My dd is in 4th grade this year and i met her teacher of course at the start of school. She is super nice but i fear that she may be toooo nice. My dd doenst even have homework and doesnt even bring home books to study for tests..she is passing fine but i fear that she is losing the opportunity to learn postitve study habits for the future..she literally had more homework in kindergarten then now. Her only homework so far has been to read a book for 15 minutes at night..what is that? Last year in 3rd grade she had reports and stories to write and math and science...a little of all subjects and now she donest have anything. Her teacher and i have a parent teacher conference on the 15th and wonder what you guys think about me asking about this. I dont think me asking will prompt her to change her planning but i would hope that things pick up soon.

By Ginny~moderator on Friday, November 5, 2004 - 01:18 pm:

I do agree it is a matter for concern. 4th grade is time to start getting serious about some things, and she should definitely be having reading homework (reading textbooks, etc.) at a minimum, and some drilling on arithmetic, spelling, as well as writing skills (essays, stories, etc., not handwriting). Unfortunately, kids today need to start heavy learning so darned early, and if they don't they will definitely be losers in the future. Passing fine is not the whole point - you are right, she should be learning. If she has learned all there is in that classroom maybe she needs to be in some sort of enrichment program, something that will challenge her.

My sons are all very bright and found 1st through 5th grades really easy because they weren't challenged, and when they got into higher grades, high school, it was a big shock and a very difficult adjustment. I wish they had experienced some challenges, some having to "work at it" and not just float along, earlier in their school experiences.

By Vicki on Friday, November 5, 2004 - 02:02 pm:

Wow..my dd is in 4th grade and it is nothing like that. Some nights she has heavy homework, some nights it is very light..but almost all nights, she has something. She has a spelling test every Friday.. they read a story out of their Reading book every week and have both a test and a quiz on it. About every other week she has a test in both Science and Social Studies... They have already written 3 short stories and her 2nd book report is due on the 12th. She brings home Math papers every night and they also have timed facts tests... I would be concerned if I were you too. I would be really worried she wouldn't be ready for 5th grade and the work and independence that is needed for that grade!

By Kate on Friday, November 5, 2004 - 02:17 pm:

Are there any other fourth grade teachers there? Do they give homework or harder work? What do the other parents say?

Totally unrelated...but I'd LOVE to see pics of your son as a jeep!!!

By Kernkate on Friday, November 5, 2004 - 03:28 pm:

My DS is also in 4th grade and he does have homework just about everynight, except for weekends. Brett also has a spelling test every Friday from words they go over all week. They bring home a book home to read and a report is due on it the end of every month. We are spending alot of time at home now practicing times tables. I also would be concerned about this. Keep us updated.

By Kim on Friday, November 5, 2004 - 06:10 pm:

My son is in 5th grade. He also has homework every day; however, he does it at school! When they get the time to do the work in class or free time that's what he does. My kids are not allowed to go out and play until the homework is done. Could this possibly be the case? He even reads at school. He does occasionally do both at home though. And he does have projects occasionally also. He has done this ever since he started having homework.

I would ask. Don't feel bad either!

By Unschoolmom on Friday, November 5, 2004 - 07:57 pm:

I've heard of highschool teachers who refuse to assign homework. I think part of the idea is that the kids are in school for most of their day and that's the place for them to concentrate on studying and academics. To teachers who don't assign homework they may feel that the free time and family time a child has away from school is at least as important as what they do in school. It's time to pursue hobbies, make social connections outside school, rest, discover interests independent of what they're being taught, grow closer to family.

I read an interview where a teacher declared that she found homework redundant but justified it by saying it kept them away from the TV. That seems intrusive to me to say the least. A lot of it seems to be busy work to me. I understand the argument that it is often meant to build study skills but I question whether kids needs 13 years of homework to develop these skills and I'm not sure why it has to intrude into private time when a child has just been confined to a school for much of the day where they were supposed to be putting those skills to use.

I'm really biased though and coming from way off in left field since my kids won't have homework as children and my ideas on education are anything but mainstream. But...There is a debate about homework going on in the teaching community about it's value and intent and there are teachers who really don't believe it does much good. Maybe your child is lucky (my bias again!) enough to have one of those.

Meanwhile, enjoy all the time with her minus the homework battles!

Granted, I have a huge bias here

By Dawnk777 on Friday, November 5, 2004 - 11:36 pm:

My kids definitely had homework in 4th grade, but not an excessive amount.

I agree with homework. Emily is in 7th grade right now and in pre-algebra. She is learning new things in math that she has never done before. She was having trouble, but now when I check her homework, she is getting all the answers right. I think she needed the extra practice she got with her homework. In middle school, it is only the rare evening that they don't have math homework.

By Lauram on Saturday, November 6, 2004 - 08:01 am:

Food for thought- the research about homework says that it does not contribute to increasing student learning until middle school. Before that, it's just about learning the routine of doing homework. What is heavily researched is that the amount children read outside of school (at least 15 min a day) greatly improves their learning. My advice would be is to make sure your child is reading every day (including weekends) outside of school. If she's interested in something academic, have her pursue it independently (my 7 year old son does things like robotics, researches historical figures, etc....) Personally, I would use the no homework as a gift of time. I have found that my son's homework is very basic and way below his capability. If anything, it teaches him to race through assignments. JMHO....

By Karen~moderator on Saturday, November 6, 2004 - 09:09 am:

Interesting points, Laura. My kids almost always had homework, but they also took advantage of time in school to get it done, since we all know kids HATE doing homework *at home*.

As for your parent/teacher conference, don't ever be afraid to ask. The conference is for things just like that - to find out how your child is doing in school and to answer any UNanswered questions you may have.

By Ladypeacek on Saturday, November 6, 2004 - 01:34 pm:

Thanks for all the ideas...as for a gift of time...lol wellllll i liked that time to relax and get dinner started..i guess thats why i notice it sooo much cuz now she wants constant entertainment and talks my head off. We have a routine for so many years and this has really put a kink in that routine for everyone in my house. She definitely reads every night usually she goes to bed 30 minutes early to lay and read. I am thinking if homework doesnt pick up i may try to find some busy things to have her do.