I get it.....I know homework is necessary, I may even concede homework is good for reinforcing learning, for the discipline of taking responsibility for your own learning.
I have always parented by the understanding that homework is a contract between the teacher and the child and I have tried, for the most part, to stay out of the fray. I check in everyday about what is due and when and only sign off on work I see is complete. When my kids have dropped the ball I let them work it out with their teachers.
Just lately it feels to me like homework is ruling our home and our family life.
I don't know if it's that David is in a new school or that Grade 7 is just a normal jump in homework but he is consistently doing 1-2 hours of homework everyday and yesterday he pretty much worked 4-5 hours on a project. He is done so his Sunday is free.
Lindsay is in a big hole academically in what we are calling "the post-France slump".....she got behind, got overwhelmed and is now working hours and hours on backlogged assignments and tests and quizzes she missed as well as trying to keep up on her current workload. She will have worked over 8-10 hours this weekend.
And then there is Allan's double whammy - not only does he have piles and piles of tests and homework to mark, total and enter, he also has a lot of homework for his University courses. I expect he will have worked 10 hours this weekend and he just told me he has to do 2 assignments while we are on vacation in Hawaii. What!?
So I am feeling pretty bitter about homework today.
I feel like homework stole the weekend.
Being the only person not doing homework this weekend I should have the least to beef about but I missed my family. No adventurers with me.....I went shopping on my own....which was nice but would have been nicer with a sidekick or two......
I am hoping we can pull off a "Family Movie Night" tonight. This long ago established event means "feast food" as our kids have always called it. I make a variety of dishes and we put them on the coffee table and munch our way through a movie. I think tonight we'll put on the fire and our PJ's and munch while watching Cars 2.......
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