I agree that he has excessive homework.  I would call the teacher and ask to meet with her after school or in the morning or even at lunch of Wed to get both of them.

I think homework can be for a number of reasons.

It is possible that the paper work about learning new words is supposed to be done in school but that your son has troulbe doing it.  Distraction or not enough time.

In my view, he should have time in school to learn what he needs to learn.  Studying for a test, shoul dbe a simple as him bringing home his book to refresh himself.  He should already know the stuff.  If you are teaching him the math work or the words then something is wrong. 

Either he isn't being taught it, doesn't have enough time to learn it or is being distracted by someone or something.  Soemtimes classrooms can be terribly noisy and perhaps he can't concentrate.

As to reading?  Most teachers i have had with my kids do give reading every night as work to do.

It isn't homework so much as it is trying to build a habit of reading.  To be a good student you need to be a good reader.  It's important.

However my kids were allowed to read many different things, not just books assigned by the teacher.  Books, magazines, clavin and Hobbs comics.......

Meet the teacher this week or next.  I wouldn't do alot of calling between moms as you don't want it to appear you are trying to stir up issues and it is possible that the issue relates to your son and his ability to work in a noisy room.  that needs to be addressed in my opinion by decreasing the noise in the room

thanks lastpointe.  i don't mind the reading at all.  we read every night anyways with all three kids. as a journalism student reading is not an issue with me at all.  my kids love books and we have our own "library" full of them.  on top of my son's school book we read two other books that evening as well.  my daughter picks two: one for her and one for her baby sister.

as for the writing part, it is nightly homework for all the kids.  it is called word study.  the teacher sends home a book with the nightly assignments and the kids hand it in on friday to be checked.  it has been assigned since his first week of school.

like i said, i think since he has 2 teachers who only teach 2.5 days each and things just aren't working.  for example.  he had science on mon/tues.  wed night his science book and "review" came home.  the remainder of the work was to be learnt at home since wed/thurs/fri he had his other teacher.

the moms (3) i have contacted are only the ones who i am close with.  our four boys have been close friends and in the same classes since jk.  i will actually be seeing them all this weekend for a playdate.

i just don't know if i should be addressing the teachers or the principal.  i am either a "concerned parent" or "jake's mom".  teachers don't always take questioning very well.

and just for another example, he had math review come home on monday night.  math isn't taught until wed/thurs/fri.  so the initial math lesson he was learning at home.  then the math teacher is "following up" on her days.

as well, his tests never reflect what comes home for review.  we focus on the review sheets and i find that he is then tested on things he was not taught.  there are also questions on his review that have no "answers".  i will check his textbook from front to back and there is no example or answer.  we are left at our best guess or our own interpretation.  easy enough most of the time, but there have been times when the question posed requires a "textbook" answer.

Something is very screwy for sure but i do feel the first step is the teacher.  I would worry about going over their heads right off and i would expect the principal woudl ask what they said about it when you talked to him/her.

there is no way you should be teaching a new concept so perhaps one teacher figures the other has done it??

Just curious - is he in a public school or private?   A friend of ours took her child out of private school in Grade One due to excessive homework demands.   It also sounds like a highly demanding level of curriculum ... where did Dick & Jane & Spot go? (now I'm showing my age!)   That vocab sounds quite advanced! 

This amount of homework seems very unrealistic for Grade One, IMO.   Research also doesn't really support the value of homework ... I think we had another thread on that - perhaps try the search box to find it.   It was quite interesting.    And if parents are actually teaching rather than reviewing - well, that's just wrong.

You said this is an 'experimental' model of shared teaching at this level - on that basis I would probably request a meeting with the principal to understand the expectations & give him/her some feedback on your child's experience re homework demands, and to see what the principal is thinking in terms of how the model is working, perhaps he/she will be calling a meeting of parents to solicit feedback?  (hope springs eternal in my world!)  

I do agree with lastpointe that there will be a need to chat with the teachers too.  At this point though, I'm sort of coming at it from a higher level - is this a problem based in the model - i.e. possibly inadequate communication & joint planning between the teaching partners, or is it a problem with one or possibly both of the teachers & their expectations, or is a problem of kids not getting stuff done at school - and if so, why not?   Possibly once you explore some questions with the principal, a joint meeting with principal & both teachers & some parents (possibly not just you) to examine this further would be useful.   So at this point ... engaging the principal around trying to better define what's happening, in order to work toward solution is my perspective. 

How we define a problem determines how we solve it - and often this step is not fully addressed.

lastpointe: maybe they  figure one another are covering it.  to the best of my knowledge they each teach their own focus, but maybe they are overlapping.  we have interviews coming up, but i just know what i went through when i was in elementary school and my dad questioned incorrect scores on my math tests.  it was a year from HELL.  i cried myself to sleep every night.  i would hate to have that happen.  not that it would, but it could.

carolla: it is public.  he is doing great.  he scores almost perfect on everything. his reading has jumped leaps and bounds, but at a high cost.  homework every night. 

it's also taken alot away from family life.  our 3 kids are young. bedtime is at 8.  he gets home at around 3:30.  he has a snack.  homework starts around 4.  we're usually done by 5.  i start dinner.  we eat by 6-6:30.  done and table cleared by 7, 7:15 if we have a treat.  bath time, brush teeth, story, bed.  that usually leaves him an hour for himself.  this week, it has been nothing but homework.  no spare time in the evenings.  even ski lessons put him behind.  he has to double up tonight because there wasn't enough time last night.

he complains that he is tired and has headaches after school.

I missed the part about it being an experiment that Carolla saw.  I agree, a appointment with the principal is in order.

He needs time to play and read for relaxing, a little tv, sports.........

Partly you are stuck with early bed times and partly younger siblings so there are logistical issues.

When my kids were little they came home form school, had a snack of cheese and fruit or something and free time till 5ish.

Then while I did dinner or wrote letters they sat at the table and did homework.  Left me able to watch and help where necessary.

But for about 45 minutes tops and no teaching the material myself.

We then ate at around 6 :30 so they had play time, dinner in my mind should be pretty quick.  30 minutes or so.

Free time from 7 - 745 then bed prep time?

And i think at least one evening it is good to have a sport or something that you do.  Tobagganing, skating, hockey, hiking, biking....... no homework that night or jus the reading.

I've found that one's approach makes a big difference in how comments are rec'd - perhaps that was an issue with your Dad's interaction - most of us don't like to be told we're doing stuff incorrectly!  Unfortunate that you paid the price for that.  But you're not your Dad & I'm sure you'll find a way.

I think  we as parents have to set the balance for our kids when it comes to homework & healthy lifestyle.   If it's too much & interfering with a balanced life (for the child & the family) - especially in GRADE ONE!! - then I think it's okay to discuss with the teachers that sometimes the homework won't be done and that's your call - and chat about what time line seems reasonable, and that no punishment or judgement should be dealt your child when it is YOU making these decisions.   Especially when your child is so bright and doing well - really, what's the point?   If he was needing remediation, then the story changes, but not very much, IMO.   Balance is crucial! 

Here is my opinion on homework.............it is useless. It is a waste of time and an exercise in futility. Homework in ANY grade should be 0 hours a day. Kids already spend 6-7 hours a day in school, why send them home for a second shift. All homework does is stress that all that matters are grades and performance. Critical and creative thinking -  not so much.

Alfie Kohn is an educational theorist and a brilliant mind in education. I recommend picking up his book The Homework Myth. It will blow your mind.

The Schools Our Children Deserve is another great book by Alfie Kohn. Although he talks about American Schools, the information is also applicable to Canadian schools as well.

I did some student teaching in Buffalo as well as my actual teaching placements here in Ontario. There is absolutely NO difference in the state of education between the two. It's one size fits all education that promotes achievement and performance is all that matters.

This is quite a problem for you.  Even bigger is the problem of the best way to handle it.  My personal view?  Grade One kids shouldn't have ANY homework  (reading to parents should be fun not torture!).  

I would make an appointment with one of the teachers (both if possible) and explain what effect the homework is having outside the classroom.  Mostly I'd try to keep my words about the child, and what it is like for him to have greatly reduced free play time,  recreation time and family time.  If necessary I'd ask for the teachers' input on the problems you face - which should I put first - fresh air and exercise or spelling?  Family time or math?  Social activities or reading?  Do you, as teachers. think his newly acquired headaches are stress induced, and what can we, as adults, do about that?

Here is a TED talk by Sir Ken Robinson. It runs about 20 minutes, but it is worth every minute to watch.

I'm not a parent, but I think I can add my two cents from the perspective of a teacher.

I personally share Tyson's view, with a few exceptions -- those simply being standard things like studying for tests and finishing things at home that were not completed at school.  (Which, Tyson, I'm guessing you agree with or could at least live with this.)  As well, in early years, reading at home is crucial, but someone a few posts up said it should be enjoyable, not torture -- nothing is learned if it's not enjoyable.

When I was student teaching, I got in trouble for not assigning enough homework.  (I also got in trouble for making school fun, but that's another story.)  In my grade 10 pre-calculus math class, I was supposed to assign enough homework so that they would be busy for 20 minutes in class and one hour (!!!) at home.  One hour of homework for one class.  Add English homework and science homework and social studies homework on top of that.  That is unreal and overkill.

My personal philosophy is that all assignments *should* be able to be completed in class (again, with a few exceptions), so that students can ask the teachers for help, explanations, etc.  After all, teachers are supposed to be subject matter experts.  I may have gotten in trouble for reducing the homework load on these students, but grades went up across the board and I was a very hard marker.  My experience tells me that more homework does NOT equal more learning.

*end of rant*

thanks kay:  i don't remember having homework until grade 6ish, in preperation for highschool.  i don't think there should be homework in grade one either.  i like how you worded the conversation.  i will definitely rehearse those points.

tyson: so if homework isn't all that it's cracked up to be, why is it still the rule of thumb?  how do we as a society change it?  as a parent, do i have the right to limit it or request the teachers limit it?  with this taste of grade one homework we are already considering sullivan learning centres a couple nights a week (instead of skiing, skateboarding and playdates). it shouldn't be :(

youthworker: i will then ask you the same questions i asked tyson.

Homework is still assigned because most people just assume that it is beneficial and do not question its validity. An overcrowded curriculum is also to blame. Many teachers do not have the time to teach it all (especially teachers teaching grades 3 and 6 with EQAO testing all the rage these days) so the easiest thing to do is assign homework to ensure that everything is covered. The issue here is that students do not actually learn anything. Sure they acquire knowledge but the acquisition of knowledge and actually learning something are entirely two different things. So, instead of thining out the curriculum and allowing students learn something, the curriculum stays the same and students get bombarded with information and little else. What isn't covered in class gets assigned as homework. Pathetic.

Two things are needed if we wish to change the status quo:

1) Change and thin out the curriculum so students have a chance to actually learn something

2) Say enough to homework. If enough parents do, things just might change.

I believe you as a parent have every right to say something to the teacher and indeed the principal. It's your child and his education and you have every right to have a say in how he is educated. Assigning homework in any grade is ridiculous, in grade one it's just plain stupid.

I would caution you against the Sullivan Learning route. All they do is propagate the ugly paradigm that all that matters is achievement and performance.

Sorry to be kind of unhelpful, but one of the reasons I never entered teaching professionally is because of the extreme emphasis on grades and getting students to do excessive amounts of work.  And as I'm not in the profession, I'm not really "up" on everything, but I do still have opinions...

I think a lot of it, and the potential to shift away from excessive homework, lies with the atmosphere within the school and the school division.

The student teaching placement where I got in all that trouble (but still got good evaluations in the end) was in a school and school division that attempted to shape its image as the school/division filled with high academics.  The first thing they push in all of their literature is their emphasis on high academic learning.  The first thing they push on their students is homework.

I am currently employed in a different school and school division as non-teaching staff.  However, I have experience with this division from a previous student teach placement, and I know a fair bit about how this division operates.  Their main emphasis is on developing life long learners and teaching the whole child.  So, while curriculum and academics are high priorities, as they should be, they are not exclusively so.  At a staff meeting recently, the administration played one of the TED Talks videos Tyson posted up above -- the one about killing creativity.  That speaker is coming to the city in a month or two and my division is sending a ton of staff to hear him speak.  This division seems to want their students to have a much more balanced life, not filled with homework and stress.

Now... as a parent, can you request less homework?  I honestly don't know.  I've never faced that situation before.  I've had a few instances of requests for more homework.

Now... what can society do?  Move away from an emphasis on grades.

Standardized testing is a problem.  In theory, it's a good idea, but in practice, it's totally not -- they are damaging and destructive.  This emphasis on achievement in the higher grades, I believe, has filtered down to lower grades.  (And here in my city, at least, we have standardised testing in grades 3, 6, 9, and 12.)  We have an entire educational atmosphere that revolves around knowing facts, equations, and mathematical processes.  What's missing is fun, real-life learning (relating the subject to the world and getting our hands dirty), and personal achievement (whereas what we have is achievement set to government mandated levels).

It's worse when the results of standardized tests are published in the newspaper and schools are graded by these results.  Thankfully in my province, all of this is confidential and school pass rates are not publicly known.  In the US, however, test results are tied to funding -- low achieving schools get less money.  Even if money is not tied to it and it is still published, then there is huge public pressure to get these grades up.  (And as Graeme has pointed out many times here on WC, standardized tests are NOT reflective of what students learn.)

If this arbitrary pressure of standardized tests is removed, then teachers are not forced to "teach the test" and are able to get down to real learning that is exploratory and experiential -- and do far less of the rote work.  Of course, if these standardized tests were to disappear, this revolution in learning would not happen overnight... so many teachers are taught to teach in this manner because it is the most common way of doing so.  However, there are regularly professional development workshops on how to incorporate this more holistic learning in the classroom (at least these are available in my city), so teachers are able to access these resources.

There are a number of other things that need to be done... but as I said, I'm not employed as a teacher, so I'm not up on everything and haven't given this too much thought.

However, I firmly believe that the first step in changing how school fundamentally operates is to drop the standardized testing.  I know we're talking about grade 1 here, far removed from standardized tests, but I firmly believe it's all related.

My daughter is in Grade 1 and has similar homework expectations. It is sometimes hard to keep up with. She has certainly improved in both reading and writing. Whether that's just what she's learning in her classroom or whether the homework is helping I don't know. I was one of those kids everyone hated (!) who hardly ever studied or did homework and still got good marks, so I do wonder about the importance of homework to academic success. I also wonder if we're not setting our kids up to be work-aholics by sending them the message that work never ends; it has to keep going at home. Hannah already sees enough of that with her dad being a minister! I'm not sure she needs to live it personally!

I think that would depend on one's teaching philosophy. I am a constructivist and as such, I would much rather have students explore and construct their own meaning of the world around them. For me then, any "work" that was not completed in class would just naturally extend into the next day.

I am also not a big fan of any tests. All tests do is further the point that information has been acquired and do little in the way of seeing that acquired knowledge in action. I would much rather assign projects and assignments (both individual and group) that assess both knowledge and learning.

I agree with you that reading at home should be enjoyable and not a chore. Therefore, assigning it as homework would be counterproductive to seeing it as an enjoyable activity. I think that by offering a range of reading matterial to students and finding ways to involve the entire family would go a long way in reinforcing that reading does not have to be a pain in the ass, but rather a pleasent experience.

I think my teaching philosophies are a bit more radical than a lot of teachers (even the more radical ones).

Agree 100%, brother. Excellent post.

Oh, and it's me that's clicking like on a bunch of your posts, Tyson.  I think you sound like an awesome teacher.  If I had student taught with teachers like you, then perhaps I would currently be working as one today.

Thank you YouthWorker. That means a lot.

I am seriously considering starting a private school based on constructivism and multiple intelligence theory and would hire you in a heartbeat. I like the way you think and you articulate your teaching philosophies very well. Feel like moving to Ontario? Winona has a wicked awesome Peach Festival.

On thinking some more I guess another way I could say the same as above would be -

schooling is to develop the children into productive adults.  In Grade 1 NO ONE knows what any particular chid's productivity will look like.  Some will be engineers, some potters, some teachers, some store staff, some biologists.  Our job as adults is to offer many opportunities to learn a variety of things so the children can figure out what 'turns them on'.  Many of those learning experiences come from playing with family and friends and we need to be careful not to keep children too busy so they get cheated of these learning chances.

When talking to teachers I would try to word things from a non confrontational stance.  I would like to assume that the school have the same goals as I do - lots of meaningful learning experiences without exhausting the children.  I would like to know that the school offers lots of music and art and phys ed for every kid.  The need for phys ed is obvious - health.  The music and art are essential for developing listening skills in a different way from regular classroom communication.  Students immersed in music tend to do better at math and the kids with learning disabilities also tend to respond well to music.

Good luck as you talk with teachers.

I definitely think you should talk to the teachers and if it were me I think I would go in with a definite plan in mind.   If I understand correctly the reading is not a problem as long as he has time to do it.   It could be worked into family routines - ie everybody reads for 20 minutes after dinner - or it could be part of the bedtime routines - parent and kids read together for 20 minutes befoe being tucked in.  And maybe, if he is the oldest he could have the 'privilege' of reading for ten minutes on his own before you come in for goodnight prayers and lights out.    

So, without reading, how much time do you think it is reasonable for your child to spend on homework.   I would suggest no more than 20 minutes a night, five nights a week.  

With that goal in mind I would talk to the teachers.  I would try to find out what they consider reasonable.  If it is much more than that, I would explain that in your family your child takes part in hockey and swimming  (or whatever the activities), that he also has music lessons (or art or drama classes), and that you value your family time to play games or just relax and talk.   And then I would let them know that your child will not be doing more than 20 minutes to 1/2 hour of homework a day.     (Exceptions could be made if he is sick and misses time and has to catch up - but even then it should be for a limited time.)

If the teachers continue to assign too much homework - I would time my child and at the end of the 20 min or 1/2 hour I would write a note explaining that he had worked diligently but that the assignment was too long  and he wouldn't be completing it.  

My grandson had too much homework in kindergarden - it often had his mother frustrated.  Now, with a different teacher in Grade 1, he doesn't have any except reading.  And he has two or three days to complete each book so on Beavers night when he doesn't have much time he only reads a little, making up for it the next night.  He is doing well in Grade 1 without homework.

Edmonton Public's guidelines are 10 minutes of homework per grade. Therefore grade 1 should have 10 minutes of homework-grade 6 one hour.

Home reading my or may not be included in this time.

2 teachers should not be a problem. Each subject is allocated so many hours a week (and thus a year). It sounds like poor planning between the teachers. Why did they both schedule tests the same week.

Start your discussion with the teachers. Are they aware of how long it takes to do the assigned homework?

If no resolution is found here then go to the principal.

That seems excessive to me.  My son had a little homework in grade 1 but not that much.  Most teachers didn't enforce the reading log, but the kids could read whatever they wanted including comics and magazines.  I can see projects and things that weren't finished in class being done at home. 

I know my son is having problems with his homework.  The math material seems very advanced to me for stuff to do at home.   I also think that it is important for kids to have time for things outside of school whether it's hanging out with friends and family, doing sports or classes or just vegging.  My son spends three nights a week at the music centre which gives him less time to do homework.

If we are not careful, we might just turn kids into schooloholics (if it hasn't already happened).

If a kid is is in Grade 1, he or she is 5,6, or 7. They have put in a full day and for some longer because they have long bus rides each way. I personally think homework in Grade 1 should be minimal and I also think there should be instruction  to children and parents on "how to do homework". I found if they don't have good work habits around homework it escalates in the higher grades,

You are your children's advocate. Talk to the principal and the teachers.

I agree with the other posts that your child is being assigned excessive homework.  It is my understanding (like Carolla) that current research does not support homework in the primary grades and if necessary, no more than ten minutes per grade tops.  Thus your daughter/son should be doing no more than ten minutes per night (usually reading).

My youngest is in grade four and rarely has homework. He rarely had homework other than reading in any other primary grade.  My eldest (gr. 9) did not have regular homework until about grade 6/7 and even then would have evenings where he didn't have homework.  Usually he would have something like a math review sheet assigned monday that was due friday.  He also might have projects to finish.

I agree that a meeting with a teacher and/or principal is in order.  I can tell you that I would simply be informing the school that my child would do home reading each evening for approximately 10-15 minutes and after that no more homework would be completed regardless of what comes home. Family life, activities and unstructured down time are equally (if not moreso) important at the age of six. 

Tyson, thanks for sharing your knowledge and some of the work that's being done in the field of education. In my view, any homework is excessive, regardless of grade. Having said that, in this case, this Grade 1 situation is excessively excessive. I'm always horrified when I hear stories like this - as though the more homework, the greater the headstart upon others. It's not about learning, and the love of it - it's about acheivement, starting at age 4 and up.

I guess talking with the teacher is a necessary step but be prepared for there to be little in the way of movement. There is a way of thinking about homework and acheivement-oriented education systems that is almost sacrosanct and I don't anticipate much will change. In my family, and in other families with whom I am familiary who eschew homework, we just don't do it. I'm not talking about reading or playing counting games, etc, but rather about formalized homework.

Our province does standardized testing in several grades each year. This year my youngest son is due to have one - we are holding him out and will be called to account for that decision but so be it.

Motheroffive - does your child get in trouble when he comes to class with his homework not done?  If so how do you deal with that?

I myself am not a fan of homework, not so much because I feel it is useless, but because when I was in grade-school I had teachers who would assign homework as punishment and if it wasn't done would then punish the student in class (ie make you stand in the corner during both recesses and lunch break, or sit with your head on your desk and your hands on top of your head during the breaks). 

In one instance, I informed the teacher that I felt the homework was too onerous. When the situation didn't change, it wasn't done. It may have affected his mark but here in BC in primary grades, report cards are done as a narrative, not letter-grades. I would rather have the narrative report affected than his whole attitude about school. Also, he has two working parents, and none of us get home until 6 at night...I'm not prepared to give up any of what little evening is left to homework struggles.

Also, my older children were always very distressed with homework. It was a nightmare for all of us - they always managed to turn 15 minutes of homework into a huge battle, consuming much more energy than they would have expended doing the work. What I've since learned is that all 3 have various learning disabilities and once those were addressed, things were much easier. Unfortunately, they weren't diagnosed until in college or university - earlier intervention would have made a huge difference to their school lives. Homework battles were a sign of those LDs and I think if I had continued to fight with them, it would have had a profoundly negative affect on them and on our relationship. That is too high a price to pay, in my opinion.

I have a friend who worked through this a couple of ways - depending on the situation, when there was no room for discussion with the teacher, she would just tell her child the answer and get the homework done in 5 minutes. I think each case needs to be responded to within its own unique set of circumstances.

thursday nights homework totalled 1 hour and 20 minutes.

we attended a birthday party yesterday and one of the other mothers was near tears about it.  she addressed one of the teachers.  her 3 main points (she had many):

1. wants her kid to be a kid.

2. she is a single mom, who works and is in school.  her son is in plasp before school and after school.  his school day totals 11 hours.  she thinks that even 20 minutes pushes the limit of his attention span by that point.

3. doesn't feel they should have so much learning to do at home if they are learning everything at school.

her response from the teacher was that although she doesn't agree with it, it is board politics and it is what it is. the ministry insists on it. she's pretty much shit-outta-luck on the matter.  maybe if her son was more focused in class it wouldn't take so long for homework. they (the kids) are capable of this.  she was made to feel like a "crazy" mom.

i was flabbergasted.  she said until she spoke to the other moms that day she thought it was a problem with her son.  she was not pleased when she found out thatall the kids had been given the same amount of homework and it was taking all of us that long to finish. 

what a b/s answer. of course the kids are capable, but at what cost?  this boy's mother compared the situation to children who were over acievers at an early age.  michael jackson, brittany spears, etc.  they too were capable ofachieving great things, but at a very high cost.   what would this do to our society as a whole?  a bunch of adults with mental illness , high blood pressure, stress, anxiety, etc.

her son didn't even want to attend the party.  he wanted to drop the gift off and go home and relax.  what 6 year old kid says that she asked.  she fears burnout for not only him, but herself.

the teacher blamesthe board, but the ministry clearly states that there should be no more than 20 minutes of daily homework in grade one.

i think a group of us will be talking to the principal.  possibly even writing the ministry.

there is a problem and even if it was only one child, buck up and take it is not an answer or solution.  i would expect more of a resolution from a department store and a faulty product.  not the resolution i expect from a teacher regarding a child's well being and education.

this mom did something similar. she said she would do homework with him every night to a maximum of 20 minutes.  if they wanted to send the remainder back the next night, it was up to them, but they knew her terms.

by the way mo5, you're an inspiration :)

i will be taking all the wonderful advice and words of wisdom from this thread with me.  wish me luck!

I would agree. With Mof5.  If this were me I would would write a letter that my child will be doing no more more than 15 minutes of homework each night.  I would cite any references (board, ministry policy, recommendations and/or research) to support this time limit.  I would also assert the fact that at 6 yrs of age non-school related activities and play are equally important parts of learning and growing.  I would address this letter to the teacher, principal and any board and ministry personnel. I might also circulate a letter among parents and get multiple signatures.  I would certainly share with parents that I had written the letter.

And then, as of monday (tomorrow) I would have my child do 10-15 minutes of homework and send the rest back to the school uncompleted and I would do this every night. Your child sounds quite bright and s/he will be fine.  One hour and twenty minutes is absolutely ridulous and your responsibility is to your child, not the school or some misguided ministry policy (and I have a hard time believing there is a ministry policy). If my grade four son were coming home with that amount of homework I would be talking to the school and I can assure you he would not be doing it.  It is inapparopriate even at the age of nine.  I would draw the limit at about 30-40 minutes for grade four. Fortunately our school board limits homework.  I know there were several articles about this posted in the staff room at our local school so they take the current reserach quite seriously.

That is a presposterous response from the teacher.

I agree that you need to act and get on this with the principal.

I would bet big money that no where in the ministry or Board guidelines does it say that grade one does this and it definately would not say that parents are responsible for teaching content not covered in class.

What a crock and how terrible for that other mom to be made to feel inadequate.

I think that you will find that the only "homework"  that was given to Grade 1 students in the province of Ontario prior to the "New Curriculum" under Mike Harris was what was called Book in a Bag.  These were fairly easy books that progressed in difficulty as the year progressed but were books that the child could read without too much difficulty.  With the new report cards for the new curriculum there was a grade for homework;  therefore homework had to be given to justify a grade.  This idea is slowly being re-thought by many boards. 

Homework was added because "parents wanted it" or so the teachers were told!

That much homework for a grade 1 student is ridiculous and a sure way to make a child hate school, but speak with the teachers first.  No one likes to have a parent go over his/her head to the boss!

Any amount of homework is ridiculous, 1h and 20minutes is criminal.  The public education system is a sham and this amount of homework proves it.  Seriously, take a stand and say no more homework. Get other parents that feel the same way and petition. Call the school board, do anything that gets the point across that homework is as useless as shovling snow with a toothpick.

There is absolutely no benefit to homework except to plough through a bloated curriculum, which is not students fault. Why should they be punished for the system's failure to actually make sure that our children learn something instead of forcing facts and figures on them? Public education needs HUGE reform, and untill enough people take action, it will be the status quo, which is the fallacy that knowledge = learning.

Hi Motheroffive. Excellent post. I love every word of it.

 Mo5:  "There is a way of thinking about homework and acheivement-oriented education systems that is almost sacrosanct and I don't anticipate much will change. "

Just a different perspective.....MANY teachers that I know who don't believe in huge amounts of homework get jumped on by parents, who absolutely insist that copious amounts of homework are necessary to their child's success.  (However they define success).  I remember one time, friends of mine cornered me at a party to tell me that they were outraged that their grade 2 son wasn't getting enough homework, and how was this going to affect him in later years?   

School systems are just too awash in people's opinions, (in my opinion!).   People talk about whether they "believe" or "don't believe" in homework like it's some kind of faith-based thing.   What the research actually shows is that homework has no benefit up until senior high school (when you really do need to do nightly study and review, but NOT piles of worksheets), and may actually be detrimental to children in the early years.  It seems to be that research should drive school board policy, and teachers should abide by that policy.  And when parents kick and scream about not enough homework, they can be directed to the nearest public library where they can keep their kids as busy as they like.

thank you diana.  much appreciated :)

diana, thanks from me, too. I also know parents who express anxiety about the homework not being enough. I agree that knowledge of what works in deducation should be what guides policy but we've seen lots of examples here in BC (and other provinces) that it's bottom-line, competitive and misinformation-based.

 "we've seen lots of examples here in BC (and other provinces) that it's bottom-line, competitive and misinformation-based.".   

And ideologically driven.  Merit pay?  Please.  FSA's as "early intervention" ?  AAAARGH.   The research is all there - but I guess it doesn't pay politically to actually read it.  But really, any teacher should know about the limited value of homework, and administrators should back up teachers who refuse to give in to (some)parents' demands for it.....but I know that isn't the case nearly often enough.

 Why would parents want more homework for their kids?  If they really feel they need more work, they can create their own!  Take the kid to a museum and get them to summarize what they saw, get them to write a book report, ask them math questions, do more problems out of a textbook.  I can think of a tons of things a parent could do if they feel their child needs more out of school work.  There probably are times where it might even be beneficial, but I don't see why the teachers have to provide it.

I had a brief conversation with a mom with kids in elementary school earlier today.   I asked her about homework and she said - "Can you see my blank expression?   In our house the homework rule is Don't ask - Don't tell - Don't do it"

I asked about the response of the teachers and she said the teachers seem to use the same rule! 

If they feel that way, then why bother assigning it?

As a side note, one of the children at work today pulled out a math textbook that he had brought home for homework (btw - it seemed like it was a reasonable amount for a child in grade 4 - only a couple of pages and nothing else in any other subject). I thought the text book looked familiar, so I took a closer look at it. It turns out that the book was printed in 1973 - and so would have been the same one I used in the 1980s when I was in grade 4. I guess math never changes! I couldn't believe that it was in such excellent shape after 40 years of regular use! There were no rips or markings at all in it.