Dear Teachers. As a parent of a large family K’H, I have a simple question for some teachers. Why are my kids coming home with homework right before Yom Tov? I won’t get into the all year round “it’s too much for the kids and the parents end up doing it”, complaint, but please, before Yom Tov? I barely have time to write this letter in between trying to make a living and trying to prepare for Sukkos, let alone having to sit down with my kids and spend time on homework in the evenings.
And my wife’s situation doesn’t get much better. Try juggling the cooking, baking, shopping and housework, and then homework at night. It just doesn’t work.
I understand homework can be important at times, but I really think this time of year should have some type of exception.
I hope some teachers out there are reading this, or at least get this message.
Thank you.
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Everyone else can manage. It’s about managing your time efficiently. Homework is very important to children and there future
To number one, I’m a teacher also and can relate to the author. I barely give any homework this time of the year. I also feel that the teachers who do, are just trying to make up for what they didn’t accomplish in class. Please people have Rachmonis, you have no idea the pressures at home . To couple that off with homework, GEVALT!!!
I did 35 minutes of Rashi for my 11 year old daughter last night. That’s after 20 minutes of math. It was then too late for Kaporas.
Dear Teachers, please do use homework over vacation to show off to your principals.
stop whining thats why kids are failing>> Parents making excuses and doing the work. Maybe we should stop recess by 10 minutes every day and let them eat lunch while learning. than you will not have to be burdened.
I agreee my wife was complaining this morning that my daughter has a spelling test today.
We also need to change how much the kids learn.There is to much preasure in school they make them learn what they will never gain and its just a wate of time.
We as a kehila need to form a committee of mothers and rabonim to sit down and come up with a better solution.
Although I no longer have kids in school, I do homework sometimes with grandchildren. Homework is usually a review of what they learned in school in some shape or form. Reviewing chumash or gemorra they learned or reinforcing the math they learned by giving them problems to do which parents should only have to check if it is correct.
If your child needs more of your help than this – the problem is not the homework. Either the teacher is not making sure the students understand well enough or the child cannot grasp the material. To decide which is the problem you need to see if other children in the same class have the same problem. Then some form of intervention is needed.
The problem is not the amount of homework
I have always found that the teachers that give alot of homework are the younger, inexperienced teachers who don’t have older kids and don’t yet understand what it’s like for parents and kids who are overwhelmed by homework. As they get older and their own kids grow up, they decrease the amount of homework that they give.
It’s all our fault
because we want the schools to have a “great name” – we pressure our kids to much!!!
then things happen and we ask what’s going on
if we would not be “eliteists”
we would solve moe than half the problems
the schools will teach what they have to, at the proper pace etc,
not pushing every child to be the a “super”
a then a lot of them make a belly flop
it’s all “us” the communitty
lets face it and not comment on different schools – they are good, they are no good….
your good and no good, means, how much are they pressuring the kids – is that really good?
Speak to Rabbi Simcha Bunim Cohen he’s always talking about opening that type of school with less homework and only teaching about what’s important for life.
I teach 4th grade and try to limit the homework as much as possible and still there are pleanty of children not completing it. Please understand that as much as we teach in class there is absolutely no point if your child doesn’t do his/her homework. Homework is simply a review from that days class work there usually is nothing the parents need to help with your child should be doing it by themselves.
FIXED A TYPO
As a parent who B”H had many kids through our school system and now grandchildren too, I can tell you the problem is with the schools not the homework. Homework is not intended to be the time to teach your child Chumash, Rashi, Gemarah or math. It is meant to reinforce what was “studied” in class. If a high percentage of our children require a “Chavrusah” (a euphemism (look it up in the dictionary) for a Rebbe) or have their parents teach them math and science, then there is something seriously broken in our school system. Where does all that tuition money go? For the most part the Lemudei Chol teachers (with the exception of the girls schools) are woefully (look that up too) unprepared to be educators and many of the Rebeim are either burned out or have class sizes that make them ineffective. Let’s address the problem not the symptom. If our kids were better schooled, homework time would be much more relaxed.
I agree there should be limited amount of homework but I think its very exciting for the child to show his parents what he accomplished in school and the homework does it. I think if its taking too long for ur kids to do it there is something else bothering them and they might need help a spelling test after being tought in school should not take more then two min to study for at home and I would not say that’s too much. I agree there definitely is a pressure in knowing homework has to get done and briefcases packed up and ready but the amount of homework I think the teachers and rebbeim figured out by now.
How are kids supposed to remember what they learn in school for example torah subjects is the best over the yom tov because it will help relationship on what basicly your child learned in school. If your children don’t have homework they will get into trouble or be extra boredom…I agree with the Teacher that your child should get homework to keep them busy and ready for the next class. How is your child supposed to grow up smart and be ready for his or her future.. We are never free don’t forget Hashem put us on earth for test and not for nothing right??? Just realize you are done with school doesn’t mean you throw away your notes it will help you in future with your children and you will be able to look back at your old notes and it may or may not help your with your child understanding stuff better…
Kol Tov
Gemar Kisva Tova to all ….
Keep your excitement to yourself. Doing homework withh 6 kids, supper bedtime and all other issues aint exciting . If I had one lonely child maybe, its all a huge stress and u people have no Rachmonis and just GIVE GIVE GIVE homework, I hope u understand the suffering parents and their children at night
Parents – Get a Life !! Don’t do the H/W. Tell ur kids not to do it. Nothings gonna happen. Just ignore it. My daughter has 18 subjects, I told her pick 3 or 4 interesting ones & fail the rest. No one cares.
i agree with no 7 the older teachers give less homework ,they know what its like. i have 8 kids in school x 15 min a kid is 2hrs and most kids it takes time to get them to sit down to do the homework