Any US parents with teenage children here?

sahux1

I read an article on homework a while ago, the author said that they tried doing the homework of their child for a week, and they were overwhelmed by how much there was to do.

I don't have children, so I'm curious how your child's homework obligations compare to the child in the article. Thanks.

theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/10/my-daughters-homework-is-killing-me/309514/

lisciousg24

I have an 11, 7 year old. Homework isn't hard or much for that matter. Only thing is they expect them to use different way of solving problems than what we used.
Ultimately it comes down to same answer.
As much as I dislike sitting and helping with homework, I definitely don't think kids get as much as we used to when we were in school.

shadowloss

I have a 16 and 13 year old. The schools give most of the students time to do homework in class, with the exception of the larger projects that can't be accomplished in the class room. My son is in AP classes and rarely has homework that he has to bring home and still maintains an A Average. My daughter is trending along the same path.

The one challenge for me, was when my son asked me for help with his math homework. They do math different, so I asked him to see his book, and they don't have them! NO BOOKS for Math? I was baffled. Most of the information is on line for assistance? It's not that I couldn't come up with the answer, it's just that it confused him because I was doing it the "old school" way and not how they were teaching.

I do think they have it easier, because they are on-line and know what they're missing and given extra time and opportunities to redo or turn in late. In my days, if you missed it, you were SOL!

fanceegirl75

I think this varies by state and school district. Also whether public or private school.

wardamnirish056

Every once in a while it seems the number of math problems assigned on a particular day seems a bit excessive, but overall the amount of homework doesn't seem too bad. I've lived in six different states with school-age children, so I think that's a pretty decent sample.

mitch16

I live near Boston and have a son who is a junior in high school. I think his homework is excessive, and it has been for a while. I've heard the rule of thumb as being 10 minutes a night for every year in school (10 minutes for 1st grade, 20 for 2nd, so on...)--I only wish. Many nights my son has 3-4 hours. He is a good student--honors level classes--but it's too much busy work.

zdyb23456

My kids are in 2nd, kindergarten, and preschool. When my oldest was in 1st grade I was stressed over how much homework she had! It was no joke for a 6-7 year old! Math and reading homework almost every night, weekly spelling tests, bible verse memorization weekly, she had to memorize and recite a poem every month, she had to read and test on 4 books every month. Plus a quarterly "project" usually science related. To me it felt crazy and she's a really smart, disciplined little girl.

2nd grade so far seems on par with 1st grade, I guess it's only going to get worse from here!

I'm really worried about my son going into 1st grade now that I know what is coming.

Reaverie

I have a 15 year old and soon to be 18 year old. I have homeschooled them now for 4 years. I pulled them because they were WAY more advanced than what their schools were teaching them, even in the advanced classes.. mainly because the homework they brought home I found to be pathetic so added my own spin to it encouraging them to master concepts several years ahead of expected "standards." They have been researching answers to difficult questions since they were 3 and 4. I encouraged this early on so they never felt like anything was beyond their grasp or understanding. My son has been doing college level work since he was 10, and my daughter since she was 13 (she isn't as driven as her brother is). Now my son is preparing for college and has already gotten a scholarship offer of 6,400 a semester. Shame it was to the WRONG college! Liberal arts.. pfft. He is majoring in material engineering. My nephew is in the 2nd grade and has already tested at the 4th grade level. I started homeschooling him from Kindergarten. I only wish I had started my kids off that young. Public schools just don't push students to learn!

Reaverie

newmeadow wrote: »

I don't have kids and I disliked school. I opted for a hands on job with practical vocational training and it suits me.

But for any kid to be in school for 7 hours a day and then to have to come home and do hours of homework to keep up - WTF? I remember it well and I refused to have anything to do with it. I squeaked by and that was enough.

What better way to make someone dislike the learning process, if this is what's demanded?

I wouldn't tolerate it if I had a kid. I know homeschooling is a luxury a lot of families can't afford. But it seems to be the thing to do for those who can do it. Balance and quality of life matter for school age children too and inflicting that level of misery on them in their formative and puberty years isn't cool.

I despised school... I still despise school! My kids school for 4 hours a day and ace every subject. They ace the standardized tests every year as well. It's not the amount of work it's the quality of the education!

DeficitDuchess

newmeadow wrote: »

I don't have kids and I disliked school. I opted for a hands on job with practical vocational training and it suits me.

But for any kid to be in school for 7 hours a day and then to have to come home and do hours of homework to keep up - WTF? I remember it well and I refused to have anything to do with it. I squeaked by and that was enough.

What better way to make someone dislike the learning process, if this is what's demanded?

I wouldn't tolerate it if I had a kid. I know homeschooling is a luxury a lot of families can't afford. But it seems to be the thing to do for those who can do it. Balance and quality of life matter for school age children too and inflicting that level of misery on them in their formative and puberty years isn't cool.

With the amount of time some parents've to spend helping their children with homework, they're already homeschooling them; so why send them to school? A child doesn't have to go to school during typical school hours, if a working parent believes; that's why & children going to school in the morning teaches nothing concerning, preparing them for when they must go; to work because of night shifts. As for those that believe sending children to school's for social skills, most children're expected to have enough before; they even begin school & besides the teachers always told us that, we could talk to; our friends after school instead!

Tretop76

Cutaway_Collar wrote: »

I don't have kids either. But they need to ramp up our school systems, man. Kids in China and India learn vector calculus and advanced physics as early as 11, 12, 13....

In the STEM school talent pools, it's mostly foreign students. I think our schools have been dumbed down and the effect/consequence is already taking place.
.

You are totally right on that! Korea teaches above what America teaches as well. I had a classmate in college from Korea laugh at the things we do here in the states and at what ages they are incorporated. She said by the time she was in 6th grade she was doing our college courses.

I'm fortunate to have my kids in a great school system. My daughter is 13 and will be in honors classes next school year. I remember being 13 and going into the 7th grade, she will be going into high school, a freshman! When she graduates she will be 16!

dc8066

I was surprised how much garbage was in the US community college algebra textbook. The only useful info could easily fit in a notebook size booklet. The level of 'college' algebra was at approximately 5th or 6th grade algebra in my old country. Some textbooks should be re-written, fer sur

Reaverie

dc6088 wrote: »

I was surprised how much garbage was in the US community college algebra textbook. The only useful info could easily fit in a notebook size booklet. The level of 'college' algebra was at approximately 5th or 6th grade algebra in my old country. Some textbooks should be re-written, fer sur

That is one thing i hate worse about text books.. they add in "fluff" to make the books look bigger so they can charge higher prices for them. Seriously.. bullet points on facts and get straight to the point. Anyone who has gone through a textbook with a highlighter can verify that there are a lot of pointless words cluttering up those pages.

Reaverie

newmeadow wrote: »

I don't have kids and I disliked school. I opted for a hands on job with practical vocational training and it suits me.

But for any kid to be in school for 7 hours a day and then to have to come home and do hours of homework to keep up - WTF? I remember it well and I refused to have anything to do with it. I squeaked by and that was enough.

What better way to make someone dislike the learning process, if this is what's demanded?

I wouldn't tolerate it if I had a kid. I know homeschooling is a luxury a lot of families can't afford. But it seems to be the thing to do for those who can do it. Balance and quality of life matter for school age children too and inflicting that level of misery on them in their formative and puberty years isn't cool.

Oh, I was THAT kid who stubbornly refused to do assignments on subjects I could already ace the tests to. I pretty much scraped by with D and C averages. I always passed the tests but Screw homework!

When my kids got into school, I did their bullsheet assignments for them. Crap that wouldn't teach them anything, like alphabetical order! When my kids had spelling, they were given the assignment of using the words in sentences. I made them write stories instead. By the time they reached the second grade, where they were introduced to short story telling, both of them were already writing 5 page descriptive essays. College is so much more fun! I made them help me study for my finals at 6 and 9 and drug them to class with me. My son was "borrowed " by the biology professor because he already knew the answers to every question.

GreenGoddess22

I have a 12 year old in a private school and some nights he has absolutely zero homework. Other nights he has so much homework we both want to set it on fire. While I certainly agree that some homework is appropriate to help him maintain skills (such as organization, time management, responsibility and of course help him retain information), I do not agree with the unnecessary "busy work" or the excessive amount given.

Unknown

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kenyonhaff

I work with high school students, although I don't yet have a kid in high school.

The big problem with high school homework is that it really reflects a lack of teaching hours at school.

Students need to have time to read a novel, or complete a project, or research a topic independently and that's appropriate. At the high school level they should be expected to put in some time outside of class.

But very often homework reflects the fact that 7 hours of schooling for 180 days a year (about average public school in the US) isn't really enough to adequately cover what is supposed to be scheduled. And honestly, very often what is assigned is better done as in-class work where a qualified teacher can help answer questions, guide students, and so on. Students in Asia, Europe, and Africa are spending much more time in the classroom and so naturally they are far ahead of most US students.

There's also a lot of other reasons homework as typically given fails to do what it's supposed to do. I'm not a big fan of it. My favorite reasons, in no particular order:
* Those who need the most help on homework (low income, English as a second language, those in difficult home situations) are least likely to get it.
* Excessive homework crowd out opportunities for personal development, such as sports, clubs, volunteering, and part time jobs.
* Homework can disrupt family life. Instead of spending time together doing something enjoyable--and time together is typically at a premium--hours are often spent with the kid working on homework.

jamcdonel

What about the concept of "reverse homework"? The student is expected to read and be prepared for class, and then class time is devoted to practice (what we traditionally think of as homework) guided by the teacher with the chance for answering questions and ironing out issues before they become real problems.

I have some educator friends that advocate this, and I personally see it as having significant merit, especially in math. Unfortunately schools, and the all important "teach to the test" concept which control American education right now, just aren't set up for this