AIBU to feel emotionally blackmailed by School ?

[spornersunited]

DS has just started YR2 (so age 6).

By the time we all walk through the door at 5.45 every evening DS is hungry, tired, and whining (he's up at 6am)


Todays letter home stated that there will be a weekly spelling test and spellings should be practiced and recorded in his spelling record book every day and signed by a parent apparently if this home work isn't completed they will loose 'golden time' and made to do the practice then.

Whilst I fully support the school and my child's education there will be days that trying to do battle and force a tired whiny 6 year old to do spellings will be counter productive.

To put it into perspective both me and DP work full time don't get home until 5.45 pm which then only leaves 1 hour and 15 mins to get evening meal cooked & eaten , DS bathed ,teeth cleaned, story hear about his day etc before he settles down to sleep at 7 pm.

AIBU to think that the threat of my child being effectively singled out and punished if I don't facilitate this home work every single day (for the reasons stated above) is emotional blackmail ?

[2ndSopranosRule]

Actually I think you should be asking the school how best to support the homework policy.

When dd1 was in y1, the reading, spellings, homework and online maths and English activities were too much. At that age they need a fair bit of help. We simply couldn't do it all due us both working. I spoke to the teacher who was mortified that we were struggling. She was so nice about it and agreed to work on a solution.

The school has also set up a homework room at after school club.

Dd1 is in y4 now and doesn't need the same extent of parental input (other than "do your spellings now") but at 6 they do.

[AnnPerkins]

I would be amazed if many y2 children would happily sit and write 50 words out every night after school. It would have taken DS...well I don't know actually because he wouldn't have got through it. I do know it would have put him off writing and spelling for the rest of time though.

I'd have to go and talk to the teacher about this. Or send an email/letter if you can't get away from work. It's a ridiculously impossible task with a draconian consequence.

[BoffinMum]

Rtft Playmobil. Kid is too tired and the task is educationally pointless for a 6YO anyway.

[AnnPerkins]

10 words 5 times each PlaymobilPirate.

[Trifleorbust]

Probably worth pointing out that it will not be the teacher who sets the homework policy. She may not agree with this frequency for a 6 year old any more than you do.

[PrimalLass]

Have they had an inspection and been pulled up for poor spelling? Our school went a bit nuts about spelling and tables after something like that.

[MrsHam13]

That is ALOT of writing his words out.

My dd is six. She has eight words to learn each week. This week her homework was - look, say, cover and write spelling words three times. So on Monday I tested her on them and she knew them. Wednesday she wrote them out. Homework went back Thursday and I tested her in the morning. Then Friday asked her again. She had her test Friday and got them all correct. Same as last week. Last year I didn't realise she had tests until half way through so we were just writing them out like the homework said. She was only getting one or two correct. Since we have started verbally going over them as well she has got seven or eight ever since. There's no need to write them that many times. I'd speak to the school.

My daughter also had to write a sentence for each word. Do a maths sheet. Maths homework task. Read her reading book and write five adjectives to describe the main character. So wasn't just the words.