But that system would not continue to exist at all if parents were not still buying into it.
This is what I see locally-- parents are buying into it. They are opting in for competitive reasons, ultimately. Not because the other options are more toxic-- but because they perceive that those alternatives would/will place their kids at some kind of competitive disadvantage down the road. It's why they are not choosing "sleep" from the list of options available.
Agreed. Some parents are buying into it. BUT NOT ALL OF US.
Cricket is exactly on-target there. It was precisely what I picked up on in reading Dad's account of things. He's complaining because it isn't perfect. For HIM.
Disagreed.
The guy who wrote that article didn't give me the impression of being a whiner. But it's possible that you're perceiving him the way that gifted-kid parents are seen when advocating for their kids.
My tenth-grade son is doing his daily dose of 30-50 math problems right now, and they tend to be same-y. My daughter (just 9) averaged 20-30 per night last year and the year before that, except they weren't same-y. They were pretty much carbon copies of each other. They were easy, taught her little, yet they took a lot of time just to write out. Especially when you have to "show your work."
With my other son (DS11), it's reams of vocabulary words that he's unlikely to hear or use again until he's 16 or older. Many of these words are SAT/GRE words. "Diffident" isn't exactly in the realm of a 6th grader, even one with an impressive vocabulary.
I have not "bought into" this situation. I hate it. I complain about it to the school. I talk to other parents. But I have no choice. There is simply no other high school around here that will not pile on homework. The neighborhood elementary schools don't seem to pile it on, but...they would prefer to see my 5th grade daughter in 3rd grade because of her birthday.
I'm kind of surprised at these reactions. As parents of gifties, we know how rigid the schools are. People on this board commonly use phrase "least worst option." Too much homework is toxic. It robs kids of time to play and be creative. And what are they doing all day in school that they have to keep working for 2-4 hours each night?
