Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

To ask for the same homework for twins?

47 replies

yaela123 · 05/02/2017 18:24

I have 6 kids. The oldest is 16 and the youngest are 5. That's a lot of homework!

My youngest (twins) are in year 1 and have just started getting homework this year. They have a colour coding system at their school with different level work. I think it's red=easiest, yellow=middle, and green=hardest.

One of them pretty much always gets the yellow, the other sometimes the yellow but usually the green. Me or DH tends to help them, which is no problem but it is so much quicker when they have the same work as each other and can do it together.

OTOH I don't want to limit or challenge one of them too much. But then again they're 5 - it doesn't matter that much does it?

WIBU to ask the teacher to always give them the same sheet?

OP posts:

PoundingTheStreets · 05/02/2017 19:45

Setting homework for children in year 1 is what's unreasonable here IMO.

When exactly, are they supposed to get time to relax on top of school, extra curricular activities, a recommended daily allowance of exercise, evening meal, bathing/showering, some time spent together as a family...

GreenGinger2 · 05/02/2017 19:45

I think that is a pretty shoddy attitude. You decided to have 6 children.

Not entirely why twins should have less of your attention just because they were born on the same day.

early30smum · 05/02/2017 19:46

Nope, you can't, and shouldn't ask for that!

GreenGinger2 · 05/02/2017 19:47

Most year 1 homework is perfectly possible to fit in with all the above. There are 7 days in the week,2 completely free and the other 5 which end at 3.30.

PoundingTheStreets · 05/02/2017 19:59

Most which end at 3.30 - unless both parents are working of course and the child has to go to a childminder, many of which can't accommodate varying homework schedules any more than the mother above can. And none of this factors in the commute from school to CM, back to home, when tea has to be cooked...

I have two degrees and several post-grad professional qualifications. I never had homework until secondary school apart from spellings and times tables.

PoundingTheStreets · 05/02/2017 20:01

And I happen to think that children benefit far more from doing family activities at a weekend and seeing extended family members, doing sports to encourage physical fitness in what is an increasingly sedentary world, or going off doing extra curricular activities.

When a child has to choose between a trip to an activity centre on a weekend in favour of producing a papier mache robot masquerading as homework, the system has gone mad.

Trifleorbust · 05/02/2017 20:01

As a teacher I would LOVE to have time to set differentiated homework. I have to differentiate in my lessons or they are considered inadequate. If it's not important then why I am doing it?

lavei · 05/02/2017 20:06

That's ridiculous. How can you possibly want one held back to make life easier for you?
Selfish if you ask me

BackforGood · 05/02/2017 20:16

Totally agree with pounding . If they are having regular homework that is more than they can do on their own, then that is what you need to tackle. Personally i think homework for infant children is ridiculous anyway, but, if they do give it, it should be something they can do, or it just renders it pointless and just a task for parents, not dc.

Agree with everyone though that you would be doing them a great disservice to expect them to be given same work if they are at different levels.

GreenGinger2 · 05/02/2017 20:23

So how are they going to manage further up if you really can't manage 30 mins of homework in an entire week? Even an hour is more than doable.

happy2bhomely · 05/02/2017 20:27

I sympathise OP. I have 5dc aged between 16 and 3. It is hard work juggling the needs of children over such a wide age range.

I think homework of more than just reading is ridiculous in year 1. I home educate, so we don't have this problem anymore.

What sort of homework is it?

MyWineTime · 05/02/2017 21:08

Your 16 year old should require very little input on homework.
Your other 4 children between your twins and the eldest will require differing amount of supervision but some of them should be working fairly independently.
You have to find a way of managing them as individuals.

BathshebaDarkstone · 05/02/2017 21:18

My 9yo does her homework independently but needs me in the room. My 5yo needs a lot of help, he struggles with reading and writing and needs to learn his 2 times table by the end of this academic year. That's a lot of input.

staghunter · 05/02/2017 21:23

I sympathise! My twins are very similar academicaly and get the same homework. I think that is even more tedious though as you have to do the same thing twice over. Only saves time with spellings, just one list to read out!

Original poster

yaela123 · 05/02/2017 21:27

Sorry if I was unclear:
My oldest (16 & 14) require very little help
We are happy to give all of our kids time and attention.

There just feels like there is never enough time in the week. We both work almost full time including often weekends and looking for ways to free up more time.

Thinking about it again from a different point of view, I see IWBU.

I just feel like year 1 is too young for so much homework! Well at least it prepares them.

OP posts:

Happinessisthis · 05/02/2017 21:37

Well I kind of agree with you OP. They are 5. Why are they already being put into academic categories during infant school. How ridiculous.
Most European schools done start until a child is 6 or 7. And someone who has studied this extensively, I think we should take a lead out of their books.

Trifleorbust · 05/02/2017 22:44

I agree that 5 is too early for any real burden of homework. How much is there?

BathshebaDarkstone · 06/02/2017 02:52

Happiness the reason they're being put into academic categories in year 1 is because ability varies tremendously. DD was writing full pages in year 1, DS2 can barely write.

faithinthesound · 06/02/2017 03:52

You have a 16 yo. Ask them to help.
The 16yo didn't choose to have the siblings that came after him/her, the parents did. This is unfair.

There's "everyone pitches in" and then there's "we had too many children, now we need our oldest to act as surrogate parent to bail us out". Seriously, OP, this is very bad, very icky, very unfair advice. Don't be a Duggar.

BoomBoomsCousin · 06/02/2017 04:01

I would talk to the teacher about the homework. I had twins and it was hard getting them to do their homework. When I asked the teacher about it she said she thought the homework was very ineffective, but it was school policy to set it and the best that could be said for it was that it engendered good study habits (though that is also not backed up by good evidence in infant years). She'd rather the kids read for longer in the evening. So for year 1 we stopped doing homework and they just read. So your teacher may think it will make no or next to no difference. Ask them. Of course at some point you're going to have to get to grips with them having different work, but it may be a lot easier when they are a little older, and in the meantime you could potentially have more family time, which is also valuable.

robertgilbertson · 12/09/2018 09:02

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Proudmotherpaula · 09/08/2019 12:37

Oh boiiii does this butter my crumpet For me and the ds and dd whe have to stick to a schechule or it all gets hectic and they get confused so we go to the libary at their school and do it together then we go on a walk in the park then i drop them of at karate class I sitt in the lobby area and just finish of some work stuff then we walk home such fun...

Flip

1 2

Swipe left for the next trending thread