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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think that parents who moan about their kids gettting too much homework..........

284 replies

rudolphsmum · 12/02/2011 12:19

........to think that parents who moan about there kids getting too much homework can't then expect them to do well in exams.

If my son is finding something difficult I sit and explain it to him and if I can't I speak to his teacher. The most recent complaint I heard was that one mum spoke to the head teacher about her daughter finding homework hard but that she wasn't interested because all she is cares about is the school getting good results ....sorry I thought that was what a good head teacher was supposed to be concerned about.

There seems to be a certain group of parents that send there kids to school and expect all learning to go on between 9-3 Mon - Fri and then wonder why their children struggle and before anyone starts on about children being to tired or need to play and relax when they get home, I am not talking about hours of the stuff either - ok rant over ;)

OP posts:
maddy68 · 12/02/2011 20:07

I am a teacher and I honestly believe there is no point to homework, (unless revision for exams) just read to your kids when they are young and support revision. Homework is generally set to appease parents who feel that if they do homework their kids are learning more!
I think we should ban it

WeeBitWobbly · 12/02/2011 20:20

Another teacher here. Homework sucks!
Hated Having to set it but you have to follow school policies.
If secondary and too much homework is being set, talk to form teachers or head of year and ask if a homework timetable exists. Most will have one which controls amount set by each subject.
I am dreading homework for my dcs, I would much rather they do an activity or play. Half hour or reading each night would be so much more beneficial.

pointythings · 12/02/2011 20:38

There is very little research evidence to support the contention that homework improves academic achievement. The link is nonexistent at primary level and very weak at secondary level. So yes, YABVU.

MrsBananaGrabber · 12/02/2011 20:43

Have my very first Biscuit

When you have a 6 year old close to tears and red in the face with frustration because he doesn't want to sit still after school, then come back to me.

Mymblesson · 12/02/2011 20:47

I was a Primary teacher until 1998 and we never used tio give homework at all. The thoughts were that kids should have time to be kids at that age. Homework would start at Secondary school.

What on earth has happened in the intervening years?

pointydog · 12/02/2011 21:00

No point having homework at primary. But you are not allowed to openly question anything in education, never mind have an opinion that opposes the curretn norm, so nothing'll change.

nobdiedemammoth · 12/02/2011 21:02

captain caveman

duchesse · 12/02/2011 21:03

My children have always had homework even at state infant school and it was sometimes a struggle with my son to get him to do his at around the 5-8 age mark. I sometimes had to to type under dictation from him to get him to write essays etc... But he got over it and homework was never a problem from that age onwards. He's still a lazy toerag (DS hotly disputes this- he's sitting at my side reading over my shoulder) at 17 and in the middle of A2s but I dread to think how much worse he'd be if hadn't always had that expectation that he had work to do at home.

My experience of teaching secondary school is that some children who'd never had homework by year 7 took to it like the proverbial ducks (usually the girls I'm afraid) and many struggled with the demands of it and some failed utterly to ever do any because their parents didn't and still don't see the value of it. afaic it's a habit to be got into, and it's harder to get them onto it at 11 than 5.

Nothing will ever convince me that a small amount of sensible homework isn't a very good thing.

pointydog · 12/02/2011 21:06

But duchesse, your experience of it at secondary are exactly the same as the experience at primary.

It is not true that everyone will just get into the way of it because that isn't happening, is it?

duchesse · 12/02/2011 21:07

It's just easier to crack em get them into homework at 5 than 11/12, trust me.

FreudianSlippery · 12/02/2011 21:09

This is definitely not something that can be generalised like it is in your OP. There are so many factors involved.

My DCs aren't school age but I'm actually looking forward to HW. Not that I'll be bugging the teacher to set it, but I used to really enjoy mine

DD sees me do my HW (doing OU degree) and has been asking me for HW since she was 2 - I just give her colouring and 'writing'. Of course it may change but in the meantime I'm really hoping that this positive attitude will help when she starts getting proper school HW.

sweetgilly · 12/02/2011 21:13

rudolphsmum

Please try harder. It's TOO tired, not TO tired. Oh Dear.

pointydog · 12/02/2011 21:15

But it doesn't work like that. Homework isn't a habit that you start off at age 5 and then it just automatically continues fro that point.

Little kids will like it. Then it becomes a bit boring. Sometimes they don't see the point in it and they question it. Some realise that they can just stop doing it and there is nothing any parent or teacher can do about it.

It is always an erractic habit.

SiriusStar · 12/02/2011 21:15

Ex teacher here and another one who sees homework in primary school pointless.
Read, learn tables, do a few spellings and the occasional project/fact finding mission and leave it until secondary so they aren't sick of it.

For those of you who have children in primary school who are taking hours to do homework, please, please, please look at the policy.
If it is school policy for a 7 year old to do half an hour a week, then do half an hour of homework. Write on the homework that this is where you got within half an hour and then you stopped.

It would give a clearer indication to the teacher of how you dc has understood the task.

If the homework is consistently taking longer than half an hour, then they are not suitable tasks. The teacher could use this to aid planning. You don't need to be sarky, just plain speaking.

And again. Homework for under elevens- crapness from the city of crap.

LunarRose · 12/02/2011 21:23

Don't believe in the stuff, in teacher training I hated having to set it.

trained in one secondary school where yes homework was set - but frankly no-one did it. the kids did do entirely voluntary revision for exams. most improved school in the county, high on value added.

Second school had reputation for being a very good state school. Very strict on homework. poor on the value added scores.

I wonder how compulsory homework impacts on children picking and choosing what they want to learn at least in their own time anyway.

FreudianSlippery · 12/02/2011 21:28

For future reference is it an actual requirement that a school has a HW policy? So if I asked the school would they HAVE to have something to show me?

FreudianSlippery · 12/02/2011 21:29

(primary school I mean - I think I'd like to know before DD starts)

mitochondria · 12/02/2011 21:30

My son is 6. I'm not considering the homework he does in year 1 will greatly impact on his GCSEs.

We had a questionnaire home from the school, I said I would be happy if they didn't get any at primary. Seems I was in the minority.

I'm a secondary teacher. I set homework. Still not convinced they need it at primary school though.

elphabadefiesgravity · 12/02/2011 21:31

Studies have shown that homework at primary level has no positive outcome and can in many cases be detrimental to exam results.

WimpleOfTheBallet · 12/02/2011 21:39

My DD is 6 and gets at least 2 pieces a night. On weekends it's usually 4 or 5.

Sometimes I see that she has no idea what to do with a piece and then I am angry as the homework is sent out regardless of whether she understands the topic.

I resent teaching basics as I am nt a teacher and may teach things in a different way to the teacher.

I am happy to do homework but I don't wanther sent home with things which she has not yet grasped.

Tryharder · 12/02/2011 21:40

My son is 6. He hardly seems to get any homework at all apart from his reading book which isn't changed all that often and his caterpillar words which are usually very easy.

It's fine with me - children at this age should have time to play after school not do more work.

There is too much emphasis placed on academic achievement these days when in reality personality and confidence are much more important.

SiriusStar · 12/02/2011 21:41

I would ask to see if there is a homework policy or guidelines.
If there isn't anything like this, ask them how long your year x child should be doing homework for each week or when it is given. Again you don't ahve to be sarky jsut say you are concerned and don't want to stress your dc out.

I used to have to keep children in at playtime for homework not being done or given in and HATED it. If they had just handed in homework partially completed it would have been fine.

I do not miss teaching because of the crappy little things like this. I am not looking forward to my ds getting older. He is in year one. I do not let him do longer than half an hour when he gets it.

WimpleOfTheBallet · 12/02/2011 21:46

If it's not important then why do prep school kids get tonnes and then get all the places at grammars?

nooka · 12/02/2011 22:09

My children have experience of three school systems, in the UK, then in New York, and now in Canada. In the UK we had reading, spelling, math and the highly annoying projects. In the Us we had around about 2 hours worksheet type stuff every night plus reading. In Canada we have nothing. In international tests Canada does the best.

Most children understand that primary and secondary school is different and that expectations change. I don't think that having homework at primary does anything other than frustrate children and parents.

OP children learn all the time regardless of whether they have a school set worksheet or project to complete. If you are talking about secondary then yes children need to learn how to study independently for GCSEs/A levels, but at primary homework is fairly pointless.

stoatsrevenge · 12/02/2011 22:16

In questionnaires, approx 50% parents want homework, 50% don't.
To show you're addressing the parents concerns you have to give it - parents who want homework will inevitably be more vocal and make more fuss than those who don't! Grin