8th Grade Homework Issue

[Jo]

An 8th grader is telling his mother some things that sound a bit fishy so I thought I'd pose these questions.

Do all 8th graders have homework to bring home? He tells his mother that all homework is done after class at school only, so he never brings work books or school books home.

He also tells his mother that tests are graded by other students; the corrected tests get passed in and the grades logged by the teacher? Doesn't sound like the most accurate way to grade tests to me.

I live in Southern California where all kids go to private school and work around the clock with homework and activities. This particular kid live in a small town in Tennesee...could the schooling be more casual there?

 

[neatfreak]

It completely depends on the school, and if the kid is smart and the school not great, then it is certainly possible that they did their homework after school. Can't the mom just ask to see the completed homework? At the 8th grade level I am sure worksheets/writing pieces are involved, so that is what I would do if it were my kid.

I have heard of students grading each others tests, but ALWAYS grading each other's tests seem a bit odd.Usually only works if it is multiple choice/T/F test. Any test with word answers couldn't really be graded by other students... Also not bringing them home seems odd. Again, couldn't the mom call the school/teacher and ask? Seems like the simplest way to solve it to me.

 

[Jo]

neatfreak - Yes, I think the mother getting in touch with the schools is the best idea. Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[Rhea]

I went to a public school in GA and our tests were sometimes graded by other students with the teacher recording the grades, but rest assured, the teachers did check the grades before recording them so that students couldn''t punish or help one another. By 8th grade I had less tests and more papers, which were peer reviewed at the draft stage sometimes but always graded by teachers.

I had less homework as I went through the high school grades but I never had no homework!!

Calling the school sounds like a great idea to me.

 

[Heidi137]

My son is in seventh grade and never brings home any homework. He says he does it all at school. He''s making all A''s so I guess he''s telling the truth. He does go to a public school in the rural south.

 

[diamondfan]

Some schools do have peer grading, they pass the test over and it is scored. Personally I despise that. A teacher should not be lazy, they should grade the work. I think it is inappropriate that other kids in the grade know your scores.

My middle son is in 6th, he has some homework at home but does a lot at school. Our teachers call mid trimester to report in and then at the end of the tri we get written reports. He is doing well, each time, all A's and B's, so he is doing something right. I do not see him doing tons of work. Both my niddle and older son have extra help periods and homeroom time to do work or ask for help. He is only in middle school, my son who is in 9th has a lot. He has fewer free periods than a lot of his other freshman friends, so he has less time during the day to get stuff done. My 9th grader is smart and goal oriented and even with time at school he has work each night most weeks. All three of my kids are in a private school.

I would call the school and ask to talk to the teacher if you have any doubts. Good grades would be comforting to me, but I would still want to get to the bottom of things. I would also spot check it, we can go online and see the assignments and due dates posted by each teacher, so I could ask to see his algebra work or his science assingment easily.

 

[LegacyGirl]

I used to do my homework after school or during the last period which was a study hall. I do remember in 9th grade our history tests being graded by other students but they were mostly T/F, buble in, or one word answers. Our essay portion was always graded by the teacher, who I remember was very cute

He could be telling the truth but I agree with the others that said just check with the school

 

[mel047]

I agree that some kids are smart and aren''t challenged enough so that there is no need for them to take homework home.

But, if I recall correctly 8th grade came with lots of papers and projects that had to be worked on at home because they were more like long term projects.

Also, I remember having to grade fellow students papers. In talking with some of my old teachers, I believe they got rid of this in our school system because of confidentiality and confidence issues.

All that being said, I went to a public school in a rural town too.

 

[Miranda]

It could be more casual. The only way to find out is to talk to the teachers. Different school districts and different schools within those districts all have different expectations and requirements. I''m also in Southern CA and have an 8th grader. My son is in a few difficult classes this year and almost always has homeowrk. They do have an ISP period after lunch that is used for reading silently and homework or homework help supervised by a teacher. Is it possible that the student is using a time like this to get the homework done?

 

[Sparkster]

I think it''s great that the students grade other students work. Throughout adult life, we are expected not only to make sure that our own work is of a high standard, but those around us are as well. It will give the students great experience by doing this. I only hope this doesn''t lead to a child being ostracised by the other student marking it...''blah blah is soooooooooooo stupid because they got this wrong...."

 

[Fancy605]

Date: 3/16/2008 5:06:24 PM
Author: Addy
I went to a public school in GA and our tests were sometimes graded by other students with the teacher recording the grades, but rest assured, the teachers did check the grades before recording them so that students couldn''t punish or help one another.

Same here. However, now I teach in Georgia, and we are not ALLOWED to let students grade each other''s tests. They can trade-n-grade their classwork assignments/homework, but test grades are considered "sensitive" information blah blah blah we don''t want to damage anyone''s self esteem.

As far as homework goes, I personally give little homework other than vocabulary work or work on essays. Of course any classwork that isn''t finished becomes homework (but I like the kids to start most work in class in case they don''t understand how to do the assignment). Other than that, homework is study and read independent novels. Of course, a lot of our kids finish homework at school. Some finish in class, some finish in someone else''s class (like if they have a test that day and finish the test early). Some of our kids have to wait 30 min between dismissal and the time their bus arrives, and they work then. Some get to school super early and work while they wait to be released from the gym. And, of course others just don''t do their work at all.

 

[Haven]

The only way to get a real answer to your question is to simply contact the teacher. I''m surprised this child''s mother hasn''t done so already.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

She only needs to contact the teacher if the child''s grades are bad! If the grades are good, then she can assume that enough homework is being done!

Our two older kids went through public schools and almost always finished homework at school. They did very well in college, so I think homework is a little overrated (other than reading and learning math facts for the young ones).