Thanks to Erik for pointing me toward the Stop Homework website, a site devoted to the argument that there is "very little correlation between the amount of homework and achievement in elementary school and only a moderate correlation in middle school." There's a lot of good food for thought at the site, all of it deliciously debatable of course!! Now I know M & M need to learn to manage homework. We choose to send them to school (not that I haven't contemplated home schooling...sorry, kids, Mom would probably lose it). I do think socialization and learning to work with "the system" are both essential.
At any rate, the following was posted on the Stop Homework website, and it distilled my feelings about the d#*! reading log:
I Hate Reading Logs
by FedUp Mom
Every time I think we’ve solved the school problem something comes along to bite me in the rear. This week it’s the dreaded reading log. We found out about it from a letter the teachers sent home:
“Your child will be expected to read every night. We ask that you sign the log each night … We will also check the log regularly, in order to ensure follow through on your child’s part… Please sign the form below and return it to school tomorrow with your child.”
And now, the fun part:
“Thank you for your partnership in your child’s education.” (!)
And how does following the teacher’s directions make me a partner exactly? I feel more like an unpaid employee. Wait a minute — we’re paying them!
There was a little form at the bottom of the letter that said:
“I have read the above letter and agree to help my child by signing his/her log each night.”
I crossed this out and wrote in:
“We trust our daughter to do her reading.”
Then we signed it.
Then we sent the following e-mail to the teacher:
Teacher X: we have chosen not to participate in the reading log. We’ve experienced reading logs before and have these objections:
1.) They turn reading into a chore.
2.) They send a message that we don’t trust (daughter) to do the reading without meddling and micromanaging.
(Daughter) will do the reading she needs to do, but she won’t be logging the pages. Thank you.
I’m hoping that will be the end of it. I’m really tired of conferences and I’m sure we all have better things to do with our time.
1 comment:
Being a parent doesn't sound like a fun job. Not having kids myself, a lot of people would tell me I shouldn't have an opinion about this subject but that's just crap. Making a kid do tons of homework and not get to be a kid just makes a kid hate school.
Thanks for posting about the nohomework blog. I read alot of the post and comments. Very interestng. I actually felt bad for both the teachers and the parents.
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