half term homework...

[binker]

...my son,6 and in year 2 got loads this half term - 8 pages (literacy) and 3 of numeracy ! He is also in a small group that the deputy head takes for literacy (picked from each of the year 2 classes- she works with them for a term)and he got another 4 pages from her. DS usually enjoys doing his homework but this amount has been very stressful,trying to fit it in during the week (good job we weren't going away !)- we both got very tetchy with each other and it became a bit of a struggle !
On the whole half term has been a bit disappointing - we had decorators in which meant that we couldn't go out for long - doors and windows being painted and couldn't be closed - so we had to get back before the painter went off. Just feel a bit sad that we didn't do as much (except for homework!)- we usually have a great time together. I just feel as though I've been cross and sharp with him all week. Aggh !
hope everyone else had a jolly time though!

DDs school never gives homework in any of the holidays, as they consider that the children work hard enough in term time and need a holiday.

It does sound like a lot for a Y2, binker - but some parents seem to need homework, if there are some like that at your school it's probably to keep them quiet - maybe at next parents' evening you should raise it with his teacher. I agree with hmb's school! (DS2, in Y6, has had a bit of maths every holiday since July but that's all and the teacher never looks at it.)

Don't worry about the snappy halfterm - he won't remember it, even if you do - how much do you remember about being 6?

Sounds a lot to me Binker. I try and avoid giving my secondary pupils too much holiday homework as I agree that they need break too. Don't do that much is this Feb holiday myself either as I know that for most schools and teachers (and children) the next half term is the worst one.

thats a lot of homework for a 6 yr old. my twins 10 has 4 pages of maths and literacy - not too onerus - but i was in tears this morning trying to understand angles again.

am afraid each had a page not done as i have not and indeed hubby (gcse b!!) has not the skills to complete the task set!

that does sound a bit excessive... but you would be surprised parents who are demanding homeowrk for their children ( from a secondary teacher's perspective - they seem to relish it if you give the child a tonne of homework... me I think they should do some but not excessive amounts.....)

sorry you did not have a good break ... to make you feel better... I put my dd in nursery so I could do some of the vast pile of marking and preparation that I had..... ( probably does not make you feel better...)

seems a lot to me, too. My then year 4 son had lots of homework in the summmer holidays just gone - 200 x 4 times of English, one history project and revising his times tables. However, now year 5, he had nothing apart from reading to do over this half term.

I wonder if it's the SATS pressure that's behind this rush of homework? Is the school desperate to improve its performance and hit its targets? I assume your son sits his SATS in the summer.

seems way too much, ours get no homework till yr3 and then none in holidays.
ds1 (yr6) had to build a scale model of an anderson shelter-actually my dad built it while we were away and has coached him on construction details!

Poor little poppet! That seems an awful lot, esp in the holidays. Dd2 was getting a lot of homework in Y2 and we just didn't have time to do it. I spoke to her teacher and she was brilliant. She said the school was pressured into giving lots of homework by some of the parents but that if we had something better to do or simply didn't want to do it, that was fine by her, and to go and enjoy ourselves!

mentioned that the amount was a bit overwhelming to his teacher today - she said that we didn't have to do all of it (we had) - but I always feel we should attempt it -which is really to do with me and how I go on with things, so maybe I should've just let him do as much as he could willingly manage. She sometimes gives him extra stuff to do as she knows we do lots of reading with him anyway (he has a bit of extra help with reading and handwriting)plus he's an only child, so in theory we have more time to spend working with him. A friend of mine is expecting her 5th baby any day now and I can't imagine how she must manage , but I guess people do somehow !
Tigermoth- yes, SATS are approaching, so am sure that might be a big part of it. And poor eidsvoid - hope you got your marking done !
Most of all I felt bad for snapping so much at him all half term - sometimes I feel like a very crap parent !