I went to school and some college, but that was many, many moons ago. The homework they are sending home is ridiculous. Both me and my husband are left sitting there scratching our heads. I even ask my daughter and her boyfriend who is a 4.0 in college and he has to sit and think. With some of the question and problems we send them back to the teacher and ask her to do her job.... No smart a** answers please if you have children you will be able to relate.
2006-08-30 08:55:07 · 8 answers · asked by kate 3 in Education & Reference ➔ Primary & Secondary Education
david m, you obviously do not have kids at home. We parents ARE NOT doing it for them; our kids are literally spending 4 hours a night on homework, Mon.-Thurs., and on weekends. They stop to eat dinner and bathe. I NEVER had the amount of homework that is dealt on my children (Ages 8, 11, 12). I keep telling myself it will all pay off in the end, but it is hard when they are SO physically and mentally exhausted. I am not "against" homework, it is the incredulous amount that is dealt nightly.
2006-08-30 09:03:54 · answer #1 · answered by Designchc 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, my daughter is going into the 9th grade and although school won't start until next week. She's already been doing some "over the summer work". I, like you did well in HS and did a couple of years of college and consider myself a good thinker, etc. I have helped her and my son (7th grade) with the homework they get and it's just ridiculous. We've been up at 11:30 at night trying to figure out obtuse Algebra questions from Mars. Stuff that they will never need to know unless they decide they want to be an actuarial or some type of math teacher/guru. To get these problems done, we sometimes go on the web and look for "Flash Animation Algebra" where the site will actually have problems getting solved in an animated fashion so that you can play - replay - play - replay ad nauseum until you get it. That has worked for us.
2006-08-30 09:06:04 · answer #2 · answered by avp071 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not a parent and I'm not defending hours worth of homework. I'm an elementary teacher though, so I just HAD to respond. :)
Our principal has told us to tone down our homework and to make sure it's completely relevant and necessary. Maybe your school's teachers haven't gotten the memo yet. :P
It saddens me when the parents of my 3rd graders say the math is too difficult. Last year I had a student whose mom would constantly butt in when he did his homework and would end up telling him the wrong thing when he totally had it right on his own.
Last year I knew a teacher who QUIT because the 6th grade math she was supposed to teach was too hard for her. That saddened me too. If you passed college (and she wasn't many moons out of college), you should be able to figure it out enough to teach it.
Hours of homework a night is standard in other advanced countries. Students in countries like Norway think American students are a joke. I think it's important to challenge the children of our nation so that when they complain about other countries taking their jobs, it can be because their place of employment wanted to make another million in profit, not because they could get more highly qualified employees elsewhere (of course, I don't want American jobs going anywhere if it can be helped).
With all that said- you're right, sometimes the homework is too difficult. It should always be a reinforcement for a concept already taught- independent practice. If it's to introduce a concept, it definitley shouldn't be for a grade.
I hope you're not really telling your child's teacher to "do her job" when you send the work back. If that's not a smart-a$$ remark, I dunno what is. :)
2006-08-30 13:45:36 · answer #3 · answered by elizabeth_ashley44 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think you're over-exaggerating a bit. The homework is so difficult because it's not to be found just in a textbook. The problems are meant to make you think and you're supposed to do creative problem-solving techniques to get the answer. Needless to say, public schools in most states are a joke because it's too easy. My friend who is a sophomore in high school is taking pre-algebra and barely passing...that's a bit sad. Most people find college to be too difficult because they have been babied all of their lives.
2006-08-30 09:02:44 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I know that feeling very well... I have a 16 yo boy in high school and a 13 yo girl in middle. and their stuff drives me nuts and I have a degree in business, and computer systems.. didn't like algebra when I took it myself, in college.. LOL
2006-08-30 09:03:15 · answer #5 · answered by chuckufarley2a 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I know exactly what you mean. I have one in 6th and one in 7th and they already have to do algebra. When I was in school you didn't get that until high school.
2006-08-30 09:00:22 · answer #6 · answered by sweet.pjs1 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds to me like your trying to do their homework for them.
What are they going to learn from that?
Hope you do not think they will get to college that way!!!!
2006-08-30 08:58:52 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Hmmm...sounds like my nights at home EVERYNIGHT
2006-08-30 08:59:31 · answer #8 · answered by jescl32 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋