Homework | Imamother

TzenaRena

Sun, May 14 2006, 5:31 am

GR wrote:

the students should be learning, not sitting as part of the scenery in the classroom

. How would you reccommend we accomplish that?

GR wrote:

the teacher and principal is so worried about "covering," when realistically, come on, will it make a difference in ten, twenty, thirty years in the students' lives?

I find that it makes a tremendous difference. Every bit of future learning will be based on the learning the child is doing now. Whether in fifteen years, the child will take to more complicated learning as a fish to water makes the difference if this child will become a Ben Torah in general. This is all built upon not only the skills, but also the background material the child has learned.

There is a chiyuv upon a Jew to learn Kol haTorah Kulah(see hilchos Talmud Torah l'AdMur haZaken). During childhood, one covers Torah She'bkesav, then Torah Sheb'al Peh, Mishna, the halachos and Gemara, the taamei hahalochos. and Poskim, Rishonim and Achronim. Eventually, he will learn on his own, but from the time that the father has the chiyuv to send him to learn, the child is supposed to learn Torah all day.(Hilchos Talmud Torah).

Although girls don't have the mitzvah of Talmud Torah in the same way, there is a lot that girls should learn. I personally am sad if my daughters will not have learned at least once through the five Chumashim, and the Nviim rishonim before graduating elementary school. If they have not relearned the Chumashim with meforshim, and gone through the entire TaNaCH, including Kesuvim, by the end of High School I feel that the education hasn't been solid. In future life, a person should recognize a passuk, and where it's from. Why? I just think a Jew should be knowledgeable about the Torah. It's our life.

mali wrote:

personally, I don't think it gives him anything, but if he won't prepare at home, he'll lose his recess, and have to do it then. when he's home, he always gets carried away with a million other things

My children gain a tremendous amount from doing their homework. I get to see what they are learning, to notice where they need help, or OTOH may not be learning enough, [and I can spot a teacher who wastes time through scant homework].

Homework helps my children focus and concentrate. reinforce their learning, and do much better than they would without it.

[Another advantage of homework is that it accustoms a child to have a mindset that one learns both by day and night, as per the mittzvah of Talmud Torah -it's built in night-time learning - and good training for this concept ].

TzenaRena

Sun, May 14 2006, 6:03 am

amother wrote:

I actually did go to a top "non jewish" school reknowned for its academics. Almost 3/4 of my class was either a National Merit Finalist or Semi-Finalist, which is based primarily on PSAT score. There were many AP classes (I personally started college as a sophomore). About half of the students go on to Ivy League colleges. The girl who graduated last in my class went to a top 20 college.
...
I had less than half the homework that my children have. Already, they have a very long day at school, as well as school on Sunday. When do they get to be children? When do we get family time that isn't consumed by schoolwork, bathing, or eating dinner?

I don't know what type of school you're sending your kids to, but there's a huge difference between the"non jewish" school you went to in your childhood, and any Yeshiva. If your children are learning both Limudei Kodesh and chol, they have a fully double workload.

If they are not, they still are learning a full day of limudei Kodesh, which is more exacting academically. There's nothing quite as fully absorbing as Gemara. Or even Chumash and Rashi with loads of teitshen to know, and memorize etc.

You also don't say anything about the age of your children, but I would guess it's lower elementary. I have never felt the way you do about homework, because I view it positively, and think it's very important. I think it prepares a child for a lifetime of responsibility, and something the child only will be grateful for in later years.

"Tov lagever ki yiso ol b'n'eurov"

Mostly, I don't see that my children have been deprived of childhood at all. There is plenty of play time.

gryp

Sun, May 14 2006, 8:45 am

Quote:

GR wrote:
the students should be learning, not sitting as part of the scenery in the classroom
. How would you reccommend we accomplish that?

by more individual learning, splitting up the class into groups according to ability.
by being consistent in the school's or teacher's system of reward and punishment (consequences, for those who cant bear to hear the word Wink

)
by making sure your child understands it his responsibility to be in learning in school, not daydreaming.
and more.

Quote:

GR wrote:
the teacher and principal is so worried about "covering," when realistically, come on, will it make a difference in ten, twenty, thirty years in the students' lives?

I find that it makes a tremendous difference. Every bit of future learning will be based on the learning the child is doing now. Whether in fifteen years, the child will take to more complicated learning as a fish to water makes the difference if this child will become a Ben Torah in general. This is all built upon not only the skills, but also the background material the child has learned.

SaraYehudis, thats really nice and wonderfully ideal, but the way students are taught in the classroom, they teach themselves to memorize the material short-term just to pass the tests, and forget the material a few days later.

Quote:

Although girls don't have the mitzvah of Talmud Torah in the same way, there is a lot that girls should learn. I personally am sad if my daughters will not have learned at least once through the five Chumashim, and the Nviim rishonim before graduating elementary school. If they have not relearned the Chumashim with meforshim, and gone through the entire TaNaCH, including Kesuvim, by the end of High School I feel that the education hasn't been solid. In future life, a person should recognize a passuk, and where it's from. Why? I just think a Jew should be knowledgeable about the Torah. It's our life.

that also would be ideally wonderful.
but I dont know anyone who has learned the entire Tanach in school. the school I went to went like this: SKIP, SKIP, SKIP.

Quote:

yes, thats one benefit of homework, the parents get to see [ahem, if they are interested enough, which many arent shock

] what the child is learning in school.
yet that can be done without homework too.

Quote:

Homework helps my children focus and concentrate. reinforce their learning, and do much better than they would without it.

how?

Quote:

[Another advantage of homework is that it accustoms a child to have a mindset that one learns both by day and night, as per the mittzvah of Talmud Torah -it's built in night-time learning - and good training for this concept ].

perhaps, if you teach them that is is a benefit that way, then it can be.
except I dont think girls need to learn that by doing hours upon hours of homework and going to sleep at who knows what time.
and older boys dont have homework once they start school early and come home late.

Mrs.Norris

Sun, May 14 2006, 9:06 am

Children need homework, how else will they learn everything they need to if they don't review what they learn at home and if they don't practice? It is even more important once you get to high school as most of this homework is simply helping you towards exams.
I think it's down to parents to make sure their children to all the homework, I was never really motivated to do mine when I was younger and I think I suffered slightly from it (even though once I got to late high school years I motivated myself as I knew I needed to do the work to pass all my exams).

As for the posh schools not giving homework ... what? I don't know about the US but in England the private schools give A LOT more homework than the other schools but school on Sunday is almost unheard of here however I do know that some of the very religious schools have school on Sunday I suppose if you feel it's too over whelming don't send your child there?
I personally think it is asking a bit much making school on Sunday and the days are longer as it is in the more religious schools but that I understand is necessary, it's the only way to get both Hebrew and English subjects in the curriculum.