I get so tired of our nightly homework hour during the school year. Homework is now going into the weekend because we have to do a Science Fair project.

I'm not into any of it and feel that I'm teaching my sons to do the minimum to get by because of my own attitude -- I don't complain for their ears to hear (!) but I certainly don't feel that we do 'quality' work (esp on the Sci Fair project for which we are doing the minimum to get by!).

I get tired of it... Needing to vent!

I wanna join ya!!!


I hate science fair projects, and building working remote control cars, and building working, to scale models of light houses, and that's just to get one up to 8th grade, i have another in 4th whos working on a science project now and I still have 2 boys not in school yet.

then there's the projects my oldest needs to research online, yeah ok if I want to hover behind him the whole time otherwise he's on every site BUT the one he's suppose to be. What happened to researching in a real life book? had to buy him a memory card thing so he could carry his work back and forth to school.... til he loses it.

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Yeah, my daughter just finished a big project on Global Warming. fun, fun!

Lisa

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I HATE HATE HATE science fair projects!!! I really hate how they've become mandatory these past few years.

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We just finished several science fair projects here, and I HATE them~ I really didn't see any of my kids learn anything new from them, which I thought was the intended purpose of a Science Fair Project.....they didn't even get to pick out their project, the Teachers decided for them......

Homework is driving me insane too! My elementary kids are doing several hours of homework a night, and not getting anytime to be kids, which I really think is a shame....

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Nicole

Science Fair projects were mandatory when I was in school, decades ago, and I always hated them.

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Let me just add, I HATE science fair projects too. We had to do two of them this year and I thought we would never finish. A good deal of the grade on ours is based on appearance so it requires a lot of parental help and a pretty decent investment for something we're just going to throw away when we get the grade. This year was particularly frustrating because both my girls (one 5th grade and one 4th grade) did Chemistry projects. My older daughter knew all her information and then some and my youngest knew enough to get by. They had their boards set up the same way (everyone did) and had the same style graphs except my older daughter had some extras to show more info and she got an A, but my youngest who did only what was required and could barely talk her way through it got an A and an honorable mention. Ugh! Can I say again, I hate science fairs? That was in November, along with two book projects for each reading class and December was two more book projects Jan. was a History Project and two more book projects.....it never stops!

It ends when they graduate, which for me is in 4 months..

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"Never loan your car to someone you have given birth too"

Glad my DD's are out of school, I don't miss those days!!!!!!

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Brenda

GO #24 JEFF GORDON

well I won't get into my homework philosophy (because I was flamed hurtfully when I did so) but I hear ya! Our science project was the solar system...along with the rest of the 3rd grade! YIKES! Try finding the right size foam planets when the whole district has the same project...not easy. On top of that is regular homework, book report (that was due the same time as the science project...wonderful planning there), and other various school club activities

I don't want to teach my kids to barely get by or do the minimum either but sadly, the schools often put the children in the position of leaning towards that. In all reality, do you get a better grade if you do more? We don't. The minimum gives yothe good grade. Above and beyond is simply above and beyond...not a better grade. At elementary level, my kid doesn't feel a satisfaction of doing more than he needed too...he would rather take that time to be a kid

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The sad part about all of these extra projects is that it is "Parent homework." I guess it is a nice concept to have a family work on a project together, working toward a goal, etc. But after we did so many science, reading, art, etc. projects (my ds and dd are grown) I always felt badly for the kids who had working parents or non-english speaking parents, or really no parents at all who helped. Their projects were NOTICEABLY different from the rest. If they hung the poems/art/dioramas, etc in the hall you could tell who made what.
The child with the engineer father had the most amazing science project, the child with the artistic mom had the best display. GEEZ it ends up being projects for parents. We even had a science fair in 1st grade, seriously none of the children understood any of the science part and obviously the entire project, board and display was totally done by the parents, the kids were only learning to read and write!
I remember in 2nd grade, my DS had to write a creative 2 page story once a week. 2nd grade!! EVERY WEEK. I remember breaking down and crying somewhere in the third month......this isn't homework for you, it's homework for ME!!! (and that was on top of science fair, book reports and other projects.)
I also have a strong homework philosophy....

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Fortunately we don't have have to do a science fair project, but this last weekend DD had to build a robot, the robot had to be able to move up and down a ramp, LOL. This is on top of the 3-4 hours a night of homework she brings home. I am a firm believer in giving them very little help when it comes to homework, I have always told my kids I already went to school, graduated from college, etc. they have to do their own homework, I am not the one in school. I do help if they really don't understand, but for the most part they have to do it on their own. DD got 2 boxes, attached them together, spray painted them (I did have to open the spray paint can and I did supervise her spraying mainly because I didn't want silver paint everywhere, LOL) but I didn't do any of it, then she used markers to put a face on, then borrowed a remote control car from my grandson and attached it to the underneath of the robot so it could move up and down the ramp. She turned it in today, I don't have a clue as to what type grade she made, but whatever it is she got the grade. I hate projects where the parents do the work, she told me one of the other kids dad was building their robot, I told that's fine, we're not doing that you will have to do the best you can on your own. I don't mind paying for anything she needs to complete a project and I don't mind teaching her how to do something, but I won't do it for her.

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Awwwwwwww, that's too bad. Education is so important to our children and by doing Science Fairs it brings the parents into it. Sorry you don't like it but schools love to involve mom and dad. I have one in college and two in high school. I still help them out when I can and will really miss it when they are thru with school.

You really should try to change your attitude because even tho you aren't saying it, the kids pick up on the negativity. Teaching is part of parenting.

VERY sad post. You sound like a lazy parent. I just graduated nursing school (BSN) last May and sorry.......but many of us worked together on care plans, study groups for NCLEX, etc.... It's time to step up and be a parent. I feel sorry for your daughter.

You hit the nail on the head -- it's not that we 'want' to do the minimum to pass, it's that we 'have' to. We don't have time or energy to excel at everything -- we sure try though.

As far as I know, Science Fair project counts the same as a science homework paper would.

I had to do science fair projects when I was growing up. So far our kids haven't had to do any. I hadn't even thought about it until seeing this thread. They have had other projects but nothing that's the magnitude of a science project. The projects they've had (have an 8th grader & 4th grader) have been things they can do themselves...usually crafty type stuff. They haven't had to build anything. I'm always there if they want/need help, though.


peapie

My son just started his Science Fair Project which will be due the 20th. I hate them only because he is a procrastinator to the max and I am the one"nagging"(as he says) him to get it picked out and started. He is in 6th grade and they have been required to turn one in since 3rd grade. 1st and 2nd grade due one as a class(which my 1st grader is super excited about-just hope she feels that way when it is required of her). My 6th grader had to have a flash drive this year also so he could take homework projects and writing assignments back and forth. He just had to do a research paper on Scotland along with a power point slide show of 25 slides. He has a book report due every month with the exception of Feb(science fair) and May(Creative writing contest). Both my children have nightly homework but it isn't much..My first grader has 1 sheet of 20 math problems(which is kind of annoying now because they are doing 4 digit addition and subtraction with carrying and borrowing and she complains about how hard it is) and Spelling words for weekly test. Luckily,(since she is OCD and ADD) she doesn't have much more than that or I might end up sitting with her for hours keeping her focused and on task. As far as my 6th grader, he never brings homework home he says it is done before he goes to parent pickup(so far his grades are straight A's so I guess he is telling the truth). I think he may be in for a homework shock next year when he hits Jr. High.

I am NOT a lazy parent. However I do firmly believe that the work should be the child's and not the PARENTS. Any parent can do the child's work for them, that is not TEACHING the child to be able to work on their own, how to problem solve, schedule their time wisely, etc. that is just me doing their work for them and yes, I refuse to do that. I have one that graduated from college, one in college now, and one straight A 6th grader. The older two play guitar and are also very artistic. The youngest plays softball, basketball, is in 4H, and active in church activities. So we can't be doing too much wrong. I am an ex-social worker/counselor (mostly working with kids) and kids need to take responsiblity for their actions whether it's making an A or an F, the kid has to do it.

You say you worked together in college (did your parent do your work for you? did your professor do your work for you? did a fellow student do your work for you? No, I am betting you did your own work. So did I work with study groups in college, but nobody did MY work, nobody wrote MY papers, my parents didn't do the work for me and my professors didn't do the work for me. Although I did get help or guidance from professors at times, I still did the work.

I never said I wouldn't guide my child or teach my child how to do something. I can teach her without doing her work for her. I am very involved in all my childrens lives, as the class parent who plans all parties for the whole class, to volunteering at school, to being a Girl Scout co-leader, to being a Youth Director at my church, and working a part time job so I can be available for my child when she needs me and when I quit my job to be a stay at home mom when she was born. So please don't feel sorry for my children, they have/had excellect parents!

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Maybe the point of elaborate homework isn't so much to get parents involved as get them at each other's throats? Either way, it's not fair on the kids whose parents aren't engineers, or don't care to become involved, and kids should never be judged on parental involvement.

When I was in school, my mother had the bright idea of adding food to projects, and it worked incredibly well. Yes, I was able to bake by then, but how fair is it to do really well on a book report because I made a slightly related cake? I'm thinking it's not so much the parents who are lazy here as some of the teachers.

I have subbed in my son's class and I always make sure that the kids have gone home with less homework (sneaky, huh!?) by having them do some of it AT school during the last 15 minutes of the day. It took nothing to plan it that way and some would actually complete it before they left -- of course, my son wouldn't, sigh.

Recently, the district added 30 minutes to the school day and took away their recesses (4th grade, one recess after lunch).

cuthie, that makes me so mad. when we were in El Paso, they didn't have recess either. Kids need time to let loose!

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Penny, I tell my kids the same thing - when it comes to homework - it's their responsibility to get it done, ask me if they need help or approach the teacher for extra help, if need be. To me, teaching them to be responsible and self sufficient is my job - teaching them fractions or the parts of a plant is the teacher's job...

I got my self through college earning a masters degree with little or no homework assistance from my parents. I have the same high level of confidence in my kids competence that my parents showed me.

I do understand that some larger projects (like science fair) are meant to be done with parents and of course, I participate, guiding, but not overly involved in the product. In elementary school, I think the process is more important than the outcome. It seems most parents at my kids school don't recognize that - I can tell by the extravagent "Parent Projects" some kids bring in for display.

I am a little outraged that some would think parents are lazy by complaining about the excessive homework or the projects assigned to their children. It's just that families are pulled in so many different directions these days that the stress can be overwhelming.
I certainly was aware of every project, and offered guidance whenever needed, but I was a SAHM. My DD in college often calls still to brainstorm some writing assignments, I don't do the work, but we still enjoy throwing ideas around.
I do believe however that it is difficult, especially in today's society, and maybe it's just because I live in NY where almost every mother works full-time, or is a single mother, or the child lives with an aunt or grandparent. Also, I live in an area where many parents are immigrants and many do not speak English....that it is unrealistic to expect family involvement and tons of hours on a project. (That does not include in a week: family time, sports, doctors visits, and other activities.)
These projects would be more beneficial I believe if most of the work was done during school hours to ensure that the child worked on them by themselves. For example when my kids took art, they couldn't do work at home. If they didn't finish, they could come in early, or stay late. But that ensured that the work was theirs and theirs alone.
This certainly does not mean that parents aren't loving or concerned or involved, just that the workload is unrealistic. Projects should not be graded on parents' talents, time and ability, but entirely on the child's accomplishments.

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Holy cow! You still help your college age child with his/her homework?

Rebecca

My child has been getting assignments since kindergarten (he's now in third grade) that very obviously require parental involvement. There is no way a kindergartener can make an "All About Me" poster when he/she can't even read or write. My child just got an assignment for a biographical book report (due next Wednesday) that requires an additional "character frame". He has to draw a picture of his subject, as well as create a frame for his book report that contains additional information about his subject. I suppose he could do this completely on his own, but I shudder to think of the results. I think the picture of his subject is somehow supposed to be connected to the frame..... I have to think about that.... He gets bonus points for how elaborate and creative his frame is. We haven't had a science fair yet, but we do get lovely assignments like this quite freqently.

Thankfully, I am now a SAHM, but these kinds of things were much more of a struggle when I was working full-time. In my own situation, it's actually not been too bad because we've been able to juggle schedules and help my son, but I feel bad for kids in other situations. As an example, I pick up my nieces in the afternoon. My sister is not as committed to their education as I would be. They might be the kind of kids whose projects would be no-shows (thereby gaining them a zero) or would be very poorly done. Just because the schools want the parents to be involved, doesn't necessarily mean that will happen. It's a shame that the kids have to suffer.