Second Grade Homework Letter

I recently received this letter:

"I am an incredibly frustrated Mom right now who's just at the tip of trying to figure out if there is something wrong with my son, or me, or the homework he's given in general. He's a smart, pretty typical 8-year-old boy in the 2nd grade. I know I'm grasping here, but am a bit desperate... I was just wondering if the amount of homework he's given for 4 nights seems accurate or a bit much. I just don't have any point of reference, so thought I'd ask and see what happens. Here's roughly the amount he's been given every week since a couple of weeks into September. It's posted on Sunday afternoon and is due on Friday morning:

Read each night for 10-15 minutes. Pick one of the books you read, or a chapter from a book, to complete the Worksheet attached below.

Math worksheets plus, practice taking the math facts test! Students should be able to complete both sides in 5 minutes by the end of 2nd grade!

Spelling. Only work on your spelling group's word. Monday: Print, cut out and sort your group's pattern words. Show and explain your sort to a parent before writing it on the Word Sort worksheet. (Nightly sort is encouraged.) Tuesday-Thursday: Choose 3 activities (total for the week) to complete from the Spelling Homework Choice Board.

Write a letter to someone you care about, explaining why they are important to you. OR Write a Valentine's Day letter to a person of your choosing. Make sure you write in complete sentences and use expensive words!

I'd appreciate ANY input you might have. I'm aware the policy for the district is 30-45 minutes a night for 2nd and 3rd graders which is SUPPOSED to include reading. We/he can sometimes spend that much time on the writing alone (getting him to hash out his thoughts, then having him actually put pencil to paper and write the sentences out, legibly)."


This was my response to her:

Hi,

It looks like a lot to me and each child will be different in how they complete the homework. I suggest reviewing the SRVUSD policy here.  I've highlighted in red the sentences that I feel are the most meaningful. Feel free to copy any parts of the policy to your son's teacher.

What worked for me when my kids were that age was to focus on the reading (making it fun and pleasurable - usually a cozy, un-rushed snuggle time with a book before bed). If you read for 20 minutes before bed, then have your son spend only 15-20 minutes more on some of the other homework earlier that day. If it doesn't all get done, simply write a note at the top of the page telling the teacher your son spent the recommended 35-40 minutes on homework for that day.

Timing is everything. My sons always needed to let off steam when they got home from school. The first thing I did was feed them and made them run around outside for a long time, playing. Later, when they had settled down, they tackled homework. I wrote many notes on the tops of their unfinished papers while they were in elementary school telling their teachers that play time and family time was more important that day than overloading them on homework.

If you are stressed about their homework, they will be stressed. Don't over emphasize it. It's just homework, and they aren't graded on it until middle school. I know it can seemingly take over a family's life. Don't let it. Focus on what is really important - family time, play time, adequate sleep, eating well, friends, relatives, etc...

Feel free to give the link to my blog to any or all teachers you encounter.

Take care!
Kerry

Is The Honeymoon Over?

I love the excitement of the fall and the first couple weeks of school.  I always loved being a student and the start of a new school year.  The energy at school during these first few weeks is usually positive, hopeful, happy and light-hearted.

And then...homework begins, and all that changes.

I just received an email from a blog reader.  This is what she said:

"Hi Kerry, I just found you and your blog. I have a 2nd grader in the SRVUSD and I am stressed already about homework this year. I am absolutely against homework in elementary school knowing what we do about how there is no correlation between success level.

I am a pretty active parent and my daughter benefits from several resources funded by our donations. (Barton, Touch Math and others.) I feel as if they have her for 6.5 hours a day. I want her to come home and be a kid. To play and do art and watch a little TV is she wants to. 

My husband and I both work full time and I pick up our daughter at 4:30 or so from aftercare. She is fried by then. To begin homework at that time of nights is nearly worthless. The quality of the homework done during "homework time" at aftercare has not been great either. 

So, here we go into another year of the homework battle. I just want to opt out. I don't see links to any district info or PTA petition but would love to jump on board with you. Happy to support any way we can! "


I would like to point out for all you other SRVUSD parents that I have a link to our district's homework policy on this blog. In the green box on the right side of my blog is a link that says, "Link to My District's Homework Policy" - Click on "SRVUSD Policy." And then notice that I've highlighted in red all the parts of the policy that I like best.

To address the above parent's concerns, notice that the SRVUSD homework policy says:

"Grades 2-3: 30-45 minutes of homework per night (reading included)

[and]

Except for reading, homework at the elementary level should not be assigned over weekends, holidays, or extended school breaks."

So, if I were the parent who commented above, I would encourage about 15 minutes or more of reading with my 2nd grade child sometime after school, maybe at night before bed, or anytime that is relaxed and not rushed. If I felt compelled to have my child do more homework than reading, I would put a time limit on it - no more than 10-15 more minutes and sign off on the top of the page that your child completed 30 minutes of homework (reading included) as per the SRVUSD homework policy. Do NOT panic if your child does not finish the homework packet. Being non-rushed after work and school is more important than stressing out about second grade homework. Send the message to your child that non-hurried family time is more important than plowing through worksheets and getting everyone upset about it.

Reading is a wonderful way to reconnect with your child after a busy day. Remove all screens when you read. Devote full attention to your child and the story. Enjoy. They are little only once. It truly goes by so fast.

Can you tell I have one off to college? Long gone are the days when he was small enough to curl up in my lap or snuggle in bed and have a story read to him. Those are precious times, and they are full of learning. Don't let those moments slip away and replace them with worksheets or with checking your emails.

Let's try to keep the positive energy and hope of the start of the school year going for as long as possible.

The College Gig and AP Classes

I recently discovered this new site that offers advice on finding the right fit for college.  It is called College Gig.  Check it out.

It is run by Lisa Olson who says,

"Getting into college is one task, but staying in college is an entirely different beast.  I am committed to educating families about balancing priorities and equipping students with the tools required to manage the complex transition out of the secure nest and into college life."

Her latest post is about how getting perfect grades is no longer good enough for aspiring college freshmen.  Check out her post here.

She references a current SF Chronicle article called "Stressful AP Courses - A Push for a Cap."

My own experience with AP classes is this:  I never took an AP class in high school, but I did take one AP English exam.  I didn't do well on it.  I'm not a good test taker.  I attended into two Big Ten schools - Indiana University and University of Michigan even without any APs in high school.

My oldest son has taken one AP class in high school.  He is currently taking it and seems to be getting a lot out of the class content.  Will he do well on the AP test?  It really doesn't matter to me.  I do see him enjoying the material and possibly getting interested in it as a future college major - Environmental Sciences.  If he walks out of this AP class with a better understanding of our environment and an interest in being kinder to our planet, I'll be thrilled, whether or not he continues with this in college.

I also see him doing a lot of homework for this class.  I'm not surprised.  AP classes are billed as classes in which students are expected to do more work.  My hope is that the work load won't squash his interest in the class.  It probably wont, because he isn't taking multiple demanding AP or honors classes.

When I served on our district's homework policy task force, we debated adding this line to the policy:

"AP, Honors, and Advanced courses are higher level classes and will require more extensive homework."

I did NOT want that line included in the policy.  I didn't get what I wanted.  I was outnumbered by others on the task force who thought it must be included.

But, I was happy with other lines from the policy, such as:


"Though communication within a high school setting is challenging due to larger numbers of students, staff, and course offerings, staff should make efforts whenever possible to be aware of homework, projects, and testing schedules across the curriculum...

Time spent on homework should be balanced with the importance of personal and family well-being, and the wide array of family obligations experienced in our society today...

Homework should be the result of collaborative efforts, thoughtfully considered, and coordinated to improve student learning...

Homework should be purposeful and meaningful to students...

Assigning homework over holidays is highly discouraged."

So, check out the College Gig, it's another good website that tries to balance real life with academics and offers good advice for students applying to college.

Back to School, Back to Homework

The 27,000 students in my boys’ district begin school tomorrow. By this time during the summer, most parents and students have mixed feelings about going back to school. I’ll be glad to get into a regular routine again, and the excitement of a new school schedule and seeing friends will encourage my kids as they begin a new school year.

But I will dread watching my boys get frustrated and panic-stricken over the inevitable long and dreary homework assignments and tests likely to come sooner than later.

To help prepare myself for this, I’m going to reread our district’s homework policy. You can read the SRVUSD homework policy here. If you access the link, you will see that I have highlighted my favorite parts of the policy in red.

I think all parents and older students in any district should acquaint themselves with their district’s homework policy at the beginning of every school year. In fact, I think it should be included in the registration materials. I helped rewrite my district’s homework policy and you can read about that experience here.

If you or your child finds yourself in a homework situation you aren’t comfortable with during the school year, feel free to reference parts of the district’s homework policy in your communications with the teachers or administrators.

Enjoy the homework free moments you have with your children this school year. Make sure you don’t over schedule your child. Ask him or her before signing up for activities. A child gains much from downtime, boredom and relaxation. Give your child the gift of free time this school year.

Another California School District Revises its Homework Policy

I saw this in today's news about a Santa Monica school district. The more districts that rethink accepted homework practices, the better!

SM School Board Approves Revised Homework Policy

Hannah Heineman, Mirror Staff Writer

Homework assignments have always been part of the educational process for every student who attends school but sometimes questions arise about the amount of homework or the type of assignments that should be given. School Board members began grappling with these issues a year ago when they formed an ad hoc committee to help review, gather input, and craft an updated Board policy and administrative regulation on homework and makeup work. Committee members included parents, principals, and other District administrators. The revised homework/makeup work policy that was approved by the Board on October 1 noted that, “the latest research demonstrates that an optimal amount of homework has a positive impact on student achievement. The optimal amount of time students should spend on homework begins with 10 minutes a day in the first grade and increases by ten minutes per grade level, not to exceed a total of 120 minutes a day in the 12th grade of all classes combined. Research indicates that excessive homework may have a negative impact on students’ health and well-being. In particular, studies show that the health of students through 12th grade is compromised when there is insufficient time for at least nine hours of sleep and one hour of physical activity daily.” Prior to the vote, the Board heard from the broader educational community. PTA Council President Shari Davis expressed her organization’s full support for the revised policy. Parent Leslie Bochko voiced her support as well but emphasized the need for parents to be closely involved with the development of the individual homework plans that will be tailored to the individual school sites based on the policy. Bochko explained that, “homework just doesn’t effect the child that’s doing the work. It impacts the entire family.” Homework can diminish family time, leave less time for sports or the arts or cause “kids to have less time to just be kids.” Another parent, Debbie Bernstein who had been a member of the ad-hoc committee, echoed Bochko’s request that parents be involved with the development of the homework plan for each school site because this will give them “a chance to work with the teachers. We didn’t have a chance to do that as a committee and it’s important that we communicate with each other. The District’s homework policy was last updated in 1989.