9/24/12 Homework

The worst of the worst....first grade. That's been my "sour spot" for homework, because much is expected of 6-year-olds that they can't, or won't, do on their own.

And Katrina has daily turn-in homework, and it's of the type I hate the most: it forces parent involvement.

But, a new homework routine has emerged since Julian also has his first daily turn-in homework (he escaped it in 1st and 2nd grades): Julian sits in the kitchen and works on it while I make dinner, and we chat on and off. For the most part, he's getting his work done, though it's a lot, and distractions are plentiful in the kitchen.

And nothing distracts him more than a 1st-grader who has homework that involves a parent reading a list of words, and the 1st-grader putting their hands on their head when they hear a short 'e' sound.

A seriously silly waste of time, IMO.

There are other options on this homework for the 1st-grader to re-enforce the "short e" concept without gymnastics, but Katrina wanted to do this one. And I didn't object too much for once, since I was already in kid-kitchen-homework mode with Julian.

On the other hand, maybe some of my objections to homework have to do with how difficult it was to implement. Katrina is far more conscientious than her brothers ever were, even to the point of fussing and complaining if I don't do my part, from reading a list of words to signing or initialing a paper.

I still object to 1st-grade daily turn-in homework that forces parent participation, maybe because of the PTSD that came from attempting to do it with a reticent 1st-grade Gabriel and a nightly-tantruming 2-year-old Katrina, and let's not forget the preschooler thrown into the mix, but it's not nearly as bad this time around.

9/24/12