My previous post asks how much homework a child in traditional schools should have to do. It goes on to describe my approach to homework, which could get lengthy at times. Here is how my approach to homework influenced my decision to homeschool:
I took this rigid approach to homework because I did not know how long a teacher would remain on a concept before moving on. If the majority of the class understood, or if the allotted amount of time preserved for that lesson had passed, then they moved on whether my child was ready or not. For me to be certain that my kids were keeping up in class, I had to spend a good deal of focused time helping with homework.
If there was no homework, I followed the class outline and questioned the kids to make sure they understood what was being taught. If they did not understand something, we went over that too.
Eventually, over time, I realized that I was essentially doing all the teaching myself. The teachers were by no means obsolete, because they provided the curriculum guide and timetables. However, it dawned on me that I was already homeschooling, just after school. I knew that by removing them from schools and purchasing curriculum I could get the same results and give the children more time to be children… so I did. We spent about 4 hours an evening doing homework back then. Now we spend 4 to 6 hours a day homeschooling.
I have truly digressed here, but I hope you get my point. You can do the minimum amount of homework with your child if you wish. You can do everything your child’s teacher assigns and complain it is too much. However, unless your child understands the concepts presented in the homework assignments, they are not doing enough homework.
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