Year 5 Maths Homework Joke surely?

[Amber]

I find it odd that the parents would do the homework for the children. Whatever is the point of that? (Actually, I am against homework full stop in primary schools, but that is another story). Surely you either help the child find an answer, or, if they really don't have a clue, you let the teacher know they couldn't do it. If not one single child in the class could do it, then the teacher has a problem. Bizarre.

[DarkEnergy]

Precisely!

I have sat around dinner tables with parents who have said they have done DC's homework and were eager to find out what they got for it. Competitive parents gone mad.

[mystery]

Why not do the investigations like that in class, and the consolidation and practice for homework?

I think if I am ever tempted to do child's homework for them, I will make myself do it so badly and get such a low mark that child will never let me near their homework again.

[doodles]

On DS2's homeworks sheets (admittedly he is only yr 3) there are boxes and you have to tick one - roughly they say (1) competed entirely alone (2) completed with some help (3) completed with help.

I think the teachers soon get to know when the incorrect box is being ticked!!

[sherry_d]

I have sat around dinner tables with parents who have said they have done DC's homework and were eager to find out what they got for it. Competitive parents gone mad.

Much like how they do it in the States, kids get so much homework in my opinion not to relevant to what they are learning and the parents go all out to do it and when you see the displays anyone will know who did it. Maybe we are tying to copy our friends across the atlantic way of doing things but I would rather not see that. Its serioulsy competetive and I mean not just kids but the parents.

[um]

If parents are doing homework for a primary aged child, what will happen with their GCSE and A level coursework? Are there not loads of parents/elder siblings, doing this for them too? Are they helping with university dissertations? I have an uncomfortable feeling that there is a lot of this happening.

It is really sad, after all how long can these parents do everything for their child - will they do their paid work for them as well?
My Maths is terrible so my son has had no option but to do it himself! And the Maths homework my Year 4 son gets is way beyond me.
Yes, as parents we should remind our children to do their work, provide a space in the house for it, and a desk, pens etc as they need them. I do give them spelling tests on their school spellings to help them revise, and buy plenty of workbooks and other resources.
In the long run, I can't see how actually doing the work for your child is of any benefit. I read recently that Richard Branson said his Mother was always determined to make her children independent, and when he was 4 she dropped him miles from their house and told him to make his way home. He got hopelessly lost, but clearly survived. Now I'm not suggesting we do this but would Richard Branson be as successful now if Mummy had sat and done his homework?

[mystery]

Ha ha, do you think his Mum dropped him the far side of the Atlantic and that was the driving force behind the airline? It sounds like a good plan. I'd do it if I lived in the middle of Salisbury Plain, but just not sure about the traffic otherwise.

[JaneEyre]

Just found out that of the 20 or so in the maths class, about 18 got the answer 2521

Sorry to go back to this math question, but I don't see how you can divide 2521 by 2...
For me, there is no answer to the problem because it can't be worked out. Any multiple of ten to which we add 1 will be odd.
Am I so daft? Well may be it is too late..

If someone has the answer to that question, I am interested (sorry, I don't understand the explanation given by Darkenergy )

[mystery]

It is a badly worded question, as many seem to be these days including in SATs, and GCSEs. I am guessing it should say that when divided by those numbers there is a remainder of 1, rather than that it is divisible by those numbers.

[JaneEyre]

Thank you mystery!! I understand the question now!