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AIBU?

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Original poster

6 and 7 year olds being kep in at lunch time for forgetting homework

575 replies

DaanSaaf · 08/05/2018 20:55

Year 2 ds just told me they have to stay in at lunch time and do extra work if they haven't brought their homework in.

Aibu to think that's a bit harsh at their age?

OP posts:
Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 10/05/2018 09:44

I think that's awful, Linzeyhun. Do you check the child's home circumstances before keeping them in to do homework? Some kids have very little chance of getting homework done as their parents don't care, others do care but aren't living the sort of lives where homework can get any kind of priority. None of that is the child's fault, so you're punishing a child for their parents' decisions.

Second and equally important point: children of 6 and 7 need their time outside running around and playing.

Third point: homework for a child that age is pretty pointless anyway. My children didn't have any other than reading and a few spellings and they did extremely well academically.

Linzeyhun · 10/05/2018 09:48

@gasp0dd

Would that be an excuse at secondary school? I think not. Homework has to be done, just like class work, or no playtime.

ThisIsTheFirstStep · 10/05/2018 09:49

As usual, it’s the kids with shitty home lives that suffer. No one checking they’ve done their homework, no one making sure they put it in their bag. Then they get kept in at break which only serves to consolidate their image as ‘the bad kid’.

Believeitornot · 10/05/2018 09:50

But by punishing you’re hardly setting them up for self discipline are you?

Linzeyhun · 10/05/2018 09:53

@Believeitornot

Is that post for me?

They know they have to complete their work or lose playtime and lunchtime. They then take responsibility.

ThisIsTheFirstStep · 10/05/2018 09:57

linzey my mum used to more or less force me not to do my homework, by mocking me for being a suck up. I didn’t have a quiet place to work and I didn’t have any support.

Very often my homework was not done or half done.

So would you have kept me in too? my social skills were already crap, so making me skip break and lunch time would only consolidate that.

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 10/05/2018 10:02

Children at secondary school are double and more the age of the children you are teaching. They may seem very grown up to you, especially if you've never had any children of your own and this is your main experience with children, but I can assure you they are not. They are very, very young and their lives outside the school are largely under the control of the adults they live with. An 11yo with homework could stay at school or go to a library to do it, or go to a friend's house. A 6yo can't.

Linzeyhun · 10/05/2018 10:06

@Thisisthefirststep

If it means that a child in the situation you mention, did their work. Yes.

Oliversmumsarmy · 10/05/2018 10:06

Linzeyhun you sound like my ds's teacher of the same year.

What would your response be if the parent informed you (although I think you should have noticed) that the child in question couldn't actually read let alone write.

After a year he was so traumatised. Didn't have a friend because he was never allowed to play out and hated school so much when I researched and said he didn't have to go back the relief we all felt was huge.

I ended up giving up work to HE him.

CalF123 · 10/05/2018 10:06

It's not hard to find out why so few pupils from poor backgrounds go on to higher education from looking at the attitudes on this thread. If anything, pupils from 'difficult' homes are the ones who benefit most from homework. This attitude that they 'can't' or won't do homework and only the 'naice' middle class children need to bother with it is why we have such glaring educational inequality in this country.

MediocrePenguin · 10/05/2018 10:10

I think that's bloody awful. Homework is voluntary at our school - although kids get merits for doing it and are keenly encouraged.

Maldives2006 · 10/05/2018 10:10

Actually the secondary school I have been involved in have done what they can to help and facilitate homework when they know there is a problem.

In all honestly you sound like you need a break from teaching, our attitude to 6/7 year old small children is quite frankly shocking

Linzeyhun · 10/05/2018 10:10

@Oliversmumsarmy

I wouldn't keep a child like that in. There is a different between cant and wont.

I would then offer extra support.

Oliversmumsarmy · 10/05/2018 10:11

Linzeyhun

You can't compare a 6/7year old with an 11/12 year old.

If you are then I think you need to rethink your profession.

corcaithecat · 10/05/2018 10:13

I'm in Ireland and feel that homework for primary aged children should be limited to twice a week max. Unfortunately, my DS has been having homework 5 days a week since he was in junior infants and some evenings it takes him about 90 minutes to complete because he faffs about. I don't mind the reading but a lot of it is pretty tedious stuff, copying out the questions from the book as well as writing the answers. He's 9 and has (undiagnosed) dyspraxia and struggles with writing so it just adds to the stress. The teacher was the one who suggested he has dyspraxia and we are still waiting for an appointment for testing as waiting times are very long.
Personally, I'd happily say 'feck it, don't do it' but my DH doesn't want to cause trouble plus he's not supportive of the dyspraxia argument and thinks he's just being lazy. DS can't ride a bike or catch a ball, hates sport and can't cope with cutlery so still uses his fingers to eat food.
Punishing children for not doing homework at primary is akin to minor child abuse in my mind.

Linzeyhun · 10/05/2018 10:14

@Oliversmumsarmy.

Obviously they are different.

It is all about standards and expectations. The earlier they learn, the better.

MediocrePenguin · 10/05/2018 10:15

@cloudyweewee that's really very sad 😔

Racecardriver · 10/05/2018 10:18

YABU. When parents don't care enough about their children to make sure that they am adequate amount of work then schools need to step in to try to compensate for patents shortcomings.

Linzeyhun · 10/05/2018 10:18

@Medicorepenguin

Teachers cannot win. Parents will moan if children are behind but say it is wrong to make them do it at playtime.

ICantCopeAnymore · 10/05/2018 10:20

Why is it awful? Don't get me started.

Have you not done research into the effects as part of your training? Surely you'd know if you're a teacher that it has no impact at primary age and keeping children in at playtime has a detrimental effect on their self esteem, social skills and general attitude to school?

IfNot · 10/05/2018 10:21

Good God I hope you are on the wind up Linzey!
6 and 7 year olds AREN'T in secondary, so they don't need to be prepared for it yet.
Don't you know how much children mature and develop in those 5 years?
My own son changed massively just in the second half of year 6, in terms of responsibility and maturity.
Young children benefit from fresh air, playing and excercise FAR more than sitting in classrooms.

I wouldn't even keep a kid in at break for misbehaving as the chances are they are misbehaving in class because of excess energy! I would send them out to run around and then give them a useful job to do (tidying etc).
With teachers like you no wonder children are stressed.

steppemum · 10/05/2018 10:21

I really hate this.

It is basic child development that young children need periods of large motor skills interspersed with periods of fine motor skills, so if you want them to write well, you actually need to get them out running around.

It teaches kids that play and physical activity are not important. In an age of obesity, we should be telling them how important it is to be running round.

Our school does it too. They get a high return on homework, but the same kids stay in regularly Sad

dd2 in primary actually gets more homework than her siblings in secondary school

Maldives2006 · 10/05/2018 10:23

Who said children from poor backgrounds won’t/can’t do homework a 6/7 year old child has to have their homework facilitated some children don’t have access to books, an adequate living space to do homework, let alone the other stuff needed to do homework.

VerbenaBorensis · 10/05/2018 10:23

Homework at this age a joke anyway at my kids school there were these projects that the parents admitted they had mostly done for them (u could tell as they were so good) but the kids that had made the effort felt deflated then. To keep them in at lunchtime is unfair they need that time esp when they stagger when they go on to eat and have hardly any time left to eat. There is another thread about homework. Perhaps should have posted first bit on there!

Linzeyhun · 10/05/2018 10:24

They are not staying in everyday. Once in a blue moon.

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