Can I rewind and go to school with you guys? I had 3 hours of homework a night by 7th grade (or at least that’s what we were supposed to getting). Teaching a kid to skip homework is never ever a good idea. Giving a 12 year old 3 hours of homework is teaching all but a very few that some of it may be, skipped, copied, fudged or otherwise not done in the manner intended.

But these are issues to bring up with the administration, as a concerned parent. I do my child no favors if I don’t teach him/her that there are times when you suck it up, even if it seems stupid. (if it seems morally wrong, then you take a stand, but that’s a different lesson) Of course, I usually don’t have to say that outright until high school, but by then it’s an extension of what they’ve always been expected to do, and it has served them well with college professors, law enforcement, and employers.

Few people can get by in life without performing a little busy work now and then. To keep it to a minimum without shooting ourselves in the foot is a challenge for us all, beginning, apparently, in pre-K.

As a parent, I can see why it could be considered silly or unnecessary. It’s one more thing that has to be fit into a busy day. They’ll have twelve more years of doing homework, so why start now? Let them have their fun while they still can, right? Sometimes I didn’t see the point either.

But as a preschool teacher, I know that it’s not about the homework, per se. Yes, it reinforces what we are learning in class. But it also teaches the child about doing something according to someone else’s agenda. It teaches the child about responsibility. It gets them in the habit sooner rather than later, which will make life much easier down the road. Preschool is all about helping a child learn a positive pattern of behavior so they can have success in school later on.

In my class, in which the children are there from 9-1 (including a lunch time), we spend *maybe* a total of 20 minutes out of the day on worksheets- the rest of the time is playing, craft activities, circle time, music, storybook time, playground time, and snacktime. All total, that *maybe* 25-30 minutes out of one day of the week is spent on “schoolwork”. That’s not a lot.

Playing outside, reading books with you child, doing an art project- those are all worthwhile and important activites. Taking five minutes to reinforce something learned in school is also a worthwhile activity, and it doesn’t take away from any of those other things you want to do, too, not in any way, shape or form.

But like I said, I understand, as a parent how you feel. It can be a pain.

I’ll put my other big gripe on my own blog but I just had to say that you aren’t alone!