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AIBU?

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Original poster

Holiday homework

113 replies

faverolles · 21/10/2011 09:49

DC's break up today for their half term break. Last night they showed me the homework they've been set. It's very labour intensive and, if done properly, will take up quite a chunk of their time.

I am really pissed off about this.
DH has taken this week off - his first break in months. He is knackered. We're all knackered. The last thing any of us needs is to have to put loads of energy into school work, when it's the dc's break from school, and dh's much needed break from work.

During term time, we are behind the dc 100%, they do everything they need to do, we don't take them out of school in term time, we are responsible parents who care about our dc's education.

AIBU to think that during their holiday, they should be able to have a complete break from school? They have one week off, surely they need some time without the pressures and demands of school life?

If anyone took time off work, and were given a "fun
project" Hmm to complete during that time, there would
be uproar.

OP posts:
PlentyOfPubeGardens · 21/10/2011 12:16

I used to regularly send mine back to school with notes not dissimilar to BlackFlame's and I'd have been down the school like a shot if they were penalised for not doing holiday homework in the primary years.

If DP brought a load of work on a family holiday I'd be extremely pissed off and I don't see this as any different. Obviously when they are older and have exams looming or need to catch up on coursework it's different, just as an unexpected work deadline might necessitate DP bringing work with him but as a routine expectation it stinks.

Given the amount of working days lost to stress - 9.8 million days in 2009-10 - maybe DC would be better off getting into the habit of learning how to switch off sometimes.

Hardgoing · 21/10/2011 12:21

I completely agree with you. I have a dd1 who is only 7 and her Y3 teacher is big into projects, none of which the children are able to complete alone, and which require lots of adult supervision/getting materials/supervising the internet. She even had the cheek to write 'I know you will all be getting bored in the holidays, so here's a project to keep you busy'. NO,NO, we are not bored in the holidays, we are spending much needed family time and the children are taking a rest from being constantly monitored, assessed and performing like a set of circus chimps in your class.

We already do spellings, times tables, easy work-sheets, and lots of extra reading/key words. But this holiday/weekend project stuff is really annoying me (to the extent I have written how annoying it is on the school feedback form).

My children are 6 and 7, when will the madness end?!!!!

TotemPole · 21/10/2011 12:33

3littlefrogs, do they assume everyone has printing facilities at home?

aldiwhore · 21/10/2011 12:35

If they're both in Primary school, just don't do it!

Or, set one day to do the whole project, and if you don't get it done, it doesn't get done.

We're away for 1/2 term and though I'll be taking a few reading books and my eldest's times table cube, and possibly we'll do a holiday diary (with photos etc) that's more because we all enjoy that kind of stuff. Sometimes it gets done, sometimes it doesn't.

3littlefrogs · 21/10/2011 12:36

Yes they do. I have ranted on here before about how they expect all homework to be done on computer, and printed - often with only one evening to get it all done. There are computers and printers in school, but there is huge competition to use them, and very limited time. We are lucky, because DH and I do loads of admin work stuff from home, we have most of what dd needs, but there are kids who really struggle.

Original poster
faverolles · 21/10/2011 12:39

3littlefrogs - that's really crap Angry

OP posts:
3littlefrogs · 21/10/2011 12:43

I will write a letter, but it will ruin the holiday because she is going to be so anxious about it.

She will get detention over it, there is nothing I can do about that - the school is very strict.

RaspberryLemonPavlova · 21/10/2011 12:44

I attended a parents evening recently at my 2 older DCs secondary school. It was aimed at the whole school.

They are setting up a slightly different way of 'home learning', but the point relevant to this topic was that 'teachers should listen/take note of relevant reasons why home learning was not completed on time'. Examples given 'we were away for a family weekend' and 'Auntie Susan visited last night'.

Should add that reasons were to be written in child's planner, and I expect they don't expect you to be using them every week. They also pointed out reverse was true and parents should be supportive if teachers handed out consequences if homework wasn't done without a reason.

Do like that reasonableness if it works out!

Youngest DS (primary) has a craft project to do over half-term - I hate those.

TotemPole · 21/10/2011 12:46

They really should allocate enough resources at the schools for this but unfortunately they don't.

It's something I'm going to have to plan for. We have a computer but no printer.

Original poster
faverolles · 21/10/2011 12:48

Totem - some schools let the dc email their work in if there's no way to print it out at home. Maybe that could be an option?

OP posts:
TotemPole · 21/10/2011 12:50

3littlefrogs, it does sound harsh.

The simple solution would be for them to allow 2-3 weeks to hand it in. The holiday period being 1 week, and then overlap into term time. That would give everyone the chance to fit it in as best they can.

3littlefrogs · 21/10/2011 12:54

Colken - we have one week off. We are ALL exhausted because we all work 12 hour days - DD included.

We need a rest. I am so tired I can barely string a sentence together.

Setting so much work to be done in a short break is really mean, IMO.

TotemPole · 21/10/2011 12:59

faverolles, that would be a good solution if I can't sort something out in the meantime. DD's in year 5 now, so I have a while until secondary.

halcyondays · 21/10/2011 13:02

Yanbu, personally I like primary school children to have a bit of homework to do, but it should be fairly quick and it should only be during the week. At dd's school they don't get any homework at weekends or holidays, which is as it should be.

TotemPole · 21/10/2011 13:04

3littlefrogs, I think the other problem at secondary is you can have teachers that don't take into account homework from other subjects. So from their point of view, the amount of work will seem ok, but it piles up as a sum of all the subjects.

Would it be worth you having a chat to the head of year about it?

3littlefrogs · 21/10/2011 13:11

Indeed. They have a homework timetable, but the number of times homework has been set on the wrong night, because the teacher thinks "a little bit extra" is ok, is really annoying. It causes such a lot of anxiety, which is a shame, because life is tough enough once you get into the world of work!

DD often comes home with 5 subjects to do instead of 3, for that reason.

alison222 · 21/10/2011 14:07

I so agree with everyone who has complained about the parental involvement needed in order to make it possible to complete this sort of project work.
Ours starts with "take a walk in your local area and find somewhere .....". The children thankfully have had a think about it and I think for simplicity will write about the same thing - We will be researching the history of the local canals I think so that they can "tell a story" about them. AHHH!!! I hate having to help do project work clearly aimed at much older children.

oopslateagain · 21/10/2011 14:42

DD has been lucky, she likes to spend lunchtimes in the library at school and manages to do most of her 'worksheet' type homework there, she only has about 1/2 hour every night to do at home (year 9). So far she only has one lot of homework for half term, and that is for English, to keep a short diary of what she is doing every day. Which makes me Hmm Confused because now I've got to come up with something vaguely interesting to do instead of my original plans to have a lie in every day and clear out the attic!

DrinkYourWeakLemonDrinkNow · 21/10/2011 14:44

Quite agree alison (it's a bit of a hobbyhorse of mine Blush). I don't mind a small amount. At a push. Reluctantly.

I am unconvinced that learning a great list of unconnected words for spelling achieves a lasting result. If I ask about a word in a months time they don't have a clue about it. Surely the words should tie in with stuff they are learning in school Confused.

But huge projects are parents homework, no doubt about that. What good does that do?Hmm

Then there are sheets of homework with book extracts and a few tick box questions. Why not just spend a few weeks reading and studying (and enjoying) one book in totality rather that scraps of books? It seems so disjointed; yet they're the ones always banging on about reading. I can't see how a small extract from a book is very enriching or enlighteningSad it doesn't even make much sense half the time.

3littlefrogs · 21/10/2011 16:35

Dd does spend every lunch time working, practising, rehearsing - still has loads to do in the evenings though..

So the list of work for half term is:

Full amount of weekly homework in all subjects.

4 projects of varying length, all requiring research and group work. All to be handed in first day back.

Revision for tests in all subjects during the first week back.

So - our restful, relaxing family holiday is pretty much stuffed. Sad

Mrsrobertduvall · 21/10/2011 16:38

That is awful 3littlefrogs.
To expect dcs to spend 3 hours a night doing homework on top of a day at school is so wrong, and I do not believe in half term homework when they get 1 week off. Reading, yes...but everyone needs a chance to relax.

echt · 21/10/2011 17:07

I've been teaching 30+ years, and apart from senior groups Years 10 to 12 here in Oz, 10 to 13 in the UK, I have never set holiday homework, nor any at the weekend. I always factor in the weekend as free time when setting a date for work to be handed in. I make sure the students know I do this, and why, and tell the parents if they ask.

I have a very high return rate on homework and very good exam results.

GleamingHeels · 21/10/2011 17:16

I have a 12 year old neice, in S2 (second year of secondary in Scotland) who arrived at my house last Saturday after seven hours in the car and got out her Maths book to try and finish the homework she'd been set (the previous day) for half term - having spent entire Friday evening on lots of it - the Maths was a revision booklet of at least 18 pages - she's a concientous girl.

Her farher had arrived back from the Middle East where he works on the Friday morning, they were leaving mine for my brother's a further three hours away on Saturday morning in order to spend the week, about which she was incredibly excited, being tourists in London.

Parents have to check the work and work through any errors - it took four of us adults to work out some of the maths problems - even though we had the answers it took ages to work out how to get from the question to the answer.

Cue one neice with black bags under her eyes, but determined to finish

Why do we think it's OK to put this pressure on people's holidays (and children are people) - she would have been even more stressed if we'd not helped. She's at a normal state High School

I agree with everyone who has said it's ridiculous and unfair to set this level of holiday homework - I wouldn't accept it as work for myself during my annual leave

smellimelli · 21/10/2011 18:05

I wish I had parents like this at the school I work in! I agree that most pupils work hard when at school, I push mine 100% and set regular meaningful homework. When it comes to the holidays I look forward to a break/time with my family/enjoying myself and I think the pupils deserve the same.
HOWEVER, if I were not to set homework over the holidays I can say with certainty that I'd get parents complaining about "not enough homework being set" to my headteacher! You can't win.

LikeABlackFlameCandleBNQ · 21/10/2011 18:17

Surely any holiday homework should be stuff that can be done in addition to relaxing, such as for little ones, a drawing of them doing their most favourite thing that week, a bit older: a photo of them doing something fun and a couple of sentances why it was fun; year 6 maybe a one/two paragraph book review on a book they chose over the week?

Somthing little that wont interfere with their week, but 'keeps their hand in'

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