How much homework is too much?

[hammy]

As a future teacher this thread is extremely beneficial! I'm currently and Early childhood-4th grade education major, and I've got about 1.5 years left. When I was growing up homework generally consisted of 10 min x grade level. Personally, I do not believe in giving homework that is busy work; busy work gets kids nowhere. Homework is meant to be a teaching/practice tool--it is to be used to practice and build upon what is learned in class. However, I also believe that homework should also be used to make the students think, and I feel that it should be a variety of difficult, easy, and medium questions.

Funny thing about projects being due the same day for different classes is the fact that teachers talk to one another a lot, so you'd think they would make projects due on different days. I think that abut 10-15 minutes of homework is appropriate for younger kids, 15-40ish for middle school, and about an hour-hour and a half is fine for high school kids.

"I have no sympathy for people who insist they should be in an advanced class but then whine about the work" I completely agree! If you're not willing to do the work that comes with the class, then don't take it.

[JBS]

I am a firm believer in study halls. Many kids misuse them, but I didn't. I completed almost all of my high school work in study halls.

As far as AP classes go....HUGE WASTE! I took a bunch of them only to find out my college wouldn't accept them. It's a wonderful thing to take AP Calc. (weighted class, I got a 5.0) in high school and have to start with trig in college.

[midwestgymmom]

My twin boys were in 4th grade last yr and they has 2-3 hrs a night. I hated that, it was impossible to get them to do that much after being school all day. :nightmare: Their teacher for 5th has already said that she doesnt give homework on weekends and they will have a study hall. :whew:

[hammy]

The trick to AP classes is ensuring that your school will accept them prior to taking the test...I took AP classes in high school, but I didn't take the AP exams. I did however take AP Calc which was run through University of Pittsburgh, so I recieved college credit for that--got me out of all my college math classes.

Sadly, too many kids misuse study halls...I think that there should be requirements for the study halls. JBS--I was the same way, I did most of my high school homework in other classes or study hall. We didn't have weighted grades, but I'm a perfectionist so I ended up with a 3.9/4.0.

2-3 hours of homework for a 4th grader is ridiculous--unless there's some studying or if the child is doing extra work. My teachers usually tried to give us harder homework so that the tests were a little easier. I personally don't care for tests too much because kids memorize the stuff for the tests then forget it the second the test is over.

[dazed]

I can't see loading elementary school kids with hours of homework. I'd be happy if my dd, she'll be in 2nd grade this year, was assigned maybe 15-20 minutes everyday, just to get her in the habit of having to do it. Save the hours of homework for high school. On the other hand, and I'm probably going to aggravate some people here, I can't help but think we as a nation have become too soft on our kids and expect less from them, and they expect to get more rewards. I don't know when this started to become acceptable, but a lot of the youth today certainly believe they deserve something for nothing.

[hammy]

Dazed...I agree with you about being "soft" on kids. I volunteered my elementary school last summer, in the 5th grade classroom, and a lot of kids were spoon fed information. Spoonfeeding the kids information is not going to teach them, they must discover things for themselves, and have a passion for learning. I think the kids should have just enough homework to review and ingrain in their brain what they've been discussing in class. If there is a lot of homework, maybe give the kids some time in class to work on it. I am however against not giving any homework at all because that gets the kids nowhere.

[Vintage Gymnast]

Oh good golly, do not get me started on the homework! UGH! I cannot stand it, I want to know what on earth these teachers are doing all day that they cant get things done in their alloted class time? My son is going into 6th grade and it is an absolute nightmare to get him to do homework, I honestly think being in school for 7 hours per day is enough. I have two kids, they are both involved in sports-basketball and baseball for my son, gymnastics for my daughter which (as you all know) takes long hours. I work to boot. I have no idea how we are going to get it all done. Last year there were plenty of nights that we put in 2-3 hours every night. I cant even begin to think how we are going to work in games, practices and any sort of family life once school starts up again. I think 45 mins for jr high kids is PLENTY and maybe 30 mins for the younger ones.
At our school the kids do not get a "study hall" or any "homework" time during class.

[gymdog]

Quote:
Originally Posted by hammy Dazed...I agree with you about being "soft" on kids. I volunteered my elementary school last summer, in the 5th grade classroom, and a lot of kids were spoon fed information. Spoonfeeding the kids information is not going to teach them, they must discover things for themselves, and have a passion for learning. I think the kids should have just enough homework to review and ingrain in their brain what they've been discussing in class. If there is a lot of homework, maybe give the kids some time in class to work on it. I am however against not giving any homework at all because that gets the kids nowhere.

"No child left behind" is what we got. I could rant about it for a long time but basically, that's what it comes down to. Teachers have no choice but to drill, drill, drill because anything else is too risky. Sadly enough, it's the kids who are most likely to be left behind who need alternative instruction the most, and the schools filled mostly with kids who have no problem don't have to worry about the tests anyway. All we're doing is making the achievement gap worse IMO. There are many alternative ways of instruction that have been shown to turn schools around over the last decade. Instead of funding those, the federal government took the easy way out and created a punitive system that forces struggling schools to make unfair sacrafices and teach to the test. This system discourages innovative teaching techniques.

Anyway I'm not even sure what kind of homework you could give an elementary schooler for several hours. At that point it ceases to become productive because they don't have that kind of attention span or ability and they will likely give up earlier in the assignment knowing they still have a lot left, than if they had an amount they saw as doable.

[Monkeygirlsmom]

so far my kids have not gotten a lot of homework well for them it takes 10 mn on the average to get it all done!! and that is 1 weeks worth (mind you my youngest is going to kindy) she will get the same homework on Fridays and due the next Thursday!! If they have some free time and are all done with there other homework they are expected to read or I have owrkbooks to supplement at home!! I dont mind the amount they get sinceI see they have done the work at school already the homework my kids get are for them to show family what they have leared and also to reinforce it. they are expected to read each night as well!!

Like I said I like the way they get work then have a week to get it done!! it helps since some days things get too late and I get my kids to bed earlier than most! (7pm~ tho its getting closer to 8 cause of gymnastics!!) so on weekends they can get there work done with out compromising there sleep!! they will NOT learn if they dont get the proper sleep!!

[dazed]

gymdog, I agree with you about the "no child left behind." I think it's a joke. The schools suffer and the kids suffer. There are better ways to go about getting children to succeed in school with out using punishment by not funding already hurting schools if they don't meet requirements.