Formally withdrawing child from homework

duchy

The trouble is that parents are often not the best people to judge if a child can afford to skip homework ...... I've met parents who are utterly convinced their little darlings are exceptionally gifted in a subject because their child has told them so or because they got off to a good start in the subject -but the child is in reality at best average. (I used to work in secondary education)

Personally I was one of those kids who got great marks doing the bare minimum at school but struggled in higher education as I had such poor study habits as I'd never needed to really apply myself previously -so homework does I think have value for that alone as it's much harder to learn good study habits at 18 or 19 than at 10 or 11

milliebear00001

Mojisola wrote: »

But if none of them did homework, you'd have an extra half hour teaching time every week.

That half hour IS part of the teaching time. Peer marking is an important part of teaching and learning. The child would be missing out on that. If no child had homework set, then of course I would use the half hour to teach something else, but they'd have to do that piece of writing in class and so I'd have to add it onto the half hour peer marking sesison - doing it at home means I/we actually save time. The benefit of the homework here isn't the work itself (which might be a parent's or the internet's) - it's the marking that follows :-)

bestpud

duchy wrote: »

The trouble is that parents are often not the best people to judge if a child can afford to skip homework ...... I've met parents who are utterly convinced their little darlings are exceptionally gifted in a subject because their child has told them so or because they got off to a good start in the subject -but the child is in reality at best average. (I used to work in secondary education)

Personally I was one of those kids who got great marks doing the bare minimum at school but struggled in higher education as I had such poor study habits as I'd never needed to really apply myself previously -so homework does I think have value for that alone as it's much harder to learn good study habits at 18 or 19 than at 10 or 11

I think independent study can also be easier when subjects are a choice though....

If homework becomes a massive chore it could actually have the opposite effect.

I know I was amazed when I discovered how enjoyable independent study is when I was going about it in a way that suited me. Until then I had a very heavy heart when it came to independent work because I associated it with homework at school and remembered being bored to tears and desperately wanting to get it out of the way as soon as possible - most of it did absolutely nothing to engage me or help me learn.

pigpen

As a teacher, what would you think if a child had gone away and come back
with a clear understanding of the topic, or enough information to pass a test, but
had not completed the actual homework that was set?

Imagine they hadn't completed a worksheet, wrote an essay, or made a model (or whatever they'd been asked to do) but had been to see a real life version of the same thing, clearly understood it and could answer any set questions about it in a class test?

I guess I'm trying to understand whether it is more important for them to gain full understanding and be confident about a topic or to complete the actual set work, even if it did nothing to help them?

I'd tell them they aren't above everyone else and they had to do the work same as the rest of the class.. it is about treating them all equally and that means they all do the same.. then they would get the same sanctions anyone else would get for not completing homework as is fair. If they know it then the homework won't take long or be a challenge so there is less of an excuse to not do it.

My older ones get a detention for every homework missed.. as they should. Why should 1 child be able to get away with doing none and everyone else has to do it? I ask them if they have any if they say no or just don't do it they face the consequences.

That aside.. my sister didn't go to school at all from yrs 8 to midway through yr 11 got 11 GCSEs at B to A* then got the first first in law the university here had had in years.

I refuse to sign home/school agreements too. I took on the role of making sure my children received a decent education when I had them, I'm not having some stupid piece of paper to remind me of that duty.

Peer assessment/marking is totally wrong.. it gives other children the opportunity to bully/ridicule/whatever others by highlighting their lack of understanding or makes others feel a failure when they 'mark' a 100% correct one and they get 25% for example.. if teachers can't be bothered to mark the work they shouldn't set it.. we have also had teachers marking stuff right when it isn't and vice versa.. or just not bothering.. it must be a tedious task but part and parcel of the job they knew about before training.

valk_scot wrote: »

State school or private school? I would think a state school would have to continue to educate the child as long as it didn't merit exclusion. We have one child at my DD's primary school that has not worn the official uniform in the almost seven years she's been there and the school just has to lump it, they're not allowed to sanction the child in any way. A private school could probably require a child to leave if they didn't follow the school rules on homework, after the appropriate process re warnings etc.

Uniform is not compulsory at any state primary school so they cannot enforce it. So long as a child is dressed appropriately that is all that has to be adhered to. The school can say they prefer children to be in uniform but there is nothing they can do if the parents refuse. They can say no jewellery/heels etc as a safety issue but a top with a school logo is not safer than one without.

Nada666

Mojisola wrote: »

You were lucky to have that comfortable environment to work in. There are many children who don't have that. If you had to go home to a cramped environment with several younger children charging around making a lot of noise, no table to work on, no books or computer at home, you might have felt differently.

So? Some parents are bad, some parents are good. I fail to see why standards should be abandoned to accommodate lowest denominators.

Mojisola

Nada666 wrote: »

So? Some parents are bad, some parents are good. I fail to see why standards should be abandoned to accommodate lowest denominators.

Doing the individual work at school does the opposite - it means all children, regardless of their home background, have the same environment to work in and to show what they have learnt.

bestpud

pigpen wrote: »

I'd tell them they aren't above everyone else and they had to do the work same as the rest of the class.. it is about treating them all equally and that means they all do the same.. then they would get the same sanctions anyone else would get for not completing homework as is fair. If they know it then the homework won't take long or be a challenge so there is less of an excuse to not do it.

My older ones get a detention for every homework missed.. as they should. Why should 1 child be able to get away with doing none and everyone else has to do it? I ask them if they have any if they say no or just don't do it they face the consequences.

That aside.. my sister didn't go to school at all from yrs 8 to midway through yr 11 got 11 GCSEs at B to A* then got the first first in law the university here had had in years.

I refuse to sign home/school agreements too. I took on the role of making sure my children received a decent education when I had them, I'm not having some stupid piece of paper to remind me of that duty.

Peer assessment/marking is totally wrong.. it gives other children the opportunity to bully/ridicule/whatever others by highlighting their lack of understanding or makes others feel a failure when they 'mark' a 100% correct one and they get 25% for example.. if teachers can't be bothered to mark the work they shouldn't set it.. we have also had teachers marking stuff right when it isn't and vice versa.. or just not bothering.. it must be a tedious task but part and parcel of the job they knew about before training.

.

That makes it seem like it's a punishment or something horrible that must be endured.

Many/most parents would agree with you but I'm not sure why we all defend something that causes such angst to so many.

I'm not sure 'because everyone else has to do it' is sufficient reason for a lot of the decisions we make, but some we go along with anyway and others we don't.

It's interesting that's for sure!

.

pigpen

bestpud wrote: »

That makes it seem like it's a punishment or something horrible that must be endured.

Many/most parents would agree with you but I'm not sure why we all defend something that causes such angst to so many.

I'm not sure 'because everyone else has to do it' is sufficient reason for a lot of the decisions we make, but some we go along with anyway and others we don't.

It's interesting that's for sure!

.

It is.. it is to punish the parents for breeding lazy children lol. I used to do mine without being nagged and I don't see why others don't, if they've listened in class it is easy enough and at least now they can get most of the info online which we didn't have the luxury of.. it is much easier now.

I have had to stop mine copying word for word a web page on more than 1 occasion.

j.e.j.

I would like to formally withdraw myself from housework.
Anyone care to join me?

pigpen

j.e.j. wrote: »

I would like to formally withdraw myself from housework.
Anyone care to join me?

me me me me me me me me me me !!!