Well, as of today, all of my kids are back in school! It's bittersweet for me. I miss them so much yet I need a bit of a break.
Today was total chaos! There were three lunches and three snacks to pack, there were three kids to drop off at three different classrooms. There were three different pick up times in two different areas....there were three full backpacks to shove into the van as well as three lunch boxes. There were three kids that needed an after school snack and needed to get changed out of their uniforms. There were three kids to get settled down and three different grade levels of homework to get started on. Lastly, there were three grade levels of homework to check.
Which brings me to a question....how closely do you other moms check their homework? I have always checked it in detail. Sometimes, when there are multiple subjects, this can be very time consuming! I find that I have to concentrate on a much deeper level these days as the directions can be tricky. Anyway, as I said, I check everything and if there is anything that needs to be corrected, I make them do it then so that what they turn in doesn't have any errors on it.
I'm mainly checking for neatness and to see if they followed the directions.
Well anyway, it was a very busy day. Here's hoping that I can get into a routine soon!
9 comments:
I go over everything, but then I homeschool so I pretty much have too! :)
Wow! Can't believe the summer is already over! Now that I'm out of school (graduated college the spring of '08) it seems like summers go by so much faster!
I'm obviously not a mom, but as far as checking homework, I would think that not checking everything would actually work out in the kids' favor. I think that with time, kids need to realize their own mistakes. And learn to deal with doing things wrong, if that makes sense. So I think it would depend on the age. When they're taking tests, you wouldn't be around there to help out, so they'll have to manage on their own then..
My parents never checked my homework so maybe I'm biased, but I graduated with over a 3.8 so I think I turned out okay ;)
But anyways, like I said, I'm not a parent, so maybe I don't know anything!
Oh Nancy...busy day for you! Whew!
About homework...first to Allison...I think your points are well-taken...thanks for sharing those with we who follow Nancy's blog!
Although Allison makes a good point of instilling a "learn from your own mistakes" mentality in our children...when my older children went to outside schools...my main reason for checking their homework so diligently was not so much to check on them...my kids (for I knew their strengths and weaknesses) but rather it was to check on what was happening in school...what types of things were they being taught...what types of assignments were they being given...So too...3.8 is great! (Congratulations Allison!)...but for the student who is not so high-achieving...checking homework each night is a helpful way for us parents to stay connected and let the kids know that we are interested and that we are there to help them. I would check it every night :) ... not so for high school age...perhaps I'd look over that level of work once a week or so?
Yes, I do hope I don't offend any parents with my post!
I agree that it's important to show interest in their work, and looking over their homework is a great way to do this, especially for the younger kids. I do know that some parents don't hesitate to correct the work themselves, and I do think that does a disservice to their kids (not saying any of you do that!)
I did hear an argument the other day about this exact same thing. Their point was for the parents not to correct the work because it doesn't allow the teacher to see where the child is struggling, so they can't adjust their teaching style to help the children understand what maybe they don't get.
So, anyways, just some thoughts, as I said, I don't have experience so maybe I should just keep my mouth shut! Or hands quiet depending on how you look at it. :)
Allison, do not keep your mouth shut! Both you and Judy make excellent points! I think it is definitely an "as needs" type of checking homework that should be done. For my family, it is a daily checking for the primary grades so mom and dad can work together with the child and the teacher to make sure the child understands the work being taught and can fix their errors and learn from them, as well as keep an eye on what it is they are learning and supplement it if necessary. It also aids in communication with the teacher when parents see what their children are capable of and what the teacher expects of them.
By middle school, we let go considerably and by high school, we only help when asked by our child. I confess, the main reason for this is because we ourselves don't understand the assignments anymore! My oldest starts geometry this year and for that I say "Lord help us all!"
I'm with Anne Allison! Don't keep your mouth shut/hands quiet, ha ha!
I think you make excellent points!
You bring a sub-topic (of parents more or less doing work for the students) that has always flabbergasted me...for when I am thinking "Check" homework, I am interpreting that (in my OWN mind),
"Check to make sure child is DOING it, that he/she understands it, and facilitate a connection with both child and teacher to know what is happening in the classroom and be available to help when needed".
According to what you heard discussed recently, some people's interpretations are: "Check homework= make sure my kid has all of the answers right and if he/she doesn't, do it myself so that he/she is handing in perfect work at school tomorrow". ha ha
BTW, congratulations on your college graduation Allison...and thanks for the post that has brought on such a neat discussion Nancy!!
Have a great school year! As for homework, I just check that it is done. If my child has questions on the homework, I try to help as much as I can without giving the answers. I have helped them study for tests, but try to avoid micromanaging their work.
Nancy, It certainly sounds like you have your hands full over there!My daughter is entering 1st grade in two weeks so I have not yet dealt with the homework issue, but it was interesting to hear all the viewpoints on this.Best of luck!
As for homework and how much a parent should help, I believe it becomes obvious to a teacher if a parent corrects all the homework but yet the child is unable to do as well in class on his/her own, so really it is best to let the child do his/her work themselves. If my children have questions, my older children help the younger ones. They have done the work just a couple of years prior and understand the assignments better and are usually very eager to help. This aids both kids as for the one who is learning benefits of course and then the one explaining gets a full grasp of the subject for themselves just by explaining it to someone else. This is when having lots of children of all ages really comes in handy for me!
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