Posted on 11/13/2004 4:04:54 PM PST by Marinefamilyx3
To The Editor: I have a daughter in first grade in Henderson County schools. She gets off the bus at 4 p.m., dinner around 5:30, and bath/bed by 8 p.m.
That in itself is a busy enough night. But she has spelling words (writing 10 words five times each), reading a book (first grade, 100 words), nursery rhyme, memorization goals.
Where does family time, playtime, or just sit and stare time go? And then there are families with multiple children in school. And you can forget it if they participate in Scouts, dance, sports. There's just no time!
We spend at least 1.5 to two hours a night on homework. My child is 6 years old! With barely enough patience to sit through an episode of Pokemon.
I can't blame the teachers. Sorry, but I can't. The schools are overloaded, the classrooms at capacity. And then you throw in the language barriers, and various learning disabilities, and the teachers aren't able to do their jobs.
So we're having to do it at home. There has got to be something that can be done within our schools to get this problem under control.
I agree. And I am glad you pointed that out.
Homeschooling is not for everyone.
Just like me and cooking. It will never happen!!
Why do you think your laissez faire attitude towards helping the child do work is appropriate?
Secondly, there IS such a thing as too much homework.
In SOME public schools this may be true - but not all.
Painting all public schools with such a broad brush is the same thing as saying any parent who doesn't homeschool shouldn't be a parent.
There are good public schools and there are also parents not equipped to homeschool. I should know because my daughter is in the former because I am the latter.
I have terrific respect, with a few reservations, for those who wish to homeschool. I don't want to. Call me selfish or what you will, but my kids go to an outstanding school (one of the teachers was nominated Oklahoma Teacher of the Year this last month.)
They both have perfect attendance and are straight A students. They participate in the Science Fair (Blue ribbons every time) with projects that THEY thought up and we helped them with. They are happy, popular kids who get to be around people of many different backgrounds. Additionally, we get to debunk the junk they hear at times.
They have gone to Private schools (Montessori) in the past and I will take PS anytime.
Everyone needs to do what is right for their kids. PS is fine for mine.
Isn't it a shame that the only solution is homeschooling?
Wouldn't it be more appropriate for homework to be scaled back?
LOL!!!!!!!! there are folks that think I live to cook.
My daughter excels in reading and math in part because she helps me in the kitchen - reading recipes and measuring ingredients. Granted it adds time to recipes, but that doesn't matter.
I may not be homeschool caliber - but that doesn't mean I don't teach.
We shouldn't have a national education policy at all. It's unconstitutional.
My son is in third grade, and I've been shocked at the amount of homework he's had the last two years (less this year, surprisingly). I remember that when I went through school fourth grade was the year we all dreaded because we knew the fourth graders had homework. First through third had no homework.
But maybe that's why I'm dumb enough to vote for Bush ;-}
Say what you will, government school in NC are among the worst.
I believe there are three things basic to a good elementary education.
1.A teacher fully comptent in her art....If teaching math...she/he should know it backwards and forwards.
2. A proven curriculum, tried and true, and not some new experiment from the NEA like new math and phonetic spelling.
3. dicipline in the classroom.
I am told that in the schools here in Western NC, item 3. is assured and one teacher friend from an exceptional public school system in the N.E and now subbing here said she had never seen such polite children as here in the mountains.
The other two issues seem hopeless....
Look to the over 100 year stranglehold of democrats in Raleigh state government for the answer.
I've tried the cooking in kitchen for learning. It didn't work too well for me or my children. We made a BIG mess, and I confused myself!! Why do we need teaspoons anyways?? LOL. Once again, it reaffirmed the message that mommy does not cook!
We use tape measures endlessly, though. Always measuring this, that, or the other. And my girls can come to good estimates of how much paint we need to paint a room.
Your cooking talents are always welcomed here!!
I find it pitiful that the answers generally fell into two categories:
1. Homeschool
or
2. Stop whining and put up with it.
Neither one is very democratic, and begs a question:
This is only of a few who has chosen to speak up, and state that homework is unreasonable for man (most?) public school students. Homework is not the panacea, and it is not the solution to sagging scores, UNLESS the student is not achieving much in school. THOSE students (the under-achievers) probably are not going to learn more at home, because their parents probably cannot (or will not) help them much at home. So, a person speaks up and is given two NON choices.
Why isn't a choice or a suggestion proposed such as below?
Across our nation, district(s) or teacher(s) need to consider altering the amount or type of homework.
It is an absolutely serious matter, because the masses are suffering under the public education 'rule'. Without reasonable answers for the many (many will never homeschool for a multitude of reasons), the masses will suffer. If the masses suffer, so will the nation. We, as a nation, will pay for the poor education which is built upon burdensome unreasonable homework.
Ain't that the truth!!!!!
Like your kids, mine is in an outstanding school as well..........the district we moved to was the major reason we chose to move to this part of Virginia from Delaware.
Everyone is not the same, except in that they make their decisions based upon what they believe is in the best interest of their own children. (alright, not everyone does that, but you know what I mean)
No village is needed - just parents who are paying attention.
Very affluent? Get real. Homeschooling is much cheaper than public school education. And I am a single parent, doing it all by myself.
How do you do that [vouchers] without putting government in control of homeschooling?
When the vouchers law is passed, make it unconditional, and make it so that aspect of it could never be changed.
Many homeschoolers are not affluent!
My husband is forever looking for his tape measure, because our daughter loves to measure things!!! She helped measure the windows with me for curtains. I haven't gone so far yet as to allow her near the fabric with scissors!!!
I'll make a deal with you - I'll send you some fool proof recipes if you can tell me how much paint I need for a project!!! I always either under or overestimate - and usually by a long shot. It's time for me to get the painting gear out again around here.
It also applies to the segment of the population that will downgrade their lifestyle to make this a possibility. My daughter is homeschooling and she is far from affluent, living on a minister's pay.
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