Homework: Is There A Political View?

[TheOldSchool]

And we wonder why we have lost our top rating in the world's educational standing!

1.The students need more practice than the school day allows for subjects.

2.Parents should be interested in what the students are learning and engage them in discussions about it at home.

3. Students should be learning how to write reports. This requires stages and extra work that they need to do at home.

4. The time lost from homework at home does not always result in meaningful family time. Most likely, it results in games with their phones or watching television.

5. If your child is having trouble at school with subjects, parents can see it in their homework, help and possibly meet with the teacher to discuss the problem. An informed parent is one that is proactive. You cannot be proactive if you wait for a grade card to see that their is a problem.

Finland and South Korea are 2 of the best performing countries in the world when it comes to education.

In Finland kids have no homework, in South Korea they have tons of homework. And there they both sit at the top of most lists.

So...

True, and interesting about Finland....but the real difference is the teachers....

"In Finland all new teachers must have a master's degree.... Finland also limits the supply of teacher-training places to demand. ... teaching is a high-status profession (because it is fiercely competitive) and there are generous funds for each trainee teacher (because there are few of them).

....groups of teachers visit each others' classrooms and plan lessons together. In Finland, they get an afternoon off a week for this."

But the real diff is how they catch students who are about to fail...
"...once pupils and schools start to fail. The top performers intervene early and often. Finland has more special-education teachers devoted to laggards than anyone else—as many as one teacher in seven in some schools. In any given year, a third of pupils get one-on-one remedial lessons."
Oct 18th 2007
From The Economist print edition
Chen Chow What works in education the lessons according to McKinsey




Of course, none of this is necessary in South Korea.....

...all of the students are simply naturally brilliant.

So their teachers get their Bachelor's and Master's degrees for free and then get paid a lot for their work which leads teaching to be extremely competitive and a high status position...

Free college and high wages for teachers... those are 2 things that are extremely frowned upon by a certain faction in the U.S...

 

[Jackson]

Once school is over for the day, so should school work...be over...

Aren't you glad teachers don't feel that way? We'd have a nation of really bad teachers. In any profession, for excellence is school for students, the time and effort that is put into your work that makes the difference.

They still give homework, but now provide time to do it during school...my kid never brings any home, because he does it at school...

"They still give homework, but now provide time to do it during school."

The early winner in the category of "Unintentional Humor"....

....and I was starting to have hope for you after 'exude.'

I enjoy banter with the well educated............dead pan................

If you enjoy banter with the well educated, I am wondering why you are not concerned with the lack of practice your child is getting at school and home with his studies. What are you doing to foster his education? It should be a teamwork between school and home.

 

[Jackson]

And we wonder why we have lost our top rating in the world's educational standing!

1.The students need more practice than the school day allows for subjects.

2.Parents should be interested in what the students are learning and engage them in discussions about it at home.

3. Students should be learning how to write reports. This requires stages and extra work that they need to do at home.

4. The time lost from homework at home does not always result in meaningful family time. Most likely, it results in games with their phones or watching television.

5. If your child is having trouble at school with subjects, parents can see it in their homework, help and possibly meet with the teacher to discuss the problem. An informed parent is one that is proactive. You cannot be proactive if you wait for a grade card to see that their is a problem.

Finland and South Korea are 2 of the best performing countries in the world when it comes to education.

In Finland kids have no homework, in South Korea they have tons of homework. And there they both sit at the top of most lists.

So...

True, and interesting about Finland....but the real difference is the teachers....

"In Finland all new teachers must have a master's degree.... Finland also limits the supply of teacher-training places to demand. ... teaching is a high-status profession (because it is fiercely competitive) and there are generous funds for each trainee teacher (because there are few of them).

....groups of teachers visit each others' classrooms and plan lessons together. In Finland, they get an afternoon off a week for this."

But the real diff is how they catch students who are about to fail...
"...once pupils and schools start to fail. The top performers intervene early and often. Finland has more special-education teachers devoted to laggards than anyone else—as many as one teacher in seven in some schools. In any given year, a third of pupils get one-on-one remedial lessons."
Oct 18th 2007
From The Economist print edition
Chen Chow What works in education the lessons according to McKinsey




Of course, none of this is necessary in South Korea.....

...all of the students are simply naturally brilliant.

So their teachers get their Bachelor's and Master's degrees for free and then get paid a lot for their work which leads teaching to be extremely competitive and a high status position...

Free college and high wages for teachers... those are 2 things that are extremely frowned upon by a certain faction in the U.S...

It's even more than that. It's the culture of education excellence.The teachers are respected to a high degree and the expectations of diligence on the part of the student is common in each home.

Here, too many feel like Moonglow and Old School. Let them do the work and play at home. Playtime takes preference over studies.

 

[Moonglow]

Once school is over for the day, so should school work...be over...

Aren't you glad teachers don't feel that way? We'd have a nation of really bad teachers. In any profession, for excellence is school for students, the time and effort that is put into your work that makes the difference.

They still give homework, but now provide time to do it during school...my kid never brings any home, because he does it at school...

"They still give homework, but now provide time to do it during school."

The early winner in the category of "Unintentional Humor"....

....and I was starting to have hope for you after 'exude.'

I enjoy banter with the well educated............dead pan................

If you enjoy banter with the well educated, I am wondering why you are not concerned with the lack of practice your child is getting at school and home with his studies. What are you doing to foster his education? It should be a teamwork between school and home.

The kids did just fine and grew into responsible adults....

 

[PoliticalChic]

And we wonder why we have lost our top rating in the world's educational standing!

1.The students need more practice than the school day allows for subjects.

2.Parents should be interested in what the students are learning and engage them in discussions about it at home.

3. Students should be learning how to write reports. This requires stages and extra work that they need to do at home.

4. The time lost from homework at home does not always result in meaningful family time. Most likely, it results in games with their phones or watching television.

5. If your child is having trouble at school with subjects, parents can see it in their homework, help and possibly meet with the teacher to discuss the problem. An informed parent is one that is proactive. You cannot be proactive if you wait for a grade card to see that their is a problem.

Finland and South Korea are 2 of the best performing countries in the world when it comes to education.

In Finland kids have no homework, in South Korea they have tons of homework. And there they both sit at the top of most lists.

So...

True, and interesting about Finland....but the real difference is the teachers....

"In Finland all new teachers must have a master's degree.... Finland also limits the supply of teacher-training places to demand. ... teaching is a high-status profession (because it is fiercely competitive) and there are generous funds for each trainee teacher (because there are few of them).

....groups of teachers visit each others' classrooms and plan lessons together. In Finland, they get an afternoon off a week for this."

But the real diff is how they catch students who are about to fail...
"...once pupils and schools start to fail. The top performers intervene early and often. Finland has more special-education teachers devoted to laggards than anyone else—as many as one teacher in seven in some schools. In any given year, a third of pupils get one-on-one remedial lessons."
Oct 18th 2007
From The Economist print edition
Chen Chow What works in education the lessons according to McKinsey




Of course, none of this is necessary in South Korea.....

...all of the students are simply naturally brilliant.

So their teachers get their Bachelor's and Master's degrees for free and then get paid a lot for their work which leads teaching to be extremely competitive and a high status position...

Free college and high wages for teachers... those are 2 things that are extremely frowned upon by a certain faction in the U.S...

So glad to bring up the political aspect.

In other nations which treat teachers as you suggest, it is only the top students who are allowed to become teachers.

In the United States under Liberal/Progressive/Democrat doctrine, there is very little concern for those aspects.....as long as one votes 'correctly.'


Liberalism has, in every single metric, been a detriment to the educational system.

Example.....destruction of the idea that education requires discipline in the classroom.

"As we count down the days until Attorney General Eric Holder no longer heads up the Department of Justice, he seems to be doing as much damage as possible in the time he has left. His latest move is arguably the most racist thing he has done in his entire career,

Holder is moving to unfairly punish white students, and ease up on the rules for black students in public schools, because minority students are suspended more frequently, according to studies performed by the Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights. This is his plan to close the gap between minority and caucasian suspension rates,...."
.... when a white child breaks the rules, they will immediately be suspended. However, if a black student exhibits the exact same behavior, that child’s case will be sent to the superintendent’s review board, who will personally poor over all of the evidence available and decide whether or not to punish the child. This, Holder believes, will lead to less suspensions of black students. He is correct."
Eric Holder Teams Up With Schools to Implement Punishments for White Students Mr. Conservative



And, with teachers arguably the most liberal segment of the population, Holder is simply attempting to end education in America.

 

[Annie]

And we wonder why we have lost our top rating in the world's educational standing!

1.The students need more practice than the school day allows for subjects.

2.Parents should be interested in what the students are learning and engage them in discussions about it at home.

3. Students should be learning how to write reports. This requires stages and extra work that they need to do at home.

4. The time lost from homework at home does not always result in meaningful family time. Most likely, it results in games with their phones or watching television.

5. If your child is having trouble at school with subjects, parents can see it in their homework, help and possibly meet with the teacher to discuss the problem. An informed parent is one that is proactive. You cannot be proactive if you wait for a grade card to see that their is a problem.

Finland and South Korea are 2 of the best performing countries in the world when it comes to education.

In Finland kids have no homework, in South Korea they have tons of homework. And there they both sit at the top of most lists.

So...

I think homework when assigned with thought and given in reasonable amounts is an important tool for teachers to evaluate how well their students are actually understanding the materials/concepts taught in class. I also believe it can be one of the best ways to communicate with parents if the time is taken from the beginning of the year to explain the purpose of assigning certain types of homework.

If parents understand the types of skills and thinking expected at grade level, they are more likely to be able to evaluate how their child is performing day-to-day by the work they are doing at home. They may also observe how well their child approaches their work. Do they rush through? Do they prioritize? Do they get it done and move onto something else? Are they scattered and spend too much time? Any or all of these are things that may be part of what is seen at school or be entirely different than teacher observations of the child. This can help parents and teachers understand and discuss the best approaches for the child at parent-teacher meetings.

Actually there is much to say for the 10 minute rule by grade for assigning homework as a general rule. As one parent pointed out, some of it is about self-discipline, more is about skills learning. Schools should also be encouraging daily reading to or by parents to children. Homework in primary grades should not involve materials/concepts not fully introduced and practiced in class.

K-2 homework should be about practice/reinforcement of skills learned that day. Skills include practicing writing letters/numbers; following instructions by doing something in 1, 2, 3 order; completing problems such as adding or subtracting; preparing for spelling tests; etc.

3-5 homework should include any of the above that is necessary for the child + memorization of math facts, states/capitals, basic grammar rules; identifying main ideas of stories/articles; re-telling ideas or main concepts learned previously; writing essays; etc.

6-12 homework in these grades may include any of the previous necessary and preparatory readings for class; longer term assignments including time planning for completion; independent readings and writing assignments supplemental to classes; etc.

 

[Jackson]

Aren't you glad teachers don't feel that way? We'd have a nation of really bad teachers. In any profession, for excellence is school for students, the time and effort that is put into your work that makes the difference.

They still give homework, but now provide time to do it during school...my kid never brings any home, because he does it at school...

"They still give homework, but now provide time to do it during school."

The early winner in the category of "Unintentional Humor"....

....and I was starting to have hope for you after 'exude.'

I enjoy banter with the well educated............dead pan................

If you enjoy banter with the well educated, I am wondering why you are not concerned with the lack of practice your child is getting at school and home with his studies. What are you doing to foster his education? It should be a teamwork between school and home.

The kids did just fine and grew into responsible adults....

And that is okay. Our definition of "fine" is more than that. We are looking for all to go to college and instilling a future that they have been accustomed to or more.

 

[Moonglow]

They still give homework, but now provide time to do it during school...my kid never brings any home, because he does it at school...

"They still give homework, but now provide time to do it during school."

The early winner in the category of "Unintentional Humor"....

....and I was starting to have hope for you after 'exude.'

I enjoy banter with the well educated............dead pan................

If you enjoy banter with the well educated, I am wondering why you are not concerned with the lack of practice your child is getting at school and home with his studies. What are you doing to foster his education? It should be a teamwork between school and home.

The kids did just fine and grew into responsible adults....

And that is okay. Our definition of "fine" is more than that. We are looking for all to go to college and instilling a future that they have been accustomed to or more.

They did go to college and the military....they did just fine....

 

[Jackson]

"They still give homework, but now provide time to do it during school."

The early winner in the category of "Unintentional Humor"....

....and I was starting to have hope for you after 'exude.'

I enjoy banter with the well educated............dead pan................

If you enjoy banter with the well educated, I am wondering why you are not concerned with the lack of practice your child is getting at school and home with his studies. What are you doing to foster his education? It should be a teamwork between school and home.

The kids did just fine and grew into responsible adults....

And that is okay. Our definition of "fine" is more than that. We are looking for all to go to college and instilling a future that they have been accustomed to or more.

They did go to college and the military....they did just fine....

And I know you are a proud dad as you should be!

 

[Moonglow]

I enjoy banter with the well educated............dead pan................

If you enjoy banter with the well educated, I am wondering why you are not concerned with the lack of practice your child is getting at school and home with his studies. What are you doing to foster his education? It should be a teamwork between school and home.

The kids did just fine and grew into responsible adults....

And that is okay. Our definition of "fine" is more than that. We are looking for all to go to college and instilling a future that they have been accustomed to or more.

They did go to college and the military....they did just fine....

And I know you are a proud dad as you should be!

They did better than I did....so yes...

 

[Jackson]

If you enjoy banter with the well educated, I am wondering why you are not concerned with the lack of practice your child is getting at school and home with his studies. What are you doing to foster his education? It should be a teamwork between school and home.

The kids did just fine and grew into responsible adults....

And that is okay. Our definition of "fine" is more than that. We are looking for all to go to college and instilling a future that they have been accustomed to or more.

They did go to college and the military....they did just fine....

And I know you are a proud dad as you should be!

They did better than I did....so yes...

 

[regent]

Some homework may be political in that it is assigned to show parents that their kids go to a rigorous school and do rigorous work, assigned by a rigorous teacher In a rigorous manner. In reality, some students and their parents can benefit from homework and others not, but how much homework is assigned for parents.

 

[Delta4Embassy]

The on-line NYC teacher's union, the UFT, published this view of student assignments.

See if you agree.

Following that is what I would consider a political liberal's plan: no homework at all....pretty much the educational version of 'if it feels go, do it.'


Well, in this case, you don't feel like it...don't do it.





1. "A common-sense approach to homework

2. “Homework should be meaningful and used to reinforce daily lessons,” ...before you assign a homework task, the students need to have a good grasp of the subject matter.” ... giving students the opportunity to practice something they’ve already learned in class.


3. A general rule of thumb recommended by the national PTA is that students should receive 10 minutes of homework per grade level — 10 minutes per night in 1st grade, 20 minutes in 2nd grade and so on.... a quick and short review of the day,” “Leave time for kids to be kids!”

Townsend Harris HS in Flushing, for example, made headlines last year when it adopted a policy prohibiting homework assignments in certain subjects on certain days of the week.

4. “If your students can’t do your homework assignment independently, then don’t assign it,” advises Carrie Campis-Dugan, a teacher at PS 180 in Harlem.

You can also let your students know that they can get support over the phone from Dial-A-Teacher, the UFT’s homework helpline, at 1-212-777-3380.

5. “Do not give more homework than you are willing to mark and return in a reasonable amount of time,” .... You may decide to check that homework is completed every day but review it in depth only a few times a week.

Or, you may decide — like some teachers — to dispense with homework altogether.

“We read ‘Rethinking Homework’ [an article by noted education researcher Alfie Kohn] as a staff, thankfully,” says Liz Wanttaja, a teacher at the East Village Community School. “Homework is given as an option to do outside of school in the upper grades, but our little ones are encouraged to be kids.” A common-sense approach to homework United Federation of Teachers



Seems that the principal of PS 116 took that last item to heart:

6. The elementary school students of P.S. 116 on East 33rd Street don’t have to worry about the drudgery of homework anymore — their teachers have simply stopped assigning it.

Instead, teachers are encouraging students to spend more quality time with family and reading books,reported DNAInfo.com on Thursday.

7. ... the negative effects of homework have been well established,” wrote the school’s principal, Jane Hsu, in a letter to parents last month.

a. ... negative effects? According to Hsu, they include “children’s frustration and exhaustion, lack of time for other activities and family time and, sadly for many, loss of interest in learning.”

8. ....some parents are displeased by the new policy — so displeased they may even take their kids out of the school.

... Daniel Tasman, whose daughter is a second-grader at the school....said .... the no homework policy had pushed him over the edge.

“I think they should have homework – some of it is about discipline,” Tasman told DNAInfo.com

9. ....school officials said the decision to do away with homework came about after a committee did some research and found “no link between elementary school homework and success in school.”

10. Principal Hsu defended the policy, saying the school was excited to be “redefining the landscape of homework.”

“We look forward to seeing the positive impact our newly-designed homework options will have on our students and their families,” ... Kips Bay NYC elementary school P.S. 116 does away with homework - am New York

10 mins of homework per grade level AND "let kids be kids."

According to the latest research kids aren't getting enough sleep and need about 9 hours a night. So a 12th grader needs 2 hours of homework a night, sleeps 9, at school about 8.

Wakes up about 6am to shower, dress, have breakfast, maybe catch a bus to school beginning by 7am. Gets out about 3pm. Home by 330pm. Homework til 530pm. Dinner around 6pm concluding around 630pm. Leavin 2.5 hours to be a kid. Of course the Sun's probably going down by then. And since girls objectively take a helluva longer to get ready that 2.5 hours shrinks even more.

So not a helluva lot of time to "be a kid." With so little leisure time it's no surprise to me kids are bringing guns to school and going postal.

 

[PoliticalChic]

Some homework may be political in that it is assigned to show parents that their kids go to a rigorous school and do rigorous work, assigned by a rigorous teacher In a rigorous manner. In reality, some students and their parents can benefit from homework and others not, but how much homework is assigned for parents.

Some homework may be political in that it is assigned to show parents that their kids go to a rigorous school and do rigorous work, assigned by a rigorous teacher In a rigorous manner. In reality, some students and their parents can benefit from homework and others not, but how much homework is assigned for parents.

Let's consider how truly political education has become, since it was ravaged by Liberalism.

As suggested in the OP, doing away with anything considered onerous, difficult, or even bothersome, is what makes Liberalism attractive to some....especially children, and adults who are fixated as children.

Facing challenges and hardships is what adults do. It was part of the traditional education system prior to Liberals mandating social promotions, and banning red pens for marking.
It was before self-esteem became more important than actual education.


In short, we have substituted Rousseau's bogus view of humanity....the 'noble savage' who is better without society, who needs no instruction, who wants only what is best for all.....

Discipline has gone the way of religion, and now even the sort of self-discipline required for homework is under attack.

The dog ate my school system.

 

[regent]

Some homework may be political in that it is assigned to show parents that their kids go to a rigorous school and do rigorous work, assigned by a rigorous teacher In a rigorous manner. In reality, some students and their parents can benefit from homework and others not, but how much homework is assigned for parents.

Some homework may be political in that it is assigned to show parents that their kids go to a rigorous school and do rigorous work, assigned by a rigorous teacher In a rigorous manner. In reality, some students and their parents can benefit from homework and others not, but how much homework is assigned for parents.

Let's consider how truly political education has become, since it was ravaged by Liberalism.

As suggested in the OP, doing away with anything considered onerous, difficult, or even bothersome, is what makes Liberalism attractive to some....especially children, and adults who are fixated as children.

Facing challenges and hardships is what adults do. It was part of the traditional education system prior to Liberals mandating social promotions, and banning red pens for marking.
It was before self-esteem became more important than actual education.


In short, we have substituted Rousseau's bogus view of humanity....the 'noble savage' who is better without society, who needs no instruction, who wants only what is best for all.....

Discipline has gone the way of religion, and now even the sort of self-discipline required for homework is under attack.

The dog ate my school system.

So when was American education ravaged by liberalism?

 

[Unkotare]

Funny how some people whine about how American students perform and then whine about American students doing homework.

 

[DGS49]

The greatest single blow to education in this country came when state governments began permitting collective bargaining for teachers. That was the beginning of the end. It meant that the interests of the students would forever be subordinated to the interests of the teachers.

It became impossible to fire a non-performing teacher. Any innovation had to be evaluated based on, (1) is it beneficial to the TEACHERS? and (2) Is it beneficial to the students? Often the teachers hid behind the students and fought for things like "smaller class sizes," but those innovations were not primarily for the benefit of the students, but rather to reduce the workload on the teachers. And in fact, beyond 3d grade there is no evidence whatsoever that smaller class sizes improve student performance. Teacher competence and administrative competence are far more important.

Homework is additional work for teachers as well. Therefore it is not at all surprising that Teachers' unions are angling for teaching strategies that minimize homework.

The value of "homework" is incalculable. In addition to helping to "cement" the day's learning through practical exercises, it forces the student to take a vested interest in the learning process and gives the teacher indications of how much the students are learning, so that her future lessons can be adjusted as necessary.

Having said that, however, it is not imperative that "homework" be done at home. The best program would be to have mentors monitoring the students as they do their "homework," so that it is done properly and to best effect. it would require lengthening the school-day, however, and the teachers would immediately kill such a plan.