Is this abnormal for 4th grade homework?

I fully intended to come back and say several things like...

Thank you, thank you, thank you, DrewDad. I wish I could give you a big kiss for making me feel like I'm not totally alone in thinking homework is stupid. You really might never know how much that helped me.

And thank you, thank you, thank you, Izzie. I'm waiting for the results of your experiement.

And probably some other stuff too.

But I do want to report that I hit up the 5th grader across the street with my "square footage" query. He attends the math/science charter school. He's a whiz kid. He responded "I don't know but if you tell me how to calculate it I could probably do it." I didn't tell him how to do it but told him he was cool and wonderful and that I'd leave the math teaching to the experts. (If I know this kid he looked it up tonight and will know how to do it tomorrow.)

... but today totally kicked my ass homework wise and resulted in a flurry of emails to Mo's teacher and I just want to get in the shower and have a good cry.

I'm sorry, boomer. I know how it can wear you out, trying to help a young son with homework. Especially when you haven't studied the stuff yourself in 40 years. These are really tough years for parents...they were for me, too.

I hope you get some good rest tonight. ((((((boomer))))))

Awww.... sorry that's how it worked out, boomer....

Hope the emails are productive.

Hey Boomer

wellllllll, this will be of cold comfort, I imagine, but my teachers were horrified that a 9 year old would be given that maths problem.

They allowed me to take our brightest pupil, who is year 6 (10yrs old, 11 yrs old this academic year) - and he is gifted and talented, out of the classroom and sit quietly with the maths. He was under no pressure at all (is a very confident young man) - and....

he could not do it

not only were the teachers gobsmacked after looking at it - but they said to give a child this kind of problem and having to make the conversion, in addition to the way the question was worded, could be wholly demoralising for a child, 9 years old... and older and especially a child with SEN.

I would imagine that a great many parents would have problems working this out too (probably a number of A2Kers have looked at this and worked it out from reading and then working thru the answer) - and unfortunately, tho it may seem that a child may think "well if my parents can't figure it, that's OK" ... in actual fact, from my experience, it often works in the reverse.

When R-boy, and sometimes with S-boy now, if there is homework that is set which I have trouble with (ha - physics - ack) - the reaction is one of "huge anger" (with R) and upset with S - because why would a teacher send home something that even an adult struggles with. (I'm talking early years problems, not exam questions).

As you've noted above - there are different answers here from A2K adults - so...

I'd go along with "this homework is abnormal" too.

Also, using the example of having to earn this sort of money babysitting... well, a child would not think in terms of near $700 for babysitting... completely unrealistic, which is enough to throw a child if they are trying to imagine how much it is likely to cost.


.....................................................................................

1 9x9 tile = 81 sq in
1 x 12x12 tile = 144 sq in
room = 12x15 = 180sq ft x 144 in = 25920 sq in divided by 81 = 320 tiles required
320 tiles divided by 2 = 160 tiles each colour
160 divided by 12/box = 13.333 = 14 whole boxes of each colour = 28 whole boxes
28 x $24.95 = $698.60.



<spits the dummy>




Hope you are feeling better today (((Boomer))).

IMO, homework should be used to drill them on concepts that have already been covered in class. A child should never see anything on homework that isn't a variation on something they've already learned.

It sounds like this isn't the way it's handled, anymore.

...if I take out a pen and correct a problem on Yaya's homework, would it shock the teacher?

I was tempted the other night, with the page that didn't teach the commutative property correctly.

My thoughts are:

Don't undermine the teacher.
But I want Yaya to be taught correctly.
But I don't want to offend the teacher, either; we have to deal with her all year.
But I want Yaya to be taught correctly.

oh DD, i used to write on the ids homewor all the time - if the id can't understand how to do it and the parent is muddling through or is trying to help but using a different method, then it maes it harder for the child to understand

we were taught completely different ways to wor out maths problems when we were ids - at times S-boy has to show me how he has been taught and then i have to try and figure stuff out (long multiplication is done topsy turvy to how i was taught to do it - we get the same answers but have completely different ways of woring out)

as long as one isn't rude or obnoxious in taling to the teacher (ie that would be undermining them), then i don't see a problem with it

the best you can do for your ids is have good communication going with the teachers and this should be encouraged all the time

(my teachers LOVE to taling to parents - it shows they have an active interest in their childs education and shows children that questioning and being able to as for help is a good thing. So many children will eep quiet and fall behind - asing for help and explanations should be encouraged).


<sorry, my abcdefghij...lmnopqrstuvwxyz has gone on my eyboard (unless I bash it) >

<i really am a little edumacated )

I wondered for a moment if the Ego and Superego got homework as well, but I figured out what was going on.

Too bad it wasn't one letter to the right... you could write your Christmas cards now.

My fear is that I would be misunderstood. I'm kinda brusque by nature.

No . . .




. . . really?

Wow. Thanks Izzie, and thanks to the teachers and a special thanks to you boy who was willing to give it a try. I really appreciate it.

It is very comforting to know that I'm not crazy. Based on some of the answers here I was beginning to think I was really out of touch. It's good to know I'm not.

This...



is almost exactly what I emailed the teacher last night...

you could try emulating me, I have a natural talent for polite civility.

I was so much like this when Mo started school.

Then I decided not to undermine my kid.

But it is important to pick our battles. If it's bothering you a lot, call the teacher on it. If it's bothering you a little, make a note and be sure to bring it up at the teacher's conference.

For me, I no longer care if any of the staff think I'm a bitch and I haven't even shown them my full blown bitch yet.

Yes it is extreme - my children get more homework than what I've seen compared to other schools in the area and it ain't anywhere as much as that. I would think no more than an hour of homework a night and on average less than that. And assigning a book report the day before it is due is crazy.

We do that as well - studying is great in the car and quizzing on spelling words.

One word on the darkness ....Flashlight. Yep we do that. When you have kids in sports and parents that work you do what you can.

And my daughters do get excellent grades so it works.

's true.

's true.

The problems are on a pre-printed worksheet; it's obvious that she didn't develop the curriculum herself.

So far, it's only the one lesson that I have an issue with.

So I'm willing to abide, for now.

Apparently there were a few parents lined up, and a few notes lined up, regarding the retiling homework. The teacher told the kids to throw it away. She also told them to throw away the English homework that had been sent home. It sounds like all the wrong stuff went out.

I understand that mistakes happen. Especially when you have three teacher over the course of 10 days.

All this change and confusion has sent Mo into a real tailspin. Because of the nature of his disability and because of his attachment issues he doesn't adapt to change well at all.

Mr. B and I have a meeting with the principal this Friday to discuss changing his class. I'm hoping that it's early enough in the year that we can salvage things.