first day of kindergarten and homework!

"toypup" wrote in message
m...

"Beth Kevles" wrote in message
...
Do go in and discuss this issue with his teacher. Be firm that you will
not require more than 5 or 10 minutes (that's distractable kid minutes,
not 10 minutes of actual concentration) from your child, but you WILL
make sure that homework is part of the daily routine. (That's so that
you can show the flag as "supporting the teacher" while actually
supporting your child.)

I would love to do this, but we all signed a contract saying we will
support the teacher and homework assignments.

Ok, I'm having a very difficult time getting past this ... you had to sign a
contract? What will they do if you don't ... not send homework (insert
sarcasm )

There is no way in hell I would sign a contract that was not enforceable.
It's complete bull pucky IMO. Now .. they could send a letter home stating
the "rules" of homework I would be happy to sign that I received such a
letter ... but in no way would I contract w/ anyone for something like this.
Then again, I don't take signing contracts lightly.


I was worried about the homework
load, but I was told it was similar at other schools here (thought they
don't have contracts). The contract stated kindergarteners do 15 minutes,
but no more than half hour. So, we did the half hour. I was hesitant to
put DS in this school because of the contract, but IL's family really
pushed for it. SIL teaches at a magnet school and said it was best to try
him in it and we can always take him out if things don't work out, but
it's hard to get him back in if we decline. MIL works with young children
as a teacher's aide and she said all the kids are doing lots of homework
these days and the amount of homework in the contract isn't necessarily
what they would assign. Well, I think they meant every word of what they
said in the contract. Anyway, I'm willing to see how DS adjusts to this.
I know I don't like it much, but he's very much into stability and routine
and he likes structure, one of the most positive aspects of the school.
We're very lucky that he already knows how to read at a first grade level
and he's been writing a little in preschool. I think breaking the
homework up into little sessions today did help, so I will do that from
now on.

First grade homework is half hour to an hour. By third grade, it's 45
minutes to 1 1/2 hours. Ugh. We'll have to see. One of my coworkers had
three kids in this school. She had to fight them every night to do
homework. If that happens, DS is out of this school.

toypup wrote:
DS finished the first day of kindergarten yesterday. For his homework, he
had to write his name, color a house, write his address, draw a picture of
someone he wants to talk on the phone with, write his phone number. It took
about half an hour and he was exhausted. Afterward, we were supposed to
read, but I wasn't going there.

I would wait to see if this is really the every night norm before
getting too upset. It sounds like the kind of project where the teacher
is making a bulletin board or display of everyone in the class or
working on students learning their address and phone number in case
they get lost, etc. Also, it doesn't sound like the homework was meant
to be a chore, but to incorporate important informmation. It included
easy and hard elements (color, draw, write) and some skills. Wait a
few weeks and see what the normal pattern of work will be.

Chris

Hi --

Based on the homework load, I'd be looking VERY carefully at this school
to see if it's actually teaching the skills you want your son to learn.
Do they learn to think and critique? To assess their own work and
progress? Do they teach via all the senses or just through the verbal
conduit? Do they have any focus on social and emotional development?

I probably would not send my child to a school that sounds like what
you've described. Even if you've signed a contract, I'd go in and
discuss the goals of the homework with the teacher. If you look on the
web -- I don't have my bookmark list with me at the moment -- you'll
find solid studies about the value of homework. There really is NO
evidence for homework being valuable in kindergarten! Find the studies,
then discuss the general homework policy with these studies in hand.
Rouse the rest of the parents!!!

Finally, if the expectation is 15-30 minutes/night, then IMMEDIATELY st
a strit 15 minute limit and do your best to help your son concentrate
for those 15 minutes. Do first any homework that you think e really
needs to do in order to learn. (In our house we do math problems first,
for example, and spelling only if there's time.)

I hope you manage to resolve this. The school is really out of line.

--Beth Kevles

http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic
Disclaimer: Nothing in this message should be construed as medical
advice. Please consult with your own medical practicioner.

NOTE: No email is read at my MIT address. Use the AOL one if you would
like me to reply.

"Chris" wrote in message
oups.com...

toypup wrote:
DS finished the first day of kindergarten yesterday. For his homework,
he
had to write his name, color a house, write his address, draw a picture
of
someone he wants to talk on the phone with, write his phone number. It
took
about half an hour and he was exhausted. Afterward, we were supposed to
read, but I wasn't going there.

I would wait to see if this is really the every night norm before
getting too upset. It sounds like the kind of project where the teacher
is making a bulletin board or display of everyone in the class or
working on students learning their address and phone number in case
they get lost, etc. Also, it doesn't sound like the homework was meant
to be a chore, but to incorporate important informmation. It included
easy and hard elements (color, draw, write) and some skills. Wait a
few weeks and see what the normal pattern of work will be.

Today' homework is to draw a picture of what he wants for his birthday,
write his birthday, write how old he'll be, draw a picture of his family,
write the names of the people in his family, draw a picture of his favorite
food, write the name of that food. Monday's and today's homework is going
into a book.

toypup wrote:
"Chris" wrote in message
oups.com...

toypup wrote:
DS finished the first day of kindergarten yesterday. For his homework,
he
had to write his name, color a house, write his address, draw a picture
of
someone he wants to talk on the phone with, write his phone number. It
took
about half an hour and he was exhausted. Afterward, we were supposed to
read, but I wasn't going there.

I would wait to see if this is really the every night norm before
getting too upset. It sounds like the kind of project where the teacher
is making a bulletin board or display of everyone in the class or
working on students learning their address and phone number in case
they get lost, etc. Also, it doesn't sound like the homework was meant
to be a chore, but to incorporate important informmation. It included
easy and hard elements (color, draw, write) and some skills. Wait a
few weeks and see what the normal pattern of work will be.

Today' homework is to draw a picture of what he wants for his birthday,
write his birthday, write how old he'll be, draw a picture of his family,
write the names of the people in his family, draw a picture of his favorite
food, write the name of that food. Monday's and today's homework is going
into a book.

It sounds, to me, like there was some awareness of the homework
requirements going in (at least, for how it ramps up to third grade) on
your part, and that maybe you're feeling that this isn't quite right
for you, but is the right thing for DS, SIL, and MIL. Is that correct?

[IMO, it sounds really extreme and not aligned with my expectations of
what school should do --although it does sound like it will effectively
'teach' a child that they have to do a lot of homework every night in
order to stay in this magnet school. If staying in this school is your
end goal, I feel that projecting *anything* other than a positive "such
as it is, it is" approach isn't going to help you attain it.]

Caledonia

"Caledonia" wrote in message
ups.com...
It sounds, to me, like there was some awareness of the homework
requirements going in (at least, for how it ramps up to third grade) on
your part, and that maybe you're feeling that this isn't quite right
for you, but is the right thing for DS, SIL, and MIL. Is that correct?

Yes, they were pushing for it, because the school is a magnet school,
because SIL teaches in one that is one of the best schools in the country
(even compared to elite private schools), because it would be difficult to
get back in if we turn it down. They have a very structured program, which
I think matches DS's personality and is a huge positive. IL's wanted us to
try it and we could opt out. If we went with the local school and found the
homework load comparable but structure lacking, we could not easily get back
in. From asking other parents, local schools also have a high homework
load.

toypup wrote:

First grade homework is half hour to an hour. By third grade, it's 45
minutes to 1 1/2 hours. Ugh. We'll have to see. One of my coworkers had
three kids in this school. She had to fight them every night to do
homework. If that happens, DS is out of this school.

And he will probably resist with both feet, even if he
hates the homework. They tend not to want to change, they
like their friends, they understand the environment. It
becomes a rather heartbreaking choice. Isn't the handwriting
already on the wall with them claiming up to 1.5 hours of
homework a night for 3rd graders?

Best wishes,
Ericka

It does sound like a lot. Maybe his teacher just wants to see where all
the kids are at with their skills, that way she knows exactly where
each kids needs to be.
I have a daughter going into 1st grade and one going into kindergarten
this year. At the screening, she was expected to know her address, but
not spell it all out. And they asked her if she knew her number too.



toypup wrote:
DS finished the first day of kindergarten yesterday. For his homework, he
had to write his name, color a house, write his address, draw a picture of
someone he wants to talk on the phone with, write his phone number. It took
about half an hour and he was exhausted. Afterward, we were supposed to
read, but I wasn't going there.

I was expecting homework, I thought maybe write one letter of the alphabet,
but this is ridiculous. I told DH and he agreed, saying there many kids
coming into kindergarten not even reading much less writing addresses. We
happen to have a very long address, so it wasn't easy. Anyway, just
venting. Today, there is more homework, but I tried to get some of it out
of the way this morning before school so he is not overwhelmed after school.

toypup wrote:
"Caledonia" wrote in message
ups.com...
It sounds, to me, like there was some awareness of the homework
requirements going in (at least, for how it ramps up to third grade) on
your part, and that maybe you're feeling that this isn't quite right
for you, but is the right thing for DS, SIL, and MIL. Is that correct?

Yes, they were pushing for it, because the school is a magnet school,
because SIL teaches in one that is one of the best schools in the country
(even compared to elite private schools), because it would be difficult to
get back in if we turn it down. They have a very structured program, which
I think matches DS's personality and is a huge positive. IL's wanted us to
try it and we could opt out. If we went with the local school and found the
homework load comparable but structure lacking, we could not easily get back
in. From asking other parents, local schools also have a high homework
load.


How much work are they accomplishing in the classroom? Are they doing
this much and more while he's in school? If so, I'd be concerned that
they are not getting enough free play time/socialization time and that
their noses are really being put to the grindstone the whole time.
Either that, or they are not accomplishing nearly enough of the work in
the classroom hours and expecting the parents to pick up the slack.
Either way, I'd be worried that things were rather out of balance.

Secondly, I'd request that MIL, SIL, and whoever else has been lauding
this program each come over one school night a week to oversee this
homework situation. I know I wouldn't have the time, especially on the
nights dh has to work late or is out at school himself.

My ds just finished kindy in a very good NY state public district and as
far as I can remember never had homework even once. There was an eight
week reading program with weekly prizes and an gold medal ceremony at
the end, and quite frankly it annoyed the crap out of me. We read way
more than the requirement around here and in just the first day of doing
the chart, the natural love of books and reading we worked years on
developing was suddenly being quantified. I immediately stopped keeping
track of the time and just filled in the sheets every week so he
wouldn't be left out of receiving the trinkets and certificates. And not
one prize had anything to do with reading (bookmarks, coupons for books
as I expected), they were plastic doodads and certificates for junk food
we don't eat and coupons for expensive activities that only covered the
cost of the child, not the cost of the accompanying adult or other
family members.

-Karen-

"Ericka Kammerer" wrote in message
news
toypup wrote:

First grade homework is half hour to an hour. By third grade, it's 45
minutes to 1 1/2 hours. Ugh. We'll have to see. One of my coworkers
had three kids in this school. She had to fight them every night to do
homework. If that happens, DS is out of this school.

And he will probably resist with both feet, even if he
hates the homework. They tend not to want to change, they
like their friends, they understand the environment. It
becomes a rather heartbreaking choice. Isn't the handwriting
already on the wall with them claiming up to 1.5 hours of
homework a night for 3rd graders?

You're right. When I signed the contract, one of the things IL's were
trying to tell me was that what is written isn't always what is done. DH's
family is full of teachers, so I figured maybe they were right. Also, they
stressed that what takes one student half an hour may take DS 5 minutes.
Apparently, it also takes DS half an hour. Anyway, DS will resist now or
later, because he is very much into routine, doesn't like change, etc. He
likes his school, the few days he's had of it, so if we change, I would make
the change at the end of the year, so that the change coincides with the
change in grades. Having changed schools regularly as a child, I found
starting a new school easier if I started at the beginning of the school
year. Like I said, though, I'm not sure if that would make a difference. I
have heard that they do lots of homework at our local school.