The homework is killing me, literally. I start to dread it about 2 pm every. single. day. I know we are behind Japan, and probably everywhere else, but making every evening suck for American kids is probably not going to fix it.
On a typical evening, my second graders have to do the following hour or more per kid of homework:
1. Read for 20 minutes. (this is supposed to be out loud to me or Kevin, but you do the math.)
2. Practice rocket math facts (the old fashioned drilled timed tests)
3. 1-2 math worksheets. (my girls often look at me like I am speaking a foreign language when I ask them if they know how to do the work on them)
4. Spelling practice. We have 15 words each week that they study, and complete activities for.
5. In addition to these things, the expectation is that we will continue to review anything that they are lacking on the progress report. This ranges from handwriting, to math story problems.
6. An the calendars, oh lordy please make the reading calendars stop! If I have to make one more kid, fill in one more box, or color one more bug (which have to be turned in by the deadline or not at all mind you) I may go postal.
The "gifted" kids in our district get lots of programs, and extra time and resources. Many of said gifted kids have been optionally tutored as an extra curricular since they were in preschool. To me that is less gifted, and more "over educated for the grade. We have over 1/2 of the kids in our school in accelerated math. If the majority of kids are in there is it not the new regular math? The major strugglers get lots of resources. Holly and Jilly have both benefitted from 1:1 reading help daily last year, and there are computer programs, homework clubs, and a tutor list a mile long.
The kids we are failing are those who are AT GRADE LEVEL. It is no longer the norm here for a second grader to read at second grade level. Every time I go for conferences, I hear "she is reading right at grade level, so here is what we recommend to help her..... Seriously? If my kid is performing perfectly AT GRADE LEVEL, why does she need Help? Why does the school act like we are not trying quite hard enough. They do not pull those kids out for help, they do not address their individual needs like those on the top and the bottom. They simply complain that they are not gifted. This is why there are so many people red shirting kindergarten. It is hard for a 7 year old to care enough about her academic career to compete in second grade.
Next year they get to start ISAT testing. This year the 3rd grade teachers sent home packets to help students study for those standardized tests. Oh Goody!
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