Parents Balancing gymnastics and academics

[LizzieLac]

HA! We are the second middle school in the US with no study hall!!

 

[mommyof1]

I always thought study hall was something that only existed in old teen novels. I never had a study hall in junior high/middle school or high school. It does look like study hall is an option in our current district's high schools.

 

[B&M's mom]

I wish we had a study hall program in our middle school. When DD started middle school I called and asked about getting her out of gym because of all the practice hours. I was informed that they don't do studyhalls. So that plan went out the window.

I will say that DD is extremely organized. She goes from school to practice and does homework at break and then comes home and finishes it. She can ususally get some of it done during class also. At home, she usually gets it all done by 10 pm.

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

is anyone willing to share a state in the US where sports are given special accommodation in public schools?
...

We are in NJ and up until June, i would have told you that a request for modification for sports would have been laughed out of the office. I spent several months telling HC that DD's school would not go for it. Imagine my shock when they agreed to let her out of school 40 mins early! However, not all schools are the same here, it varies by District. We will have to negotiate with the high school next year. Our HS does not offer a study period. I'm hoping to get her out of Phys Ed and lunch.

My DD is 8th grade, level 10. On their old schedule, she would get home from school at 3, cram in some homework while having a snack, leave for gym at 3:30 and finish up HW while eating dinner at 9pm. On our current schedule, she leaves school early and heads to gym (20 min ride, changes and snacks in car sometimes starts HW). She is home by 7:30 to do HW PLUS the school work she misses in the last period of the day. She is in the top 10 out of her grade and also in the G&T program so she also has to make up what she misses in math class during the day a 1-2 times a week they meet. She is normally done with eating, homework, studying, showering by 10:30.

You will find that the kids who stay in the sport and train long hours will discipline themselves to get the school/homework done while keeping up their grades. The gymmies I know tend to be higly motivated, above average students. The reward is getting to stay in gymnastics

 

[Seeker]

Wow your homework burden still really amazes me. P&F is year 4 (your third grade) and has 1 hour homework a week plus reading, spellings and times tables.

Little boy is in secondary school (your 6th grade) and gets maybe 1 1/2 hours a week, Big Boy is in his final year of secondary (10th grade) and gets at most 2 hours a week.

Wow....I would love that. My DD is in 4th grade and gets 1.5 to 3 hours a day. It is too much in my opinion....but some seem to think that the more homework you have, the better school you are. I disagree. Teach them during the 7+ hours you have them during the day....let them have a life when they're out.

 

[MaryA]

....let them have a life when they're out.

And if they don't want to have a life, they can do gymnastics.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

Wow....I would love that. My DD is in 4th grade and gets 1.5 to 3 hours a day. It is too much in my opinion....but some seem to think that the more homework you have, the better school you are. I disagree. Teach them during the 7+ hours you have them during the day....let them have a life when they're out.

3 hours A DAY ! That is just ridiculous.

 

[Seeker]

Yes...it really is ridiculous. Especially considering my DD is a straight-A student who does not fool around or dawdle when doing her work. She is your typical focused and organized gymnast. I can't imagine how long it takes others to complete it...that don't have the incentive of the gym hanging over their heads!

 

[gymisforeveryone]

3 hours a day is insane! I study in university and I couldn't handle that much school work every day. God, we complain that our occasional 8 hours long days (with an hour of lunch break) are too long and we are over 20 years old.... But FOURTH grade and 7 hours of school and 3 hours of homework? I would love to see what are the homework like?

And what does study hall mean?

Finnish schools give only a handful of homework. When I was growing up and in elementary school I hardly ever spent more than 15 minutes doing homework. In the middle school it was maybe 30 minutes every other day... And in high school maximum of an hour three times a week. Usually I did my homework when I was eating my breakfast....

Finnish school system is known about it's short days and little amount of homework. And still Finland has won the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) many times in math, reading and natural sciences. I hope that other countries would also understand that the TIME used on studying is not essential but the QUALITY!

 

[Seeker]

The homework is hard. I am 40+, so went to primary/middle school in the 70/80's. I learned a lot and have a Master's degree and a successful career. But I never had work like this...and I'm not sure that I see the value. My DD is smart and I want her to learn...but I think much of this should be done at school, not at home.

Here are some samples from today's homework:
Math --
. Use the digits 4, 5, 6, and 8. Make as many factor pairs as you can that have
a product between 3,000 and 5,000. Use a calculator to solve the problems.

Science --
Rachel is looking at a swamp. She sees a sandhill crane swooping by, algae on the pod, small snails, fungi and some fish. Explain how what Rachel sees helps tell the story of how the organisms she sees are connected and how they all help the swamp ecosystem thrive.

 

[Seeker]

Homework is also assigned daily and due the next day. Sometimes we have 30 mins...sometimes 3 hours. It is unpredictable.

 

[gymisforeveryone]

Wow those are not easy! I don't think 4th grade students in here ever have to use a calculator. We started using it in 7th grade...And I wonder what is the purpose of that kind of math problem? And the science problem... We started answering those essay kind of questions in 7th or 8th grade! Before that the questions could be answered using one sentence mostly. I think that this question is good but for 4th graders? Too hard!

 

[Seeker]

Yeah, it is kind of crazy. I enjoyed school and so does my DD, but it is a heck of a lot more work now than when I was a kid. And IMHO, those are not the kind of questions that most 4th graders can answer without some guidance. They would be great group or class discussion questions...not ones to assign them at home after they've been at school all day and are tired. So, I just help her and we do them as fast as we can so we can move on with our day!

 

[LizzieLac]

My kids are in 6th and 8th grade. I started being unable to help them on many things about two years ago!!

WHAT? I also have BA and MS degrees and have a successful career.

I am mortified by the amount of homework they are asked to do.

 

[Seeker]

Yeah....I have 2 Master's degrees and work in finance, but sometimes I really have to "think" about the questions. DD's math teacher is an idiot though and doesn't actually "teach" the material properly, so I wind up teaching her. Which kind of irks me....

 

[GymMomXcel]

My DD had 2-3 hours of homework in 4th grade last year. This year, so far, is MUCH better and it's easier to manage gym/church and school work. She gets it done at school most days now. Her teacher lets her do it in class when she's finished with that classes work.

 

[Quadqueen]

Our district has a policy of no more than ten minutes of homework per grade level...so, my kids in 3rd and 5th grades get a maximum of 30 and 50 minutes, and that has to include their 20 minutes of reading each night. They never even come close to that. I think it's a good policy. My 5th grader has barely any homework, thank goodness, because several days a week she goes from school straight to gym and gets home at 9:30, showers and goes to bed. Today she was supposed to work on a project for homework, but she's not home to do what she needs for it - homework has to be done in the car!

 

[Iwannabemargo]

I am also confused about many people saying they do their homework in "downtime" in school. Here ours are in class, occupied, from 9-10.15, then it break, 15 mins outside you go to run around, back in til 12.15, then lunch til 1, then school til 3.20 ( with an afternoon break somewhere). This is primary so age 5-11.

If you finish your class assignment the teacher gives you extension work.

Break is sacrosanct and you never miss it ( apart from detention), there is no "free time"

You couldn't do your homework at lunch because you are outside without books, paper etc and they are encouraged to run around. There are lunch time clubs, once a week there is homework club where you can go and get help from a teacher if you are stuck.

I am amazed at the amount of time you are asked to spend on homework. Here its even illegal to require homework to be completed in primary, so parents can just say, Suzie is not doing it.

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

I am also confused about many people saying they do their homework in "downtime" in school. Here ours are in class, occupied, from 9-10.15, then it break, 15 mins outside you go to run around, back in til 12.15, then lunch til 1, then school til 3.20 ( with an afternoon break somewhere). This is primary so age 5-11.

If you finish your class assignment the teacher gives you extension work.

Break is sacrosanct and you never miss it ( apart from detention), there is no "free time"

You couldn't do your homework at lunch because you are outside without books, paper etc and they are encouraged to run around. There are lunch time clubs, once a week there is homework club where you can go and get help from a teacher if you are stuck.

I am amazed at the amount of time you are asked to spend on homework. Here its even illegal to require homework to be completed in primary, so parents can just say, Suzie is not doing it.

For older dd, she usually has time to do part of her homework in class once she has completed her other assignments. Say the teacher goes through a math lesson then gives the kids 30 min to work on problems on pages 15-20... Once they're done with those pages they can then get started on extra work. Some kids may not finish those pages in class (and it then gets added on to their homework), some may finish those pages quickly and get most of their homework done in addition.

I grew up in Europe too, and I find the school system here in the us somewhat confusing. So far so good, but sometimes things baffle me. My gymmie (in 4th grade) has already had quite a bit of homework that needed at least one more person to complete, and although I get that school/parents should work together for the success of the child, I don't often have time to sit down and play number games with my kid. Between chauffeuring the girls around, working, spending time at their practice, trying to maintain my little company, sewing our clothes and keeping up with housework.... Playing math games for 30min is a little annoying!

 

[leotardmakermum]

I am also confused about many people saying they do their homework in "downtime" in school. Here ours are in class, occupied, from 9-10.15, then it break, 15 mins outside you go to run around, back in til 12.15, then lunch til 1, then school til 3.20 ( with an afternoon break somewhere). This is primary so age 5-11.

If you finish your class assignment the teacher gives you extension work.

Break is sacrosanct and you never miss it ( apart from detention), there is no "free time"

You couldn't do your homework at lunch because you are outside without books, paper etc and they are encouraged to run around. There are lunch time clubs, once a week there is homework club where you can go and get help from a teacher if you are stuck.

I am amazed at the amount of time you are asked to spend on homework. Here its even illegal to require homework to be completed in primary, so parents can just say, Suzie is not doing it.

Yes, please explain. I don't get this either!

EDIT: Actually, what I mean is that I completely get what Iwannabemargo is saying. That sounds like Australian schools too. What I don't get is the "downtime" during school concept.