What they forget is a.) we spend a LOT more time in class than colleges do, and b.) time in a collegiate class is rarely wasted on things like attendance-taking, discipline, etc. I figure an average college class is in session about 2-2.5 hours per week. That means from 6-7.5 hours per week total instruction+homework time. I'm in class 4-5 hours per week, depending on schedule and time of day, so I expect 2-2.5 hours per week of homework, or at most, a half-hour per day. That's at the intro level. My AP class, which is supposed ot be college level, assumes a little more.

[Appa23]

My son apparently learned that there is an exception to the "no homework on Wednesday nights" rule.

On Wednesdays, the first part of the afternoon is spent on IDEA (Individualized Development and Educational Assessment, IIRC). It is a time when the students from one class go to another teacher's class, plus they have broken down the students into smaller "peer level" groups. [They asked my wife to come in and assist with the groups, especially as they prepared for the writing assessment tests).

He is in a group of 4 students (out of the 5 classes) that is reading well beyond grade level. They were assigned a book on dolphins to read on Wednesday nigh, plus a book report that was due the next day.

He was not happy about it.

[MarleysGh0st]

Jack is in a group of 4 students (out of the 5 classes) that is reading well beyond grade level. They were assigned a book on dolphins to read on Wednesday nigh, plus a book report that was due the next day.

He was not happy about it.

Understandably so.

How can he finish Half Blood Prince if he's given these interruptions?

[ladysoleil]

A prayer of thanksgiving for a life without foot injuries caused by Legos or having to spend an hour before bed cleaning a bathroom floor of the WD-40 that a daughter sprayed on it b/c she was bored.

Funny, I don't have kids but my roommates do goofy things like this all the time. Perhaps children might be easier to deal with, on the whole.

I would still like to know which roommate has been leaving pistachio shells in the shower. I could see perhaps eating in the shower, if one was eating something that would still be tasty after a deluge, but I'm not understanding the logistics on this one. Oh, and the red dye from the shells leaves quite a ring around the bathtub.

On topic to your question, I know many teachers and they all assign homework every night, mostly worksheet sort of stuff to cover the "teaching to the standardized tests" mandate, unfortunately. When I was a youngun in GATE myself, I had 2-3 hours of homework each night, so it seems like that's not so uncommon.