My 5 year old has INSANE home work.

@ersmommy1 (12588)
United States
October 21, 2008 8:45am CST
Check this out. I AM SHOCKED My daughter is in Kindergarten. Every Monday the teacher sends home a packet of 5 worksheets due the following Monday. Most of the homework is standard stuff this week. 1. Following directions. 2. Color, cut and glue..you get the picture. Here is the last page! Compare the CandidatesShow what you know about Barack Obama and John McCain. Write your answers in the VENN diagram, using the word bank. Then here are the questions.. Barack Obama John McCain 1. He lives in____ 1. He lives in_________ 2. He has____ kids 2. He has ________ kids 3. He likes to play____ 3. He likes to_________ How old were you when you learned about the VENN (intersecting circle) diagram? How old were you when you first became aware of politics? I bet the answer isn't 5!!!
3 people like this
16 responses
@lilybug (21107)
• United States
21 Oct 08
My 3rd grader had a VENN diagram homework page last night. I know he has had them before, but I am not sure what age he started getting them. He has never had one on politics though. That just seems silly.
2 people like this
@lilybug (21107)
• United States
21 Oct 08
My son VEEN diagram was about crayons and markers by the way. Typical kid stuff.
1 person likes this
@lithmus (52)
• Philippines
2 Aug 09
My wife and I had were also shocked with the assignments given by the school. We know our 7 year old child cannot do the assignments by herself. They say it was a way for the family to bond together. Yeah right! This school year we transfered her to another school. Glad they don't give assignments that she would need assistance always.
1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
12 Aug 09
Yes, that is ridiculous. I was worried about my daughter and kindergarten but after I read through the school policy book, it pretty much stated something I have always agreed with - that extra practice in the form of ASSIGNED extra work is NOT practical. The kids are not given EXTRA work after the school day to take home, if they HAVE work that they did not complete at school for whatever reason, it is of course required to be finished at home. I DO agree with that, but I also agree that kids should have incentives to help them do the work in class, where it is supposed to be completed. I can tell you that I didn't go to college for six years to be a teacher, and I do not have any intensive knowledge of state and federal standards for children ages 5-18, I have no educational degree and honestly no deep interest in either having that knowledge nor teaching it. Family bonding? That is a joke. If the parents don't understand the concept NOR know HOW the teacher wants it to be taught, how in the world could we possibly help our child? I volunteered in my son's 6th grade class and the way the teachers now teach some math concepts is VERY different than how I learned when I was that age. The teachers don't like for students to learn differently than the way THEY teach, so that means even if I knew how to get the right answer, the teachers are more interested in the process than the correct answer, although the correct answer matters too, so my hands are tied. Also, from talking to multiple teachers for MULTIPLE years from MULTIPLE schools, this is what I have gathered. Any work given to students or left over that they did not finish at school is for concepts they should already be familiar with. If the kids cannot complete the assignments, it's NOT because the teacher didn't teach them, perhaps they did not absorb the information or they did not have the basic concepts before that concept learned yet. There is a problem if your child brings home assignments for things they have NO idea how to complete. I don't know if this is the fault of the child or the teacher or some of both, or the fact that instead of having 20 kids in a class, they now have 42, but that's neither here nor there. The assigments are supposed to be small, or whatever wasn't completed at school really shouldn't take longer than 20 minutes if your student stays on task. It is designed just for practice and as far as the family bonding thing - in order to help show parents or guardians a little bit of what your child is learning in the classroom. Most kids should be excited to show you a bit of what they do, at least if they are younger. When they are older, I think it's more important for parents to keep an eye to ensure that the work is both grade and age level appropriate - not too much, not too little... the right amount of expecations.
@chaime (1152)
• Philippines
2 Aug 09
Oh my goodness, my son is in kindergarten and he still studying to write his name! There really are just some school who are so outrageous in their attempt to become great school that they don't realize that they are doing too much and they are just pressuring the children so much that in the end it is not good for the children nor for the school
@cher913 (25782)
• Canada
21 Oct 08
that does seem a little excessive! sounds like grade 2 or 3 type of homework. have you talked to the teacher? the principal? if they dont give you favourable answers, dont hesitate to go to the local school board. it seems these days that they want kids to grow up WAY too fast!
@ersmommy1 (12588)
• United States
21 Oct 08
Just got the packet yesterday. Conferences are this evening. We will be bringing this up.
1 person likes this
@MegDM123 (145)
• United States
2 Jul 09
As a teacher, I would always suggest that your first line of communication is with the teacher.
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
12 Aug 09
Hmmm. I was afraid this would be yet another example of someone whose five year old brought home a packet of 25 pages given on Monday and due Friday - but instead it includes politics - something that I don't think five year olds even have any business being exposed to. I certainly do not tell my daughter about Obama and McCain, why should I? That's not even interesting to me, and if I can't make it interesting then it's better that I don't expose her to my views on the matter. At least not when she's FIVE. Now if she asked me, that would be completely different. My opinion is that was an inappropriate level piece of work to send home, not only is it NOT grade level appropriate, it is totally NON age appropriate. GAH.
@MegDM123 (145)
• United States
2 Jul 09
As a Kindergarten teacher, this discussion caught my eye. I have to say that the one thing I am most disappointed in is that your child's teacher was sending home a homework packet. To me this shows that the homework has no meaning, but more of another thing to do. I believe that the homework should be sent home each day, and it absolutely must be a review/practice/extension of what they did in class that day. I give all of my students homework every single day - even Fridays. It can vary, like some of the examples you were saying like following directions, color word recognition, etc. I also like to send home a reading log. I saw that someone commented that some of the homework is more for the parents - my reading log could be an example of that. I believe, and research has shown, that lap reading (holding your child on your lap while you read them a book) is so important to the development of the brain. And a child needs to hear how a fluent reader reads, that is why we do so many read alouds in Kindergarten. So even though the Reading Log does require the parent to read to the child (by the end of the year, the child should be able to read appropriate books on their own) and to sign the log, but other than that, the homework should be able to be done by the child independently. As for the Venn diagram, I use them in my classroom, but we do them all together as a class. I hope that your child's teacher had already done the activity with your child's classroom and that they had already practiced filling in the blanks of a sentence using a Venn. What was the outcome? Was your child able to complete the homework easily or was it a struggle? And I also read that you had a conference with the teacher. What was the outcome of that? I know that you posed this 9 months ago, but I am very curious!
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
12 Aug 09
So as a kindergarten teacher you like to send home something every day? Do you perhaps not realize that because of budget cuts and the removal of so many extra curricular and fun things from the classroom and school day (despite kids still being in school the same amount of time), that now parents NEED that time their kids are home from school to implement those things ourselves? Things like creative art, coloring, drawing, painting? Sports, dance, gymnastics, karate? I actually don't mind the packets IF it is something small that covers the concepts from that week, something like say, 5 pages. Okay, five pages, five days. That seems reasonable. Any more than that and you will meet a bristling mommy. My daughter is at school almost 4 hours a day as it is, I don't think she needs to spend more than a few minutes a day EXTRA on anything related. Now I do agree with the reading and the reading log, but I don't put that in the category of homework. Many people read for enjoyment, so that's what I want it seen as. I know that I do lol. I am not one of those parents who likes homework or thinks it is in any way a good thing. Now I DO like to see the papers or assignments or examples of concepts learned, but that can be done quite easily by sending home the completed papers in my daughter's backpack and then she can talk about what she did at school. When you're an adult, it is frowned on to take work home with you, plus most people are not paid nor reimbursed for that time, so what is the point? I don't think that is appropriate behavior anyway, and it bothers me that kids these days are almost being PUSHED into being adults as quickly as people can do it. Don't they realize, you get old far too fast, you become responsible far too fast, and there is no going back. Rushing childhood is the saddest thing, it goes by in the blink of an eye anyway.
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
26 Jan 09
I learned that more along the lines of maybe 3rd grade. They are pushing kids to fast and hard these days. They are reaching burnout stage now before high school because of it.
@rmuxagirl (7548)
• United States
6 Feb 09
I understand the filling in the blank parts because that helps them learn a little about the candidates and could help them learn to reasearch with the help of parents of course I mean thay are easy questions like where they lived and their kids. But the VENN diagram thing is a little too much it wasnt until like 6th or 7th grade when I learned that kind of thing. They seem to be putting to much pressure on kinds these days.
@stephcjh (38473)
• United States
21 Oct 08
I'm not sure how old I was when I first learned about politics. i know they sure do teach alot of it in school these days though.
@smart44 (510)
• Philippines
31 Jul 09
I should say teacher should know first the capacity of the child to be teach with, and the ability of them to understand or to follow directions, I dont know if this is a mistake or missend to your child since its not a lesson for a 5 year old student, who is beginning writing and reading, they are not non reader yet nor they did'nt write ligiblely how can they answer that kind of questions. May be just simple word for every sentence to complete. May be they can compare things in simple way like colors, odor, shape, etc.
• United States
23 Oct 08
I still don't know much about VENN diagrams. I think I worked with them in a college logic class. :)
@katsmeow1213 (28719)
• United States
21 Oct 08
HA! I'm nearing 30 and still am not overly aware of politics. When I want to know something I ask my husband who listens to news radio all day. My twins in 1st grade never have homework, so that's pretty odd.
@srsddn (98)
• India
23 Oct 08
Oh, my God! I thought insanity among teachers around here only. Now I realise that it is universal.We often say here that home work and periodic tests for children in schools now-a-days for the parents rather than children. If parents do not involve the children won't be able to do it at all. But yours is a mater piece. It is beyond my imagination as to how a 5 year old should be punished like this. Please send a copy of this home work to Obama and McCain,telling them how popular they are and what can they do in this regard when they come to power and reduce their popularity.
@Tibor1450 (207)
• Hungary
27 Jul 09
Oh my god... give a homework to a 5 years old child about Obama and McCain?? I was 15 when i learned about politics, but not five....I am shocked too...
@SViswan (12051)
• India
21 Oct 08
Oh my goodness! That's not a 5 year old's homework...sounds more like an elementary school homework! hmmm...I think I first learnt about the venn diagram in 6th grade and my 3rd grader is yet to even hear about it! And politics???? I don't think I even knew what it was till high school! I'm a kindergarten teacher...and we do try to give creative homework that makes the child think....but this wouldn't be something I give my kids.
@youless (112091)
• Guangzhou, China
21 Oct 08
Frankly, I don't think I can finish this kind of homework. Nowadays the children all suffer heavy study from early age. That's so terrible. Actually a few weeks ago my four years old son was kept after school to write the words because his teacher said he wrote 8 and 9 ugly. In my opinion, I think he is still very little. It seems harder to write these words as well as adults. His classmate who can write from 1-100 and even his own name was kept after school, too. The reason is he wrote it slowly. Oh, I am shocked to hear that. I love China