To think teachers overuse parents

[RichTeas]

I am really starting to wonder about the received wisdom that parental input is crucial for a child's schooling success? Every politician and every teacher (especially in the state sector) repeats this mantra over and over, and clearly some parental teaching is not going to hurt, but is it really an efficient way of doing things? Most of us are not experts, and end up wasting time finding second rate examples or demonstrating old ways of calculating etc.. Not to mention the inevitable arguments from children who don't wish to be taught by parents. Teachers seem quite happy to assign hours of homework at primary with the cheerful reminder of not to spend more than 20 minutes on it, meanwhile in the school they're doing all manner of arts and crafts, dress-up, cooking, while parents get stuck with the boring sit-down learning.

Just wondering how much homework is too much? ds is 5.5, in year one and gets reading 3xweek (30 page books), 12 spellings, literacy, numeracy and a craft project or writing project. I know it's because the new curriculum is squeezing everything downward but it feels a lot. Not saying I'm not doing it with him but I do feel sad for him that he's working so hard during the day and then after school every day as well.

I look after my niece after school while my sister works and have to help her with her homework. She is in year 4 and, to my great shame, I cannot do her maths homework (I have a severe problem with numbers, despite having a first class degree in French literature!).

While I know that my level of thickness is thankfully quite rare, surely there are other parents/carers who struggle to help too, particularly at secondary level? Surely then those children are disadvantaged by not having bright parents?

sooty how is deciding groupings not a teacher's responsibility?

Penelope my DC did not experience the type of differentiation you describe. The teachers acted 'stumped' because my DC could read fluently on school entry (did not fit the reading scheme as the more advanced books had more mature content.)

Sooty why do you suspect less support? Because they have Statements? Do you realise how much parental input it can take to get a Statement or support a child with additional needs?

I agree that all children deserve the same amount of time and attention, far too much time is spent on a few at the expense of the majority.

^Parental support at home, that is.

When i was in the early years of schooling my dad was still at work when i got in from school and my mum used to work evenings. Even if she didnt she never read with me or DB because she couldnt/cant read English as its not her first language. I was still the top reader in the class.

Which is how i know that trying to shift the blame to parents is a load of bollocks.

capsium I have many years of teaching experience.
In my last school I didn't have the power to make decisions about grouping. Even as head of department I had to defer to the curriculum deputy. If I tried to make decisions they didn't like I was swiftly overruled. They also dictated the homework timetable and monitored what was set.

Yes, but at some points, the teacher is stretched thin enough. as Penelope said, a NT kid deserves as much of her time as a kid with SN. When going mainstream, you have to expect a equality of treatment between pupils, to allow the one with potential to bloom. Equality is not putting everyone at the same level, neither high, nor low, it's giving everybody within the class equal attention and tools.
Regarding children with not so educated parents, I have seen in France children of immigrants from a certain part of the world that excelled academically, even if the parents had very poor formal education themselves. They could not do the HW of their children, but they could sure give them time to do it, encourage them, and sometimes, enforce study time. That's what I call respect for oneself and for the future of one's child.

Tron children with additional needs parents often have to fight very hard to receive individual additional funding. Is it not fair that this resource secured for them, for their education, is spent on their own individual education?

French it is in the country's interests to ensure these children with additional needs are not left to fail, either. Thankfully my own DC is progressing well and no longer needs a Statement and is attaining ahead of what is expected for the age group

I understand that those with additional needs may require support. From what you day It seems that the addition of funding is allocated to those who fight for it - that is not a fair allocation. Secondly, given the limited resources there are children who go through school with no additional help, if we as a society put resources into that group I think they would benefit hugely

I taught for almost 21 years. Parental interest in a pupil's work, behaviour and progress seemed to me to have more impact than any other initiative.

There can be the funds though, Tron and still little support given. I have experienced this with my DC, who was well funded. Individual teachers do seem to make a difference IME.

I can't imagine not wanting to be intimately involved in my own child's education. It's such an essential aspect of their development - I wouldn't want it outsourced completely. Education must be a partnership between schools and parents if the best outcome for the child is to be achieved. I want to hear reading. I want to see maths being done. I want to know spellings are being learned. I want to see handwriting develop and I want to see the content of what they write progressing.

I'm lucky - my parents took a serious interest in my education and I could not do less for mine.

How much do you want to gave to do this though Apocalypse? I had to fill in the gaps whilst my DC was only offered part time schooling, even though had a fully funded 1 to 1. I was also (practically) forced to volunteer in school in order for my DC to access all of the curriculum taught in school - I say practically because I do not know what would have happened if I refused. Was not a risk I was prepared to take at the time.

I don't want to be involved in my child's education at all, I want them to go to go to school (obviously) on time, well fed, happy, read with them, help a TINY amount with homework. But I do want to be involved in their CHILDHOOD and I want to give them experiences and love and nurture them, as I should.

They wouldn't thank me for my maths help :o tbh

There is more to being a supportive parent than dotting he i' s and crossing the t' s that school set you.

^have not gave. Typo.

Switch that sentence around to "To think parents overuse teachers" and YANBU.

As it is, spending a few minutes with your child each night to do homework is not that hard to do. There's no excuse. Even if they're not home, the baby sitter or CM needs to do it with them.

Parents can't help their children with homework, but they can miraculously find time for facebook and TV.

Obviously the teachers shouldn't be giving hours of homework each night. I think a fair compromise would be to allow a study period at school where students can work on their homework in class before they go home.

I do not want to comment on your personal experience but S a general rule I do think parents should be too actively involved at the school as often this means they influence what happens within the classroom. I believe that where TA and resources are allocated it is up to the teacher and school to allocate

capsium if the school failed to allocate the correct funding to your daughter and denied her access to a full curriculum that was wrong. When that happens I would submit that it is often not the decision of the individual teacher as to how and where resources are allocated. In terms of additional needs I had no input whatsoever. Decisions regarding the allocation of resources and how they were used came from the senco and the curriculum deputy.

How much do you want to gave to do this though Apocalypse?

As much as it takes, to be honest. I chose to have kids and whatever they need me to do, I'm going to try. My parents sat with all four of us every evening helping out with their stronger areas every evening and I'm the same.

I don't accept that's depriving them of a childhood.

But within a classroom surely it is the teacher who works with the TA in order to ensure all pupils benefit. It would be wrong to have a TA solely with one child when just S easily they could help a number

Tron as I said TAs in my school were allocated and instructed by the senco.

And Tron I'd a child is funded for 1:1 from a TA that is what they are entitled to and should get.