Is it just MY high schooler? About This Page:

[dejavu]

Or do other parents feel the schools give entirely too much busy-work homework without spending ample time explaining a topic to the kids?

My son is in honors chemistry and honors geometry and both teachers are notorious for only spending 5 minutes at the end of a class session explaining the next day's assignment. My son spends an unnecessary amount of time trying to determine what he is supposed to be doing. Then the next day, the teachers go over the homework. Basically, he is then copying down the answers and working backwards to see what he was supposed to do in the first place! When he asks the teachers to spend more time on a topic they say they can't- they have to finish each topic in one day per the district instructions. Luckily he still manages to hover on the A/B border in both, but he is unbelievably frustrated with marginal teachers (boring, confusing explanations) and no end in sight. (he's a sophomore.) I should mention that he spends between 4-5 hours a night on homework for all his classes.

[oldmom]

Sounds familiar.

[Colexis Mom]

Wow, that's a lot of homework time

[tjslgs]

I entirely agree. My DS is also in pre-AP geometry, computer science, biology, and world history. Some of his homework is useful, some of it appears to be busy work, and some of it is extremely difficult. Both DH and I help him but some of it has taken us, a scientist and an engineer, over an hour to figure out. I don't know how the kids whose parents aren't involved do it!

[GoofyMom]

The rule of thumb that our school district lived by was 10-15 minutes of homework per grade every night. So by the time the kids were in Grade 12 they were expected to have about 3 hours of homework each and every night.

I can see the teachers trying to see how the kids can work independently by touching on the topic, then assigning some homework to see what they can work out on their own. But if it's a regular thing and if they aren't covering it better the next day, I'm not sure what they're accomplishing other than a class full of confused and frustrated children.

[Chrissi]

Why are they covering the topic the next day after the work is assigned and wasting class time going over the homework? Teach the lesson for heavens' sake! Sounds like this teacher is chasing his tail trying to keep up. What a waste of class time!

My son is only in kindergarten, but because we cyberschool, I spend a great deal of time either on the phone or emailing teachers with constructive feedback. I would not hesitate to call the school and ask to speak to the teacher about my concerns. If I get nowhere with the teacher, I work my way up from grade level supervisor, head teacher, elementary principal, all the way up to the administration if necessary. I got as far as elementary principal this year due to a new teacher taking over health, safety, and PE who had no idea that the assignments he was posting were nowhere near age appropriate. I called, got passed around a bit and forgotten. Then I followed up with an email outlining my concerns and made it clear they would keep hearing from me until this was addressed. I kept at it - and I was the only parent who did so - until changes were made and someone agreed to mentor the new teacher.

New teacher, old teacher - if it's not working, they are failing as teachers. I hold DJ's teachers to the same high standard they hold him to. If he did his work half-way, he would lose credit and be assigned extra work.

Call the school! The more involved you are, the harder it is for the teacher or administration to brush you off because they think you don't understand the way the subject is taught or the methods used.

[dejavu]

Chrissi, I totally understand your point. I did bring up many of the issues at the conferences in the fall but that is the way the teachers teach. I've never home schooled, but I can tell you that in the classroom, especially with a 16 yr. old boy, the last thing he wants is for his mom to talk to the teachers. He has attempted to talk to them himself but it is a losing battle. I think kids (and us parents) worry that if we 'rock the boat' the teacher may somehow take it out on our child.

Lorraine- I also wonder about the kids whose parents don't have time to try to help them figure out their homework. DH and I laugh (not really) that if our kids' lawyer dad and Ph.D. mom can't figure it out, maybe it isn't meant to be figured out.

[Teresa]

My 4th grader spends about 2 hours a night on homework, the 9th grader about 3-4 some days, some days a bit less.
It's the price we pay having our kids in "advanced" programs.
If you can't/won't talk to the teachers (and I would NOT do it during conferences, they're really swamped with lots of parents then), then you have no-where to go.

[akleos]

You might want to join forces with the other parents. I know sometimes it takes a little more than one parent to make changes... esp. with an old style of teaching. I think if more than one voice is raising the concern, you're argument will have better staying power. GOOD LUCK!!!

[Chrissi]

I worried a bit about rocking the boat at the beginning of the school year, but I chose my son's school and they know I can just as easily pull him from it and put him back in public school or another cyber school if I'm dissatisfied with the quality of his education. (DH is sure there's a dart board with my picture on it somewhere in the administration building by now. ) They respond quickly when losing funds from the enrollment of even a single child becomes a real possibility. And to be fair - I have been reassured countless times by administrators that feedback only benefits the school, teachers, my son, and my ability to help him understand his assignments. I get a LOT farther when I go over the teacher's head right to a supervisor or administrator.

The way I see it - my taxes, my parents', my brother's, are all paying in a way for my son's public school education. (Our cyber school is a public charter school.) What is the purpose of paying a teacher a salary if your child comes home with work that hasn't been covered and you end up having to teach him the assignment after two hours of pouring over the material yourself to understand it?

[JoanW]

I have one daughter in honors classes and one in the general program. They have an average amount of homework, but luckily, they can do some of it during their free periods during the day, and with help from other teachers. I always dreaded hours of homework, but we are not getting it. I think that many hours is wasting their brains. I told my kids early on that if they want to take the harder classes, they have to be prepared to do the work, and then take similar classes in college. One opted to not take any, she's going to the community college and is going more towards a business/accounting degree. The other is a science/history buff, so who knows. I know I went to high school 30+ years ago, and can't remember the theorums for geometry, and have never used them or the algebra or math analysis I took in high school and college. Other than fractions, percentages and ratios, it's all been a waste of my time. So they are enjoying their high school years with out the massive amounts of homework, some socializing, and will transition to college just fine. I took AP Biology and AP English in high school. Hated it, but loved the dissecting of various animals. Never used either in my various careers.

Just don't ask me for a chemistry equation for something other than sulphuric acid or hydrochloric acid.

Or a phrase in German and French. Oh yeah, that came in handy. I can order a ham sandwich in French and ask who is in the garage fixing the car in German.

If a train leaves London at noon, du bist putzen der auto in die garage? Je voudrais un sandwich en jambon. Avec grey poupon. H2SO4.

But I digress. Can you tell I'm tired of high school and the girls have one and two more years????

Good Luck!

[tndisneyfam]

I don't have any high schoolers yet, but that seems like a lot to me.

[Disney_Scarlett]

I'm sorry he's having problems! As for the amount of time he's spending on homework, that sounds about right for advanced level courses (unfortunately). I had that much homework when I was in high school, and my cousin that's a junior right now has about the same amount. It always seems so excessive, especially if the kid is involved in other things.

The way I see it, you have a few options - keep on the teacher's/school's case, or if your son doesn't want you causing a stir, he can do it himself. Or, if he'd rather just make the best of it (and it sounds like he's doing pretty well), then that's an option too. There's something to be said for fighting for a change, and there's also something to be said for learning to deal with difficult people - it's certainly a valuable life lesson. The bright side is that no matter what he chooses to do, he's getting an early understanding of how to work with teachers that he doesn't agree with or appreciate their instruction style.

It's something my nephew is starting to deal with too, and he's in 7th grade. He had what he considered a "stupid" assignment a couple of weeks ago - write a poem about your memories from your life prior to 3 years old. I told him that I thought it was stupid, too - I mean, how many memories do you have from age 3 and before? I also told him that stupid assignments count just as much as not-stupid assignments, and a "stupid" F is just as bad as a "not-stupid" F. It's fine to tell the teacher that you don't understand the point of the assignment and try to get her/his perspective on why she/he thinks it's important, but know that this won't be the first or last time you have a stupid assignment or disagree with a teacher's methods. I think it would be great if y'all could make a change happen in the instruction style, but if he doesn't want to cause waves, the most important thing is that he understands the work enough to do well and move on past 10th grade geometry and this particular teacher.

[cynholjot]

I am at a loss as to what the teachers are actually teaching and if they have a homework quota.

My DS is in 1st grade every week since christmas break he has a "writing" assignment. It is usally something like this weeks, Its spring outside, write about the signs of spring. Make sure you have a beginning, middle and end. Also I cannot just let him write what he wants, the last time I did that it came back with a snotty note written on it, "Please have a parent check and correct your writing". So now what we do is he tells me what he wants to say. I write it out for him correctly then he copies it to the paper. Is he learning anything, I don't think so but I am not sure what else to do since it has to be perfect to be turned in.

My other pet peeve is that they send home tons of papers, but nothing is marked as homework or with a date to be returned. Now my son is pretty good but he is only 7 and by the time I get home at 6 and go thru the bag he's not sure what has to go back or if it was just busy work that was passed out. Then a week later I get a note from the teacher that one of those papers needed to be returned.

Can you tell I am about to lose it.

[dejavu]

I should give the opposite side to my story too:

My 4th grader has a teacher who goes above and beyond on everything. He sends an email every day, yes, EVERY DAY after school, outlining the homework for each subject that week, days due, supplies the class is in need of, where to find extra resources for projects/book reports, etc. He also will return an email within hours and at the most within 24 hours. I have never had a child with a teacher who is this organized. It is amazing. In addition, my son has learned all kinds of things beyond the normal curriculum since his teacher spent a few years teaching in Japan and shares lots of interesting facts and stories about his life experiences. He truly wants every child to excel and goes out of his way to give the kids the opportunity to make it happen. That DS has about 30 minutes of homework each night and it is relevant homework too.

My 14 yr. old daughter has a teacher (one of several in middle school) who gives lots of projects and assignments, lets the kids work on them in class and then sits in the corner drinking tea and flossing her teeth. What a wacky style that is!