Do kids in your neck of the woods get homework assignments?

[nala]

Kids as in elementary to high school. My school district has been pushing a no-homework agenda for the past 7 years. I am a teacher and the only homework I assign my AP seniors is reading—but this due to the fears of AI, lol, or I would happily assign more types of homework. Still, only 50 percent actually complete their reading assignments.
My district argues that kids are struggling too much at home due to socioeconomic reasons and that homework only adds unnecessary stress. Funny. I thought it helped me, a student in the same district, 35 years ago—build resilience and work ethic—all while in the same, if not worse, socioeconomic situation. I managed a job and played sports and was the editor of the newspaper. I was prepared for UCI and graduated in 4 years, all while working 35 hours a week. Enough about me. Let’s hear your thoughts.

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

Australian here

Kindy - Y4 low socioeconomic school (long story but I have this weird cheapskate thing where I refuse to pay for private school. In any event he developed some great life skills at this school). Barely any homework. They used to say “Try to read a bit each night” and that was it.

Y5-6: He was in something called an Opportunity Class. Craaaaaaaazy intense teacher. Lots of weekly homework and additional assignments on top of regular homework.

This really prepared him for high school where there’s a decent amount ofof homework but nowhere near the levels of his intense OC teacher. Terms 2 and 4 there are lots of assignments, and exams plus regular homework which really puts pressure on the kids but terms 1 and 3 they only have regular homework and can take a bit of a breather. Mine also does debating, sailing and is pondering joining the choir this year. I find they just want to game if they’re not busy so it’s best if they stay busy!

 

[LilAlex]

Yes, every year for our kids starting in maybe early elementary school, IIRC. Never seemed particularly onerous and was similar to what I recall growing up. Mix of short-term and longer-term deadlines, etc. Mix of mundane and creative. Although I didn't love it, I think it is important for reinforcing the in-class concepts. And I agree that it helps set one up for how real-world learning occurs -- learn then immediately apply. Repeat.

 

[Mreader]

My kid had way too much hw imho in Kinder and 1st. He’s in 3rd now. I think for younger kids there should be more emphasis on hands on activities and play. It bothered me that he did boring worksheets in the classroom during the day and then had more crappy worksheets to do at home. I think it’s different when it comes to older kids though.

 

[Bron357]

Australian here too.
Homework, 30 minutes a day / projects up til age 11.
Then High School was selective and again given assignments but not like 2 hours a night or anything. Some kids were being coached as well, like 3 times a week after school with heaps of homework. Apparently up to 20 hours extra a week. Crazy.This was preparation for the final school exam called HSC where your marks determine what uni course you can study. Kids in selective schools are going for medicine or law which needs very high marks.
Personally I think what you should do is encourage their interests and develop a love of learning. If they can find their thing they will soar. My DD is a perfect example of that. Very smart but not terribly motivated at school. Not much effort put she put in enough for her chosen degree. Just.
Then she found her wings.

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

Australian here

Kindy - Y4 low socioeconomic school (long story but I have this weird cheapskate thing where I refuse to pay for private school. In any event he developed some great life skills at this school). Barely any homework. They used to say “Try to read a bit each night” and that was it.

Y5-6: He was in something called an Opportunity Class. Craaaaaaaazy intense teacher. Lots of weekly homework and additional assignments on top of regular homework.

This really prepared him for high school where there’s a decent amount ofof homework but nowhere near the levels of his intense OC teacher. Terms 2 and 4 there are lots of assignments, and exams plus regular homework which really puts pressure on the kids but terms 1 and 3 they only have regular homework and can take a bit of a breather. Mine also does debating, sailing and is pondering joining the choir this year. I find they just want to game if they’re not busy so it’s best if they stay busy!

Should also add that the kid is also at a selective high school too. They are for academic kids so I’m not sure what a regular school demands in terms of homework.

 

[missy]

Northeasterner here
Heck yes
The homework is mind boggling
Both my nieces are top students A+
Very smart and conscientious
Many extracurricular activities outside of school
And they have many hours of homework per day
My older niece just graduated HS last year and my youngest niece is a HS Junior
And her HW is endless it seems
I am talking about public HS btw

My sister used to complain about all the homework they had to do when they were younger
And she never complains so the fact she complained about it is meaningful.
She said they have much more HW than we ever did

 

[pearlsngems]

In CT, yes, plenty of homework. DD teaches in a school in disadvantaged area; she gives homework; however, a number of the kids fail to do it. She is forever communicating with parents about this.

 

[Mreader]

Australian here too.
Homework, 30 minutes a day / projects up til age 11.
Then High School was selective and again given assignments but not like 2 hours a night or anything. Some kids were being coached as well, like 3 times a week after school with heaps of homework. Apparently up to 20 hours extra a week. Crazy.This was preparation for the final school exam called HSC where your marks determine what uni course you can study. Kids in selective schools are going for medicine or law which needs very high marks.
Personally I think what you should do is encourage their interests and develop a love of learning. If they can find their thing they will soar. My DD is a perfect example of that. Very smart but not terribly motivated at school. Not much effort put she put in enough for her chosen degree. Just.
Then she found her wings.

Sounds like the European system. I always found it odd that there is a requirement to basically choose a concentration as early as high school which limits you at university. No possibility of changing your major…

 

[Lookinagain]

I'm in MA and my daughter (public school) always had some homework. Less in the early years, more as she got older. I think the kids still do. They certainly tote their books back and forth as many of the the middle and high school kids have to walk by my house on their way to and from school. If they didn't have homework, I don't think they'd be carrying those big backpacks but would leave the books in their lockers.

 

[rocks]

Northeasterner here
Heck yes
The homework is mind boggling
Both my nieces are top students A+
Very smart and conscientious
Many extracurricular activities outside of school
And they have many hours of homework per day
My older niece just graduated HS last year and my youngest niece is a HS Junior
And her HW is endless it seems
I am talking about public HS btw

My sister used to complain about all the homework they had to do when they were younger
And she never complains so the fact she complained about it is meaningful.
She said they have much more HW than we ever did

Yes, and your nieces will be well prepared for college

 

[missy]

Yes, and your nieces will be well prepared for college

I have no doubt!!!
Thankful for an excellent public school education here. My sister went through public school and I went through it and now my nieces. And it has served us well in life.

 

[Rockdiamond]

I’m an old dad. Two kids in public high schools.
They never seem to have more than 30 minutes of homework. Many times they actually do it at school
The bigger picture for me? I have so much admiration for educators and their efforts. Kids today are exposed to stuff we couldn’t dream of online… while we overprotect them in the real world.
Being a teacher- tough job.

 

[jaysonsmom]

We are in SoCal, Capo school district and both my kids had a lot of homework from K-12. The amount of homework never really affected their extra curricular activities, such as soft ball, volleyball etc. I do admit that this is a pretty affluent area, where a lot of parents are stay at home parents or own their own businesses (work from home) and there is probably little to no socio-economic distress for majority of the kids here. I can understand the need for reduced homework if the kids had to work to help support their family or save for College etc.

 

[bee24]

I know you asked for elementary- high school but my (barely) four year old is in preschool three days a week for three hours and has homework a few times a month. When he’s in five day preschool next year it will be once a week. I find it a bit excessive though I understand the goal is to prepare them for kindergarten. However, I can already see him getting frustrated and erasing his little letters to try again. I just want him to try but not feel burdened to complete a worksheet. I don’t want homework anxiety to start this young!

 

[monarch64]

Midwest. My ex husband and I have always considered school to be a supplement to what we teach our (one) child.

She always has had homework in some form. She started off in daycare and preschool learning a second language. She went into kindergarten in public school continuing to learn that second language, and was immersed from first through second grade. Then the *pandemonium* happened and we switched her to private school. She was lucky to continue her language studies throughout all this time.

She has homework in some form every single day including weekends. She also plays a sport, studies martial arts in the off-season since she was 4, and has so far mastered 3 musical instruments. She started her own non-profit organization when she was 5 years old and has grown it from just herself to a board made up of children with a goal of having 100+ children join her in her cause.

She’s played with the IU womens bball team. She’s done radio and tv commercials already, and she’s begun interviewing players for published pieces.

Yeah, she’s had homework. And we’ve made sure she’s had the absolute best of the best parenting while making sure she has equal downtime and socialization at the same time. It’s been a HUGE privilege to be her parent.

 

[Calla-lilies]

I'm in the northeast. I really think homework is essential to supplement what the child learns in school.

But having said that, I always thought there was too much homework -- middle school and high school. I don't think there's a need to assign so much that the child does not get to bed until midnight. Most children in our district are also involved in other activities - music, arts, sports, etc so I feel like there should be a balance.

Mine is now a senior in HS and the amount of homework has decreased quite a bit -- maybe his workload is a bit too light for my liking.

Yes - Goldilocks here.

 

[Ally T]

English here. Yes, our school children get homework in the UK, which starts at Primary school (kindergarten). At that age they usually get one assignment per week, so a writing project, piece of art, maths paper etc. My girls are at High School (aged 14 & 16) & they get work every night, plus work for over the weekends. My oldest is due to sit her GCSE’s this summer & her load is particularly heavy. The school aims for between 30 mins to an hour each night. It’s the bain of their lives!

 

[Lookinagain]

I'm curious. as it hasn't really been mentioned, but how do you compare the homework load that you had while in school, to what your child has? I feel like I had about the same amount, which was every night. And I grew up in Florida vs. my child who went to school in MA. Maybe my memory is faulty. It was a long time ago!

 

[missy]

I'm curious. as it hasn't really been mentioned, but how do you compare the homework load that you had while in school, to what your child has? I feel like I had about the same amount, which was every night. And I grew up in Florida vs. my child who went to school in MA. Maybe my memory is faulty. It was a long time ago!

According to my sister they have more than double our workload

 

[LightBright]

I had no homework until high school. Even then, in AP classes, it was minimal. It didn’t harm my education in any way to not bring stuff home to work on before college. I loved and still love learning.

My kids started getting homework in kindergarten. It’s currently a major family drama.

One kid can’t bring themself to do homework and has become phobic about writing (they wrote books in elementary school, and read all of Harry Potter in kinder). Another kid has a really rich and active life but gets home at 5pm exhausted and often can’t think straight. Homework gets undone.

Homework gets in the way of being a social and developing (not to mention growth spurting) child outside of a long day at school, along with constant escapism via access to video games starting on school issued laptops, which the school refuses to block during class. Then students are expected to do homework electronically, on THE SAME laptop they play unrestricted games on.

Laptops are issued in second grade!

You know how that goes. Video game, homework, sneak a little more games and videos, check YouTube, homework. Late bedtime, repeat nightly.

These two things have been THE most damaging thing to our family. The second being worse than the first but the second prevents the first, and really trains the mind to crave dopamine in response to demands.

School itself has been wonderful for our kids. I would like to see major reforms so things “stemming from school” don’t destroy intellectual growth and childhood for children.

 

[Mreader]

I had no homework until high school. Even then, in AP classes, it was minimal. It didn’t harm my education in any way to not bring stuff home to work on before college. I loved and still love learning.

My kids started getting homework in kindergarten. It’s currently a major family drama.

One kid can’t bring themself to do homework and has become phobic about writing (they wrote books in elementary school, and read all of Harry Potter in kinder). Another kid has a really rich and active life but gets home at 5pm exhausted and often can’t think straight. Homework gets undone.

Homework that gets in the way of being a social and developing (not to mention growth spurting) child outside of a long day at school, along with constant escapism via access to video games starting on school issued laptops, which the school refuses to block during class. Then students are expected to do homework electronically, on THE SAME laptop they play unrestricted games on.

You know how that goes. Video game, homework, sneak a little more games and videos, check YouTube, homework. Late bedtime, repeat nightly.

These two things have been THE most damaging thing to our family. The second being worse than the first but the second prevents the first, and really trains the mind to crave dopamine in response to demands.

School itself has been wonderful for our kids. I would like to see major reforms so things “stemming from school” don’t destroy intellectual growth and childhood for children.

I feel this so much. I’m actually surprised a lot of people in this thread seem to be very supportive of homework for elementary because to me it’s actually destructive and often frustrating for kids so the opposite happens in regard to a love of learning. Who needs extra boring work at home when like a drone you’ve been told to sit still all day and do work. That in itself is a huge problem for me because kids at that young age need to move around and be active. I had to raise hell at my kids school so that they got adequate recess and it’s been a struggle. I live in South Texas so not the most progressive area (understatement of the century) and that’s why I’m kind of surprised that those of you in the Northeast and SoCAL are still getting homework in elementary.

I don’t think they should do anything remotely like what they’re doing in kindergarten. Kindergarten should be a story time, building blocks playing, etc.

Even in preschool, he was sent home with sight words and some worksheets and I refused to do it.

 

[Tonks]

Absolutely yes, but it depends on age and teachers. There is a massive ramp up in high school, especially if your kids take AP classes. To prepare for that we saw teachers increase in 8th, and that was helpful. By late high school it is a significant workload.

 

[nala]

I want to thank you all for your responses. I am not a fan of our no homework policy but was beginning to think it was the new normal. I have always felt it was a way of watering down expectations for kids who need to build resilience. Like most of your kids, my DD always had hw and still managed extracurriculars. She double majored at Cal and graduated in 4 years and is now thriving. She is not one and has never been one to complain about stress or work, which is a credit to her academic dedication built in part by homework experience.

 

[tyty333]

Yes, my kids had homework. Mostly short overnight assignments and some longer term projects. Nothing
seemed excessive IMO and seems about the same as I had growing up. I dont know how you can teach everything
they need to learn without doing some of the work at home. Kids need to practice what they learn so it sticks.

 

[Mjay]

My oldest is in 1st grade and his only homework is reading. I am very anti-homework. Homework caused so much unnecessary stress and anxiety for me when I was growing up. I feel like between long school days and sports we get very little family time as it is. I want my children to enjoy their childhood. If they start piling on the homework to the point of stress when they get older I plan to pull them from their charter school. From what I’ve heard my local public school does not assign homework.

 

[Rfisher]

Jr hi/middle school/high school once they switched to block scheduling - little homework anymore, if any.