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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to wonder quite what the point of homework is, if the teacher admits to not even looking at it.

20 replies

watchforthesnail · 22/07/2013 18:27

DD is in year 2, had the ' come in and look at our topic work' hour before the end of school. Spoke to the teacher about DD's homework, which she had put a ton of effort into and had taken her days. Shes not the best writer but had chosen to write a ' book' ( in reality this was a sentence or two per page. 4 a5 sides long ) homework was handed in at the beginning of last week.
the teacher cheerily admitted to not even having looked at it.

what is the point of mine and DD's effort if its not even going to get a glance?

OP posts:

LilacPeony · 22/07/2013 18:32

That's not normal. Ours (KS2) always give feedback on homework which makes it clear they have read it.

NotYoMomma · 22/07/2013 18:32

err to encourage her to write and do activities at home?

its the end of term.

is this all her homework that she hasnt marked? I doubt it. it's one piece of work which will benefit your daughter just having done it.

LadyBryan · 22/07/2013 18:34

I actually think that is appalling. Especially given your child had really made such an effort, and the teacher must know she struggles with writing.

End of term of not I think that's really poor from the teacher

BoneyBackJefferson · 22/07/2013 18:36

Is that
not having looked at it yet
or
not intending to look at it at all?

Original poster

watchforthesnail · 22/07/2013 18:36

no, they never mark homework anyway, but i had assumed they at least looked at it.

it wont have benefited her in any way, we do stuff at home, the pressure of doing a ' project' on top of all the other things they have to do, ie reading, spellings etc.... is quite a lot.

OP posts:

Original poster

watchforthesnail · 22/07/2013 18:38

they wont be looking at it, its the last day tomorrow and it will then be coming home.

OP posts:

twilighteyes · 22/07/2013 18:39

the point of homework is to appease parents to be honest. I hate setting it but its school policy so I have to. I do give merits for children who do it but I don't punish those who don't (personal choice.)

Original poster

watchforthesnail · 22/07/2013 18:41

i dont bloody want homework. most of the parents in the class feel the same. some have given up doing it, knowing it doesnt get marked or used for anything. I got dd to do it still, as she didnt want to not do something she should. she gets a bit funny about being ' naughty'

but for it not to even be looked at?
thats rubbish

OP posts:

ChocolateBiscuitCake · 22/07/2013 18:46

Homework is set to keep the pushy parents happy .

I am not condoning the fact that it hasn't been looked at, but when do you expect the teacher to look at 30 projects on top of marking daily literacy & numeracy + whatever else has been done that day, do individual reading with the childrean AND umm, plan & teach the actual lesson?

Expectations of teachers are too much and unrealistic.

Original poster

watchforthesnail · 22/07/2013 18:53

i just expect that if they set homework, they at least look at it. im not expecting a report back on it, but just to look at what their pupil has done.

it is their job, afterall.

OP posts:

Nanny0gg · 22/07/2013 18:54

They give homework, they look at homework, they should mark some of the homework,

I'd take it up with the HT.

Meglet · 22/07/2013 18:56

That's awful. Y1 DS's homework is always marked. And I get feedback on my feedback comments if I'm not sure how to help him. I even got a smiley face once .

uselessinformation · 22/07/2013 20:36

Homework is to keep pushy parents happy. Apart from reading ,there's no need for it in primary school and a lot of teachers would agree. I'm a teacher and this is what I did with my son: I wrote a letter asking for him not to be given homework. In the letter I listed the activities that he did after school, both organised and self initiated and wrote about how I thought these more valuable than worksheets but if there was work he needed to catch up with then I would be ok with that. The reply was ... no problem!

Original poster

watchforthesnail · 22/07/2013 20:51

thing is, its not even worksheets.
its a 6 week project they are set each half term, that ties in with their topic. so, its a big chunk of work.

OP posts:

bigTillyMint · 22/07/2013 20:56

Those project homework's are rubbish, IMHO.

And to not even look at what the children have done - what a waste of their and their parents time

Boomba · 22/07/2013 21:00

we rarely do the homeworks, but some times dd really goes to town

I think it is to appease parents and also to set the scene..homeworks a good habit huh. Im glad its not marked though....its too much at Primary age IMO. The school day is plenty. Does your dd not just enjoy doing it, rather than waiting for feedback? or is it you wanting feedback? Its good to encourage them to enjoy the process and feel proud of themselves i think...instead of needing validation from the teacher?

Original poster

watchforthesnail · 22/07/2013 21:04

Of course my dd wanted feedback, just a ' well done, what a lovely story' would have been good, or even ' great handwriting' would have been enough, but she didnt even know what she had done... or that she had done a book.

OP posts:

Boomba · 22/07/2013 21:13

did she enjoy doing it? was she proud of it?
Are you sure she wants the feed back? or do you?
is the teachers otherwise good/effective? are you pleased with your dds progress this year? does she enjoy going to school/learning?

Nanny0gg · 23/07/2013 14:24

Still not good enough Boomba. The work needs recognition from the person who set it.

soapboxqueen · 23/07/2013 15:54

Personally I would never set homework if I had the choice. Well maybe reading, tables and the odd bit of topic research. Anything else is pointless.

I can't use it for anything in class because I don't know how much support the child has had, if they completed it themselves at all. I have to differentiate a task when some children will find it easy because they will get one to one support and others will find it difficult because they won't have any support since nobody cares if they do it or not. Then there is all the time chasing up forgotten homework.

Having said that, if I asked the children to complete it, then I mark it.

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