To think that teachers need to teach stuff and not me.

[caroline161]

DS has just started at Grammar school. Ridiculous amount and type of homework. For example: Learn about Archimedes principle, explain what you have found. AIBU to email the school and say, " I would appreciate it if you could teach him this instead of me and what the f are you doing all day which means that I have to teach him Archimedes principle"

I'm sure he'll get used to it. Keep encouraging him

No, he had no tutoring. He's bright but he can't get his head round this way of learning at the moment.

Smiley that was a really unpleasant post. It can take a while to get to grips with a new way of working (for both pupils and parents) - that doesn't mean he's taking up a place of a brighter child.
If he does some research and takes some notes, hopefully the teacher will fill in the gaps while teaching the lesson.
When I set homework like that it's because I want the students to have thought independently about the topic before we get started, not because I want them to teach themselves the whole thing.

If your DS can not google and learn what the Archimedes principle is for homework then what the heck is he doing at a Grammar school. This is a primary school topic for clever children.

Maybe consider a more appropriate school for him?

Archimedes Principle states that 'in a right-angled triangle the squares on the sides about the right-angle equal the square on the hypotenuse'.

That's Pythagoras, Archimedes was the guy who ran down the road naked after his bath!

Archimedes is easily taught. Run a warm bath to just reach the brim and tell him to jump in. He measures the volume of water displaced and can calculate the mass and it should equal the amount of him that was submerged. Great fun! Lots of extensions activities too. Give the dog a bath. Fill a paddling pool and hurl various items in. It can teach concepts like pi, radius, area, and even move into biology if you look at the impact of immersion in cold water on the human body.

Put towels down first though.

So many rude people out tonight I'm sure we will plough on. Thanks to those of you with helpful advice. He's a great kid, I only want what is best for him and he's very busy at the moment with not much time for anything else which seems a shame.

Having re-read the OP, he is being asked to do some research. I really don't see what is so onerous about it.

When I was his age we had to traipse to the library to do it.

Gosh how rude some people have been about the OP's child.

I hate mumsnet when it gets like this.

OP SOME children do need more support with their homework, especially if they are nervous of getting it wrong. Your DS sounds like this might be the case for him. I would just continue to help as much as you can face, if it really gets too much then talk to his teachers. Nine pieces of ongoing homework sounds an awful lot.

Actually this sounds like a lazy homework from the teacher to me. Fair enough if they've covered a bit in lessons and they've to find out more or answer specific questions. Just because it's open-ended doesn't make it well-differentiated. Flipped learning was a bit of a buzzword but may well be going the way of BLP etc soon.

Grammar school equals lots of homework and pressure. If he’s struggling already, I’d suggest it’s not the school for him.

I think that's it, he's maybe worried about getting it wrong, not doing enough etc. Some people on here tonight have actually made me feel like crying about how he doesn't deserve his place there or someone else should have had it. Just horrid.

He's meant to research at home... it's homework, when did this become difficult?

He seems to be taking up a place at that school that could be used by an actually bright child.
Was he heavily tutored to get into grammar by any chance

Please ignore comments like this OP. This type of homework will be very different to what many children will be used to. I'm sure your child deserves their place at grammar and they will soon get used to homework like this, it's early days.

Independent research, critique and finding. Basically applying his skills ie brain and logic to use different research methods to find a link to answers/more research. Highly, highly useful skill to do from a young age. They won't be expecting fabulous work but a definite research trail such I searched google, from there xyz and I discovered abc. Then to develop abc I did 123 and uncovered 456.

No one's being horrid to you. They're just surprised that you can't Google the answer on your mumsnet machine phone.

MadeinBelfast
Flipped learning as a buzzword will fall out of fashion.

Doing research as prep for a lesson is a homework as old as time and entirely standard for a class of able students.

You or I or anyone on here can't say if it's a lazy homework based on the info on this thread. We haven't enough information to say.

l went to a grammar school in the early 1970s. This was usual, except we didn't have the benefit of the internet. We had to go to the library and do our own research.
Of course they're taught stuff, but they also need to be able to find out things by themselves.

From what I remember, and it was a loooong time ago, secondary school was a big step up. I wasn’t in a grammar school, but it was still hugely different from primary and took a few months to get used the work/work load.

If your son has recently started at the grammar school then just support him, encourage him while he gets accustomed to the system etc. Don’t jump at moving him, see how this academic year goes.

Don’t take comments on here so to heart. You decided to put him in grammar school. It’s going to be tough and they have different ways of teaching to most state schools. Expectations are very high (as they are in many state schools, of course) Year 7 is a massive learning curve and I’m already hearing about some kids being unhappy. My Year 11 form often reminisce about how easy and lovely primary school was. (Some, not all!)

A recent study I read says that students who complete homework achieve 20% better than those who don’t.

@eddiemairswife

That's totally wrong.

So many rude people out tonight

Because I would appreciate it if you could teach him this instead of me and what the f are you doing all day which means that I have to teach him Archimedes principle isn’t at all rude.

Oh I wish I thought to use Google....
I did
We watched the video, same one as posted above.

I still wasn't clear on it really. I am thick
He stares at me
We have no clue where to start
I think I wish the teacher could have made a start with this an actually taught or discussed the basic principle.
No, no one has been horrid to me, thats why i feel like absolute shit.

I feel your pain op. I have to sit with my less able DS yr 7 and help him with every bit of his homework. He is being taught well but he has poor retention of information and this coupled with lack of motivation by the evening means I do end having to ‘teach’ him. I drew the line at algebra though this week and sent it back asking for it to be taught again.

No one's being horrid to you.

I think they have been and I hope OP just hides this thread. Mumsnet at its finest. 🙄