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Original poster

I sodding well hate homework

51 replies

TheBrayingBanshee · 14/12/2008 17:29

Not putting this in AIBU because I just want to rant not debate. I hate homework especially for the under 10s. They should rename it extra parenting work. It is totally unnecessary, cuts into precious family and down time and it causes strops every week as my dd hates it and I don't blame her.

I think they have a long enough day at school and if the education system is failing to teach little ones all they need to know in such a long day then the system is seriously crap. Why should the parents take up the slack of further education at home. If I wanted to home-school then I would.

I sodding well hate homework.

Hmmnn do I feel better now? Not yet still got the homework to get through.

OP posts:
mimsum · 14/12/2008 19:59

I also have a y4 child who gets times tables (which he's been able to do in his sleep for several years now, so not exactly an onerous task), 6 words to spell (which he can already spell, so ditto) and sentences using his spellings (he now challenges himself to get all his spellings into one sentence so double ditto) - this is it, once a week, apart from reading which he does voraciously for pleasure. I also time him to prove that it only takes 5 mins and ohmygod the fuss he makes - it completely ruins a good hour or so of the evening, but when I tell him "that's enough, I'm going to write a note to your teacher saying this is all you've managed to do" he insists on finishing - aaargh. Part of the problem for ds is that he feels it's 'beneath him' - if he's going to do homework it ought to be something worth doing ...

andlipsticktoo · 14/12/2008 20:05

My ds2 is in Y5 and his homework is always differentiated, and always related to what they are doing in class that week. I never see it as compulsory, but I do find it useful as it keeps me informed about what he is learning.

My ds3 in Y1 rarely does his h w as he never wants to do it! I always get him to read and practice his spellings though, as I think this will really help him at school.

My ds1 in Y7 gets far too much hw imo and he never wants to do it, the consequences of him failing to hand in a piece of work is detention, so I usually end up getting cross with him and 'ordering' him to do it! The problem is he is v bright and I want the teachers to see his full potential, so I find it frustrating that he battles against doing it and then rushes it at the last minute...

FossilSister · 14/12/2008 20:10

Have signed petition. Homework is just extra work for parents until kids can do it on their own, and that means kids with parents who can't/won't help suffer if it's really necessary, and if it isn't .....!!

We live in a culture that believes in working every hour. It's ridiculous. What can we do about it?

LittleMonkeysMummysAXmasFairy · 14/12/2008 20:16

I'm a teacher and when I was in mainstream I always gave the minimal amount the school would let me (incidently school policy was 1hr per night -WTF!!) I wangled it by doing reading, spelling and a topical discussion with parents (e.g. something in the news or they read)

I did have one parent who asked for their child to have more than 1hr per night as 'they were so bright they got bored'. They were 5 years old and I don't think my response of no went down well. Really wanted to say get a life and let your child be a child - teach them some sodding social skills!!

madAngelHairday · 14/12/2008 20:16

I agree, my dd is in Y3 and yesterday her homework took up most of the morning, she had two sides of literacy on questions and 2 sides numeracy on measures. grrrr, too much, and quite wanted to be doing other stuff with her, partic on weekends leading up to christmas, perhpas we should have boycotted it? Think I will be having a word with teacher, surely this is too much for 7/8, and my dd is one of the more able in the class so not slow with it.

amess · 14/12/2008 20:18

Totally agree, rarely can my lot do it on their own. It just adds extra upset every week that we don't need

Blondilocks · 14/12/2008 20:21

I don't think DD who's in yr 6 gets enough homework.

However, what they've got at the moment is a really good idea - interlinked pieces every week incorporating geography (creating a map), literacy (writing about the map), maths (thinking of a price for tickets & then the costs of the place) etc. She is finding it fun which is perhaps where other homework is going wrong?

I think they need some otherwise they'll go through primary school with nothing & get a big shock when they get to secondary school.

I don't know how my parents did it but they managed to instill in me that you do homework the night you get it (or make a plan if a longer project) & then it's out the way & you can do fun things. It worked & I always did that so will need to find out their secret!

combustiblelemon · 14/12/2008 20:24

So you want them to go from no homework in year 6 to a couple of hours a night in year 7?

Lmccrean · 14/12/2008 20:35

DD in P2 and has about 15 mins worth of homework a week (biff/chip etc book and v quick worksheet)and they have already read the book in school. My cousins school give them their homework monthly til P5 and they do it at their own pace. After that its a bit more regulated and they get it weekly, prob to start preparing them for "big" school.

Seems very relaxed compared to the accounts here - interesting really as just come from the thread about Irish education being (potentially) a higher standard than English!

lil · 14/12/2008 20:43

As a teacher I do think homework at home is necessary. It is the only chance a child has to go back over all the stuff they have learnt that day and just concentrate quietly. Lessons are bust times, lots of info being fired at you. We all need quiet to let it sink in and contemplate etc!

As for junior school, no, no ,no!

lil · 14/12/2008 20:45

As for jumping to 2 hrs at senior from none in junior...didn't our generation do just that? In fact homework was a sign of growing-up.

ingles2 · 14/12/2008 20:48

I actually really enjoy it. This weekend DS1 and I have done research on Rationing, which I never did at school, I've he's written a marvellous report on his football match yesterday and I've ds2 has made a fantastic papier mache snowman.

combustiblelemon · 14/12/2008 20:49

No. I went to a private school where homework started with ten minutes on spellings twice a week in reception and built to 40/50 minutes 4 days a week by year 6.

piscesmoon · 14/12/2008 21:45

I had no homework in the primary school, it meant that it was exciting to get it at secondary-not old hat!

RubberDuck · 15/12/2008 08:32

Yes, I think the "but it'll be a shock when they get to Secondary" argument is a fairly weak one. For one, it neglects to mention that there is a distinct difference in maturity between a (say) 7 year old and an 11 year old. And a significant difference in how much sleep they need so there's more TIME in the evenings for homework.

It also ignores the question of whether the amount of homework given in Secondary is totally necessary too. How much is really enforcing what they learned and how much is "crap, homework policy says they need an hour's worth of homework... better think of something I can give them tonight then".

In Primary school this term we've had special event day after special event day, including 5 different dressing up days (not non-unifom, proper dressing up day). Now, while I appreciate having special events is important to make school fun, wouldn't having one or two less special event days a term (approx 12 hrs teaching time) mean they could cover more of the curriculum in class time and let them have their evenings and weekends back be more enjoyable for all concerned?

scaryteacher · 15/12/2008 08:52

I only gave homework to years 7 8 and 9 if I wanted to reinforce something they'd learned in the lesson (plot these grid refs and what picture emerges?); or to plan an essay/research if they had an assessment coming up; or if they were doing a project. Otherwise, I didn't set it.

For years 10 and 11, I set exam questions; which helped when it came to the GCSE.

I had a personal policy of not setting any homework at all for half terms or holidays, as we all needed the break. The only exception to this was in the run up to GCSEs for year 11, when I expected them to revise.

seeker · 15/12/2008 09:00

"It'll be a shock when they get to Secondary School"

That's like people who say that very little children have to go to pre-school because otherwise "It'll be a shock when they get to Primary school"!

Actually, I think most Secondary homework is a waste of time too, looking at what my dd's friends have to do. Dd goes to a very high achieving secondary and they have much less homework than her friends at less well achieving schools. They do, however, work in a white hot fury of concentration while they
are actually at school, there is no wasted time at all, the teachers are always there, they work they do is properly marked and returned promptly, and there is lots of opportunity for them to say if they don't understand something. The homework they get is either a long term thing - like writing a short story (they did the planning in class, then actually wrote the story at home over 3 weeks) or short sharp reinforcement exercises (10 minutes of maths to make sure they understand something new before they move on)

Nighbynight · 15/12/2008 09:40

Agree, Agree, Agree!

Homework is a nightmare that ruins every bloody weekend. My children moan that they never get to talk to me about anything other than homework.

Here's a wonderful example:
Ds's teacher recently had the idea of exchanging letters with another class in another school. So, ds got a letter from antoher boy, and he had to reply to it.
He wrote his reply, I read it, and vetoed it. It included such gems as "A man hanged himself near our school recently" (perfectly true, and the chidlren saw it on their way to school in the morning) and other similarly unsuitable stuff.

So, as it was about 10pm by now, I quickly wrote a reply, and ds copied it out.
I read the original letter from the other boy, and it was similarly anodyne to my reply, saying all the right things in the right places. In other words, I am perfectly sure, that it was written by his parents!!!

So there you are - 2 sets of parents exchanged letters. What a wonderful help for our dss.

Nighbynight · 15/12/2008 09:41

Children are READY for homework when they go to secondary school. They simply arent at primary school, it is just extra work for the parents.

Agree with whoever said that if the school cant teach them enough in the day, then maybe the curriculum should change.

TsarHumbug · 15/12/2008 09:52

Ah another homework is crap thread. I've posted on these many times and started a good few myself. I can't write AAAAAagrreeeeeee more emphatically. Its a total drag and hangs about like a revolting smell all over countless weekends and holidays causing a good deal of unhappiness and work.

I've complained to the teacher (to no avail, other than I suspect having my card marked) So we merely bash through it to keep dd out of the line of fire, but I seriously doubt it provides any long term benefit.

It seems to me that topics are merely introduced in school and then sent home to be taught by us. Utter total madness. Six hours a day education is quite enough.

edam · 15/12/2008 10:00

I haven't got a secondary age child but I am perfectly prepared to believe that children at that stage probably get too much homework. Should be kept to a minimum of reinforcing what they learn in school and swotting for exams/GCSE coursework IMO. I saw some govt. guidelines for homework and they expected children to spend hours every night on it. Most adults don't bring home two or three hours work every night (bar teachers, I suppose!) why should children?

Really dislike this policy the govt. and educational establishment has that homework is necessarily a good thing and the more of it the better. Seems to be homework for its own sake. Children need some time to relax and do other things IMO.

MrsGuyOfGisbourne · 15/12/2008 17:54

Totally agree. Especailly when you have to MAKE stuff, whcih I really hate - they can't do it unaided so it is just work for the parents. Have you ever tried to make the Portugese Flag? Impossible for and eight year-old..I assume it is sadism by the teachers....

mymblemummy · 15/12/2008 21:25

Oh how I agree. Every teacher I know thinks it a waste of time too but they say they have to set it because some parents demand it.

Who are these pushy looneys and why do our children have to pay the price too?

I think my child should be reading for pleasure, pottering in the garden, or playing. Not wasting her time on homework that is set for homework's sake.

I think she ought to do some chores too, but I hate taking away the little free time she has after homework.

Blondilocks · 15/12/2008 21:40

DD only spends about an hour a week on homework, so hardly much at all.

I never really thought homework was a problem when I was at school. More useful than anything else, especially since the last few years I've had self inflicted homework in the form of an adults home study course!

Adults spend an extra couple of hours at work than children are at school each day though Edam.

Reallytired · 16/12/2008 16:37

Adults also need less sleep than children. Children have shorter school days for a reason.