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Apology Letter From Parent To Teacher For Not Doing Homework
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Rikke Reifel
Dec 22, 2023, 4:14:09 PM12/22/23
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The letter sparked a good conversation with my son's third grade teacher. We talked about how we supported his education at home. We talked about her goals for the class and her goals for him. We agreed to no homework and that it was still his responsibility to master what kids were learning in class. Thanks to her flexibility and understanding of individual needs, the year went by without a glitch.
Apology Letter From Parent To Teacher For Not Doing Homework
Download Zip https://t.co/e7YM28v3On
It seems more teachers are willing to be flexible in the younger years, especially if parents show they care and are involved. My child's first and second grade teachers also agreed to no homework for our family, but each year the pressure increased. This school, on the whole, believed in homework for elementary students and had the common "10 minutes a grade" policy. By 4th and 5th grade homework was expected to be 40-50 minutes long each night (though many families will attest it took much longer) and became more serious. We were heading into a true clash of education cultures.
Good to hear your story, Marta. Yes, I've heard from many teachers that parents ask for worksheets and homework, even at a young age. The process of education goes both ways. So glad the book is serving you well. Those kids are lucky to have you.
Love to hear others who have the same opinion on homework. My 17 year old is an "Out of the box" learner. He makes all A's, other than Algebra 2. When trying to speak to his teachers about his learning style all of them agreed with my opinion except his Algebra teacher. He would rather spend his time at home building computers, websites and Apps., riding dirt bikes and rebuilding his 73" Duster. We are blessed to go to a private school that has an understanding of learning styles:)) He is being moved from that class to a teacher who supports our decision. He still has homework but he is not up until 2 AM( seriously) like his classmates. I'm pretty sure he is going to grow up to be a healthy, happy, productive member of society!
Heather, I've been fighting the homework battle for over two years. I have 7 kids - my oldest is now a high school senior, and I am sad to say that when he was in elementary school, I just didn't know better, and I would fight with him daily over homework, taking on the role of drill sergeant/enforcer, because that's what I thought I was supposed to do. It wasn't until my fifth child was in first grade a couple of years ago that I had kind of a revelation. She was coming home from school every day with a packet of worksheets to do, and she would cry and dawdle and complain that she was tired, and I would sit there and make her do her homework anyway. Then she started complaining of tummy aches and saying she didn't want to go to school, and that's when it hit me: this is all just too much for a six-year old. I started reading everything I could get my hands on about homework and realized that as a practice, it's not evidence based and has no intrinsic value, especially in elementary school. I tried to reason with my daughter's first grade teacher, but I was met with "My way or the highway." I ended up telling the teacher flat out that I just wasn't going to make my daughter do homework anymore and I really didn't care if her grades reflected it, and that teacher and I had this huge falling out over it, drama drama drama, blah blah blah. Anyway, my daughter didn't do any homework for the rest of the school year and did just fine academically. But since then, I've taken it to the district and the school principal, trying to get the homework policies changed, and nobody will budge. So I fight individual teachers about it, and sometimes they are receptive, and sometimes they are not. I now have a high school senior and a seventh grader, both of whom manage their own homework pretty well. I have two fifth graders (twins) who have daily homework, but I've made clear to their teacher that I will only support homework to the extent that it doesn't create stress and tension in our house, and that it doesn't interfere with other activities/pursuits. My fifth child is now a third grader and I'm actually pulling her to homeschool her because she's falling through the cracks at school. I really feel like her first grade teacher did her a huge disservice with her inflexible authoritarianism and turned my daughter off to school, rather than instilling in her a love of learning. In second grade my daughter was placed with a teacher who was counting the days until her retirement, and this year she's gotten placed in a 3-4 combo class with a teacher who is teaching full time for the first time - AND she's very committed to homework as a necessary practice. So I finally realized that if I don't do something a little drastic to try and turn things around for my daughter, she's going to have years of misery ahead of her.
Also, I meant to address your point, too, about your son remaining responsible for mastering the material even without doing homework, and I just wonder how a child can do that when so often, teachers do make mastering the material dependent on homework. So often, it seems that teachers rush through lessons (I'm sure due to time constraints) and then expect the practice and application of the lessons to take place at home. How do we deal with that?
My daughter is about to start kindergarten. I was actually pretty surprised that she's expected to spend 20 minutes a night on homework even though she's going all day. I wrote a detailed letter in an email about why I don't plan to force her to do any homework she doesn't want to do in elementary school. I also told her that I am INCREDIBLY busy this year with working as a teacher (new position as a gifted intervention specialist), have a husband who also works all the time, and I have a 1-year-old and a 4-month-old at home. I explained that even if I wanted to do homework with her I really don't have the time. Reading together everyday is about all I can manage right now, and when I have more time I plan to spend that time teaching my daughter how to play piano. I said that if she falls behind (which I highly doubt as she's already very advanced for her age), I am willing to tutor her but only on the weekends as I'm too busy during the week. I also stated that I was aware she may disagree with me and was a bit nervous about her reaction. I tried to sound as respectful as possible, and I put a pretty good amount of time, effort, and feeling into the letter. So far the letter was received worse than I expected. I got a really short response that homework is the expectation in kindergarten.
Occasionally misbehaving at school is normal, but sometimes your behavior may upset your teacher. If you've disrespected your teacher, you may need to write an apology letter. Writing an apology letter to your teacher is easy to accomplish. To write your letter, you just need to think out your apology, format your letter, and give the letter to your teacher.
Last week, I passed along a blog post by Heather Shumaker, a mom who has chosen to opt her children out of homework until age 11. In response, I received a thoughtful letter from a well-respected colleague. Martin Kirkwood is the director of guidance and college counseling for St. Theodore Guerin High School near Indianapolis, IN. His school is now in their 4th year of using SOAR.
A homework assignment given to students at a Milwaukee area elementary school asked children to provide three "good reasons" for slavery, prompting outrage and a call to the school from at least one parent.
Trameka Brown-Berry later said on Facebook that she had spoken to the school principal about the assignment and made five requests: a verbal apology to her son and others in the class, a formal apology sent to parents, that the assignment be removed from current and future curriculum, that teachers communicate with parents when they're broaching sensitive topics, and that the school's staff be trained in cultural competency. The principal agreed to all of these, she said.
The advice and apology letters on this site are intended solely as suggestions and samples. We will not be held liable for any damages resulting from the use of this information and/or example letters.
It is one of our goals at Solana Highlands to provide students with a variety of experiences that enhance student learning. Following are some of the activities students may participate in:
Assemblies: During the year, assemblies are scheduled which expose students to various cultural and educational experiences beyond those available in the classroom. In addition, local organizations provide community and environmental awareness programs.
DNN: Dolphin Network News is a news program written, produced, and performed by the students at Solana Highlands School. The SBFL pays for this weekly news broadcast.
Computer Lab: Students and parents must sign an Acceptable Use Policy Agreement before a student may participate in our computer program. The agreement will be sent home with each child at the beginning of the school year. Students attend the lab on a weekly basis. Students use a variety of programs in the lab during the school year.
Field Trips: Classes take field trips to various educational and motivational places that supplement the classroom curriculum. At times there are entrance fees charged along with bus transportation costs. Parents may be asked to make a donation to help pay these costs. No student will be denied the opportunity to participate because of nonpayment of fees, if any, or lack of sufficient funds.
Library/Media Center: We are fortunate to have a library with an excellent collection of books that meet a wide range of interests and investigations. Students in each classroom visit the library once a week and are allowed to check out one book at the kindergarten level and two books for grades 1-3, provided they return previously checked out material. The Media Center teacher, a credentialed teacher, will expose students to different types of genres. Students are responsible for paying the replacement or repair costs for lost or damaged books they have checked out. Report cards will be held until all checked out books are returned or the replacement/repair costs paid. Parents may contact their child's teacher for more specific information regarding library use.
Music Program: Music is offered to K - 3rd grade students on a weekly basis. The music teacher is a credentialed teacher who works closely with teachers to integrate daily curriculum and music.
Reflections: All students interested in participating in the Reflections Program, sponsored by the National PTA, are invited to share their talents in art, poetry, literature, etc. The PTA newsletter will keep you informed on dates.
0aad45d008
Apology Letter From Parent To Teacher For Not Doing Homework
Download Zip https://t.co/e7YM28v3On
It seems more teachers are willing to be flexible in the younger years, especially if parents show they care and are involved. My child's first and second grade teachers also agreed to no homework for our family, but each year the pressure increased. This school, on the whole, believed in homework for elementary students and had the common "10 minutes a grade" policy. By 4th and 5th grade homework was expected to be 40-50 minutes long each night (though many families will attest it took much longer) and became more serious. We were heading into a true clash of education cultures.
Good to hear your story, Marta. Yes, I've heard from many teachers that parents ask for worksheets and homework, even at a young age. The process of education goes both ways. So glad the book is serving you well. Those kids are lucky to have you.
Love to hear others who have the same opinion on homework. My 17 year old is an "Out of the box" learner. He makes all A's, other than Algebra 2. When trying to speak to his teachers about his learning style all of them agreed with my opinion except his Algebra teacher. He would rather spend his time at home building computers, websites and Apps., riding dirt bikes and rebuilding his 73" Duster. We are blessed to go to a private school that has an understanding of learning styles:)) He is being moved from that class to a teacher who supports our decision. He still has homework but he is not up until 2 AM( seriously) like his classmates. I'm pretty sure he is going to grow up to be a healthy, happy, productive member of society!
Heather, I've been fighting the homework battle for over two years. I have 7 kids - my oldest is now a high school senior, and I am sad to say that when he was in elementary school, I just didn't know better, and I would fight with him daily over homework, taking on the role of drill sergeant/enforcer, because that's what I thought I was supposed to do. It wasn't until my fifth child was in first grade a couple of years ago that I had kind of a revelation. She was coming home from school every day with a packet of worksheets to do, and she would cry and dawdle and complain that she was tired, and I would sit there and make her do her homework anyway. Then she started complaining of tummy aches and saying she didn't want to go to school, and that's when it hit me: this is all just too much for a six-year old. I started reading everything I could get my hands on about homework and realized that as a practice, it's not evidence based and has no intrinsic value, especially in elementary school. I tried to reason with my daughter's first grade teacher, but I was met with "My way or the highway." I ended up telling the teacher flat out that I just wasn't going to make my daughter do homework anymore and I really didn't care if her grades reflected it, and that teacher and I had this huge falling out over it, drama drama drama, blah blah blah. Anyway, my daughter didn't do any homework for the rest of the school year and did just fine academically. But since then, I've taken it to the district and the school principal, trying to get the homework policies changed, and nobody will budge. So I fight individual teachers about it, and sometimes they are receptive, and sometimes they are not. I now have a high school senior and a seventh grader, both of whom manage their own homework pretty well. I have two fifth graders (twins) who have daily homework, but I've made clear to their teacher that I will only support homework to the extent that it doesn't create stress and tension in our house, and that it doesn't interfere with other activities/pursuits. My fifth child is now a third grader and I'm actually pulling her to homeschool her because she's falling through the cracks at school. I really feel like her first grade teacher did her a huge disservice with her inflexible authoritarianism and turned my daughter off to school, rather than instilling in her a love of learning. In second grade my daughter was placed with a teacher who was counting the days until her retirement, and this year she's gotten placed in a 3-4 combo class with a teacher who is teaching full time for the first time - AND she's very committed to homework as a necessary practice. So I finally realized that if I don't do something a little drastic to try and turn things around for my daughter, she's going to have years of misery ahead of her.
Also, I meant to address your point, too, about your son remaining responsible for mastering the material even without doing homework, and I just wonder how a child can do that when so often, teachers do make mastering the material dependent on homework. So often, it seems that teachers rush through lessons (I'm sure due to time constraints) and then expect the practice and application of the lessons to take place at home. How do we deal with that?
My daughter is about to start kindergarten. I was actually pretty surprised that she's expected to spend 20 minutes a night on homework even though she's going all day. I wrote a detailed letter in an email about why I don't plan to force her to do any homework she doesn't want to do in elementary school. I also told her that I am INCREDIBLY busy this year with working as a teacher (new position as a gifted intervention specialist), have a husband who also works all the time, and I have a 1-year-old and a 4-month-old at home. I explained that even if I wanted to do homework with her I really don't have the time. Reading together everyday is about all I can manage right now, and when I have more time I plan to spend that time teaching my daughter how to play piano. I said that if she falls behind (which I highly doubt as she's already very advanced for her age), I am willing to tutor her but only on the weekends as I'm too busy during the week. I also stated that I was aware she may disagree with me and was a bit nervous about her reaction. I tried to sound as respectful as possible, and I put a pretty good amount of time, effort, and feeling into the letter. So far the letter was received worse than I expected. I got a really short response that homework is the expectation in kindergarten.
Occasionally misbehaving at school is normal, but sometimes your behavior may upset your teacher. If you've disrespected your teacher, you may need to write an apology letter. Writing an apology letter to your teacher is easy to accomplish. To write your letter, you just need to think out your apology, format your letter, and give the letter to your teacher.
Last week, I passed along a blog post by Heather Shumaker, a mom who has chosen to opt her children out of homework until age 11. In response, I received a thoughtful letter from a well-respected colleague. Martin Kirkwood is the director of guidance and college counseling for St. Theodore Guerin High School near Indianapolis, IN. His school is now in their 4th year of using SOAR.
A homework assignment given to students at a Milwaukee area elementary school asked children to provide three "good reasons" for slavery, prompting outrage and a call to the school from at least one parent.
Trameka Brown-Berry later said on Facebook that she had spoken to the school principal about the assignment and made five requests: a verbal apology to her son and others in the class, a formal apology sent to parents, that the assignment be removed from current and future curriculum, that teachers communicate with parents when they're broaching sensitive topics, and that the school's staff be trained in cultural competency. The principal agreed to all of these, she said.
The advice and apology letters on this site are intended solely as suggestions and samples. We will not be held liable for any damages resulting from the use of this information and/or example letters.
It is one of our goals at Solana Highlands to provide students with a variety of experiences that enhance student learning. Following are some of the activities students may participate in:
Assemblies: During the year, assemblies are scheduled which expose students to various cultural and educational experiences beyond those available in the classroom. In addition, local organizations provide community and environmental awareness programs.
DNN: Dolphin Network News is a news program written, produced, and performed by the students at Solana Highlands School. The SBFL pays for this weekly news broadcast.
Computer Lab: Students and parents must sign an Acceptable Use Policy Agreement before a student may participate in our computer program. The agreement will be sent home with each child at the beginning of the school year. Students attend the lab on a weekly basis. Students use a variety of programs in the lab during the school year.
Field Trips: Classes take field trips to various educational and motivational places that supplement the classroom curriculum. At times there are entrance fees charged along with bus transportation costs. Parents may be asked to make a donation to help pay these costs. No student will be denied the opportunity to participate because of nonpayment of fees, if any, or lack of sufficient funds.
Library/Media Center: We are fortunate to have a library with an excellent collection of books that meet a wide range of interests and investigations. Students in each classroom visit the library once a week and are allowed to check out one book at the kindergarten level and two books for grades 1-3, provided they return previously checked out material. The Media Center teacher, a credentialed teacher, will expose students to different types of genres. Students are responsible for paying the replacement or repair costs for lost or damaged books they have checked out. Report cards will be held until all checked out books are returned or the replacement/repair costs paid. Parents may contact their child's teacher for more specific information regarding library use.
Music Program: Music is offered to K - 3rd grade students on a weekly basis. The music teacher is a credentialed teacher who works closely with teachers to integrate daily curriculum and music.
Reflections: All students interested in participating in the Reflections Program, sponsored by the National PTA, are invited to share their talents in art, poetry, literature, etc. The PTA newsletter will keep you informed on dates.
0aad45d008
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