See this is what I am talking about .How much of the homework is really necessary?

it used to be that when you were school age you learned education but also at home you learned how to survive on your own that is what parents are for... to teach life skills.. such as how to do laundry and cook etc.... responsibilities of being a human being...... well no time for that cause too much bookwork from school no time to do daily needs as chores... so more and more you see 26 yr olds living at home with their parents cause they dont have life skills to live on their own.... its really a sad thing...

Why do kids need homework in the first place?I guess that is the real question.

by the way great topic!!!! something to discuss

well definately should have it if they dont finish their work in the classroom.....

because most teachers today didnt do there homework, and there teachin our kids "jack".

Thank you ..Iwas astonished when I saw how much my little nieces were getting. Most of us get to come home and relax after a days work ..why not little kids ? I don,t get it at all.

The way it used to be argument is moot. Times change, hell it used to be that people could own slaves, drink and drive and women were seen as nothing more than property of a man. If you want to compete with the rest of the world in education, kids need to do homework and thanks to no child left behind it is going to get worse. But if you like the children to get a decent education with out all of this homework the solution is very simple. PAY MORE TAXES, fund the schools to have more teachers so information can be passed to them in the class and the teacher can know whether or not the student gets it. The stagnation and downsizing of our education system is part of the cause why the family nucleus is being torn apart.

I challenge you to spend one day in my classroom. Next year they are projecting 30 students per class. That is 180 different types of learners. From those who are reading below grade level to those who are above grade level. If you thinking teaching is so easy...try it. Parent involvement drops off after 6th grade. The state is cutting our budget. I have students who don't turn in work they did in class. Others who see every assignment as a "speed test".

i was just jokin , my sis is a teacher . was waitin to see how long it would take b4 i got jumped.!!!

Redshirt what are your opinions on homework?

That is not an easy question to answer. In some subject areas such as math. Homework is needed to help master basic skills. It also depends upon the age. I teach 7th grade social studies. I would give more homework if I had the books. But barely have enough for each student to use in class. What complicates the situation is students learn differently today then they did just 10 years ago. I assign a project a semester for the students to do. And they can choose how to present the work. A major factor is parental involvement. Some don't turn them in. When I call home to talk with the parents they say, "I wasn't aware of this." Which cause me to roll my eyes because a note had been sent home requiring a parent/guardian signature. Please help me understand where the lack of responsibility lies?

Thank you for your response it is very important to get a teachers point of view on this. I agree that parental involment in every aspect of a childs life is cucial and school is a very important apect of their life .Raising a child is the parents resposibility and it is sad how many parents fail at this.
However on the subject of homework how much is too much? and should parents be involved in helping their kids with it ?Are the parents at fault if their kids don,t complete their homework ?and should their quality time be spent arguing with them to get it done?

Betty,
Parents sometimes make the mistake of doing the work for the students. I can very quickly tell students who have learned to manipulate parents to do their work. They try to get me to give them the answer. Which I won't. We live in a society that is wanting everything given to them. The challenge of education is to provide them with the tools to develop the skills they need in life. Two key ones are problem solving and responsibility. It may sound strange - but consider it a success when they show up to class with paper and a pencil.

How many kids are afraid to go school and fake being sick because they didn,t get their homework done. Iam not so much worried about the lazy kid who does that but I feel really bad for the child who just doesn't understand and even with the help they just still don,t get it . Do you feel that homework is adding extra pressure on them?

That is a yes & no answer. No in that it is helping them master skills they need. Yes in that it is teaching them to be responsible. In the school I teach we use Teaming. That is all the students have the same core teachers - Math, Science, English, and Social Studies. We work together to do our best not to given the students an overt amount of homework. We also work at tieing the curriculum together. One of my favorite lines is "It Math/Scince in Social Studies time." Helps the students see how the curriculum inter-relates. Kids today want to know the process. Once they start seeing how different subjects work together they start "to get it."