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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?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Bucharest · 04/12/2011 15:17

(btw mrz, have you clobbered that erm, expert on the head with a shovel and buried her under your patio? I haven't seen her around for aaaaaaage )

Original poster

Bellbird · 04/12/2011 15:20

3-4 hours per day Bucharest. So they're doing A'Levels already????? What about sport, play dates etc...

OP posts:

mrz · 04/12/2011 15:21

shhhhhhh no one has missed her

exoticfruits · 04/12/2011 15:21

Quite simple-hand it in on time.

bigbuttons · 04/12/2011 15:22

if your dd at only 8 gets 3-4 hours A DAY then that is a big big problem and absolutely ridiculous. Poor kid.

Original poster

Bellbird · 04/12/2011 15:24

Mrz, well at least that would be more honest of the teacher, I finally agree with you... I know we live in a world where many are punished for the actions of a few etc. but I just hoped that the kids could be spared just a little bit longer from the terrible reality!!!

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bigbuttons · 04/12/2011 15:24

although you're probably having a josh. In that case, as you were.....

Floggingmolly · 04/12/2011 15:25

How long would you expect your children to be given in order to produce this "excellent" homework, op? Are you saying what they can produce in the expected timeframe isn't good enough? If so, the problem really lies with your particular children's abilities, and the idea that they should further be 'rewarded' for handing it in at all is frankly laughable

mrz · 04/12/2011 15:28

I don't reward my class for completing homework and neither do I punish them for not doing it (after all they are punishing themselves)

Original poster

Bellbird · 04/12/2011 15:30

My point floggingmolly, isn't one of concern about whether my kids are up to it, they are, but it's disheartening for them to be given conditional rewards based on the WHOLE CLASS handing stuff in on time. Quite frankly, I'd rather go with Mrz and have no rewards at all for homework. In the same way, I expect my kids' behaviour to be good without any rewards..

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CupOfGoodCheer · 04/12/2011 15:33

I don't get why the teacher is rewarding the class for doing their homework?

You reward for EXTRA effort, surely? Homework should be done not for reward but because, well, it simply has to be done!

Original poster

Bellbird · 04/12/2011 15:40

I agree that the teacher has got really weird priorities. The Y3 teacher rewarded for extra effort (I should have made that clear, sorry) and not all the time. The Y4 teacher only rewards when the whole class hands stuff in on time and never for extra effort, hence my comment about 'championing mediocrity' because as long as all 30 of them hand in something all will be rewarded regardless of effort.

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cory · 04/12/2011 15:41

I think individual detentions for non-completion and no general rewards would be a lot kinder. There are children who fail to hand in homework because they are genuinely struggling; they may need to spend extra time on it and fair enough if it's at lunchtime- what I don't think they need is being picked on by the other children for making them miss out.

Original poster

Bellbird · 04/12/2011 15:44

Exactly my point cory.

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Original poster

Bellbird · 04/12/2011 15:47

Not so sure about labelling them as 'detentions' though. If kids have had a bad week at home they may be allowed a 'study period' with volunteer helpers at break time to give them some encouragement.

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cory · 04/12/2011 16:29

come to think of it, there is no need to call them anything is there? just a quiet "I see you haven't finished your homework so you'd better stay in and do that" would cover any eventuality

Original poster

Bellbird · 04/12/2011 16:54

Absolutely, no need for today's children to believe they've landed themselves in a novel by Charles Dickens.

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Bucharest · 04/12/2011 17:15

Er, no, they are 8.

But in Italy, where 3-4 hrs a day is the norm. And where the parents get called in and bollocked if it doesn't get done. And if they are off sick, you have to find out what the h/w is, and catch it up.

hth.

MrsSchadenfreude · 04/12/2011 17:26

DD2 got around 1.5 hours a night in Yr 4. When she joined the school in the Jan of Yr 4, the teacher told us she was behind with maths - the rest of the class knew all of their tables up to 12 x - in UK she was still pissing about with 3x and 4x - so she had extra catch up here too.

DD1 is 13 and gets around 3-4 hours homework a night.

Oh and if it's not done, then they have to stay in the next day at break and lunchtime (DD1 lunchtime only - she doesn't get a break) to finish it.

CecilyP · 04/12/2011 17:34

Blimey, what time do these kids get to bed at night?

mrz · 04/12/2011 18:00

Well school ends at 1.30 in Italy so 3-4 hours homework is still only afternoon

NotMostPeople · 04/12/2011 18:05

They are learning what real life is about. I wouldn't have a problem with it and I have a ds in year 4.

CecilyP · 04/12/2011 18:10

So parents basically have to 50% home school their children?

Original poster

Bellbird · 04/12/2011 18:11

I think that making the kids who are struggling feel extra bad by saying that they are letting down their classmates is possibly counter-productive. Some have home lives that make it tricky for them to do their homework at home....

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amerryscot · 04/12/2011 18:12

An 8-year old should be capable of handing in homework on time.

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