Don’t quote. Parents/teachers of 1st graders pls weigh in

Thank you all - great feedback!

Message edited 10/6/2018 7:11:52 AM.

Don’t quote. Parents/teachers of 1st graders pls weigh in

My dd is in 1st grade and at this point in the school year she needs help understanding what to do with her hw. She definitely needs someone to read and sometimes explain the math questions, especially since they are more complicated than just simple addition. They are already getting word problems.

It sounds like you might as well just "downgrade" to the cheaper aftercare in the cafeteria if the "teacher" in the classroom doesn't even help with their hw at all. What's the point of paying the higher price?

Re: Don’t quote. Parents/teachers of 1st graders pls weigh in

We just have 1 option for the level of care, but it does cost more than that. The workers are generally college age and do offer assistance if kids are having difficulty with homework. I still check it over when we get home. My first grader doesn’t get much homework other than reading. In your situation, I’d absolutely expect assistance from the teacher. You’re specifically paying to have a teacher there and she should guide him along and help if he’s struggling. If I had to pay more for a teacher to be there, my expectations would be higher especially when it came to homework and assistance with it.

How many kids are in the classroom with the teacher? If he finishes his homework, does he get to play with the other kids? I would never expect a first grader to sit for over 2 hours doing or attempting to do homework. I would certainly bring up what happened and go over the expectations.

Re: Don’t quote. Parents/teachers of 1st graders pls weigh in

Heartbreaking. Pay for the cheaper aftercare and specify if he doesn’t complete the homework in x amount of time, to let him play and you’ll do the rest with him when he gets home.

Re: Don’t quote. Parents/teachers of 1st graders pls weigh in

Re: Don’t quote. Parents/teachers of 1st graders pls weigh in

Actually, it is completely reasonable that a 1st grader can sit and complete homework unassisted. IMO the biggest issue here lies in the homework itself. If the directions are complicated or contain vocabulary beyond the typical first grader they should be gone over in school, and if your ICT child can't complete the assignment it should be modified to fit his learning needs/style. I'd address this with the teacher.
FTR I do also agree the the aftercare "teacher" isn't doing her job and that also should be addressed. If nothing changed I'd definitely switch to the cheaper option because you're not getting what you paid for.

Don’t quote. Parents/teachers of 1st graders pls weigh in

I would probably discuss it with the supervisor and let her know it's not what you were expecting. Things either need to change or you should just downgrade to the cheaper setting.

I would want more information like did the teacher encourage him to begin and he refused? Did she go over what he was supposed to do to help him get started? My first grader needs to ge told to start her math but she will read the directions and do it on her own for the most part. I usually have to correct some stuff with her or remind her to do the back. It's not Go Math so I don't have specific experience with that and she reads well beyond level D. I can definitely see thre being plenty of kids who need a little help reading the directions and word problems. Sounds like they may get more help from the aides and volunteers and also have more fun which should be the case after a long school day.

Re: Don’t quote. Parents/teachers of 1st graders pls weigh in

In 1st they still aren't reading on a level where they can understand directions like that.
I used to sit with DD and help her read the instructions and guide her when she was in 1st.
Even in 2nd I'd sit with her.

You are paying good money. I'd not only drop down to the cheaper level but I'd raise a riot.

They sound like assholes.

Re: Don’t quote. Parents/teachers of 1st graders pls weigh in

We are doing 1st grade go Math. DD needs my help with reading and following instructions. She will jump into it herself and just do the work. She can tell what to do, but isn't reading the instructions word for word. For example, she might start to draw pictures to model the problem when the instructions specify a bar model. And she needs help spelling words in the word problems she makes up.

ETA - I would probably downgrade and let them know why.

Message edited 10/5/2018 8:27:32 AM.

Don’t quote. Parents/teachers of 1st graders pls weigh in

Yeah, there’s no way my DD can do her homework without someone helping her by reading the instructions. I would definitely go to the lower “package”. What the hell are you paying for?
Do these people realize that these kids are 6!!!!!

Re: Don’t quote. Parents/teachers of 1st graders pls weigh in

I teach first grade. I go over the homework directions with my class each and every day and the expectation is that they complete it independently. A reading level D is "technically" grade level, but they "should" have left kindergarten an E or an F so D is slightly on the low end.

I would speak with the classroom teacher and ask what her homework expectations are.

Re: Don’t quote. Parents/teachers of 1st graders pls weigh in

My first question is what is the expectation of homework for the district? In my district, they really don't want the parents to help or re teach any homework and that no more then 30 minutes be spent in total on homework. After 30 minutes, what is done is done. The reason being that if the child doesn't get the homework; it should be reviewed in class. But, a parent or helper can help with directions and understanding them.

I would be furious that my child sat for over 2 hours on homework! No child at that age should spend that long on homework and especially not in a program designed to help with homework. I would be on the phone with that director demanding a meeting and then I would want a plan on how they are going to execute changes and if they are not willing to do that...then I would bring it to the school administration.

Re: Don’t quote. Parents/teachers of 1st graders pls weigh in

I would find out if he was being difficult. My son has a tendency to be stubborn, especially if I am not around.

I would also probably either see if they are able to help with the homework and if not then downgrade. That is $$ for aftercare. If they aren't going to be able to help then I would just pay for them to keep my child alive until its time to pick him up.

Message edited 10/5/2018 10:38:28 AM.

Re: Don’t quote. Parents/teachers of 1st graders pls weigh in

In agreement with a lot of responses.

Wondering if the after care is in the building / school itself then are the “teachers” from the school? It would be helpful if you can request the aftercare speak with the classroom teachers so they are in alignment of how the student is doing, what’s expected etc.

Aside from the issue of being frustrated the you are paying and expect hw to be done play the part of naive parent who needs expert advice and support on your childs performance. Request that the afterschool instructors and teachers communicate for the childrens’ success.

Message edited 10/5/2018 11:16:07 AM.

Don’t quote. Parents/teachers of 1st graders pls weigh in

If they are billing this as "homework aftercare" then I fully expect the teachers/aids to help set the kids up with their work and assist as needed, not simply watch idly as a child is obviously struggling.

Don’t quote. Parents/teachers of 1st graders pls weigh in

My DD is in first and there is NO way she can sit and do all her homework alone. Sometimes I read and re read the directions lie WTF?! And I am college educated. My DD is not special ed. She basically needs me to read and explain every problem.

Re: Don’t quote. Parents/teachers of 1st graders pls weigh in

I would be so mad. My general ed daughter with no special needs needs me to explain the math to her. And my third grader with some special needs still needs me to sit and do the homework with her for math. I would go and speak with them and tell them what your expectations are and maybe ask to speak with a supervisor.

Re: Don’t quote. Parents/teachers of 1st graders pls weigh in

I would just downgrade to the basic aftercare, but tell the supervisor why you're doing it

My son has been in aftercare since he was in kindergarten. But it's the type with college students and paras. They used to go over his homework but by no means was it ever done completely or most of the time correctly. HOWEVER my son is a PITA and he is dyslexic so I blame my son

Message edited 10/5/2018 2:25:53 PM.

Re: Don’t quote. Parents/teachers of 1st graders pls weigh in

Re: Don’t quote. Parents/teachers of 1st graders pls weigh in

Don’t quote. Parents/teachers of 1st graders pls weigh in

Honestly I consider myself to be an intelligent human being, and I typically have to read my children’s homework directions 5 times before I understand WTF the stupid common core questions are asking.

Also many children into first grade not knowing how to read yet so they should not assume that these children know how to read at all.

I would downgrade to regular aftercare because basically they’re just stealing your money.

Re: Don’t quote. Parents/teachers of 1st graders pls weigh in

Re: Don’t quote. Parents/teachers of 1st graders pls weigh in

I’ve lost count of the amount of YouTube math lessons I’ve watched over the years just to understand the math homework.

Don’t quote. Parents/teachers of 1st graders pls weigh in

So i'm a math teacher and GOMath SUCKS! it is honestly the worst textbook on the planet. We had them for our whole middle school and I said for awhile how much they sucked and finally our superintendent noticed it and made a district-wide announcement to trash the entire thing.

GoMath is unnecessarily difficult, and the questions are nothing like what the kids see on the state exam. Students need alot of guidance on the homework from that book, and I would be furious if I was paying that much money and the teacher wasn't helping my kid. That teacher is getting overtime pay for being there, so she should be earning that pay. I would complain to the teacher first, and if nothing changes I would 100% contact the principal or person running the program to complain. I don't usually agree with people complaining about teachers, given the fact that I am one myself, but that just sounds lazy

Don’t quote. Parents/teachers of 1st graders pls weigh in

We don’t use Go Math but I usually make sure my first grader understands the directions. Usually his math homework mirrors work he has had in class and has simple instructions so it’s easy for him to figure out on his own.

When my kids were in aftercare there were adults there to help if asked. And everyone had to be done with their homework before they could move on and do other things.