tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post6867969924979682580..comments2024-03-29T02:41:52.718-07:00Comments on Seattle Schools Community Forum: Odds and EndsMelissa Westbrookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-3038197278365173982013-03-12T08:16:19.347-07:002013-03-12T08:16:19.347-07:00@Grey Watch
We did Waldorf too and loved the no h...@Grey Watch<br /><br />We did Waldorf too and loved the no homework aspect of it (other than the couple of projects each year, like the house in 3rd grade). I have a junior at the Waldorf High School and a freshman at Nathan Hale. They both have homework now and they have adapted to the amount. Both are excellents students at their respective high schools.<br /><br />HPAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-59175472726942179462013-03-12T02:06:10.638-07:002013-03-12T02:06:10.638-07:00Stratos Jet Charters clients seek the flexibility ...Stratos Jet Charters clients seek the flexibility of choosing among many different aircraft for their personalized charter flights . With access to over 5,000 aircraft that meet the most rigorous standards of air charter safety, Stratos Jet Charters provides the highest level of aircraft flexibility and guarantees a private charter aircraft with as little as twelve hours notice.....<br /><a href="http://www.stratosjets.com" rel="nofollow">charter jets new york</a>Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10973943747740690313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-63519521663507145262013-03-11T22:01:40.849-07:002013-03-11T22:01:40.849-07:00Homework is a balancing act. When it becomes a sup...Homework is a balancing act. When it becomes a supplement to what a teacher requires in order to "pass the test," that tells me the system is broken and I'm not feeding my kids into it. We started reading when they were babies and kept reading and storytelling every day. Math was counting at home. Counting, then basic arithmetic for everything. We never did work sheets unless the kids wanted to do them. There were fine. We sent kids prepared to learn. I never felt we needed to do any more than that and our teachers, with a few exceptions, never asked for more. For everyone, the "Don't stress me out" rule should apply.<br /><br />Mr. WhiteAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-10119060286849788812013-03-11T20:04:12.392-07:002013-03-11T20:04:12.392-07:00reading was one of our favorite family activities,...reading was one of our favorite family activities, but reading logs were a chore. Sometimes we'd write down a few books just to have something to turn in. We eventually stopped turning them in altogether. We also stopped turning in homework. Oh yeah, then we switched to a waldorf school for 4 years :). With the exception of a few projects (and lots of festivals) they typically don't have homework until 5th grade. Delightful - except for the tuition part.GreyWatchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15177134279070087546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-1937755654644839422013-03-11T14:46:31.745-07:002013-03-11T14:46:31.745-07:00We read to our kids every night, rain or shine, an...We read to our kids every night, rain or shine, and have done ever since they were newborns. That is awesome parent homework!!! Our kids also had reading homework in kindergarten, and nothing else that came home on a regular basis. The reading was cool - the teacher has a set of "I See Sam" books and when the child finished one, they got to get the next in the series. They are in the public domain and free for downloading. At the end they got a nice little certificate. http://www.marriottmd.com/sam/index.htmlThank you, teachernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-71069377537152024912013-03-11T13:27:58.202-07:002013-03-11T13:27:58.202-07:00For those who are considering EnVision, the Kinder...For those who are considering EnVision, the Kindergarten worksheet linked to this bog is attributed to enVision, but does not actually appear to be enVision materials. The part at the bottom with a teacher's name crossed out and a little Micky Mouse saying something does not appear to be taken from enVision. My child has an EnVision curriculum and there is no Disney branding in it. Since people are talking about changing from Every Day math, I think it is important that anything attributed to a specific curriculum actually be from that curriculum (rather than teacher-created materials).<br />-- not sure if it is really EnVisionAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-43932563189033219802013-03-11T12:40:54.602-07:002013-03-11T12:40:54.602-07:00When my child was in kindergarten, the homework wa...When my child was in kindergarten, the homework was not that hard. I'm thinking it was just reading and reading log.<br />Patrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16260807460417787614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-16472581307123038872013-03-11T08:22:19.820-07:002013-03-11T08:22:19.820-07:00My kid is going into K next year so it is interest...My kid is going into K next year so it is interesting to hear what might be expected. I don't have a problem with a little homework, or even worksheets for that matter. What concerned me about that particular worksheet was the Disney marketing tagged onto the bottom. Sure, Mickey Mouse was being supportive but I don't think he has any place on my kid's homework. TBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-87414847240454438912013-03-10T21:44:39.655-07:002013-03-10T21:44:39.655-07:00Thank you Jet City mom (and teacher 'n'), ...Thank you Jet City mom (and teacher 'n'), for pointing out the diversity of kids' needs, even as early as kindergarten.<br /><br />One of my kids was so frustrated (actually depressed, it was quite troubling for months) in kindergarten <i>because</i> there were no "academics" happening in the classroom. My kid's expectation was that they would be reading and doing math from day one, but it was really just a socialization setting, with coloring, learning to follow rules, wait in line, etc. This was a high-performing school, that's just the way kindergarten was run.<br /><br />So for a few kids who are ready, K can be a big bore, frustrating and non-motivating. For other kids, they need that year to adjust to spending 6 hours/day in a classroom, controlling their emotions and learning to deal with others. Guess what, we're all different!<br /><br />Any classroom that attempts to work "for all kids" is doomed to fail. Either the teacher needs to make <i>hugely</i> varying accommodations (which makes kids stand out one way or the other: <i>not good, socially!</i>), or kids suffer. <i>This</i> is why (self-contained) Spectrum and APP are valuable. To give <i>all</i> kids a fair shot at an appropriate environment each and every year, without devaluing <i>any</i> child. And if it's done right, the kids don't even need to know. It's sickening that so many people (including some teachers and principals) don't understand this, and that the programs are mindlessly being dismantled instead of nurtured and implemented with tact and grace.TDnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-4482806900144432432013-03-10T20:44:30.951-07:002013-03-10T20:44:30.951-07:00Developmentally they are very different & we c...Developmentally they are very different & we cant rush the ones who arent ready and we shouldnt kill their natural drive for learning either.<br />We also need smaller classrooms for K-2.<br /><br />I have one kid who taught herself to read when she was three & the other didn't read till she was eight. <br />But their intelligence levels are comparable and the late bloomer may be more creative in her application.<br />Jet City momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14804841958585043967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-29635143658283335942013-03-10T19:56:32.561-07:002013-03-10T19:56:32.561-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.djhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01720927162286657378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-17696307501395677342013-03-10T19:56:06.069-07:002013-03-10T19:56:06.069-07:00One of my kids had a weekly homework packet in kin...One of my kids had a weekly homework packet in kindergarten. The other one who is school-aged didn't (and that was last year at a school with a decent reputation). They did have a reading log. i didn't notice much difference in terms of what they learned through the year.djhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01720927162286657378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-36295665249199290112013-03-10T19:31:19.374-07:002013-03-10T19:31:19.374-07:00At my kids' school, the kindergarten teachers ...At my kids' school, the kindergarten teachers said their homework was to be an involved member of their family. They encouraged parents to have the kids set the table, help with dinner, talk about what had happened in school.... No worksheets no reading log (though parents were asked to read to the kids.) There was a big sign over the K entrance: <i>Childhood is a journey, not a race.</i><br /><br />I'm not sure if the teachers are still allowed to do that there.Maureenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18444916440000921599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-5533660003255167202013-03-10T18:49:29.238-07:002013-03-10T18:49:29.238-07:00Re: Kindergarten homework, I just didn't do it...Re: Kindergarten homework, I just didn't do it, with either of my two kids. What were they going to do, kick them out? <br /><br />We've skipped a lot of homework over the years. Now our older daughter is in 5th and she gets a very reasonable amount, which she completes nicely. <br /><br />I feel that I know what they need and am engaged in their educations. I guess not all parents are, and maybe homework is a good way to rope them into their kids' education, but it's also a good way to stress the family out, with just more pile on to the ol' "to do" list.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-5168298084868874412013-03-10T17:39:15.981-07:002013-03-10T17:39:15.981-07:00I always struggle with how much homework to give o...I always struggle with how much homework to give out. Once I asked for feedback and the diversity of responses was mind-boggling. I'll never ask again. So I give out quite a bit but hope that my parents use their discretion. Children in primary are developmentally very different from each other. Some love the homework and challenge and others are not ready for it. Parents can be the best determiners. Better than me. <br /><br />Also, with the amount of curriculum we are teaching, I welcome the help of my parents to reinforce the learning. I am, after all, accountable to the test. <br /><br />Thanks for the great links in this commentary. I found every one of them very interesting.nnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-48704470924891269642013-03-10T16:39:45.904-07:002013-03-10T16:39:45.904-07:00At our school, parents get the homework - read to ...At our school, parents get the homework - read to your child 20 minutes a day.Chris S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17016898261120819596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-32245479103073163772013-03-10T13:36:32.282-07:002013-03-10T13:36:32.282-07:00I see my K kid's homework a bit differently. ...I see my K kid's homework a bit differently. The homework includes math, word work and writing - all things they do in the classroom. Sometimes the work sheets are copies of the same things that they have already done in the classroom that week. I'm in the classroom one morning a week and see how that work is used in class.<br /><br />I think the homework gets the parents involved in what's happening in the classroom. For the parents who can't come in, at least they can still participate in their kid's learning beyond reading with them every day. It's really easy to read to kids every day, but math literacy is also important and it is *much* harder to smoothly work that into our time with kids. We read to our kids (almost) every night, but don't make the same effort to support them learning about numbers.<br /><br />At first I thought the math homework was a waste of time (count cars! find shapes!) but now I see it as a starting point to talk about math and how fun it can be.<br /><br />It also helps that our teacher has made sure to let us know that we should take a break if we or the kids start getting stressed out by it. If we decide the kids need some time off, that's ok.<br /><br />Majehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14946793603263324660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-44781428023106322602013-03-10T12:52:03.614-07:002013-03-10T12:52:03.614-07:00Nice idea Jet City—five of something, something th...Nice idea Jet City—five of something, something that begins with the letter D—things like that make it fun and are not too time-consuming. But, I feel for the kids whose parents can't be or aren't involved enough to even help with that.<br /><br />Kids who have parents who are engaged in their education will always have the advantage over those who don't—sad but true. It would be nice if schools could work with the families of kindergarteners to get them invested and help them understand what their role in the process should be. <br /><br />Simple "homework" like that, and maybe a reading log could be a great start. At the least, it could identify the families that might need that extra help.<br /><br />Solvay GirlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-22671367887373635062013-03-10T12:42:46.515-07:002013-03-10T12:42:46.515-07:00I dont think the parents of kindergarteners or the...I dont think the parents of kindergarteners or the kids themselves need homework.<br />Aim to be read to every day, get a good nights sleep & have breakfast in the morning. I think that is plenty for any 5 yr old.<br />Worksheets- blah.<br />If you want to teach numbers, have them bring five of something, make it more tangible.Jet City momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14804841958585043967noreply@blogger.com