So Elizabeth officially started getting homework yesterday. Apparently she will be getting it twice a week. I would love to hear your thoughts on how you feel about homework in Kindergarten. I set up a poll to the right in the side bar. Also, please feel free to give your thoughts in the comments section!
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2 comments:
It can be good in that it can get a child into a routine for older grades, but so much is just "busy" work that is pointless. Some children do need more repetition of concepts in order for things to "sink in." Your child may be bored by it, but it may be really helpful for another child.
You might be horrified that I sometimes give "homework" to my preschoolers. They usually LOVE it, many ask for more so they can be like their older siblings. The latest assignment was for their "family trees." They had to have their parents help them put names on leaves. They were to include whoever they considered "family" and use the names the children know them by - we ended up with an Aunt Duck, a grandfather called Metro, another child's pet bird, other children from the class, neighbors, teachers, etc. If I child doesn't bring her leaves back by today, I will help her fill them out. This assignment was just a way to help the children & their families talk about something we are discussing in class.
A November assignment will be to bring a pine cone for an art project. It's incentive for them to get outside with their families, and the art project is more meaningful when they bring something from home.
So, homework good or bad? Depends on the assignment & the teacher, the purpose. It should not take too long or be a struggle. I told the parents of my class at the beginning of the school year that these things are optional - if the child is not having fun, forget about it. I am not out to torture them or their children! :)
-Tammy
If every teacher could be like Tammy, I would have voted Yes! for Kindergarten homework. Sadly, I'm sure all teachers do not put as much thought and effort into their homework assignments and instead are assigning busy work that becomes pointless drudgery that sends the wrong message to children.
As children get older, I think that too often homework represents procrastination of work that could and should have been done during the school day. I do think however that reading assignments for are a good idea -- reading instead of TV is almost always a good idea. It just needs to be reading material that is meaningful, interesting and well-written (not the text books of my day!). There is no easy answer, but it starts with fantastic teachers that are fairly paid for their hard work with our children.
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