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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Teacher punishing 8 year olds for not handing in homework on time.

55 replies

Bellbird · 04/12/2011 13:42

Homework seemed to step up a gear in Year 3 and I reckon was far more than the 1.5 hours per week as recommended by the Dept of Education. We put up with it, because the teacher had a fairly laid back approach and gave house points for effort.

The Year 4 teacher, however, is using a stick rather than a carrot and not only expects the children to do more than the recommended amount but punishes children for handing in homework late by not allowing them to have their break time. She also uses emotional blackmail and will only 'reward' the class if each and every one of them hands in homework on time. This seems incredibly draconian to inflict these rules on 8 year olds that at this time of year are quite run down! Any advice to sort this out?

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EuphemiaInExcelsis · 04/12/2011 13:49

Ask to see the school's homework policy. This sounds Draconian to me - there needs to be some punishment for homework not done, but this is OTT.

CupOfGoodCheer · 04/12/2011 13:51

so the pupils should hand in their homework on time.

Problem solved!

Original poster

Bellbird · 04/12/2011 13:53

Couldn't agree more.

OP posts:

Original poster

Bellbird · 04/12/2011 13:56

Sorry, I meant I couldn't agree more to it being OTT. In Australia it is the policy that, 'Homework should be disassociated from any form of punishing students or means of securing discipline.'

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mrz · 04/12/2011 14:02

Draconian .... missing break? I think the statement is OTT

Original poster

Bellbird · 04/12/2011 14:12

I think it is damaging, if the policy is to punish everyone rather than reward the effort of the individual. (When a child is punished it affects their friends too.)

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cory · 04/12/2011 14:25

This was the rule in dcs' junior school from Yr 3. It wasn't presented as a draconian punishment, though, but a mere matter of practicality: you need to do this work to support your learning, if you haven't done it before, you need to do it at lunchtime. Not draconian at all, but saved an awful lot of nagging at home.

I don't approve of whole class punishments though.

mrz · 04/12/2011 14:36

The class isn't being punished just not rewarded an example of how our actions can affect others indirectly

mumtoone · 04/12/2011 14:37

DS is in year 3 and he gets these sorts of sanctions if he doesn't hand in homework. Its also included in his report if he's not been handing it in. He gets 3 lots of homework a week plus reading. At the beginning of the year he didn't do brilliantly with handing in homework but these sanctions do seem to have dramatically improved his organisation so I can't complain as it makes my life easier.

insanityscratching · 04/12/2011 14:38

Dd is in yr4 she doesn't get a lot of homework tbh. She's expected to read every night which she would through choice anyway and is given a sticker for each night her reading diary is signed which will earn a certificate eventually. She occasionally gets spellings to learn but there is no punishment if they get them all wrong and then most weeks she has a numeracy sheet, this is expected to be handed in by Friday if it isn't they "pay time" which is generally five minutes off of golden time the following Tuesday. I think it's pretty fair tbh and it certainly helps dd to remember to bring it home and hand it in again.

MrsCog · 04/12/2011 14:42

Shudders - hate homework for under 11's other than topic research, reading, spellings/tables.

Original poster

Bellbird · 04/12/2011 14:46

I think it would be far more positive if the Year 4 teacher adopted the approach that the Year 3 teacher had. In other words, to encourage individuals to do excellent homework which gets rewarded rather than to hassle the whole class to churn out any old homework that meets the deadline. Encouraging rather than nagging is what the children respond to best, and this works at home as well as at school.

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mrz · 04/12/2011 14:46

I would imagine that is the type of homework given MrsCog

Original poster

Bellbird · 04/12/2011 14:52

It's a good way of championing medicrioty by not encouraging the hard-workers to put in the effort they might otherwise have done.

OP posts:

Original poster

Bellbird · 04/12/2011 14:56

I'll just point out that I was being ironic in my spelling of 'mediocrity'. I felt that I just had to get my post in on time...

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CupOfGoodCheer · 04/12/2011 14:59

"It's a good way of championing medicrioty by not encouraging the hard-workers to put in the effort they might otherwise have done"

Rubbish. OP, the children have to do their best work within a time frame. What's to argue with? The teacher can hardly have homework being handed in at any point during a 2 week (say) time period!

mrz · 04/12/2011 15:00

So you would encourage the idea of only putting in the effort if there is something in it for you ... I prefer to promote the ethic of knowing you have done your best at all times is reward in itself [csmile]

scaevola · 04/12/2011 15:01

I think having to make up homework in playtime is a sensible consequence.

I do not think there should be whole class sanction/reward for an activity which is carried out (or not) outside school hours.

If the homework load is too heavy, ave you actually spoken to the teacher about how long it is really taking? The teacher does need to know if it is regularly exceeding the target time: either you stop when time's up (and parent attests), you continue but write clearly the real time taken, or you find out if the teacher has some other way to manage.

WhoopsyLa · 04/12/2011 15:05

When they are 8 it is laregely up to the parents to ensure that HW is done....so make sure it is done. Not hard.

Original poster

Bellbird · 04/12/2011 15:09

I'll just point out that in our house homework is handed in on time, regardless. However, why should children like mine not be rewarded when a couple of other kids fail to be punctual?

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RosemaryandThyme · 04/12/2011 15:09

That's the problem WhoopsyLa ! - Mum feeling guilty !

mrz · 04/12/2011 15:13

Why should children like yours expect a reward

Original poster

Bellbird · 04/12/2011 15:15

Quite the contrary, I just don't see why my child should have spent three hours doing this week's topic work when there is the threat overhanging the whole class of 'no rewards for anyone if certain other kids don't start pulling their weight'.

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Bucharest · 04/12/2011 15:16

dd is 8 and gets 3-4hrs a day.

I'd have thought if a child can't manage to do 1.5 hrs a week,then that child has serious problems tbh.

mrz · 04/12/2011 15:16

Perhaps the Y4 teacher should just say "no reward for doing homework" and leave it there

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