Well another school year is drawing to an end. I don’t know who’s happier: me or my kids. I’m thinking: “Yayyyy! No more homework for a whole two months!”
For one thing, by the time we get home at the end of the day, we’re exhausted. My brain has morphed into mashed potatoes and my body has energy only to do what’s absolutely necessary – and there’s ALWAYS a lot on the “absolutely necessary list”: prepare supper, clean up the kitchen, oh and somebody always NEEDS something washed out of the laundry hamper for the next day . . . The “do or dies” of pre-teen emergencies.
Also, although I consider myself half-way intelligent, I can’t for the life of me figure out the homework these days. The math alone makes me feel . . . stupid (and maybe a little old). I just don’t get it. How can they change the math?
While I admit that I’m no mathematician (discounts mess me up; 10% off? Oh GREAT!) isn’t math one of those “staples”, like meat and potatoes?
Then there’s the French. Okay, so we live in Quebec and learning another language can only be a good thing. But the kids come home with these science projects that completely throw us for a loop. Gives the “work” in “homework” a new look – one that mingles sweat with drool and it’s really not pretty.
How are “we” supposed to understand (and retain) new information in another language when we don’t even know it in . . . well our own? Yes, I know it’s “their” homework but anything they bring home automatically becomes “ours” . . . well not the frogs and stuff.
Oh and here’s a question: what do they do (“they” being all kids everywhere) between 3 o’clock when they finish school and 5:45 when I pick them up? EXACTLY! Not much. So why don’t they do homework during that time . . .with the help of “teachers” – as in, people who get this new math and know the science terms in French?
oh man, I don’t miss that! When my kids came home with statistics….I was completely finished.Turns out the poor kids have a brain like mine which does not function at all within the confines of math and statistics. Estimations work for me….although not for my bank! I always loved the summer holidays…no more math and no more arguing about homework getting done.
M, I remember homework……….when I spoke to the teacher about it, she told me that kids should ‘not’ need help with their homework as it was a revision of what the teacher was teaching them! Apparently, if they listen in class……..then homework should be a breeze!!!!!
Thanks Caroline. I’ll tell them that 😉
It makes perfect sense to me and Jonathan is going to high school next year. It just may be the kick in the butt he needs because the alternative is sitting “with his mom” all evening!