Teachers not marking homework... what?! AIBU

[NoNeatFreakHere]

... and by marking I don't mean grading - giving a number. An absolutely star teacher last year wrote a one liner on DCs homework and DC was always excited to read it. The one liner conveyed "I see you" and maybe you want to adjust this thing or other but I liked such and such thing you wrote. DC couldn't wait to read it always and made a difference in DC being enthusiastic about school.

Now the school management has communicated there is no more of that and homework books will come and go. Met DCs teacher this year and explained what a difference the one line made last year to motivation to do the homework and general enthusiasm and asked her that school mgmt consider the feedback. I was met with the response of pfff we have 30 of them to do, we can't do it (and an attitude of it's so obvious this is not doable). Now homework is once a week and it's primary school. It's not that much and can't there be a middle ground? Do the marking once every 2 weeks or something?

The argument here is that feedback is given in class and for class work. Then why do we have homework? And why would my DC be incentivised to do it? We have asked the school management when it was announced. We were told... and felt like out points were ignored of those parents that spoke. It was a patronising session to the tune of "us heads of school know better". Extremely frustrating.

This also breaks parent comms in my mind as I have no clue what is happening or expected then outside of a termly 10 minute session. It's hard to know how much or little is expected of certain quite open ended pieces of homework. Booking more time with the teacher in my mind would defeat the purpose of being more efficient with teachers' time.

School is state and ofsted outstanding for context.

AIBU:

• I empathise with teachers' workload but isn't this a core part of the job?
• I am sure there are teachers here, what do you think? Am I being in complete ignorance of what teachers go through?
• Other MNers is this happening in your school too or is it just ours? What do you think of it?

Thank you for reading 🙏🏻

I love Twinkl. So often I am about to make a worksheet or resource, check Twinkl and see that it already exists! It is a time saver.

Although my school make us chop the logo off, or copy the text to a word document, because parents complain if we download something ready-made. They like us busy and reinventing the wheel, so they feel like they're getting good value from us, oblivious to the fact that faffing about unnecessarily butchering a Twinkl worksheet or typing my own, just takes me pointlessly away from other more worthwhile jobs.

When ds was at primary the teacher had a smiley face stamp that she stamped all reading records or homework with, it was just enough to show that homework had been looked at, probably the TA did it but at least it showed that someone actually cared.

@NoSquirrels thanks for your response and sharing your view. Yes that sounds like a very useful / constructive way for us to approach it with the school - other ways to get the desired outcomes.

And thanks to all those who took the time to respond constructively with their thoughts. <still reading some>

Some others ... do remember to be kind - you are making some awful presumptions about me and other posters who care about their childrens' education or teachers work life balance - both reasonable...

Btw The amazing teacher that I referenced is no push over... I would feel I am doing her a disservice by believing she is just presenting a face or has not considered the implications of her choices to the children and parenting community, or that she is being inefficient or <insert any other negative assumption here>. Her entire approach has been spot on throughout that we can observe.

I will leave it there for this thread. Thanks again.

Although my school make us chop the logo off, or copy the text to a word document, because parents complain if we download something ready-made.

Who are these ridiculous parents? What a complete waste of teachers’ time. Pretty sure my teachers just photocopied from a text book before these online resources existed. You’d think IT would make life easier but it seems to just create more work and silly expectations.

Ok, I’ve read all the comments here, and I think one thing has not yet been said.

Children do tasks in school and for homework because the process of doing it helps them learn. If a child gets the idea that they only do homework for a reward - a star or a nice comment or whatever - then you are setting them up for life with the idea that there’s no purpose in doing anything if there isn’t a reward at the end of it. You are establishing and reinforcing a ‘what’s in it for me’ attitude to life. That’s kind of cute in a primary age child, a pain in the backside when they are teenagers, and deeply unpleasant in adults.

So you're doing that teacher "a disservice by believing she is just presenting a face" but you don't think you're doing a teacher a disservice by assuming they're not good at their job just because they are being honest about an aspect of their job? Double standards, much?

"I will leave it there for this thread. Thanks again." - Always the words of an OP who doesn't want to actually debate, they just wanted to post so they can spout off about something, but people enter into discussion about it, but the OP can't be bothered/realises they're wrong.

I think you're asking a bit much of primary school kids. Our school gives out dojo points for practising spellings so they must find them an effective motivator.

It's this x100. That brilliant teacher who is marking all the homework? They're sacrificing something else. And whatever that something else is, it will be more important than homework. Because everything is more important than homework.

My DC’s primary school didn’t issue homework. There were spellings and times tables, but that was basically it. Sometimes over a holiday for half-term etc there might be a small project to do on a theme - but what that involved was was up to you - a picture, a model, a piece of writing etc.

@WillPowerLite "That brilliant teacher who is marking all the homework? They're sacrificing something else."

Actually no. The best year my DC ever had educationally. Very consistent over the years with other classes. Every parent I know says the same at the school. I get it, it might not be for everyone, she may be super efficient in some magic way. I have to recognise how amazingly outstanding she has been that teacher.

Probably they're sacrificing any life outside of work. That's not a reasonable expectation.

@Legomania "I think you're asking a bit much of primary school kids. Our school gives out dojo points for practising spellings so they must find them an effective motivator"

Yes I think so too.

If it’s worth doing it’s worth checking, I think it’s probably not worthwhile in primary, spellings, reading and tables aside.

Our homework this year is just marked with a tick (and one per activity, rather than each question) with any corrections shown.

It does look “low effort”, it’d be nice if it was a stamp/sticker which means a bit more to a child even if the time doing it is the same.

That said, a teacher being a good teacher is much more important than homework marking!

It is probably not something in school that is being sacrificed. It will be something outside of school, something parents can't see. Simply as there is only so much time and, no matter how much we'd like to be, no adult is actually super human to be that efficient nothing else has to give.

More likely she's working in her evenings and weekends, possibly not seeing her children as much as she could, not spending as much time with her partner as she could, not seeing her friends quite so much, her social life may be reduced, her holiday time given over, etc.

I know - most teachers (and TAs for that matter) I know personally are working hard outside of school to make it look like everything is calm and efficient in school, to parents and to pupils.

So, simply 'for show' then?
A stamp takes no little and no more effort than a stamp.
One costs money to buy and replace when run out - schools won't generally provide these, so the teacher would need to go and buy their own sets.

Verbal feedback is by far more effective for smaller children. Parents won't see that though. But the person who counts - the child - will hear it. They might not report back though as so much of that generally goes on on a daily basis at primary schools, especially lower down when verbal feedback is usually the best form.

It feels like the old habits of having to write VF on a piece of work to show when verbal,feedback had been given. No benefit to the time taken to write it, purely for show and nothing more.

Perhaps consider moving them to an independent school?

At my children's school there are small class sizes, the headteacher is on the gate every morning and you have access to the class teacher before and after school if required.

Homework is given at an age-appropriate level and it is marked.

Op, the irony of you asking others to be kind has not escaped me. No one other than you has made such breathtakingly insulting comments.

Actually no. The best year my DC ever had educationally. Very consistent over the years with other classes. Every parent I know says the same at the school. I get it, it might not be for everyone, she may be super efficient in some magic way. I have to recognise how amazingly outstanding she has been that teacher.

Probably has no life outside of teaching. Not healthy for anyone. Relatively new teachers with no other commitments can work themselves to the bone like this. Most can't. You have no idea whether her front face to the parents was her priority, whether she ticked all the parent friendly boxes at the expense of things you didn't even notice others were/are doing.

Immediate verbal feedback is the most effective. Google the EEF reports into feedback in schools if you want to know more.

A tiny tick that blends in with the work doesn’t give my 5 year old any motivation to do homework well. A tiny “well done” sticker or stamp does, as would a small written comment from the teacher.

I know that the homework does not get discussed at school, so no verbal feedback given.

All I’m saying is that it’s a shame to give 5 year olds chunky homework and then not provide any encouragement/feel good for them. The little sticker got my DS through reception homework, but now he’s wondering why nothing similar in Y1 but still too young to understand it’s just for time (or cost) reasons.

How do you know it doesn't get discussed?

My son’s reaction to getting his homework book sent home makes it obvious to me he’s not got any idea of how he did.

He’s also unbelievably honest and takes everything in and I get a blow by blow account of EVERYTHING that happens in a day, so if I ask him a question I trust the answer he gives.

I’m not being overly critical (I’ve definitely heard worse than homework not getting meaningful feedback from him, all of which has turned out to be true) and love the school. I understand that this is just a tiny piece of the puzzle and homework is utterly unreliable anyway given that parents can “help” or not!

Mum to 3 now adults all gainfully employed in good careers with good degrees.

We did reading.

We did not do homework.in primary .I refused . I told the teachers from the get go.

Absolutely HATE the over academic focus on young child's lives. They should go to school. Come home. Watch a bit of TV, do their reading practice, then GO AND PLAY !!

Weekends are for PLAY !! , adventure, exploring , trying new hobbies . Sport. Not stressing about building a fucking Egyptian Sarcophagus out of toilet rolls !!

Home work can wait until secondary school.

I always felt homework was entirely a tick box exercise so the teachers could say they'd set it at that age.

But worst was the year they decided they would peer mark each other's homework.
This meant the popular ones could do a scrappy half sentence and have their book covered with stickers and lovely comments and the other children might get one, sometimes unpleasant comment. Teachers would glance over, see the lots of stickers and give them a reward point.

Not stressing about building a fucking Egyptian Sarcophagus out of toilet rolls !!

That does sound like a wonderful way to play, to be fair. Only an undermotivated adult would think that wasn't fun.