Posted on 01/20/2005 5:10:29 AM PST by Obadiah
In an effort to teach educators a lesson about the importance of summer vacation, a Whitnall High School student and his father have filed a lawsuit against the boy's math teacher that seeks to bar teachers from requiring homework over the summer.
In the lawsuit, 17-year-old Peer Larson and his father, Bruce Larson of Hales Corners, argue that school officials have no legal authority to make students do homework over the summer because the state-required 180-day school year is over.
"It is poor public policy," Bruce Larson argues in the lawsuit. "These students are still children, yet they are subjected to increasing pressure to perform to ever-higher standards in numerous theaters.
"Come summer, they need a break."
(Excerpt) Read more at jsonline.com ...
The dad's a weenie. If I were that kid, I would die of embarassment.
This "child" has lots bigger problems than homework with clueless parents like this one!
"These students are still children"
The kid is 17!!! Suck it up
On one hand, I agree that schools have no legal authority to tell kids what to do over the summer. On the other hand, the parents should be making them do math during the summer :-). On the other, other hand, people who file lawsuits like this are noodles.
The school has no authority during the summer.
but if this parent was truly involved, the kid would be doing math/reading/writing over the summer anyway....
I liked this one. Just as soon as the kid turns off the iPod and comes home from hanging out at the mall or doing dope with friends, there might be time for homework. This is so especially sensitive !!
That's three hands, but I still agree with your points.
I borrowed a hand from one of my kids who wandered in :-).
Here is a link to the syllabus for the course I teach:
http://www.webster-info.org/Syllabi.asp?CID=2161
On about the third screen down, depending on your font and window sizes, you will see a 50 page reading assignment, a study guide assignment, and three problems to be submitted by Email BEFORE the first class.
This kid would NOT get any sympathy from me.
I'm just curious … when does the states control of your child end?
Wouldn't it be more convenient for you if they just built dormitories for them and kept them from birth till age 18?
Your argument ignores the fact that other educational options are available.
Ditto!
With people making such comments as these no wonder so many kids just don't give a damn.
I'm with the parent & kid on this one. The teachers certainly 'work' on the basis of a contract with specified calendar limits. Moreover, if the kid wanted to go to summer school, he could enroll in 'summer school', for which he would accumulate extra credit towards graduation. And finally, a 16-17 year old kid in high school honors calculus could damn well spend the summer taking classes at a local university & be earning credits towards a college degree. This is a clear case of the public school overstepping its bounds and IMO, they can go fly a kite.
Ack. When I was in high school, I always had work to do over the summer to prepare for next year's classes. Either summer reading, math problems, science work- I even had to read an entire history book and take notes one summer. The first thing that the history teacher did on the first day of school was give us a quiz on some of the material. The kid should suck it up and grow up.
The dad's a weenie. If I were that kid, I would die of embarassment.
If I was a summer homework-burdened classmate of this kid, I'd think the dad was a Hero.
The head of NYS public schools said a couple of years ago that schools can require homework over the summer. Now that doesn't mean that students will do it or parents are going to make them do it.
The only way to get rid of an unpopular policy like that is strength in numbers.
School officials are so afraid of losing their jobs because of NCLB that they are putting pressure on kids.
When I was in the 5th grade my teacher gave all of us homework over summer break,and it was work for every day.This was at a catholic grade school!
Did I do it?
Hell NO!
I bet this "kid" has someone hold his lunch money everyday...
Both the father and his lawyer need to be severely beaten and the child needs to be caned.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.