General Chat

my daughter (8)has homework every week,spellings and maths.they get this on a monday and it has to be in on friday.this week my daughter was off school monday afternoon so didn't get the homework.being miss forgetful she didn't bring it home till wednesday.anyway she did all the spellings but didn't get all the maths done so i wrote anote to the maths teacher explaining this and saying she'd bring it in on monday. my daughter came home from school and said the teacher shouted at her'thats no excuse,so you'll have to go to the detention room at lunchtime to do it'. now my daughter does her homework every week,never late and i no for a fact that there are children that week in week out don't do it. i think the teacher has been really harsh,what do you think

I would ring the headmaster/mistress and complain about the teachers atitude

i shouldn't really say this but the headmaster is about as useful as a choclate fireguard but i do intend to speak to the teacher

Karen, I would approach the teacher and ask why she could not have been a bit understanding as she had not had the homework the same time as the others and you had gone to the trouble of writing a note as well. It does seem to me that they get too much homework, again it is all down to performance results etc. The only thing is, the teacher has the upper hand, if you make too much fuss she might take it out on your daughter. Ann Glos

On the subject of holidays in term time. My Grandson's (all now at senior school) school have a blanket ban on holidays in tern time. Nobody is given permission to take their child out of school. Mind you previously when they have been kept off for holidays they have always had homework to take with them.. They need to do this extra work if they are not to feel left behind when they go back. Ann Glos

There's more to education than schoolwork.

Karen, playing devil's advocate here - teachers have to exert authority in the classroom. Your daughter has learned the price that she has to pay for not doing the work set. She won't forget the way she felt when the teacher told her off and will remember to get her homework done on time in future. Maybe the teacher was a bit hard on your daughter because he/she doesn't want your girl turning out like the children you mentioned that don't do their homework on a regular basis.

I am fed up with homework. I spent years of my life doing it and now I have to help my kids do theirs! It's not fair. It also seems rather arbitrary regarding the amount and the teachers' attitudes too. My elder son when in year 4 at primary didn't get any feedback or marks on any homework, though he did it all. At the end of the year, nothing. In year 5 he got a certificate to say he'd done all his homework for the year. In year 6 he had spellings, maths & English. My younger son in year 4 had a project to complete over a half-term, which I think is too long a time period for children of his age - and as someone said earlier, it just showed which parents had been on the internet/to the local library to do the research. Now the poor chap is doing boosters 3 nights a week after school, plus science revision, spellings, maths & English every week for the ****ing SATS. I think by the time he's finished school he will never want to see an exam paper again. I hate this education as a way of drilling things into children so they can regurgitate them into an acceptable form for the examiners. That's no way to teach anyone to THINK! GGGRRR. Rant over. nell

Hi Karen I agree, children do have to much homework too early and in the long run, I don't believe it makes any difference at all!!! She is ONLY 8!! My daughter's had no homework until they went to Middle School at 10 years and are equal to all their friends who went to other schools and had loads of homework from an early age. In fact the other kids are sick to death of homework, while my kids are quite happy to do it. As for taking the kids out of school for a holiday - go for it. Life is a balance - your children aren't going to fail their GCSE's because they had a two week holiday. Tammy

Have to agree with Ann here on the subject of holidays in term time. I teach in a secondary school and if a child is on holiday for two weeks of term time they miss 6 hours of teaching time in my subject. I can cover a complete topic in that time. Also, if there is coursework involved (years 10 and 11) the whole situation becomes ridiculous. Ann is right: the only person who suffers is the child. My school also has the policy that as the child has been removed from its education by the parent, we will not set or mark any work for them in that time. It is up to the child to catch up on 2 weeks' work when they return. Going back to the original question, however, I do feel that the teacher was harsh on your daughter as she is only 8, but as said in a previous reply, this will probably be the first and last time her homework is ever incomplete. It is a pain though, marking work that comes in late. Teachers have to plan their marking time, as well as their teaching time, to maintain the continuity of lessons. Janice

I agree the teacher went too far. In the circumstances I, too, would be very cross.

I have an 8 yr old son..he gets the same amount of homework..but boys will be boys ...sometimes it doesnt reach home..his teachers are very good and never pressure the kids.... I think this is very harsh and a phone call to the head should be made..or a visit to the teacher .... Anita :)

If my daughter ever has time off school on a Friday when the homework is handed out , I always ask the teacher for homework to take home on the following Monday when she returns. We then make sure that she does the homework and can hand it in the next day. Then ahgain I am married to a teacher, so we are pretty hot on getting things done as soon as possible so that life can be enjoyed. My husband says that there should be no homework, everything should get covered in class and just things like spellings or reading need to be done at home. I think the teacher was using your daughter as an example to the others. Louise

I'm glad I don't have kids - nothing is worth living that life over again for! And on the subject of taking holidays during term time because they're cheaper - all I can say is if it wasn't for the kindness of an aunt in the West country, my sister and I wouldn't have had a holiday anywhere, let alone abroad. But if my Mum couldn't take her annual leave at an appropriate time, then we couldn't, and didn't go.

Yeah he went to far, she's only 8, when I was 11 a teacher shouted at me for not doing my homework, but this was because he had been shouting at 2 boys who weren't behaving and didn't change his tone to talk to me, my mum was told about this and she had a good go at the teacher, he didn't shout at me again. And we used to have homework on a Friday so we actually had time to do it. Also we didn't have SATS and I don't see why kids have em now, only GCSE's count towards getting a job anyway. AL

Peter and Wendy, i'm all for discipline,in my opinon schools are far too easy on some things but my daughter has 100% attendance,has never been late with her homework and she is only 8 years old. i feel that she could have said that she would let her off this time but if it happened again then she would have to go to the detention room. oh and something else they are supposed to get the homework on mondays but the maths teacher sometimes forgets and they get it on tuesdays---isn't it funny how she doesn't mind handing it out late but god forbid it be handed in late. and whilst i'm ranting the teacher doesn't even mark it the kids have to mark their own rant over...................... for now

Karen - I think I'm scared of you. xx

If I were you Karen, I would have punched that teacher on the nose by now, so it's a good job I'm not...

Wendy be afraid .....very afraid

Karen I am, shall I do the homework and then it saves any hassle ? :-))