Jill Smokler, AKA Scary Mommy
@scarymommy
Latest posts by Jill Smokler, AKA Scary Mommy (see all)
- The Disney Reveal - May 14, 2013
- Met My Match At Disney… - May 13, 2013
- Sunday’s Baltimore Sun - May 11, 2013
Jodi works part time in DC as an attorney and lives with her husband, Doug, her son, Michael, as well as a dog, Foster, who has many, many issues. She started Jodifur because her husband kept telling her she reads so many blogs so might as well write one, and hasn’t stopped for four plus years. She puts her expensive legal education to good use as the celebrity legal correspondent on mamapop.com and is a featured blogger on JoeShopping.
I have a confession to make. I resent homework. I resent doing it, I resent helping with it; I resent the mere existence of it. Oh, I have a kindergartner. And stop laughing; he gets a lot of homework.
He gets a packet at the beginning of the week that needs to be completed by Thursday. It is all worksheets and most of the instructions are incomplete and I don’t understand what the teacher wants and I don’t know how to explain it to him. And then he gets worksheets that were to be finished in school that say things like “please finish” and have no instructions of them. Besides saying, “Michael, do you know what you were supposed to do here?” how exactly do I have him finish this?
And then there are the reading books and poetry folders and family homework. Family homework? I went to kindergarten thank you very much.
Did I mention KINDERGARTEN?
I may sound disgruntled, but I’m tired of spending every night fighting about homework. I’m tired of teaching concepts that did not get taught in the classroom but have homework about them. I work, my husband works, we rush home, make dinner, and then do homework. Then it is bath, bed, and we start over the next day. My son is surprised on the days we say, “you don’t have any homework.” Normally, this is weekends.
Not to mention all the research out there that says homework in the early grades mean nothing. It is not indicative of learning or progress or teaches kids anything other than burnout. We fight and there are tears, some of them mine. By first grade my son is going to hate learning. What is this going to teach a child?
I am not an anti education parent. I’m a lawyer. I volunteer at the school. I believe strongly in education and reading and writing. I’m just not sure why worksheets and drills and mandatory nightly homework with research projects teach a five year old. And don’t kid yourself. The parents are doing this homework the further you go in the upper grades. And then the kids aren’t learning anything.
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My daughter is in 1st grade and sometimes I don’t understand her homework at all. In kindergarten she didn’t have near as much homework as your son. I hope you can find a way to help your son not become burned out on homework at such a young age.
Jessica recently posted..The daughter speaks
That’s insane! I used to teach HIGH SCHOOL students that didn’t have that much homework. I think you’re right – all they are learning at this age is how to hate homework. And what about the students whose parents don’t really give a rip? What are they learning except how to feel like failures?! Crazy!
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I’m a rebel. I’d tell the teacher that my child is no longer going to do the homework, and give her all the reasons outlined above.
As a teacher myself, who would NEVER give homework like that, you absolutely have the right to say no to homework for your child!!
Sounds like your son’s teacher needs some ambiguous homework of her own. I would suggest asking her to fill out some ridiculous form, due on Thursday. I would be happy to help you compose one…
Theresa recently posted..Has anyone seen the Turnip Truck
I’m pro homework for kindergarten (am I going to be shot for saying that?) My daughter likes her assignment every week of writing a book report. She gets to pick the book. I ask her questions. She writes about the things we talk about and paints/draws/sews a picture representing the book. It works for her and I like that she’s in a routine for next year.
That being said, last year in Pre-K we had homework–horrific worksheets that mirrored the rote exercises in class. Ludicrous! Copying things over and over kills creativity and ultimately made my daughter scared of doing something in case she wrote it out wrong. Despite a bit of talking (and I only brought two of my old textbooks from college) to the teacher, she kept sending them home. And my daughter kept doing them, because even though I told her she didn’t need to do them, letting her teacher down was unfathomable.
Ah, to trust and revere someone that way!
Lori Z. recently posted..Dude
I totally agree with Lori. Busywork? Boo. Creative homework that makes them think? Definitely. Even though it’s a pain.
And trust me, it IS a pain. We have had epic homework battles in this house. He’s finally, in third grade, settled into a homework routine. He’s also realized that he has to listen to the instructions in school, because Mom isn’t omnipresent and can’t always fill in the blanks for you. (This might be a bit much for a kindergartener, though.) Being lost about what’s expected, and the attendant horribleness that causes, has actually helped him, in a way. Not listening has consequences, yo.
That said, I’d be lying if I said I never resented homework time when it’s gorgeous outside and I just want to lie in the grass with my kid. Of course, I usually have deadlines at the same time.
Kimberly Hosey (Arizona Writer) recently posted..Species a Day- Week 3
My daughter had a Gr 2 teacher that gave her two hours of homework every night. I went storming into the school and told her and the principal that 2 hours of homework every night was retarded. By the time she got it done, had supper and had a bath it was bed time. No kid time. The teacher was moved to another school…
Now my kid is in Gr. 6 and she has had homework a total of 3 times all year. I think it depends on the teacher.
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I don’t think you mentioned how old the teacher is…but my bet is that she is fresh out of school and all gung-ho, rah-rah about teaching. She needs to get a life.
My two oldest are in college and still find that each teacher/professor/nutjob feels that their class is the only class that matters, therefore, they EACH unload copious amounts of assignments on the students. This has been going on for centuries. (well, at least since my kids were little).
WAKE UP TEACHERS. We love you, you ARE important, but family time and giving your brain a rest are important too. Not everyone’s life is consumed with fractions, the Battle of the Bulge (except in my jeans), their-there-or they’re (though this happens to be a personal pet peeve of mine….along with then and than, why people can’t get those right just blows my mind).
Anyway…kindergarten is ridiculously early to be assigning homework that takes more than 10 minutes, and even then, it should just be a one page refresher of what was covered in school, to keep the parents up to speed. Get a band of parents together and talk to the teacher about her over zealous ways. Bribe her with movie tickets. If she is out at night, she can’t be “grading” homework from small children that still have all their baby teeth.
Oh mama I hear ya! My daughter fortunately does not get homework every night but probably once a week and I NEVER understand what the hell I am suppose to do with it. I do not look forward to what is to come when she gets into the older grades.
Skinny Mom’s Kitchen recently posted..The “Mom” Moments That Made Me Fat
I have a second grader who has homework every night except Friday. Then, he has 7 tests per week to study for on top of this.
It is out of control! One of his 20 spelling words this week was “petroglyphs.” What? What is that? I had to google it and he is 7.
I also realize how badly I suck at grammar now after helping him.
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I just googled “petroglyphs” LOL
As a former middle school teacher, I used to think that homework was very important…I still do, but we really need to watch the amount and the quality of homework we send home. Those hours that a family has together are precious and few…why fill them with confusion and frustration? I taught math, so you really do need to independently practice math skills…therefore, homework. The sheer amount that some teachers give is maddening though…I could totally understand your frustrations. What a timesuck!
It’s sad though b/c so much material is getting pushed down to the lower grades and there just isn’t enough time during the school day to hit it all…we need a serious overhaul!
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If it’s any consolation, my kids had lots of homework in elementary school. They learned how to manage their time, become efficient students, and process information. As a result, when my oldest started high school, the homework wasn’t an issue. However, she has a number of classmates who don’t know how to study, and they are struggling big time. So, the skills your little one will learn now will definitely help him later.
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My oldest son (6th grade) is doing this thing called an IDU (Interdisciplinary Project) I keep calling it an IUD but clearly that is incorrect. Anyhow this project counts for a major grade in (get this) ALL classes. Kids are expected to do 90% of this project at home. Which means parents do 90% of it at home and then correct the 10% that the kids attempted to do at school without guidance during class. It is, in actuality, nothing more than a massive “parent project”. It artificially improves the childrens’ grades and makes the school look GREAT. I should probably tell you that MY IDU is turning out to be pretty fricking awesome. Uh…I mean my son’s IDU. However, under his bibliography? You will find a huge photo of ME!
Lori Stefanac (Lola) recently posted..Southern Fried Zombies
“RACE TO NOWHERE” !! you have to see it. it’s a fantastic documentary showing all over the country about exactly this issue…
i have three almost grown children (about to graduate college and go to law school, in college, and in high school) and i can tell you emphatically that it only gets worse. sorry.
my advice…let them do what they can and attach a sticky note to the teacher (every day if necessary) that YOU are not doing this and your child has done the best he/she can. if that’s what everyone did, maybe the teachers would ease up (and i am a former teacher…fyi).
on another note, as long as i’m at it, take your kids out of school any time you want to take family vacations. the schools complain, but in ten years, will they remember the quiz that they missed or the wonderful times you had as a family? we’ve done it every year for 15+ years and it has been totally worth the grief we’ve gotten.
okay, enough preaching…it’s just one of those mornings.
http://www.racetonowhere.com
Ha! We just got back from a week in disneyworld and the school told me it was an unexcused absence. I shrugged my shoulders. we had the best time.
jodifur recently posted..Confession
In our school system, you are only allowed six absences without doctors’ notes per year. At number seven, they take you to court. It’s a ridiculous waste of everyone’s resources. Brynna has missed 5 days this year for migraines and stomach viruses. I’m not paying a co-pay so the doctor can look at me blankly and say, “Yep. She’s sick.” So, now we’ve got one absence left and 2.5 months to go. It’s terrifying.
In GA the elementry school told my boss that they would inform child protective services if he took his kids on vacation because they would miss too much school. I think they only missed around 6 days of school!
You know, sometimes what we learn outside the class room is just as important. If not more important. So Sorry that these teachers don’t understand this. I know you can miss super important things in school.. but that is why you ask for assignments for them to do in the evening while your away or to do up quick in the morning before you head out!
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i know about the doctor excuses…lucky for us, my husband IS a doctor and he gladly signs those excuses.
ironically, one year, my son missed 145 days of school ( he had a bone marrow transplant) but the following year, we got a notice about “excessive” absences when he reached 9 days! we could only laugh.
In my county in SC, if the child has 5 unexcused absences (meaning doctor excused, not parent excused) the parent has to go to a conference where the school has to inform you that child protective services can be called.
Not only is this a waste of my time, it questions my ability as parent to decide if my kid is sick or not. If they allowed more absences, maybe schools wouldn’t be such havens for germs! If my kid is puking or has a fever, clearly they don’t need to go to school. That does NOT mean they need a doctor. I’m smart enough to know if my kid needs a doctor. Why does the school think I’m not??
Absolutely! What bothers me the most about this policy is that with her migraines, she sometimes throws up at school. Then, to protect against germs, she has to stay home for a minimum of 24 hours, meaning that unless she practically walked in the door and got sick, she has to stay home the next day – even though migraines are not contagious and she is fine. But I am not allowed to make that decision. But I will be taken to court and CPS will get involved if we miss over 6 days. It makes no sense.
And of course, it all comes down to keeping their funding up – not keeping the kids in school.
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And apparently supporting the doctors and pharmaceutical companies. What ever happened to letting a fever do what it’s supposed to do? Your body temp rises to KILL THE GERMS. Duh.
Thank God my kids don’t have migraines. They’d never go to school! And does it REALLY matter if a 5yo misses time at school? It’s kindergarten!
This would make me cry. Why, as a society, we simply ignore all the research out there boggles my mind. When will we start to change?
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My kids are in second grade and also get the homework packet for the week on Monday. My friend’s daughter is in the same class as my daughter and we are constantly calling each other and texting WTF?? to each other because of confusing homework instructions. We both have graduate degrees and should, in theory, be able to handle second grade math. Yet, this has been going on since kindergarten. It’s maddening.
Our kids also get 2 warnings and then detention if we forget to sign either a homework sheet, study guide, project or beside the date in their agenda book each day. You can sign 5 things, but if you miss one you get written up. Fun.
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Yikes. I was in heaven last year when our Kindergarten team of teachers announced there would be no “official” homework for the school year. They decided that at that age/level it was pure busywork and not worth our time. Hallelujah! Now, when 1st grade started this fall and the “real” homework began I had to threaten to duct tape my son to his chair to get his homework done. Now it’s routine and he usually buzzes through it. Except for some of the math homework which I had to look up online to understand. In 1st grade. Yikes.
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We get the same type of packet. And what kills me is that half the time, the worksheets didn’t print right so letters are missing or whatever and we’re flying by the seat of our pants to try and figure out what we’re supposed to do.
The only thing I think the homework might teach them at this early age, is that a certain part of each night is set aside for learning. Of course, that doesn’t mean much in our house because my son would rather do it all in one evening, and typically does.
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Yes, totally agree. Not sure what we are teaching the kids by drowning them in busy work. Just watched “A Race to Nowhere” two nights ago. I second Lisa’s thoughts above.
QueenMahin recently posted..Prioritizing Joy
My son had the same homework setup in kindergarten! He’d come home with a binder of homework for the week, due Friday. Now he’s in 3rd grade and I’m already starting to struggle helping him with some of it. Apparently, I am NOT smarter than a 3rd grader.
Memoirs of a Single Dad recently posted..Parenting Blogs – Leaving Dad in the Dust
I highly recommend the book the “Case Against Homework” also. But I don’t have the balls to tell my son’s teacher we are not doing homework anymore.
jodifur recently posted..Confession
It used to stress us out until I talked to the teacher, and told her I had older kids, with harder homework, and I am only one person, able to help one at a time, and we would only do what we could get done. Period. So we picked two assignments each week that sounded fun, and did those, and that was it. I also told the teacher I was cutting my kids off at 10 minutes. Whatever got done in that time was what they were getting. In our school system they don’t grade homework anyway, they can’t, so there really are no consequences. This setup worked, and instilled good habits, and now, in 5th, 3rd, and 1st grades they come home, unpack, grab a snack, and do their homework. And mostly do it independently, though we have one teacher who leaves a lot to be desired, so at least once a week or so there’s a flurry of notes back and forth about how she wasn’t clear and can’t expect a first grader to be doing fourth grade work (which is what she taught last year, and she’s apparently having trouble adjusting her expectations). Maybe it’s time for you to talk to his teacher. Your quality of life shouldn’t be impacted by Michael’s homework.
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AMEN…and I thought it was just me–especially about the incomplete and confusing instructions!?!??! WTH??? My daughter is now in 2nd grade–amazingly, LESS hw than in kindergarten–but I will *never* forget that she had to do a ‘research project’–yes, really!–on Clara Barton (topic assigned–everyone got a dead person) when she was in kindergarten. HELLO, she can’t read…so who does that leave doing the ‘research’???…and she can’t grasp the concept of a year ago, much less someone who died *100 years* ago. RIDICULOUS–and I too am a huge supporter of school and education in general. just ridiculous.
Wow. I would hate to be “that mom” but in that situation I would seriously consider just not having my kid do the homework.
Also – seriously, what do you learn in kindergarten?
‘Cause I went, but am not sure I know enough from it to fill out that many worksheets.
Except about dinosaurs.
Man, kindergarten was all about the dinosaurs.
Megan (Best of Fates) recently posted..The Rules of St Patrick
I am so on this bandwagon!!! I loathe homework and so does everyone else in our house. My son who is in grade 2 has more of it than we know what to do with!! And not to mention he has 7 different “folders” that he has to remember to bring home each night! NO WONDER HE FORGETS THINGS…even I am confused by what he has to have with him.
I think the education system is so dated and is on a downward spiral. We are not in the same “age” as we were when I was in school…the world is built on ideas now and school zaps that out of kids. The number of times that my son has been told to do something “creatively” for school and is then told it wasn’t done right is ridiculous. Creativity is personal you can’t “mark” that.
I am sorry but school teaches kids lessons that they won’t use in the future! And the hypocrisy is massive!
If I get ANOTHER word search home this year for homework I think I might loose my mind!
How Does She Do It Mom recently posted..72 Of Moms Wish They Didn’t Have Kids
You are making me love our school even more than I already do. The social curriculum is stressed in PK and K. That’s not to say they don’t learn academics too. My son has learned to read since arriving there and is doing math that’s beyond K. But homework is rare. He got a little the first week because he was sleeping through stuff. (The kids can nap if they need to.) The policy on homework is grade level multiplied by 10 minutes. So in first grade, he will have about 10 minutes of homework, 20 minutes in second grade, etc. As parents we’re expected to read to/with our kid for 15 minutes every day.
Jodi, what they are throwing at Michael is unreasonable. It may be appropriate for some kids/families, but it’s not working for you. Speak up!
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Wow, that is a ton of homework! I don’t specifically remember having homework until around third grade, but I could be wrong. I think it is incredibly telling that in other parts of the world (like Finland) kids don’t even start “real” school until they are 7, and they do amazingly well!
I think it is really detrimental to kids to get so much pressure put on them so young when they should be developing a love of learning and exploring, rather than memorization. Also, little boys especially need time to be little boys, rather than being stuck at a desk/kitchen table constantly having to do worksheets.
I’m now pregnant with my first (btw, squee!) and am about to move. The place we’re moving has great schools (according to measures of those things) but I’m suddenly worried about what I will do if the schools act like this!
I started out this year all ready to fight against the homework. I was armed with the studies and my background with Montessori and the homework started coming home and Brynna loved it. She has a math sheet every week – one sheet that comes home on Monday and goes back on Friday. She always does it on Monday. And then spends the rest of the week making me come up with “homework” she can work on. She also has spelling words and they are not so much fun, but we get through them. I actually see the value in that, so I don’t fight it. I’m really glad it didn’t turn out to be an issue for us, but I feel a little let down, too.
Jessi recently posted..Migrainey
I am NO FAN of homework. I hated it as a kid, my parents hated it and it was an endless source of frustration for all. That said, we have had the exact OPPOSITE problem! My oldest is a freshman in college, my youngest is in Kindergarten with 2 in between in 5th and 7th. From K through 12 there was nearly NEVER any homework. My daughter got straight A’s most of the way through and though I often questioned the lack of homework, I was hard pressed to push it given the grades. Now, we live in a different state and the kids are in a ridiculously archaic school system, we surprisingly still have almost no homework in any of the grades. Apparently they get classroom time to do their homework, yet I hear all the time how their teachers feel there is not enough time in the day to teach all the things they need to teach!
Certainly it makes me happy not to have to help do homework and I am a mean enough Mom that I would never do it for them!
When they do get homework, if there are no instructions (glad to know I am not the only one this happens to…) and the kids have no clue or cannot remember, I am perfectly happy to send it back with a note telling the teacher they need to include the instructions, because I do not have time to sit around guessing and fussing with it or searching the Internet to get the answers (DUH, I have blogs to read and write!) which is no help to the kids anyway.
You should definitely talk to the teacher and explain that you will allow no more than 10-15 minutes for Kindergarten homework and that most of that will be reading time with your child. Sometimes I think teachers want to see how much they can get away with dumping on the parents. I pay taxes out the wazoo to pay their salaries so I expect them to TEACH my kids and I expect that I am to be the back-up system — help as needed — not a second job for me or a second day of school when the kids get home!
Good luck!
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Ugh i know what you mean. My daughter’s in 2nd grade and brought home math homework yesterday. Simple addition….or so i thought. There was a note saying “Use partial sums algorithim”…..WTF is that?! LOL. Took me FOREVER to figure it out and i was cursing the whole time. It’s addition for crying out loud. What’s the point of rounding the tens to the nearest whatever and then adding the ones seperately and then adding the sums of the two….i’m confused again!
I just asked my math whiz hubby what “Partial Sums Algorithim” and he looked at me like my head was on sideways. Awesome.
LOL…that’s too funny. Yea, she brought home another sheet of the same thing today. Good thing she had her math book in her bag. It’s sad when the parent’s have to look in a book to figure out how to do 2nd grade work :/
Homework at Kindergarten? What on earth is the world coming to? I am completely stressed out with my older kids homework from school. Without my Kindergarten child also having homework.
I have had massive debates at school with both teachers and the headteacher about the amount of homework given. I am not a teacher. Why am I expected to formally teach my child?
In my opinion my role is something else. I am here to teach my children life lessons. If I’m stressing about homework and tests and taxiing them back and forth or sitting hours in doctors waiting rooms (the other two bees in my bonnet), then I haven’t got time to teach them the skills they need to help them through life.
No wonder kids are struggling. There’s no proper family time and certainly no time for fun.
AND Kindergarten should be about opening their minds to learning, not closing it.
You know what gets me here too? The parents at our school COMPLAIN that there’s not enough homework!!
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Parents at your school complain there is not enough homework? I’d die.
jodifur recently posted..Confession
You should see some of them. They’re ‘living their lives through their kids’!!
Sarah recently posted..Cats and buses do not mix
Amen! From what I hear from other parents, I am already dreading kindergarten. It just doesn’t make any sense to me. Sigh.
I hear other parents of kindergartners say that they let their kids stop after an hour a night. An hour?? Seems like way too much for their little bitty minds.
I completely agree with you. The point of homework is to reinforce concepts that are being learned at school. It should be a way of engaging children to apply what their teacher is conveying and to find other ways of exploring that information. Worksheets just don’t cut it, at least not if they are done in isolation or are covering subjects not tacked in class. Unfortunately, the drive for schools to teach to tests puts some very odd and unhelpful requirements on children and their parents.
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That’s just crazy. My daughter is in the first grade and she gets homework maybe once a week, if that. I’d be having some words with the teacher if I was in your shoes!
I agree with you, I’m from Scotland where we do things slightly different from the majority of you, but in the past few months I have made a roman shield, witches castle and a full sized broomstick for *homework* please tell me how this will help my 8 year old with her english and maths and when she is struggling with her times tables??
Homework in kindergarten is ridiculous. Even if you believe in homework in general. Here’s a really great article that discusses that myths and truths about homework. http://www.alfiekohn.org/teaching/edweek/homework.htm
yes! It’s busy work…it does not promote learning…it takes away from family time…and it makes kids learn to hate school. You have every right to feel this way. I was a middle school teacher until two days before giving birth to my first child and I’ve been a home-school teacher ever since ;). I teach my 12, 9, and 7 year old and we can complete all of our school work Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-2 p.m. There is no need for busy work!
Have you talked with the teacher?
I totally agree that we are in an “over homeworked” era. I dont remember having this much homework as my 4th and 6th graders. My 6th grader has at least an hour or so a night, and thats for a quick child, not one that drags it out so that it lasts all night. Nag nag nag is all i do. By the time he gets home and eats he only has a few free hours, why should he be spending it on homework that clearly could be done in class. He is learning not to like to learn, which i cant stand to watch. And, yes- worse comes to worse, ill “help” him along so that his night isnt a total wash. And they wonder why kids are extra stressed these days. Let them play.My opinion..
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I am so with you. Truly I spent three hours last night on a school project with my forth grader. On that her dad will probably spend as much time on tonight. For one project, in which there was absolutely NO time spent on it at school.
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I’m going with the majority here, my kids are not yet in school but the first question I asked when interviewing schools is what is your homework policy. I believe that homework is essential to learning but really Kindergarteners do not need homework!
What is the world coming to… homework in kindergarden…. I remember struggling with tieing my shoes in kindergarden. The way my mom taught me so that I could tie them was unacceptable!! I seem to remember struggling with this for a long time!!! But, homework for kindergarden sounds horrific.. If it was to practice their alphabet or write their numbers out.. or like on of your earlier comments to have a book read and do something creative to represent that book that is fun and no so bad…. But a tonne of work sheets? And if you don’t understand them how is your kiddle supposed to? *shakes head* With a society that seems to be falling into computers and technology and away from human interaction… maybe homework should be a family meal….. and to draw or write a story about that!!! No need to teach kids early to hate teachers, and hate school!!
Cindy recently posted..Pictures- pictures
I edited my kids homework when they were young; what was worthwhile, what was not. Usually, the teachers concurred at conference time. They’re usually teaching time management– maybe not to k-kids, but def older elem and ms students.
I set a timer, and when it’s done, they’re done and outside playing. As they should be!
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I actually don’t mind the homework time. We schedule time for it each day and it gives my daughter a chance to tell me about things they’re learning in school. She also really likes to quiz me on her spelling words, vocab, geography, etc. What I hate are the big crafty projects. I’m not sure what she learns by having me glue gun pipe cleaners and pom pom balls all over an empty soup can.
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Yes to everything you say here. My kindergartener very rarely gets homework and I am delighted every single day his little folder is empty.That wasn’t the case with my other two kids. Homework is a nightmare. A nightmare.
I’ve complained a lot about homework on my blog and have heard from a lot of people with the opinion that homework is actually discriminatory—against kids of parents who aren’t home in the afternoon, against kids of parents who don’t speak English, against kids of parents who are less educated. It makes sense.
Boo to homework.
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A to the Men. But it’s the projects that get me the most and when you can tell the projects that parent’s did vs. the kids. Hair-pulling. ARGH!
tracy recently posted..Mealtime Matters 101
My son’s K teacher handles it well… a weekly word workbook/magazine that is optional and not to be turned in. If a parent feels their 6 year old absolutely must do homework, then there it is. I let my son decide. Sometimes he wants to do homework with his big bro; sometimes not. Perfect. Let’s just teach these little guys to enjoy learning.
My overall feeling on homework – fine IF it is *meaningful*. I am a believer in the 10 min per grade rule. But there is far too much homework that is just plain busy work. I feel they need to get in the habit of time management and the act of doing homework, but not at the *expense* of making them hate school and homework. I also resent when it takes away from family time, when it causes tension between parent and child and when the other siblings suffer because I have to help.
I thought I was the only one struggling with this! My 7th grader had hours and hours of homework in second grade. We stayed up some nights until midnight doing it. Ridiculous. Pretty sad that I honestly never thought about confronting her teacher. I just made her do it, and we were all miserable. I have a three year old and when she enters school, we will definitely put time limits on her homework. Thanks for the ideas, guys!
I am a mother of 3 boys.
Homework (every night) x 3 boys = NO LIFE.
Enough said!
Noah had to take kindergarten TWICE, not because he wasn’t smart enough, but because the teacher piled so much homework on him. I was pregnant, had a toddler, and him, and a now-ex-husband who were all completely dependent on me. So sitting down with a 5yo and forcing him to write the entire ABC’s every night, plus spelling TESTS, and projects and all the other BS the teacher piled on him was a huge fight every single night. He rebelled against being forced to do it, and I kept him back. The next year, that teacher was fired and he had a really awesome teacher. I ran into the same problems with concepts not being taught in class, and my biggest issue with that was the fact that the teacher made them take naps every day. Which in turn made Noah unable to sleep at night, which made me tired and grumpier, while making him tired and grumpier. It was pure hell!
Now, I tell the kids to do their homework and walk away. If they need help understanding something, they get me and I help them. Since I don’t have to sit there watching them goof off after every letter they print, I’m not getting mad and they’re learning more and find homework much more enjoyable. THEY are responsible for doing it, and if they don’t, they have to suffer the consequences. A parent’s job shouldn’t be to force them to do it and to tell them the answer because the kid is so frustrated they can’t think anymore.
I agree that education continues at home, but some of the things some teachers expect of parents is ridiculous. FAMILY HOMEWORK??? That’s pure insanity.
AMEN!!!!!!!!!! Mine has moved up to 1st grade, but it’s INSANE!!! Between homework and the fact that he is an extremely slow eater at dinner, we have no fun time during the week.
F is for FRUSTRATION!
Oh and when the kids have a project? We use glitter. Lots and LOTS of glitter. Your welcome teacher lady. :)
I meant “you’re!”
Call me crazy, but I Love doing homework with my Kindergartener. She gets the packet home with a worksheet for every night, the poems, the books and 3 to 4 words to learn. We enjoy the time spent together (most of the time, I do get frustrated when she knows ‘today’ but not ‘day’).
Homework time has become our Special Time. I also love watching her learn. It’s amazing what she has learned in such a few months!
Glitter, nice. I like you Wendy…
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Thanks! I like your diabolical plan of homework for the teacher. lol
Shucks, thx. I best get on it, my oldest start K this fall. God help that teacher…
Theresa recently posted..Has anyone seen the Turnip Truck
I am with you 1000% percent. HATE homework! And it’s only getting worse. Sigh.
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It’s actually one of my favorite questions to ask elementary school teachers when they’re off the clock – “what do you think of all this homework?” I’ve yet to meet one who thought it was a good idea. One 2nd grade teacher said to me: “Here’s what their homework should be: read with your parents. Have responsibility for some chores. Play.” Sound advice; just wonder what kind of critical mass we have to achieve to stop the madness?
By the way I now have a 7th grader for whom homework is actually, finally starting to mean something. Luckily it’s so hard she knows not to even bother asking me for help.
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Standing ovation!! Filling out worksheets does NOTHING to educate young children. Nothing. It is irritating beyond words (though you used words VERY WELL to describe the frustration here!!!)
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I boycotted homework for the first 4 years of school. I have 4 children, the first three are in 7th, 8th and 10th grade. The last is still in preschool. It was a struggle when I first instructed the kindy, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade teachers that my children would not be doing homework UNLESS they were behind in something or for something special. I can think of maybe 3 or 4 times over 6 years that they needed to do something because they needed to. My kids were at school for 6 hours, I got them 4 hours. In that time there was dinner, appointments, bathing, and cuddling involved. I needed that time to not be interfered by homework! I should mention 2 of them want to be doctors, the oldest already had college credits, the 2nd is a 4.0 gpa.
You are the parent, the “first” teacher and therefore know your child better than a teacher, so don’t be afraid to stick up for your child, family and most importantly, your free time!
Wow – you are inspiring me! Did you have trouble with the teachers or administration for doing this? Did it affect their “grades”?
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As long as I talked with the teacher, there were no issues. I did have one teacher give me grief about it at first, but most were fine with it. I had even changed one teacher’s opinion about homework, I’m sure making me the classroom hero! (At least in my head the kids cheered for me.)
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After 10 years of fighting with my daughter to do her homework, when she got to high school, I decided she needed to “sink or swim”…. it was up to her to do the homework or not…. result: she didn’t do the homework, but she also scored B or higher on all tests. So, what was the homework for anyway? All children learn differently and schools don’t adjust for these differences. As a Junior I finally let her go to the “Alternative” school, where learning was computer based, and she finished her required work to graduate 3 months early. Wish I’d let her go was a Sophomore!
Well, you Should definitelly met my neighbour. She s a teacher and she uses all kind of methods just to ” seduce” the parents. She even asked her husband to do some craft work for the kids. Something small so that they don t feel offended, but to be aware of her thoughtfullness. She doesn t put pressure on kids eigther.
” I hope they ll be half as nice when Christmas comes”. Because they didn t gave her gold jewelleries, I received the unwanted accesories. Scored!
So, your teacher it s an angel besides my devil-neighbour :)
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I’d talk to the teacher. If nothing happened, I’d take it to the principal.
With that said, I never understood the point of assigning hours of homework. Once the homework is done and turned in, it has to be graded. For each student. It must take all weekend to grade the previous weeks homework. I would assume that after a handful of questions, you could tell if the student grasped the concept or not. Wouldn’t that be better for everyone? Less time working and more time experiencing life, which is just as valuable as school.
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I’m a teacher and a parent and a teacher of teachers. Homework has it’s place but only as long as it is meaningful and liked to something specific that is being done in class. Packets of worksheets are not what a kindergartner should be doing. I would be appalled and ask for a meeting with the teacher to ask her to explain the purpose of the homework and what concepts are being re-enforced that were taught in class. I’m guess she can’t tell you this. Kindergarten is when kids should be investigating and exploring–not filling out worksheets.
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Can I jump on the “Me too!” wagon?
I resent homework the most on beautiful, sunny days when we’re sitting inside, agonizing over yet another worksheet, instead of running, skipping, jumping, swinging, climbing, singing, digging, drawing, sitting outside.
My daughter is 6 years old and WTF? homework? Her homework should be GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY.
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We get a packet at the beginning of the week (for Kindergarten). It has an assignment for M – Th that takes about 10 – 15 minutes. Pretty easy. I normally forget (or procrastinate) until Thursday and make her do it all at once. Obviously I’m teaching some fantastic studying habits at my house.
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I hate homework. When I was in 6th grade, my teacher told us there would be no homework. At all. You know what? I remember that year the most and I feel like I learned the most too.
This year, when my daughter started kindergarten, I asked about homework. Her teacher said that all we were required to do was read to them at least one book a night. Not 15 minutes, one book. She gives us a reading log to write the book down on. And everyone who turns in the reading log gets a pencil or a book at the end of the month. My daughter and only 2 other kids have ever turned in a reading log.
Ah the joys of a title one school.
That being said, the teacher gives my daughter extra work in class to keep her busy. That girl flies through anything!
Stand up to the teacher! She (hopefully) wants him to have a good time at school and learn what he’s supposed to. Find something that would be more reasonable for you AND for her. A happy child is a child who will want to learn.
I’m with you and neither of my kids have made it to kindergarten yet. My daughter turned 3 last week. She has homework every weekend from special education preschool. I’m a little afraid of where this is heading. I didn’t regularly have homework until 6th grade, but by the I was a senior in high school, I had to pull all nighters to get it all done. Yet, my kids are starting in preschool with homework. Are they going to be expected to pull all nighters in middle school????
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Reading this blog and all the posts is making me very afraid for when my preschooler gets to formal school. This makes no sense. I hate that our tax dollars support systems we don’t like and we can’t do much about it. If this happens to us I intend to do the best I can at voicing some common sense. He’s 5 for Pete’s sake!
My daughter is in kindergarten, and so far we have had a few projects, which were optional and had no particular deadline. Like, over Christmas vacation you can play these games. I’m happy about that. I’m kind of a rule-follower, but I also object to the idea of giving kindergartners homework, so I’m not sure I could handle the internal conflict if my kid had a bunch of work sent home.
I agree that homework in the early grades is pretty useless, since the children who really need to the extra help are least likely to complete it. And so you have a lot of homework intruding on family time, mostly done by kids who are already doing OK academically.
When a 17-year-old is trying to master complicated concepts in AP Physics, time outside of class is required. I get that. But in my view the purpose of kindergarten is primarily social. Thankfully, my daughter’s kindergarten teacher agrees, and I haven’t had your experience. I’m sorry that you’re dealing with this.
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Too much homework and too many ridiculous ‘rules’ for how it needs to be done. Apparently counting on your fingers and memorizing tables is ineffective and we’re all just a bunch of morons. Now there are all these crazy “tricks” with number lines and “doubles numbers friends” and all sorts of other ‘helpful strategies.’ If my 8-yr-old can multiply 4×4 in his head, why must he spend 20 minutes drawing four little cars, each with four little wheels? Ridiculous!
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What pisses me off to no end is when they give all this homework, we stress over it (especially the math!) and then, they don’t pick it up or even check it! My daughter has a folder filled with old worksheets that no one bothered to look at. I can understand giving an extra set of math problem for practice (but hubby has to check them. Not ME!) But the rest is just crap. (Oh. And I’m married to a teacher).
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I suggest talking to the teacher. When I taught first grade, the district mandated that we give homework. As in, I could have gotten in trouble for not giving it. Most of my kids did not have support at home, so I gave handwriting practice and other simple worksheets (one per night) that they could usually do without adult help. It was such a waste of everyone’s time. That said, my daughter is in kindergarten now and she has very little homework, but what she does have requires parental help. I love it, because it fosters reading and creativity and she wants to do it because it’s homework, not just another one of mommy’s crazy ideas. Are the other kindergarten classes giving the same kind and amount of homework?
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In our school everyone in kindergarten has the same packet. But I have talked to friends with kindergartners in other schools in the same district that get way less homework. Some get the same amount or more.
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I student taught all day K for a few months and I taught 1st grade for 8 years. I have been a stay-at-home for 3 years now and have experienced it from the other side as a parent as well.
As a first grade teacher we were required to give homework but were told to strictly keep to 10-30 minutes for primary grades. As a K teacher we gave an educational activity calendar that was optional. Plus I wrote in a personal journal to each student and (s)he had the option of writing back as often(or never) as they wanted.
As a teacher I HATED giving homework(except for the personal journal writing-that was fun). I hated it for several reasons:
1. I had to find work that would satisfy everyone. When I would send home games that would be family centered fun activities, I would get complaints that it required too much adult interaction (All pieces were included-they just needed to play the game). When I sent home very basic review sheets that students could complete independently I would get complaints that it was not challenging enough.
I even had one year that I started an extra homework packet that I only gave if a parent filled out a request for. I still got a complaint from a parent that it was too hard (I brought the paper he signed that clearly said it was extra work that was intended for higher level math)!
2. People that complained it is too much. My homework was designed to take 10 minutes tops. I also asked the parents to read/be read to for 15 minutes a night in addition. Reading to or being read to for 15 minutes a night should be a part of your family routine anyway. There is a ton of research out there that states that simply reading to a child 15 minutes a day helps lay so many educational foundations.
3. People that complained it is not enough! I’m not talking just one or two a year! CRAZIES!
4. I hate grading it!
As a parent I have a love/hate relationship with homework.
I love it because it keeps me up to date on the concepts being taught. Plus I take the time to sit with my son and see if he truely understands the concepts and don’t mind explaining if he needs extra help (that’s the teacher in me).
I hate it because my son hates to sit and do the work most nights. It is very age appropriate-only about 10-15 minutes a night for a second grader IF he is focused. If I try to get him to do the work while I am busy doing 5 other things, he drags his feet, complains, etc., and takes 45 minutes. If I prep dinner and he sits at the counter and I talk to him or have him read the directions and I put forth effort to show I am engaged with what he is doing, then it’s done in a minimal amount of time.
The long and short is, homework can be great or awful. Just make sure to take a long hard look at why you think it is awful. Are you allowing your child to play after school and get a break first? Are you setting the tone that homework is valuable and requiring the child’s and adult’s attention? If it really is concepts not covered already or excessive (10 minutes per grade), talk to your teacher. They probably hate the homework as much as you! :)
One of my homework favorites was when division work came home, my daughter asked me for help. I couldn’t understand the instructions and tried to show her the way I would do it:
_______
3|141
but was informed “they said you would it that way and we’re not allowed to do it that way tonight.”
I’m with ya – I dislike useless homework, I think some of it is necessary and with my 4th grader much of it is longer term projects so I like that he’s getting into the habit of planning his work.. but I make sure not to over schedule my kids and it still feels like they have too much homework :(
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My child is now in second grade, but I almost passed out when she came home one day from kindergarten with the vocabulary/spelling word: BIODIVERSITY! I do not like homework time because my child is one who is constantly trying to get me to give her the answers, when she clearly knows them. I don’t have any complaints as far as the assignments. I do think it is absolutely ridiculous the rules we have here about absence from school, if they have more than 5 or 6 unexcused absences, they will take you to court for it. One of my friends just went because her child who is in high school was lazy and forgot to turn in the Doctor’s notes within 3 days of the absence, and they would not accept them after that cut off.
Oh boy I was alreasy freaking out about Kibdergarten and now I am terrified! Not only do I want my kids to like school and enjoy learning, I want to have time to have fun at home and time for them to play with each other and our neighbors. Besides the homework though – those of you who said they call social services for absences – holy moly! I remember parents getting excused absences and bringing homework packets with us when I was little. If this does not exit anymore I am doomed.
Because Jodi – if I get in next year you better believe we will be spending a week at Disney too!
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I have two third graders and a second grader, so it’s pointless busywork x 3. As children get older and want to be involved in activities, the homework becomes even more cumbersome. I resent having my family time eaten away by worksheets that do NOTHING to promote learning or a love of learning.
I feel for you so much, I am/was an early years teacher and was/is slightly obsessive about it! I love education and learning but that’s the point Early Years is about instilling that! All the research shows that at this age it’s about active learning and developing dispositions and attitudes and I am pretty sure a lot if work sheets may mean lazy teacher ( controversial maybe). But to stand up fir the teachers quite often tgey are responding to parental pressure, worksheets look like ‘real’ learning! In my classrooms I was always passionate that the precious time parents get to sound with their children should be fun and if they really did need some extra support or the parents really wanted home work I would try my hardest to make it practical and game based! Poor you and poor little people. (although weirdly I was the type if kid who loved a nice closed worksheet now and then!)
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Oh dear must apologise for all the typos! On my phone and it’s very late here in London x
Nikki recently posted..Inspired by Elf on the Shelf
My kindergarteners have homework too. I hate even mentioning homework to them. They get a packet sent home on Monday and they’re supposed to work on it some every night and then turn it in on Friday. While it’s only supposed to take about 15 minutes every night, it’s still 15 minutes that I don’t want to think about. We usually end up doing everything Thursday night. I’d complain more, but I pay to send my kids to this school.
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Don’t even get me started on homework packets.My twins are in kindergarten, so I get double the fun. Only they are in different classes, so I get to do two different packets each week. And they are emailed. I have to print them out myself, despite the fact that I was required to send reams of copy paper with them at the beginning of the year. It is all a conspiracy, I tell you.
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I am right there with ya! My kindergartner has homework at east twice a week and has to do 2 book reports a month. BOOK REPORTS! 5 YEARS OLD! She fights me every step of the way.
I’m a K-5 ELL/ESL teacher, and I have to say that I assign homework to all of my small groups. However, I would NEVER use worksheets, because most of those are busywork and a waste of the student’s time. Instead, I want to foster communication about school with the parent and student. I didn’t always assign homework, but I tried it one year and the number of students who were able to exit ESL actually doubled.
I give a short book that we’ve read in class (related to the science or social studies topic we’re studying) and ask the student to read the book to/with their parents. Then, I ask the kids to write something. For Kindergarteners, this might mean drawing a picture related to the book and labeling it with a few words, and by the end of the year they’re writing a sentence. Instead of penalizing kids who don’t complete their work, I give points to the kids who DO have it and count each assignment. When they reach 10, they get to pick a prize. Most of my kids are begging me for homework because it’s such a successful thing for them.
Homework should not be frustrating, especially for kids at the younger grades. I always tell parents of younger kids that if it takes longer than 15 minutes, they should just write me a note and not finish it. I’d suggest doing the same for your child’s teacher–homework should be practice, not having the parent reteach concepts!
I’m also conflicted about the necessity of homework for younger kids. However, when kids aren’t assigned homework at all until they’re in 2nd or 3rd grade, they resent it. If they’ve had homework with me since kindergarten and have had success with it, it is no big deal. Just my two cents. Good luck dealing with your kindergartener’s homework.
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In my son’s class they are expected to write 3 sentences. 3 sentences. In kindergarten.
jodifur recently posted..Confession
In Zachary’s class, homework is OPTIONAL, although encouraged. That is nice some nights when things are a little crazy… it is nice to be able to say, “tonight we skip it.” I try to always make up the missing later if possible, but to not have the pressure is nice. Even with our less stressful homework, we still fight him on it. I think most children are just allergic to it.
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7th grade now and the tears and incomplete instructions just get worse…and frustration. The early years (K-4) the kids can’t recall the instructions that aren’t with the homework. AND the teachers now want you to ALSO check their websites DAILY. Who has time for the 5 hours of fighting and homework and then checking un-updated websites that if you don’t check daily you surely hear about because the time you don’t you miss something that was assigned last minute and has to be at school the next day. This has gotten out of control and I don’t know how things have gotten soooo bad! Somebody do something. OH, and then the busy work we spent so much time on last night wasn’t even checked for completeness or graded – AHHHHHHHH
Don’t blame the teachers or even the principals. Blame the politicians.
I’m not quite there yet – I find our Kindergarten “homework folders” manageable. They come home Monday and we have until Friday to read a book together, which is great. But I’ve heard stories about our public elementary school and I’m scared because I agree with you 100% Thanks for this post and for the resources in the comments. I’m going to read up.
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The little boy i watch is in grade 2 and the amount of homework he gets is tooooooo much for me to even finish in one afternoon. everyday is crying spells and he is starting to hate school.
My daughter is turning 5 in June and they get about 5 pages of homework every weekend. I’m okay with that. Homework in the week for such a young age is just to much.
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I COMPLETELY agree with you on the homework.
Seriously, with all the evidence that it’s NOT HELPFUL, and can actually be counter productive, we need to organize a group and try to change the homework system in the various states. (I live in Maryland.)
My son is in 4th grade this year, and homework has been a constant frustration. Kids are at school many hours every day — and, like adults, they NEED A BREAK! And both my son and myself want some FAMILY TIME — you know, time we can actually spend together as a family? How much time is left for this once dinner is made? NONE! I’m at my wits end.
Anybody interested in forming a special group to fight homework? Let me know!
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Have you seen the movie “Race to Nowhere” yet? it discusses this very topic, and a parents group got together and screened this movie to parents at our elementary school- and it has promoted a greater discussion on this issue. There is really no correlation between homework and achievement in the early grades.
I am so glad to finally find another parent who feels like I do! I’m a single parent of a 4th grader. I work full-time. All duties fall on me alone. I was told by my son’s kindergarten teacher that kindergarten is the new 3rd grade. She was right. What they are expected to learn and the amount of homework, which almost always lacks instruction, is so different from our school days. I use the internet much of the time to try and help him with his homework. I end up doing a lot of it because 1) I am tired of his drama each and every time I mention homework and 2) it took me so long to look it up and figure it out that it’s time for his bath and bed! He already hates homework and I honestly do not blame him!
Lisa, ditto to all of the above – you are not alone.
Wait til you have to spend hours creating a leprachaun trap or something equally as ridiculous. You may get up to two pages of instructions regarding such an assignment by the way. You know what homework I’d rather them give my child? Create a way to assure that all the little-boy pee actually ends up in the toilet. There’s an engineering project worth something.
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Amen, sister friend.
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Homework in kindergarten is an outrage and an abomination. Just say no!
Check out these books:
The Case Against Homework
The Homework Myth
and these websites:
The Coalition for Kid-Friendly Schools
Stop Homework
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I’ve had the same complaints as you with my son’s homework, every year — and he’s in fourth grade now. What’s worse, when instructions are sent home, they’re often WRONG — meaning, the printed instructions aren’t the ones the teacher actually wants the kids to do. “They should have been listening” or “they should know” is what I’m told when I ask the teacher for clarification, or more specific instructions. For some reason, the teachers don’t feel they must “answer to” the parents. Guess it feels too much like supervision to explain themselves, and what they expect from the kids.
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Ditto to what Sharon @momof6. “Race To Nowhere” is a great documentary about the treadmill that we all, kids, parents, and teachers are all on regarding education in this country. My children’s school showed it to parents and it was an eye opener. I tweaked the way I deal with my children an their homework based on the film and have had great results.I’m not sure if I’m for all homework going away, but there has to be a happy medium somewhere in the middle. It will take a paradigm shift by parents, teachers, and lawmakers. Hopefully, this documentary is the beginning.
I don’t have the energy to go through anything more complex than hearing my children read out aloud to me. After a whole day spent doing 3 school runs to different schools, after school activities, dinner and trying to fit my own work in, I can just about handle the dinnertime frenzy and having to do any homework at that time of the day, it out of my level of ability. I get my kids to approach their dad the minute he walks in from work though.
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I can totally relate to this. It’s true that we are the ones that have to do the homework and half the time I dont even understand it lol. It makes me feel bad that i have to spend another hour and sometimes more, after his full day of school to do more homework. I feel like we are just going to burn our children out.
I am a kindergarten teacher and I hate homework, too!
For God’s sake, these are 5 and 6 year-olds! Kids need to play.
I detest homework. I stay up after midnight so as to finish my homework. And the best part is, MY HOMEWORK IS ABOUT THINGS I WASN’T EVEN TAUGHT IN CLASS! Yes! We are not taught the things tested in our homework! Our homework is basically ALL the things our teacher does not have enough time to teach us! Furthermore, our homework is GRADED! Graded! The teachers CLAIM that researching on our homework will make us more ‘curious’ and ‘inquisitive’. I beg to differ. ‘Curiosity’ and ‘inquisitiveness’ can NOT be forced. Is curiosity and inquisitiveness not a natural development of the brain? How can teachers force this natural development on us? Its like telling a seed to grow to a fruit-bearing plant in a day! IMPOSSIBLE! So i only have one word for those teachers who give me homework: BULLSHIT. Your homework is BULLSHIT. Homework is made of paper. Paper is made of trees. How many trees are we killing just by printing those thousands of papers for homework? Scientists are finding various means and ways to solve Global Warming. Why not start here? SAVE GAIA. STOP HOMEWORK.
Look at this: the Sudbury Valley schools have been doing just fine without homework for 35 years now.
I USED TO SPEND JUST ABOUT 1-2 HOURS PER DAY ON HOMEWORK. NOW IT’S LIKE, 3-5 HOURS.
ALSO NOT TO MENTION THIS TAKES AWAY MY RELAXING TIME, SO I JUST BURN AWAY MY HOMEWORK TIME WITH RELAXING BECAUSE IF I SPEND ALL MY TIME DOING HOMEWORK, I JUST SLEEP LATE WITHOUT ANY RELAXING.
HOW WILL THIS HELP ME IN MY LIFE?! ALSO ALMOST EVERYTHING IS FUCKING GRADED, SO STUDENTS JUST KEEP WORRYING OVER IT “what if i fail” “what if miss dung doesn’t like how i draw that earth” -sweats & panics & has a heart attack because of over anxiety-
SEE WHAT I MEAN?!
can’t they just space out everything?! URGHH.
BETTER YET DON’T GIVE HOMEWORK AT ALL URGHHHHHHHHHHHH
I quote the teachers:
“We must save the Earth. Use less paper!” said the teacher while handing out 30 page worksheets on why people should not waste paper, all of which were printed single-sided.
I AGREE!
I recenty graduated from highschool and i never had this much homework (except for research papers). I think i didnt do homework in any other classes so wtf. I still dont have that much homework in college. Btw i graduayed with a3.5 gpa
Stumbled here….. Anyways I remember these packets that you do weekly :) Btw they do explain it [It normally corresponds with lessons they do in class] and I learned something since my parents didn’t know how to speak English I taught myself. Don’t be a cry baby call the teacher if you don’t get it or leave it to your kid, they are capable to manage.
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