Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Primary education

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

Flip

Original poster

What's getting parents to sign homework diaries all about??

16 replies

reeva · 13/05/2010 19:07

What EXACTLY are you saying when you sign a homework diary?? I approve of the work set? Or I am aware of the work set? Or DS has completed it to my satisfaction? Or this is what my signature looks like?

DS's teacher has to remind me nearly every week to sign DS's homework diary. She won't sign her bit until i've signed mine and I keep forgetting to sign mine.

DS does the homework on time and I supervise/ help him but I almost always forget that diary.

If signing it doesn't mean anything, then could I just sign it now on every page for the rest of the term and save the teacher the effort of her little notes home to me?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Alouiseg · 13/05/2010 19:10

It's more bloody box ticking!

By signing the diary the teacher knows that you are a doting parent who has seen that your dc gets homework.

One more box ticked. What a joke.......imo

deaddei · 13/05/2010 19:12

I sign(in theory) to make teacher aware that I have seen that my ds has completed their work- I don't check it to see if it's right- that's his responsibility.
However now he is in yr 6, it's all a bit of a quick scribble......

Original poster

reeva · 13/05/2010 19:15

So it wouldn't go down well then if I just signed the next 7 weeks now?!

OP posts:

RustyBear · 13/05/2010 19:16

I usually forgot to sign DD's secondary school diary but it didn't matter - DD perfected my signature very early on....

deaddei · 13/05/2010 19:17

You might be talked about in the staffroom.
But then as Oscar Wilde said "There is only one thing worse than being talked about, and that is NOT being talked about".

alittlebitbored · 13/05/2010 21:05

you are lucky, we have to sign DAILY!

mnistooaddictive · 13/05/2010 21:29

You are signing to say you have seen it. It is the main form of communication and if teachers want you to know something they will write it in here. If you don't look then you can't complain noone told you things a few months later. It is a PITA but it takes seconds so not worth getting upset about. If Ds leaves it open for you on the breakfast table then you will remember! It is his responsibility.

Original poster

reeva · 14/05/2010 09:44

but I am expected to help him with his homework, so of course I know what it is(!) and messages home come in letters and newsletters and being pulled aside at school pick up.

Its not a big deal to sign it, per se, really now that I know I am not signing my life away, my only concern was that I can't seem to remember to do it because it feels pointless.

OP posts:

bellabelly · 14/05/2010 09:58

reeva - you are assuming that all parents are as clued up and involved as you are. There are many parents who won't be helping kids with homework and some who won't even be aware what homework has been set. Signing is to show the teacher that at least parent has seen the diary page for that week. It must be a 5-second job to sign it?

puch · 14/05/2010 10:23

we have to sign it every day to show that we know what homework they have to do every day. The teacher signes it once a week (well some do). I got one in y1 and one in y5. Y1 teacher never signs it but y5 does one a week and if we have not signed it the child has to stay in for break. Silly really but i think it is giving the child a little bit responsibility for secondary school where i hear much tougher. As someone said it takes only a second to ititial it every day.

Original poster

reeva · 14/05/2010 11:11

Really you are all right... it does only take a minute to remember about it, get it out of his bag, sign it and put it back in the bag... it's just without understanding what point there is I didn't remember each week and the constant notes about it were beginning to grate a bit.

Anyway in bothering to think about it enough to write several posts on it, I've also thought of the solution... put a weekly reminder in my google calendar! Obvious really!!

OP posts:

strawberrycake · 14/05/2010 21:29

My mum had good common sense over this one when I was at school- she got me to sign it myself from the beginning so the signature was consitent! To be fair I was a very trustworty child (and she was a teacher...).

RollaCoasta · 14/05/2010 22:32

It's a means of communication really. At our school, teachers have to sign diaries at least once a week to confirm they have seen and actioned comments; the parents' side of the bargain is that they sign books to confirm that they read with children, that they oversee homework and also appreciate that the diary is a useful means of parent/teacher communication.

cat64 · 14/05/2010 22:54

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

MNHubbie · 14/05/2010 23:08

It is not a box ticking exercise. Education is supposed to be a partnership between the school and home and the diary is part of that. By signing the diary you show you are aware of the homework, have seen any notes from the teacher and are interested in his/her education.

BertieBotts · 14/05/2010 23:14

I wouldn't worry too much - one of my friends was very good at copying signatures and used to have a queue around her in the tutor room some mornings

But yes I think it's just so your DC can't say "I haven't got any homework" and so that you see any notes written by teachers etc.

Flip