How do you deal with your elementary schooler's homework? - Page 2

[blessedwithboys]

ds2 just finished 2nd gr in public school.

i dont believe HW is beneficial so we dont do it. we dont do reading logs, either. my ds loves to read and i refuse to take a chance of turning it into a chore or assignment. i told the teacher at the meet and greet before the year started that we wont be doing any HW this yr.

(pretty ballsy, i know, but it worked great. ds made honor roll all four quarters, principal's list once or twice. he got an award for highest math grade in the class and got almost all 100s on spelling tests, although we didnt even study until the last quarter when they started throwing words like "reinstate" at him.)

so i couldnt vote in the poll bc there wasnt an option for "mama bear told teacher NO to hw" LOL

[pinksprklybarefoot]

DSD (2nd grade) does her homework and we check it to make sure it is correct. She tends to get lazy with math and just write down whatever she thinks the answer might be instead of actually solving the problem.

Some nights, homework takes ten minutes. Other nights, it is a knock-down, drag-out fight of tears and drama. In the end, it gets done. Sometimes, if she is having difficulty with a concept, we make up additional problems so she gets more practice.

We have pretty much given up on reading logs - it seems so pointless.

[LynnS6]

Ds is in 3rd grade. In 1st, we sat with him while he did it (at his request). In 2nd, we were nearby. In 3rd, he goes off to his room, does it and puts it into his folder. We don't check it, I don't even ask if he's got it most days. (I don't think it does all that much good.)

With the exception of the evil tangram unit, ds doesn't need help. He is a bit sloppy and makes mistakes at times. I figure it's not my job to catch them. His teachers will call him out on those and if they do, it's more effective than my nagging.

If my child can't do their homework, I talk to the teacher. (As I did with the tangrams. Ds has some visual-spatial integration issues, and could not do them.) But I won't do it for them.

[mattemma04]

Dd has hw in her M class.I help and make sure she does it so she will not be punished(no recess) for not doing it.Since there are no grades the correct answer does not matter so much,but having off the wall(and many) wrong answers might result in having to do the work over.

I don't agree with work being sent home,but it is a part of most schools.Like I tell the kids about online schools-you will essentially be doing *homework* for 5 hours a day-so get used to it!

Dh came from a home where homework and studying at home was a must-for hours.His dad was a surgeon so you can imagine. I get flack for not making the kids do MORE work at home.God forbid they watch tv or play a video game. If a topic interests them they will want to learn more.Forcing it on them will not be beneficial,but again dh disagrees.......not that he ever actually sits with the kids and does any lessons!

[me&3]

can't really vote here because each of my dc is different - with #1, we never had to really manage the homework. now that he's in 8th grade, it's a bit different, actually (he needs math assistance and help with writing papers). but in elementary school, he really didn't need too much help.

dd is similar to ds #1. minimal assistance, only when she asks. we do, however, have to badger her about doing it, especially lately. she's not as conscientious as she used to be. (3rd grade)

ds #2 (5th grade) is a whole 'nother story. always been a major battle. he has LD, so it exacerbates everything, and he's a major headstrong guy to top it all off. this year, after YEARS of battling with him about hw, we decided to farm him out for help - - i.e. he goes to a high school neighbor of ours 4 days/week to complete his hw. this solution has improved our evenings so much, i can't even express. i'm pretty nervous about middle school next year, though...

[mar123]

My kids are finishing 4,6, and 8th grades. They all have homework every night. They do it on their own and I help if needed. They attend the same school from PreK-7th grade and from 1st-7th grade they have homework in every subject every night (sometimes it is revie or study, soemtimes it is written or work on a project). They are just used to it; it has never been a battle. In the early grades, I checked the homework sheet and asked them if this or that assignment was complete. If they stay in aftercare, they go to the homework room and get most of it done. If not, they do it at the table while I am cooking dinner or working on something.

My son is in high school now and has two "unstructured" periods. One is to be used for lunch, although he doesn't take 55 minutes for lunch. The learning lab and library are open the entire day, so most days he uses his "off" time to get homework done, work on a project etc. There are also intramural activities offered during those off times, so it is really up to him. I LOVE that he is learning to manage his time at such a young age. I like that he gets to choose when he will eat. Not hungry at 3rd block? eat at 5th. Hungry at both? he can eat at both. This was great during football season when he knew he would have practice for 3 hours at the end of the day. Anyway, those early years of being used to homework really helped him.

[K1329]

Dd has only just finished 1st grade, so, I don't know how things will progress as she gets older, but... I've tried to remove myself from the homework equation. After hearing several tales of woe from friends who fight a nightly battle with their children regarding homework, I decided that I can't have that battle in my home. When dd says I don't want to do my homework, I reply, "Ok, you can tell your teacher you were too tired, etc. to do it." So far, when faced with the prospect of reporting to school with unfinished homework, she has decided to do it each and every time.

By removing myself from the homework/school dynamic and by making it between her and her teacher, she has been motivated to do it on her own. I will check her work and help when asked.

[beanma]

K1329, that technique would work great with my dd2, but my dd1 wouldn't care a bit if she had to tell the teacher she was too tired. No problem for her to say, "I didn't want to do it."

[LightToast]

I don't want to be the "homework police" that's why I like the approach you take, K1329! Whatever the fallout may be from not choosing to do the homework will have to be handled by the student when he/she comes to school without the work done.

Also, I do still wonder how effective homework really is in the early elementary grades. I don't think I believe in it, especially if the parent has to pressure or argue with their child to get it done!

[K1329]

I agree, beanma, it works because of dd1's personality! I suspect that when ds reaches homework age, I'll have to take a different approach! But, I hope to have the same outcome - no nightly battles!