Parentella

I’ll come right out and admit my bias against homework. Here are the problems and my wish list solutions for homework:

Spelling: Since first grade, my girls have had word lists and nightly tasks to complete each week. Some of them have been a complete waste of time (write the word 5 times, using different colors for each letter). I know that there have been words that my soon-to-be 5th grader got right on a spelling test that she can’t spell two weeks later. Last year, my then 7th grader used to have to make spelling staircases for her vocabulary words. Here’s an example

Insipid

i

in

ins

insi

insip

insipi

insipid

With 20 words, and 5 extra credit words, it would take her two hours to complete – and far too much paper. While I agree that practice is key to fluency, the spelling will only come with reading and writing the words in context.

Math: I am terrible at Math. Last year, when I tried to help my then 7th grader,  every problem I’d helped her, with she I got wrong. Is it any wonder neither of us thinks it’s a good idea for me to help her? Sometimes, the formula used in the textbook is not the same as the teacher has used, and we have nowhere to turn for support. Do not count on my child’s notes to make sense to her (or me) if it has not been taught as anything more than a formula. This is one of the reasons I suck at Math. I never understood why x=mc2. Also, it shouldn’t take 25 problems for a teacher to know if the student understood the formula or not. 5 should be enough.

Reading. Let the kids read what they want to read or have everyone read the same book.  Stop counting pages or minutes, and stop with the reading logs that have to be initialed by a parent. My child got benched at recess because I ended up in the emergency room that night, and in the mayhem, her reading log didn’t get signed. If you want to ensure that they’re reading every night, then have them either write a short paragraph about the book they’re reading, or talk about the book the next day in class. (And if everyone’s reading the same book, then make sure there are enough copies in the library or otherwise ensure that all student have access to the material.)

Projects. If my children never have to complete another diorama or book-in-a-bag book report project ever again, I will be a very happy mommy. One of my daughter’s teachers said at Back to School Night that they do projects instead of book reports because “book reports are boring.” The teacher put a negative spin on writing book reports. The projects are hard to complete (and put parents with larger incomes and more time at an advantage), and they do nothing to teach our children the value of book reports. Book reports offer the backbone that will enable students to write critical analysis of literature and non-fiction writing later in their scholastic career, and then be able to write and analyze reports in the workplace. There is no subsequent value to dioramas or book-in-a-bag projects.

If homework actually enhanced their learning, I’d be okay with it. If it was taking the material to the next level and allowing them to express their thoughts on the subject, that would be ideal. If I saw that teachers were putting thought into the homework and not, as teachers have told me, just using what their predecessor used, then I would completely support it.

Homework should add value, not just clutter up our to-do list.

Photo: Stock Xchng/MeHere

April McCaffery is the single parent to two daughters, in 5th and 8th grade.

Related posts:

1. Parental Involvement in Homework
2. Being a Parent Rather than Enforcer
3. Let’s Start a Conversation about Homework
4. Confessions of a Problem Parent
5. Are Kids Given Too Much Homework?

Tags: April McCaffery, Homework, Parents

This entry was posted on Friday, August 20th, 2010 at 12:01 am and is filed under April McCaffery, Education Policy, Parent Perspectives. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.