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justmefornow
LIF Adolescent
Member since 9/08 859 total posts
Name:
n
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NM
x
Message edited 9/18/2010 8:46:53 PM.
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Posted 9/16/10 8:51 PM  |
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twicethefun
Loving life
Member since 7/06 4088 total posts
Name:
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Re: Need teacher advice about approaching homework overload with DD's teacher
It would really depend on the situation. If anonelse is complaining I might think it is too much work, but then if noone else was complaining I might think that the particular child is taking longer to do assignments because they can't.
Before approaching the teacher I might approach the after-school program to stay more on top of her. Is it possible she is talking to friends rather than completing homework?
I personally hate homework and think that it should be minimized. But if it is given and all the other students are completing it, it is not so surprising that her hw grade suffered for not completing it all.
Message edited 9/16/2010 9:38:44 PM.
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| Posted 9/16/10 9:36 PM |
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emc282rjm
LIF Infant
Member since 6/10 177 total posts
Name:
Liz
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Re: Need teacher advice about approaching homework overload with DD's teacher
Honestly, as a teacher I'd be offended if you said she "won't" do it. The teacher probably (note I said probably) has a method to her madness. I know I often assign more homework in the beginning of the year to "toughen up" students and get them ready for what the year will be like (although I teach an 11th grade AP class, so the situation is obviously different).
That being said, I think you can approach the teacher and say that you're concerned with the workload. Ask him/her if there's something you can do to help DD work faster or finish faster. Is there homework that can be put off till the weekend (maybe reading or studying spelling words or something like that). You're right to be concerned about the work, but hw isn't supposed to be "fun." It's supposed to be an extension of the classwork. If your DD is in a G & T class and plans to continue to be in one (and as you've said, she definitely should be!), then this is a problem you definitely want to address now--it's certainly not going to get easier!
I certainly don't mean to offend--just wanted you to get a teacher's perspective!
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| Posted 9/16/10 9:36 PM |
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Epeebes
Easy Peasy!
Member since 11/07 1428 total posts
Name:
Epeebes
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Re: Need teacher advice about approaching homework overload with DD's teacher
In my opinion the first few weeks of homework may take longer for kids to do because they have to get used to the type of work the teacher is giving.
I don't teach gifted and talented but I do teach 2nd & 3rd grade. I give 3 HW assignments a Math worksheet, spelling and 20mins of reading followed by a reading response. I actually scaled down my HW expectations because I realized I was giving too much. I also decided to model how I wanted the homework done, making it easier for the students.
One of my students actually asked me today that her mom said why does she have to do homework at home. The reason being this girl stays in an afterschool until 6pm. I found that my students weren't doing their Reading & Response in afterschool. I generally prefer that they do it at home with a parent so the parent knows that they are reading, but considering other factors similiar to yours I told my students that if they stay at afterschool until 6 to do it there. (My kids are always anixous to play and get their HW done quickly.)
I wouldn't flat out say that my child just isn't going to do the homework. I would however ask the teacher what are her expectations with the homework. Sometimes in programs such as G&T they might be required to give a certain amount from admin, while it's "50 mins" it may just be a generalization. Or maybe the teacher doesn't realize it's taking longer than expected. Sometimes the teacher decides what they want to give for HW and if thats the case let them know your situation.
I would also point out that last year I taught Kindergarten and I spent most of the year preparing them for 1st grade which in my school is Content and HW heavy. It's only been a week of school and the 1st grade teacher told me already that my former students can handle the work, while students from another K class can barely do any of the work because that teacher never gave them that much homework and didn't let them independently do classwork much either.
Sorry that I wrote a novel but I hope that answers your question and good luck
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| Posted 9/16/10 10:00 PM |
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Epeebes
Easy Peasy!
Member since 11/07 1428 total posts
Name:
Epeebes
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Re: Need teacher advice about approaching homework overload with DD's teacher
Posted by emc282rjm
You're right to be concerned about the work, but hw isn't supposed to be "fun." It's supposed to be an extension of the classwork. If your DD is in a G & T class and plans to continue to be in one (and as you've said, she definitely should be!), then this is a problem you definitely want to address now--it's certainly not going to get easier!
I certainly don't mean to offend--just wanted you to get a teacher's perspective!
ITA agree with this as well! Most if not all teachers only assign things that were taught in the classroom therefore the homework shouldn't be too hard.
Check with the afterschool, sometimes kids are easily distracted and the 45mins spent on doing HW may be influenced with kids not focusing because of how noisy it can get (if it's not a structured program where HW time is quiet time).
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| Posted 9/16/10 10:08 PM |
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MissJones
I need a nap!
Member since 5/05 22136 total posts
Name:
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Re: Need teacher advice about approaching homework overload with DD's teacher
Posted by twicethefun
It would really depend on the situation. If anonelse is complaining I might think it is too much work, but then if noone else was complaining I might think that the particular child is taking longer to do assignments because they can't.
Before approaching the teacher I might approach the after-school program to stay more on top of her. Is it possible she is talking to friends rather than completing homework?
l.
Without reading the rest of the posts, this is what I amthinking, too. I totally look for parent feedback regarding h/w.
One thing we do at our school is type up the h/w for the week so that if a child has dance for 2 hours on wednesday, they can do wednesdays homework on tuesday. It totally helps for time management. Would that help?
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| Posted 9/17/10 6:47 AM |
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jgl
Love my little boys!!!
Member since 8/07 7060 total posts
Name:
g
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Re: Need teacher advice about approaching homework overload with DD's teacher
I would see what the other parents think of the hw load. Then go from there. It may just be it is a lot for your daughter, then speak with the teacher.
what is an example of the amount of HW she is getting?
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| Posted 9/17/10 8:09 AM |
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evrythng4areason
And then there were 4
Member since 1/10 5224 total posts
Name:
Kayla
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Re: Need teacher advice about approaching homework overload with DD's teacher
I would perhaps try and talk to the teacher, but I will say that I generally give honors students more hw than regents or regular classes, and technically those aren't gt classes..the purpose of gt programs is to push students because they have such a desire to learn, and especially at that age it's often easier for them to absorb the information. G/t students are marked by their desire to learn and their drive, just as much as their intelligence-so it's very possible to have a "smart" child who does very well in school, but is not g/t bc they don't have the drive (NOT saying this is the case with dc). Over time though, the work load will probably get heavier..I was in gt classes throughout school, and by the time I got to ms, there were nights I literally had 8 hours of hw..now that was a bit excessive, but even that never prepared me for the gt programs I was in for college.
Is it just the gt hw or regular classroom hw as well?
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| Posted 9/17/10 10:19 AM |
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InShock
life is good
Member since 10/06 9258 total posts
Name:
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Re: Need teacher advice about approaching homework overload with DD's teacher
Can you give us an example of what a night of HW consists of?
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| Posted 9/17/10 4:58 PM |
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Re: Need teacher advice about approaching homework overload with DD's teacher
As a third grade teacher, I give 40 minutes of written homework a night and an additional 20 minutes reading a night. (It's school policy). Some kids will get that HW done in 20 minutes and some will take an hour and a half. Like PP, I never send home HW on a topic the kids didn't already learn in school that day.
A few questions I have are:
- Is your child focusing on the work or is she distracted which is the reason for the extended time?
- If you knew going into the program there would be an increased amount of work, what were your expectations?
Advice:
If you decide to speak with the teacher, do not tell him/her that your child simply won't do the HW. That's a great way to tarnish the parent/teacher relationship and pizz the teacher off!
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| Posted 9/17/10 5:31 PM |
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BigB
C & J are 10!
Member since 6/05 5914 total posts
Name:
Stacey
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Re: Need teacher advice about approaching homework overload with DD's teacher
Rule of thumb for the DOE is no more then 10 minutes per grade. So, 2nd grade should have 20 minutes of HW plus 10 minutes of IR.
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| Posted 9/18/10 7:59 AM |
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kgs11
LIF Adult
Member since 2/07 1424 total posts
Name:
Kim
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Re: Need teacher advice about approaching homework overload with DD's teacher
i teach 4th grade astre in queens. a typical nights homework looks like this:
1. read for 30 mins or more
2. answer reading response ques (one full page written response)
3. math homework page and problem solving page
4. complete unfinished classwork
closer to the test we start giving assessment practice homework
book report due every monday
hth
ps- i dont give more hw than my gen ed colleagues- i give "harder" hw in the sense that it takes more thinking- think depth of the topic. i may give less math questions- but they require higher level thinking
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| Posted 9/18/10 10:01 AM |
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justmefornow
LIF Adolescent
Member since 9/08 859 total posts
Name:
n
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Re: Need teacher advice about approaching homework overload with DD's teacher
Posted by InShock
Can you give us an example of what a night of HW consists of?
Message edited 9/18/2010 8:50:05 PM.
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| Posted 9/18/10 3:28 PM |
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justmefornow
LIF Adolescent
Member since 9/08 859 total posts
Name:
n
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Re: Need teacher advice about approaching homework overload with DD's teacher
Posted by WishingforBaby
As a third grade teacher, I give 40 minutes of written homework a night and an additional 20 minutes reading a night. (It's school policy). Some kids will get that HW done in 20 minutes and some will take an hour and a half. Like PP, I never send home HW on a topic the kids didn't already learn in school that day.
A few questions I have are:
- Is your child focusing on the work or is she distracted which is the reason for the extended time?
- If you knew going into the program there would be an increased amount of work, what were your expectations?
Advice:
If you decide to speak with the teacher, do not tell him/her that your child simply won't do the HW. That's a great way to tarnish the parent/teacher relationship and pizz the teacher off!
She is not focusing in the evening, that's part of the problem. Yes, if she was sitting focusing/concentrating without distractions and had the mental energy to do so maybe it would only take her an 45 min. If she came home at 3 pm and I was home things may be different. Also I have another child and they both demand my undivided attention and I can't give it to them both. At afterschool it is supposed to be quiet focused time.
To be honest I knew there was going to be more work but I thought we'd give it a chance, and my home/family situation was different with DH and I chose to put her in.
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| Posted 9/18/10 3:34 PM |
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MommaBear
Very much in love!
Member since 6/10 2864 total posts
Name:
Angela
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Re: Need teacher advice about approaching homework overload with DD's teacher
Posted by justmefornow
But, from a teacher's standpoint, how do you feel about a parent just saying "it's not happening" my child won't/can't do this and I won't allow it? I
As a teacher, my response would be that you obviously have a choice whether you're going to "allow" it or not but that her homework grade will clearly reflect the missing/incomplete homeworkl
Also, homework is given to reinforce the work that was done in school that day. If your daughter is having so much trouble with the homework, maybe she's not really understanding what is going on in her class.
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| Posted 9/18/10 4:21 PM |
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CallaLily
Thank you, Saint Gerard!
Member since 10/07 4937 total posts
Name:
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Re: Need teacher advice about approaching homework overload with DD's teacher
Posted by justmefornow
Posted by WishingforBaby
As a third grade teacher, I give 40 minutes of written homework a night and an additional 20 minutes reading a night. (It's school policy). Some kids will get that HW done in 20 minutes and some will take an hour and a half. Like PP, I never send home HW on a topic the kids didn't already learn in school that day.
A few questions I have are:
- Is your child focusing on the work or is she distracted which is the reason for the extended time?
- If you knew going into the program there would be an increased amount of work, what were your expectations?
Advice:
If you decide to speak with the teacher, do not tell him/her that your child simply won't do the HW. That's a great way to tarnish the parent/teacher relationship and pizz the teacher off!
She is not focusing in the evening, that's part of the problem. Yes, if she was sitting focusing/concentrating without distractions and had the mental energy to do so maybe it would only take her an 45 min. If she came home at 3 pm and I was home things may be different. Also I have another child and they both demand my undivided attention and I can't give it to them both. At afterschool it is supposed to be quiet focused time.
To be honest I knew there was going to be more work but I thought we'd give it a chance, and my home/family situation was different with DH and I chose to put her in.
Honestly, the work looks appropriate to me and by your own admission, it should only take her 45 minutes if she were focused. Sounds like the teacher is following the school guidelines. Maybe the g&t program is not the right place for her at this time with everything that is going on. I'd rather see a relaxed child doing super well in a regular program then see a stressed out one in g&t.
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| Posted 9/18/10 5:39 PM |
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justmefornow
LIF Adolescent
Member since 9/08 859 total posts
Name:
n
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Re: Need teacher advice about approaching homework overload with DD's teacher
Posted by Renee615
Posted by justmefornow
Posted by WishingforBaby
As a third grade teacher, I give 40 minutes of written homework a night and an additional 20 minutes reading a night. (It's school policy). Some kids will get that HW done in 20 minutes and some will take an hour and a half. Like PP, I never send home HW on a topic the kids didn't already learn in school that day.
A few questions I have are:
- Is your child focusing on the work or is she distracted which is the reason for the extended time?
- If you knew going into the program there would be an increased amount of work, what were your expectations?
Advice:
If you decide to speak with the teacher, do not tell him/her that your child simply won't do the HW. That's a great way to tarnish the parent/teacher relationship and pizz the teacher off!
She is not focusing in the evening, that's part of the problem. Yes, if she was sitting focusing/concentrating without distractions and had the mental energy to do so maybe it would only take her an 45 min. If she came home at 3 pm and I was home things may be different. Also I have another child and they both demand my undivided attention and I can't give it to them both. At afterschool it is supposed to be quiet focused time.
To be honest I knew there was going to be more work but I thought we'd give it a chance, and my home/family situation was different with DH and I chose to put her in.
Honestly, the work looks appropriate to me and by your own admission, it should only take her 45 minutes if she were focused. Sounds like the teacher is following the school guidelines. Maybe the g&t program is not the right place for her at this time with everything that is going on. I'd rather see a relaxed child doing super well in a regular program then see a stressed out one in g&t.
No, I wasn't admitting that work listed above should only take a maximum of 50 min, with 30 min of reading, that leaves only 5 min each for the other items I listed. I don't think it's realistic. As I mentioned before last year she was fine in the classroom, I asked her 1st grade teacher several times if she belonged there and she said yes. Anyway, it's the 1st week, hope things will get better.
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| Posted 9/18/10 7:18 PM |
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kgs11
LIF Adult
Member since 2/07 1424 total posts
Name:
Kim
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Re: Need teacher advice about approaching homework overload with DD's teacher
honestly, that doesnt sound like a lot of homework at all. the reading doesnt count towards the alotted hw time. and the sentences shouldnt take long to write at all.
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| Posted 9/18/10 8:22 PM |
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justmefornow
LIF Adolescent
Member since 9/08 859 total posts
Name:
n
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Re: NM
Thanks again to all the teachers who replied!
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| Posted 9/18/10 8:50 PM |
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