OT - too much homework?

[Skarp]

I'm with ya and I think some homework is good I think 3 or 4 hours is not. You can teach them to think with out Theodora. I won't lie when I read her report is was very interesing

The strength of the Western canon is that it explores the full range of the human condition, philosophy, important historical events, etc., all of which, once learned, may be referenced to help think critically and well about any academic, professional or personal problem that one may encounter. So Theodora, while perhaps not singularly important, is part of a much larger body of work that is certainly important to know (or at least have passing familiarity with).

Spending a week every year learning about Kwanzaa, on the other hand....

[BonezMom]

My DD is in fourth grade, and routinely has 2 hrs of homework / studying per night. The teachers race through the chapters in order to get all the curriculum completed 1 1/2 months before the end of the school year. That way, the rest of the time can be focused on studying for the standardized tests that determine funding and payraises.
I enjoy helping my DD with school work. But I get tired of having to TEACH her the lessons because her 'curriculum presenter' did not.
They are not even required to READ thier science and history textbooks. They are given 15-20 one line 'notes' that the tests are DIRECTLY derived from (rewritten as multiple choice questions). My wife and I have chosen the long road, thus we read them with her, and discuss it to ensure understanding.
Private school is looking more and more attractive...

Teachers are racing through curriculum now because there is an enormous amount of material that the "state" tests cover in the spring. As you may or may not know teachers are pressured to make sure their students do well on this test so the school can get a good API score. This whole thing has limited teachers ability to be creative and do fun and interesting lessons in order to fit everything in before the "test". Unfortunately it is the student who suffers in the long run because there are no depth to the lessons. I teach seniors and senior are not part of the state standardized tests yet our district has made a district final that resembles the state test and we as teachers are held accountable as to the results of our students.... it all about accountability now and not about the art of teaching.


ok getting off my soap box now

[Skarp]

The government should have never got into the business of education , but I can't fault the teachers.

Or almost any other business for that matter. Government is synonymous with ineptitude.

And who hires the teachers again? (Uh oh...here come the flames...hehe)

[blackwidow]

Instead of complaining about it take action:
Home school your kids.

Join the Alliance of Separation of school and state.

http://www.schoolandstate.org/home.htm

There's a lot of information out there about how parents can take action within their school districts and also by pulling your kids out of them.

PS:
The world does need ditch diggers too!

[artomatic]

Something that is very different than when I was growing up is kids' lives are much more scheduled.
I used to play for hours outside, in my room, at friends, with no itinerary.
It seems like every minute of my kids' lives are planned.
Is that good or bad? I can't answer that.
My kids have always had a couple hours of homework every night.
Sometimes more time, if they don't focus.

I know both my daughters are much more organized than I ever was growing up...



"Theodora"....hhhmmmm, now where have i heard that name?

[whatever]

Tuscon/NumeroUno - I'm w/you. The quiz is the gauge to see if the concepts presented (and, BTW, almost always worked on in class anyway) are grasped by students. If a child has 6 classes and each teacher is giving 1/2 to hour homework a night - well you see the problem. Also a problem which occurs all the time, the teacher who gives the assignment and then doesn't collect it - talk about a morale killer. Definitely tests the childs willingness to do it again. If a particular student shows a lack of understanding based on quiz/test result -then remedial measures can take place. Don't even get me started on No Child Left Behind Act - biggest educational failure in history.

[SSdad]

My DD is in 8th grade. Funny thing is she is doing an essay right now on this topic. The amount of homework, time per class, etc. She told me she pulled up some data that stated about 15-20 min. per class would be the acceptable amount. 6 classes in an average schedule would be about 2 hours.

[blackwidow]

Are we there yet????

The education of all children, from the moment that they can get along without a mother's care, shall be in state institutions at state expense. – Friedrich Engels, co-author of Communist Manifesto: "Principles of Communism" (1847) - draft of what became the Communist Manifesto


A really efficient totalitarian state would be one in which the all-powerful executive of political bosses and their army of managers control a population of slaves who do not have to be coerced, because they love their servitude. To make them love it is the task assigned, in present-day totalitarian states, to ministries of propaganda, newspaper editors and schoolteachers.... The greatest triumphs of propaganda have been accomplished, not by doing something, but by refraining from doing. Great is truth, but still greater, from a practical point of view, is silence about truth. – Aldous Huxley forward to Brave New World, 1946 edition

[hotwheels]

Are we there yet????

The education of all children, from the moment that they can get along without a mother's care, shall be in state institutions at state expense. – Friedrich Engels, co-author of Communist Manifesto: "Principles of Communism" (1847) - draft of what became the Communist Manifesto


A really efficient totalitarian state would be one in which the all-powerful executive of political bosses and their army of managers control a population of slaves who do not have to be coerced, because they love their servitude. To make them love it is the task assigned, in present-day totalitarian states, to ministries of propaganda, newspaper editors and schoolteachers.... The greatest triumphs of propaganda have been accomplished, not by doing something, but by refraining from doing. Great is truth, but still greater, from a practical point of view, is silence about truth. – Aldous Huxley forward to Brave New World, 1946 edition

[BonezMom]

Frankly BW scares me....