Homework...Friend or Foe?

We have been having an intriguing discussion about homework at the school where I teach.

Turns out the new administrators at our district office aren't big fans of homework.

I'm not either...but I've always assumed that was because I home schooled for so many years. I still find it amazing that the work that we accomplished at home in three or four hours takes at least seven plus some homework to accomplish in an institutional setting. But at home, I didn't have to redirect 18 students. My kids didn't have anyone to talk to besides their siblings and me so that wasn't a great distraction and they knew if they finished early they could go outside and play.

So what is the purpose of homework? I generally only send home assignments that haven't been finished in class. Most of my diligent students get it done and get to go out to play. But is that really fair? That leaves my slower students who need more help to get that help from parents that perhaps weren't helping in the first place and that's why the student is one of my slower students...plus, don't we all need time to play? I think so. But when do those students get that assignment done? If they do it in class the next day I have all of my faster students sitting bored and getting into trouble. If I let them move on, the slower kids get even further behind. It's very much a catch 22.

Many of the other teachers had other reasons they sent homework home. The main one was to force parents to be involved in their children's education. Do you really think that if a parent doesn't want to be involved in their child's education they are going to be bullied into it by a page of homework?? That seemed like odd reasoning to me. Of course, I've always been involved in my children's education so I really don't know if that would be a motivating factor or not.

Then there is the work factor. I find as a working mom, by the time I get home from work, have checked all the homework for three kids, made dinner, made lunches, done baths, hair brushing, tooth brushing, and prayers...I pretty much fall into bed exhausted only to repeat the same thing tomorrow. I have NO CLUE how parents fit in soccer, piano, dance class etc...along with that all...I just don't. Homework definitely doesn't get the attention that as a teacher I might hope it would get in all that chaos, and I understand that.

Most of us came from a generation where homework was the norm. Of course, most of us, at least among my circle of friends, had moms that stayed home, or had a neighbor's mom that stayed home, and could help us with that homework.

What do you think? Does homework serve a purpose? What is that purpose? Or is homework a thing of the past?

Wordless Wednesday

 
 
 
  

Overheard....

A friend at the church that we have decided to call home these days asked my son if he liked the church. This is what he said:

"This is our NEW church now and you know what is REALLY COOL?! You don't even have to PAY for the SNACKS here!!"

LOL!!!

Why?

I heard that question again today.

"Why?"

Not from my four year old.

From the cashier behind the counter at Sam's Club.

You see, I very often get comments regarding my "large" family. I have four children from the age of 10 years all the way down to my four year old and quite honestly, I don't think of my family as "large." Studies show that it is average these days for families to consist of three or more children. But it is not rare for me to hear things like;

"you sure have you're hands full..."
"are they ALL yours?"
"you do know how to use birth control right?" (this coming from a total stranger)

...and my all time favorite was the lady in the grocery store who yelled at my best friend, who happened to have all of my children as well as hers (a total of six) with her, "STOP THE BREEDING!!"

My conversation with the cashier at Sam's Club went something like this...
CASHIER: Wow, your girls are beautiful, you look like you've got your hands full.
ME: Not really, I have two more at home.
CASHIER: Really? You really DO have your hands full.
ME: Well, and I have 18 more fourth graders at school. I'm a teacher.
CASHIER: WHY?
ME: Well, because I happen to think children are a blessing and somebody needs to teach them.
(cashier shrugs and finishes ringing up my order.)

When did children become a burden instead of a blessing? I love my kids. I love being with them. I love teaching them. I love my biological children and I love my students. I like some of them more than others but I love them all. I am proud of them when they succeed and I feel like I have failed them when they fail. Then I work with them until they can succeed to the best of their ability. Do they drive me crazy sometimes? Sure! Do I yell more often than I would like to admit? Yep. I wouldn't give them up for all the world.

Jesus said in Matthew 19:14 "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

That's a maxim I try to live by.

Be blessed.

Almost Wordless Wednesday

It is with great sadness that we bid goodbye to all Krispy Kreme franchises in Arizona...we hope that they reorganize and re-open!! Soon!!

  

Do the little things bug you?

I've had a couple of rough weeks. I had a parent keep me after work for 45 minutes arguing over something that so TRULY didn't matter. I got a speeding ticket. I got a jury summons. I got an email from a mom who felt I wasn't being fair to her child. I had to send a kid for a referral to special ed. I had an asthma attack while hiking today. My son told our best babysitter that he hated her, made her cry, and she said she was never coming back (this did get rectified and he did apologize but still!!!) Some of these things were my fault (the ticket) or my responsibility because of my job as both a teacher and a parent...but I have just started to feel like I am walking around with a big red target on my back!!! Any single one of these things would not be a huge deal but to have it all (and more that I didn't go into) happen in the course of about a week and a half is just more than this mommy/teacher/target can handle!

When we were driving home tonight from a wonderful date to celebrate our 14th anniversary (there were some bright spots this week too!) God gave me a picture of my life right now. We drove (and drove and drove it seemed) through this swarm of bugs...This is how my front bumper looked when we got home....

 

You know what my wonderful husband did right after we got home??? He washed the bugs off!! Now my car is clean again (well, at least on the outside!) and bug free.

It made me think.

Our God is a wonderful redeemer. HE can wash the bugs off of our lives and give us a clean start.

But we have to let him. So starting right now (okay, maybe tomorrow because right now I'm going to bed!) I'm going to face the day as a new day...and stop looking over my shoulder feeling like there's a target on my back.

At least I'm going to try!!

Here's a few more pictures from our date!! We went hiking at Lake Pleasant and saw Wild Burro's!!!

 


  

Aren't the clouds magnificent?!?! We had a whopper rainstorm last night!!

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things that drive meBATTY!! 1. Negative people 2. Critical people 3. Unhelpful people 4. Unorganized people 5. Irresponsible people 6. The fact that sometimes I am those above people 7. Speed limits under 45 8. Not getting through all of my teaching material in the timeframe *I* wanted to 9. Jury summons (that couldn't have come in the middle of summer when I wasn't working of course) 10.Children who don't do their homework 11.Children that do their homework, don't bring it to school, and still expect me to give them full credit since they did do it, of course, pinky promise 12.Emergencies that land 43 children in my teeny tiny classroom. 13.Days that zip by leaving me feeling like my children are growing up too fast and I'm missing all of it. Wednesday, August 02, 2006 Wordless Wednesday Sometimes there's too much fun to be had to actually MAKE it up to bed!!    Have you ever met... a person who just bugs the tar out of you? Someone who is extremely arguementative, or critical, or negative, or all of the above? I've had the unfortunate opportunity to have met many such people in my life! Today was just another one of those days. I've actually known this person for awhile...but today this person had me so angry I was just steaming for about an hour!! I just couldn't shake it!! Then to make matters worse there was this driver on the road on my way home from work that decided to pull into my lane about an inch from my bumper, flashed her brights at me like I should then get out of her way?!?!? Then she pulled into the lane next to me and pulled in front of me JUST barely missing my car...I honked at her and she flipped the bird at me. That extended the steam for awhile!! Why is it that we are so vulnerable to other people? How come, at least for me, another person has the power to make me so angry I want to spit or so mad I want to cry? I'm always telling my kids that they "choose" to let others affect them, and that they need to not give the other person (usually a sibling) so much power over their emotions. I really tried not to let these people affect me. I tried to not give them the power. I did something positive to redirect my mind (drove through the Coffee Bean and got an Ice Blended, sugar-free of course!). I prayed. I was still angry. Really angry...wanted to hunt down that car and smash the window with a baseball bat angry... It's got me thinking...WHY?? Why can't I just blow off the negative comments and let it go? I heard a great sermon a couple of weeks ago. Here's the gist of it: Proverbs 18:21 The tongue has the power of life and death, There's 50 some other verses to back it up...Words... Words have the power of life and death... I'll tell you, it has me thinking harder about the words that come out of my mouth. That sarcastic comment aimed at my husband, the complaint voiced to my children, the gossip spoken to a friend. Every word has the power to build up or tear down. Actions speak louder than words. I was on the receiving end of some of those negative words and actions today. I didn't much like it? Do you? It certainly has made me stop and think about the things I do and say and how it affects other people. Food for thought. Friday, July 21, 2006 Thursday Thirteen!! Thirteen Things about a new school year !! 1. I love buying school supplies! 2. I hate moving my classroom...again...after being told I wouldn't have to...sigh... 3. I love being with my teacher friends. 4. I hate writing out lesson plans (but I do it) 5. I love how tidy a room with no children in it can be. 6. I hate how deathly quiet that same room is sometimes. 7. I love grammar (yes, I know that I am considered very wierd by even a majority of my co-workers) 8. I hate grading papers. 9. I love that 3 out 4 of my children go to school where I work. 10.I hate that one of them doesn't. 11.I love when my students bring me Starbucks in the morning. 12.I hate that I have to spend half my first paycheck getting my room up to par. 13.I love that I can earn a living doing what I love, teaching children to love learning, and watching them grow. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants