K12 school who don't overload on homework (Houston, St. Jo: home, middle school)

[CaroleF]

Hi Everyone

A friend's fourth grader in a private school has three hours homework every night! She'd like to move him, understandably. Does anyone know of a good private school in The Houston area where they honor current research says that homework in grade school is largely a waste of time?

I'm a former teacher myself and used to give a lot of homework, but latterly I felt that it was not achieving results and just stressed the students out.

[houston-nomad]

Saint Catherine's Montessori has no homework in 4th grade. Some homework in middle school, but not much.

I agree with you 100%... the research does NOT support the current homework overload. Parents evidently keep demanding it. I'd like to see them do three hours of work at home, after their full day of work. I think it's horrible.

[Meyerland]

I usually help my child with their HW to keep it to a minimum. I don't do the work, but I explain and give advice. I set up the area and get any needed supplies. We keep it to an hour, but independently it would probably take 2 hours

I also keep her focused and set timers.

[Meyerland]

Most schools give more homework as the years pass. It's rare to find one that doesn't. There is a spring branch use middle school that doesn't.

Cornerstone academy is the name.

[HookTheBrotherUp]

Originally Posted by Meyerland

Most schools give more homework as the years pass. It's rare to find one that doesn't. There is a spring branch use middle school that doesn't.

Cornerstone academy is the name.

I never had homework, and I turned out just fine, as most in my age group, but I also know people have different rates of learning. But giving out homework just to check something off a list is not a good idea, so it seems from some of the work our children bring home. A lot is useless.

The problem for us is not the homework per say, but the volume. We have four children, two years between each, so basically class takes a break in the afternoon, then continues on the dinner table, sometimes late into the night if dinner gets in the way. The earlier poster's comment about working all day, then having to help with homework is correct, it makes for a monotonous life during the week. I remember as a kid getting home, doing chores, then going out and playing with all the kids on the block, then returning for dinner, they more play, then bed time!

[Meyerland]

Originally Posted by HookTheBrotherUp

I never had homework, and I turned out just fine, as most in my age group, but I also know people have different rates of learning. But giving out homework just to check something off a list is not a good idea, so it seems from some of the work our children bring home. A lot is useless.

The problem for us is not the homework per say, but the volume. We have four children, two years between each, so basically class takes a break in the afternoon, then continues on the dinner table, sometimes late into the night if dinner gets in the way. The earlier poster's comment about working all day, then having to help with homework is correct, it makes for a monotonous life during the week. I remember as a kid getting home, doing chores, then going out and playing with all the kids on the block, then returning for dinner, they more play, then bed time!

I agree with you. It's just hard to find schools that agree.

[ipuck]

I think it is not really the material in the homework but to get the kids to spend some time at home to study and do some learning more than anything else.

I know most of the parents here wouldn't think anything of it to read to their kid at home, but for alot of parents out there, you need to push and assign work to get them to spend time with their kids.

This is even more apparent when is single parent household.

[Dopo]

The issue is not the amount of homework
the issue is how good did the teacher teach the material.
If the teacher did a good job, the kid shouldn't take 3 hours to homework.
That makes me think that the teacher teaches 1/2 of the lesson and leaves the kids to figure out the other 1/2 by themselves at home.

[Failed Engineer]

Yup, the teacher is being lazy by outsourcing the teaching and classwork to the parents, and a lot of these parents eat it up as good "extra" work.

But like said above, homework is just the new reality. Aside from the expensive private schools, kids are going to get a lot of homework. It sucks, but just the way it is.

[Meyerland]

Originally Posted by Failed Engineer

Yup, the teacher is being lazy by outsourcing the teaching and classwork to the parents, and a lot of these parents eat it up as good "extra" work.

But like said above, homework is just the new reality. Aside from the expensive private schools, kids are going to get a lot of homework. It sucks, but just the way it is.

Kids in private schools get the same or more homework, unless it's some small private school.

St. John's is give or take 25,000$ a year and they get a ton of HW. It's the same with Kincaid and others.