Parents / full time nanny homework poll

[Strix]

For primary school children, I want to know how much homework your full time nanny (5 days, 10+ hours per day) does with the DCs and how much you (mums and dads) do?

I'm just curious really. I'm not having a moan about my nanny. I'm just struggling to do homework help and balance my work schedule. And this may well be exactly how all other mums are feeling too.

So, please, come and tell me who does what and when.

DD is in year 2, and I have found the homework to be a bit of a shock to the system this year. No idea how I'm going to juggle it all when DS has homework too!

Clean the kitchen
Clean the kids bathroom
Clean the (youngest) kids bedrooms
Clean the downstairs toilet
Vacuum the house (not parents room)
Dust the living room and entry hall
Mop floors
Wipe the walls down

I do not get paid extra to do this. I do it out of sheer boredom.

My charges are all in primary school, the eldest is 10.

I do all their weekly homework with them. They have a designated day each so they can have my undivided attention. The other two children must entertain themselves during the hour or so I am with their brother or sister so I can make sure they have done all their work and understand it all. They do their spelling daily on their own essentially but I quiz them in the car etc so I know where they are at with that too...

Part of the reason I suspect their mother chose me was because I am able to tutor them and recognize where they need help. Since I started with them the eldest' grades have improved from Cs to some Bs and some As. They go to a competitive private school and it's important to their parents they do well. I am in the middle of my second degree so obviously I value academic success too.

I know my MB does check up on all their homework etc and some weeks things do go wrong and one may miss out on their homework day with me in which case their parents will do it with that child in the evening.

So obviously I am very involved, I consider it my sole responsibility.

Forgot to add, when one of them has a class project I also go and get whatever supplies they decide they need and oversee from start to finish.

My MB works hard enough during the day, I don't want her to come home at 7pm and have to spend the remaining half an hour she has with her kids before bed time hearing spelling. Beside they are too tired by then to do it cooperatively.

Oh sorry I thought it said HOUSEWORK .

Homework...not a lot as it is all in a language other then English. All 4 DC's are in primary and high school so there is a lot of homework.

I help with English homework and history and geopgraphy etc(which they then translate). I can do the DC4 maths as she is only in year 2.

It is my responsibilty to make sure they do it but given that I cannot check it to make sure it is correct their mother will check DC1 & 2's homework if she is able. Apart from that it is my responsibility to make sure it is done.

My employers like to try and do homework with their children but they do find it a struggle and it often gets forgotten. I tend to check that its been done the day before its due in and if it hasn't i will then do it with my charges. However in my previous job, i took full responsibiity for getting homework done as thats what the mum requested.

No worries, Lou.

I think my situation might be self inflicted. I think that possibly they just don't have time for all the homework between the school run, extra activities, etc. And this inevitably leaves the weekend when I need to do it.

ho hum...

Nanny does a lot of DS's but to be honest it isn't that much - as we are at state school (Yr3). DS usually has some writing, some project related stuff (this time it is three pages out of a science book), some maths, and he is meant to do reading 4x a week but he reads all the time so not a problem. He gets this on Wednesday, he does a bit each day and we finish off what is left on the weekend, to be handed in on Tuesday. The writing is the hardest bit as DS absolutely hates it (rewriting a para took literally hours).

I did all homework in both languages.

Spellings and maths tables were drilled orally on the way to or from school, ditto poem to learn. Any writing/research was done in the afternoon when we got back from the park/afterschool activity. Reading was done at the same time but it was never a problem to encourage! Music practice was half an hour every evening before shower.

Parents drilled spellings and did a practice dictation over the weekend (tested Monday morning).

It think it depends on how much homework the DC have and how capable the nanny is TBH, as well as the schedule through the week. It was a priority for my ex-boss that nanny was able to supervise homework and music practice and tutor where needed and schoolwork came above extra activities.

at the moment 7y (so also in year 2) has french once a week, and then i do 15 spellings (quite hard i think for 7yrs - had aeroplane last week) and read every day, though sometimes it is twice a week,but dont forget i work 3 days - but will try and do every night

mb does both thur/fri

4yr starts school sept,so i will do as i did with eldest and pratice words to learn to read, then do reading every night AS WELL as do eldest homework

strix, we must have children roughly the same age and yes sometimes it is hard to fit it in,as well as sort out bubba, and also have woofa trying to get a cuddle

the way i see it,is whoever is there after school should do the homewrok, or at least try, ie to learn spellings/listen to reading etc

pmsl at lou - was wondering why she was listing her chores

The problem I think is largely that I rganise all the activies around having Monday free so homework could be done then and was due on Wednesdays. And then they changed the bloomin hoework schedule so it is now due on Mondays and we have our no activity day when there is no homework to do. Bugger!

Nanny does the spellings and I do the rest. But this weekend is a real PITA because it is one big birthday party, sleepover, trip the theatre, and million other things marathon. We will have to do book report in our sleep. (or cheat and write on a book we already know) SHHH!!! I didn't say that.

And then there is KS1 prep...

Blondes- my six year old charge regularly gets spelling words like "magnificent" "gorgeous" and "surprisingly"- very hard for a six year old I feel!

Those sound on par with her words to be honest. I can't remember what they are this week but because and August have both been recent words. I think this is part of gung ho national curriculum reading obsession. I don't mind the high expections on spelling. She seems to cope just fine. But I wish they hadn't put maths on the back burner along the way. (but thats a whole nother thread)

inkyone - are you talking about year 1 or 2?

I love that you spelled 'expectations' incorrectly when talking about spelling expectations .

On a serious note - I have only had toddlers/preschoolers mainly, but I once took care of a Year 1 child during the summer and we did frequent math problems relating to real life, such as addition and subtraction at the grocery. She also wrote out the shopping list each week which helped her spelling and handwriting.

I would see homework as a nanny's job, IMO. Unless it's a week-long project which DC may want to do with Mum/Dad if you see what I mean? I don't think it's unreasonable for parents to ask nannies to handle most of the homework. I do know a few parents who would prefer to do it all themselves though as 'bonding time'.

strix, yes we had august and because - and 7yr told me a ryhmne to remember because - but i cant remember it pmsl

Mine supervises the kids' homework and music practice, and I round it all up over the weekend and double check they have finished everything they are supposed to have done. If I had to do it when I got in the kids and I would collapse with tiredness (although this was in fact what was happening when I had SillyNanny last year, as she couldn't be arsed to supervise homework, probably never having done it herself at school, and would spend hours and hours fiddle faddling about n the kitchen instead whilst the kids were left watching telly).

TOMP waves to strix and blondes......

Mine are both at school and its nanny's job tbh. Its part of the quid pro quo of not having preschoolers around your feet all day long.

DD recently sat the entrance exam to two local private schools it was full on everynight for a good 4 weeks and nanny was fab.

She does it all but DH is usually involved as well if he is home. I sadly am never but we do a round up at the weekend and make sure its all done.

Nanny knows its her job and she is fab and will alert us if there are problems.

It gets much harder as they get older and that is one of the reasons I swopped from Au pairs to a nanny to have someone who has english as their first language.When DS got 0 in a spelling test one week in year 1 I knew we couldnt go on ! LOL

I've got 2 school age kids but they don't get much homework (no tests!) and are actually very self motivated with it, so will always start it without being asked and just come for help if needed. They know when it's due in, so if they choose to do it when I'm there I'll support them, and if not Mum or Dad will help, but as I say it's not a big deal luckily. I will help them to find resources for larger projects, but because they are always happy to do the work it is usually them nagging me to take them to the library or whatever rather than the other way round. I'm not sure why they're like this - I promise you they're not angels in every way!

Waves to Blondes and mummyp.

Was this it?

because: Big Elephants Can Always Use Small Elephants. DD was saying this when she was writing because the other morning.

waves to strix and tomp

mp - glad new nanny is working out, and i agree, whoever is there after school should do the homework if possible

strix- yes it was the elephant thing - well done

least you remembered it, though i can spell because

mine barely get homework

but the nanny is supposed to supervise while they do it during the week

some homework they get on Friday which has to be in on Monday/Tuesday which we (dh/I) force encourage them to do