Calgary family negotiates NO homework for kids

[mykalberta]

It is a complete farse. Those parents should be ashamed.

[VladtheImpaler]

Well, shoot them in the back of the head I guess... At least I know whom not to hire as my lawyers if I have any issues in Toronto - if they can't manage their brats, they probably can't manage my case...

[Komskies]

Homework is overrated. In grade 12 I did under an hour a week and still finished with an 82% average. Now I know that isn't spectacular, and if I busted my balls it could've been a 92 instead, but you can put in a minimal effort homework wise and still be very successful.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by fotze

Throughout university the quality of the professor was inversely proportional to the amount of homework required.

This thread talks about university as though it's a universal experience. The amount of work you do outside of class has way more to do with the subject you're studying than the prof. I have an English degree and had to do all my reading outside of class and write all my essays outside of class as well.

Social science courses would pretty much just be spoon fed to you and didn't require much homework IIRC. Same with the basic science courses I took (rocks for jocks, shocks for jocks, astronomy, etc.).

You can also do more work in university if you want to get more out of it.

re: the no homework thing. I think we can all agree busy work as homework is stupid.

[yads]

I don't understand the people defending this. If you need hours to finish math assignments to the point where your parents are telling you the answers. You do not understand the concepts. I find it hard to believe that teachers are giving so much work that even if you understand the concept, you can't knock off the answers in less than an hour.

[flambers]

The article said their kids still do homework but they work on the area's that require focus (i.e. studying, etc). I bet their kids have a very high average.

Today kids are getting a tonne of useless assignments, for example my kid is in grade 7 and his teacher has them making a Picture Scrapbook Album (takes a tonne of time at night and has zero purpose)..

[JiriHrdina]

In my opinion there should only be homework for kids that screw around during class and don't get that work done.

Otherwise children are far better served to spend their free time playing sports, learning an instrument or just being a kid.

[Kipper is King]

Even thinking back to elementary school, there were some times for me when I needed to do work outside of school hours to gain an understanding. It never felt over-taxing. I still had plenty of time for whatever else I wanted to do.

These absurd parents are basically throwing their kids' work ethic down the drain. It's a shame.

[Kipper is King]

Originally Posted by flambers

Today kids are getting a tonne of useless assignments, for example my kid is in grade 7 and his teacher has them making a Picture Scrapbook Album (takes a tonne of time at night and has zero purpose)..

I'm going to play devil's advocate here, as I sometimes like taking that position, so bear with me.

The album could be encouraging your kid to think about things like layout and design, as well as being descriptive through thinking about past events. That sort of development is important, even through the progress may not be as clear as say, understanding a math problem.

[J pold]

I can understand where both sides of this argument are coming from. I recall in my first year of university my little brother who was in grade 6 at the time would frequently come home with as much if not more than me. Everything combined he would spend 3 to 4 hours a night doing homework, something I found ridiculous.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by ricosuave

Funny how the kids in question have time for extra curricular activities though.

I think that's the point. Don't tell me you think that extracurricular activities are a waste of time compared to school work?

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

In my opinion there should only be homework for kids that screw around during class and don't get that work done.

Otherwise children are far better served to spend their free time playing sports, learning an instrument or just being a kid.

Exactly. Kids need to exercise all their muscles. Brain, body, creative. Sitting there doing math homework instead of learning an instrument or playing a sport, IMO, is detrimental to a kid's growth.
Not all kids are going to grow up and go to Uni and be engineers. Some are going to do something like a trade or be a musician or whatever. I really can't believe how many people are appalled by this idea that kids shouldn't be sitting there at the kitchen table with school work instead of playing hockey or music lessons or boy scouts carving some wood cars.

The parents are sick and tired of life being so hectic. The extra hour at night is a huge hour to them, and I couldn't agree more. Think about it - get off school at 330, come home and play some driveway hockey or practice the instrument they're learning for an hour and a bit, now it's pretty much dinnertime. After dinner, they've likely got some chores like cleaning the kitchen, then it's off to scouts or hockey or piano lessons. By the time they're dropped off and picked up and at home, it's fairly late into the evening.
And if a kid is failing at school, maybe instead of hockey, they're stuck with a tutor. But really, a kid goes to school all day long. Can't the evening be dedicated to something that's not academic?

I, for one, think these parents have their priorities straight, and that if more parents were this cognizant of their child's upbringing, the world would be a better place.

[flambers]

Originally Posted by Kipper is King

I'm going to play devil's advocate here, as I sometimes like taking that position, so bear with me.

The album could be encouraging your kid to think about things like layout and design, as well as being descriptive through thinking about past events. That sort of development is important, even through the progress may not be as clear as say, understanding a math problem.

yah I doubt it, a high percent of the kids Parents are doing the assignments. Its obvious for any parent who goes inside a classroom.

In my view the school system has lots of teachers that are totally out to lunch.

I can see why some parents are moving forward to stop the homework especially in elementary or Junor High.

If the homework had a purpose I am all for it but to ask a kid to go home and color a picture... or cut pictures out etc.... It only makes me shake my head in diss-belief.

[burn_this_city]

I rarely did homework in grade school and it didnt set me up for failure in the working world.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by Eric Vail

Maybe university has changed. When I went, I had weekly physics and math assignments that were done at home and were graded. I had pre and post lab work that had to be done and were graded. I had papers that had to be done at home and were graded. I had readings that had to be done and I was tested on whether or not they were completed.

Those are called assignments, hence the grading of them. Homework is stuff sent home as practice, and it's not necessary for every student.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by valo403

Those are called assignments, hence the grading of them. Homework is stuff sent home as practice, and it's not necessary for every student.

Assignments was called homework during my school years.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by Dion

Assignments was called homework during my school years.

The whole point of this whole 'contract' is that the students won't be graded on outside activities, so this whole conversation on what is an assignment v. homework is moot.

If anybody has had a university course in which gradable assignments, outside of tests or labs, was done in class time I'd be stunned. Papers being written on class time? Somebody should have told me about that course.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by Kipper is King

Even thinking back to elementary school, there were some times for me when I needed to do work outside of school hours to gain an understanding. It never felt over-taxing. I still had plenty of time for whatever else I wanted to do.

These absurd parents are basically throwing their kids' work ethic down the drain. It's a shame.

Actually these parents are focusing their children's work ethic on the material that they need to study in order to perform on the exams and tests. If they don't do that this contract goes out the window.

[yads]

My sister is currently in grade 9 and is also on the national rhythmic gymnastics team. What that means is that 5 days a week she is at Talisman centre training for 3+ hours and that doesn't include national and international competitions. Yet she still finds time to do homework and gets marks in the 90s in every subject. She also has lots of friends and finds time to hang out with them.

Maybe she's some kind of witch and is able to manipulate time. Or more likely she's much better at managing her time than these people's kids.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by yads

My sister is currently in grade 9 and is also on the national rhythmic gymnastics team. What that means is that 5 days a week she is at Talisman centre training for 3+ hours. Yet she still finds time to do homework and gets marks in the 90s in every subject. She also has lots of friends and finds time to hang out with them.

Maybe she's some kind of witch and is able to manipulate time. Or more likely she's much better at managing her time than these people's kids.

Or she has a teacher that's much better at managing an appropriate level of homework for her students?

[Red_Baron]

I lost a lot of points due to not doing my home(busy)work. All my friends would have a backpack filled with books while I went home with whatever I carried my lunch in. I still got my B Sc. from UBC and I've moved up the food chain at a fast pace.
It always seemed like homework was a competition of who's parents did the best grade school work. Even at a young age, I found it pathetic to see this stuff brought in by these kids who obviously got their parents to do everything for them.

As for the parents in question, to me it sounds like they don't want to have their kids pester them for the answers, they want the kid and teacher to work it out so that they are truly learning the concepts in the manner that they are supposed to and putting more responsibility on the teacher and the student to become accountable rather than pass out grades on who has the most helpful parents.