Homework load, re: first graders

Just kind of curious to get some comparisons. Ryan, my first-grader, seems to have a significantly large amount of homework each night. Here's a breakdown of his nightly take-home work:

1. 1-2 math worksheets
2. a take-home journal page
3. occasional science page
4. 20 minutes of guided reading (in a chapter book of his choice that he checks out from the classroom collection and completes at his pace)
5. daily take home book to be read

This is his typical workload nine out of ten times. Personally, I think its a bit much for his age group right now. As it stands, we usually spend about 1.5 hours (sometimes longer!) a night on homework! A friend of mine has a first-grader at a different school in the area. His workload is similar, difference being that it is presented in a packet that is due each Thursday- much more manageable in my opinion. Granted, Ryan doesn't get docked in any way if for some reason he didn't have the homework the next day but you have to keep up just for sanity sake as each day brings a fresh crop of assignments that usually needs to be in by the end of the week.

What are your thoughts on this? Am I wrong in thinking this is kind of a large workload? Any comparisons for those who have first-graders too?

Mine aren't in school yet but I know the little boy next door has about the same as you guys, sometimes he comes over after school if his mom can't leave work and I try to get it done for her before she comes to get him. I ask him every time "Do you really have this much work every day?" and he says "sigh. Yes."

I don't remember having homework until about 3rd grade.

When our kids were in first and second grades they had similar workloads. I find that is way too much to ask of a child so young after six hours of school. So, any of you who know me can guess what I did.

I had conference with the teachers and told them my child's homework load was limited to one hour in length; two hours over any given weekend. When the hour was up, the books got closed. One teacher told me she would "have to reduce his grades if he didn't complete all of his assignments." So I went over her head. The principal (a nun) agreed with me that one hour was more than enough time to spend on homework and the teacher should prioritize the assignments so that our son would get done what she thought was most important. Well, she never did that but I couldn't see a difference in his grades so I assumed she decided it wasn't worth fighting with me. The homework load for the entire class dropped. Soon after that we changed schools and had to do the same thing with those teachers and our daughters.

The funny thing is, when confronted with the amount of time it takes to complete the homework assignments, all of the teachers I spoke with said the same things. It always went along the lines of, "Those assignments shouldn't take more than a half hour to do."

No way that can be true, so my question, "Including the reading assignments?"

Teacher, "Oh no, that is so that you and your child can spend some educational time together."

They're kidding, right? Nope. They think they need to give us some educational time with our children. Who do they think read to them every night for the first six years of their lives?

Sorry to any teachers out there. I know this isn't always done, but when our three youngest were in first through fourth grades, that was the way nearly all of the teachers thought.

What? Oh please! I'm glad you went to the school though, will you come talk to the teachers in 2 years when mine start school?

The workload for kids is nuts. My Dh's family are all teachers. Out here in Vegas they are trying to take away recess. You imagine 20 firstgraders for 6 hours except lunch. Also they are trying to make Kindergarten a full day. I don't agree with that. Sorry to take your post.

I'm sorry, that is just completely wrong wrong wrong. Then they'll start telling all the parents their kids have behavioral problems because they've been stuck at a desk all day.

I totally agree with you.

I teach full day kindergarten, and find it to be wonderful. Trying to teach them everything they need for first grade and to work with them on social skills is impossible in two hours. A full day schedule allows me to have plenty of time to work with them on all of the literacy and math they need, still have time for play, and get them into special area classes (p.e., music, art,etc.) Plus, I work in a very low income area, and these kids need all the chance they can get to catch up to where their more affluent peers would be.

I give homework in kindergarten. There are usually one or two things to do per week, and twenty minutes of reading with your child per day. I know that some of you may find a teacher saying "that is so that you and your child can spend some educational time together" insulting, but unfortunately, where I teach, it needs to be said. Many many of the parents I work with tell me- "I'm not reading with my child when they get home, that's why I send him to you." Or "I'm just too tired when I get home from work to read with him. I send him to go read by himself." Very often, I have children who don't have books in their home because they can't afford them, and some of their parents just don't see the value in it. For some of them, the books in my classroom library are the first they have ever seen. They can barely sit and listen to a story, because no one has ever made them do that before. There are many parents in my area that don't even TALK with their child when they get home, just bark orders at them and then send them off to play somewhere.

As for the amount of homework you listed in the original post, that definately is excessive. I think in time there have always been overzealous teachers that love to give homework ( I can remember a few from my day), but I have never been one of them. I do know that I give more homework now than I would have 5 years ago, with all of the pressure that there is on teachers to have the students performing at certain levels. Our jobs depend on how well your children do on the standardized tests. So I think some teachers are insecure and think that if they just keep pounding it in, they will perform super well on the tests, and their job will be safe. The pressure is even on me, and we don't even do the standardized testing in Az until 2nd grade. But those 2nd grade teachers are giving the 1st grade teachers hell, and they pass it on down to us. Not to mention the principal and district superintendant. The list goes on and on......

Sorry to make that so long, just wanted to offer another perspective.

This post has been edited by maestra on Mar 24 2006, 11:48 PM

For the first half of the year DD#3 was bringing home a 'decodable book' almost every day (contained words/sounds they were working on in class). She also had Hebrew letters/words to work on.

Typical homework for the second half of the year -
1) On Monday she gets a story to read and page of questions to answer.
2) Monday they get a spelling list (6 words) and have a test on Fri.
3) Once per week they bring home some other type of writing assignment -- usually an 'interview' where they ask mom or dad questions and need to take 'notes'.
4) The occasional science or math paper....maybe 1 every 2 weeks total.
5) Every night they have some type of Hebrew assignment - either site-words or vocab or learning new letters/sounds.

The school my kids attend has full-day Kindergarten -- they do give homework - but only 1-2 times per week at the most...and never more than one short sheet. They also have an 'almost full-day' Pre-K program (M-f 8:30am-2:00pm) -- they would send home the occasionally homework sheet - but that was quite rare.

Wow. That is a lot of homework. I have a first grader and he rarely has homework. I couldn't image making time for all that homework with two other little ones running around. We have about 2 worksheets a week (math). I try and read with him at least 3 times a week but he doesn't bring home any required reading. Now i'm wondering if my school is doing enough.

Well I'm glad to see that the majority who responded reported similar homework workloads, I guess times are changing in the school system. For the person who brought up the full day kindergarten topic, I do think that I would have placed Aliyah in the full-day program if she wasn't in her "second" year of it. Previously, she attended school in Belgium and there, she attended what they referred to as "nursery" for a year (basically preschool at age 3) and then PK (their form of kindergarten) last year so I decided to just enroll her for the half day program here while I had the option, as she is still within the school district's age cutoff. I do know, however, that the half day program will not be offered next school year as there was not enough interest at our school.

I wasn't try to offend anyone with my comment about a full day. I just hear one side of it. My dh's aunt has 30 kinder. students and she says she has a difficult time with them at half a day. I appologize if I sounded like I was badmouthing anyone. Sorry. Kathryn is only 3 months and a full day will probably be a benefit.

Gosh, thats a lot of kids! I can see where it would be hard with that many to do it in half day, you'd barely get everyone seated and then fed and then it's all over!

We have full day kinder in NM too, you used to have a choice but now it's mandatory. I'm not sure how I feel about it but wasn't offended in any way!

I am not sure of the homework for first grade my dd is in full day k and she has sight words she writes twice and then read 20min a night. However every once in a while because dd is ahead the teacher will give her a worksheet to do with a book however it doesn't happen often and my dd likes when it does she is kind of bored with her hw right now. I agree it sounds like a lot. I know there are some nights I don't even have time to do what she gets and we have to do it in the morning. I agree with talking to the teacher and if it becomes an issue next year I am doing the same. The hw she gets now is not marked and doesn't affect grades or anything.

No offense taken. I can see both sides of it. Personally, I've only had experience with the half day program, which I like, but seeing as though I'll have to more than likely put up with the full day option for Mason, I'm trying to see the other side. Both my older two love school so much so I can't imagine them having minded going all day at the time.

Might I say, holy guacamole!!

My son is a first grader. He has math and reading homework every night, which takes maybe 20 minutes. He blazes through the math in less than five minutes. He happens to be good at math, but even a child who needed more help wouldn't take much longer. There is NO way I could keep him still for an hour and a half to do homework. We would both be so frustrated. That is insanity.

And for the record, we do have good schools, at least if you judge them by standardized test scores.

Wow, Ed, 2 days in a row we're on the same page- what are you smoking? over there???

I totally agree with Ed, and yes, ver batem, I have been told the same thing by teachers- "Oh, it shouldn't be taking that long." The implication is that the kid is sitting there, staring into space, when in reality, we are both sitting there, hunched over the books until bedtime. This entire week, my 10 yr old has done nothing but baseball, homework, and then straight to bed. He is exhausted, has headaches and dizziness, and is badly in need of some downtime. Some might suggest that he should give up baseball if it's interfering with his schoolwork. My attitude is, he's got 6 hrs to learn, when does he get to run around like a kid should? To me, it's critical that he get to run around with his friends. I'm sorry that teachers have alot of pressure on them due to NCLB, but that's not my or my kid's problem. Most of the homework is busy work anyway- I don't see alot of growth potential with the kinds of assignments typically given anyway. If it's not the teachers' fault, whose fault is it, exactly? Sorry to sound short tempered, but I feel like I'm in 5th grade all over again. I don't recall my mother having to be so involved in my homework- and my kids are very good students, but the sheer volume necessitates my assistance, or he'll be up till 11pm every night.
I really don't have time to get into the full day K thing, because, guess what, I have to help my son with his homework, but I am fully in support of full day K, and there has been a thread here very recently about that, though I really do not support homework of any kind for kids that age.