Annoyed

This is the email I received from my child's first grade teacher today:

Just a quick note to let you know that I found Taylor's Oct. 15th and Oct. 22nd homework papers today in her desk as we did some cleaning. I am trying to help to remind her but at this point it's going to take more push from home to really get this done. She doesn't see any importance in the homework she's doing and is not following through on returning her work on time. Any assistance from you guys at home would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for all that you do. Ms.XXX

My very diplomatic reply:


Ms. XXX,
We did get behind on her homework--honestly, during the week we are just non-stop go-go-go. We've always dealt with weekend homework with all the kids, so the 'due on Friday' schedule has thrown us for a loop. And obviously, we haven't done a good job of integrating her nightly homework into our routine. Honestly, we usually don't think to do it until Thursday night--and if Thursday night is busy...well, you see what happens. She brought all the backed up work last week--obviously little miss just stuffed it in her desk. I will work harder on instilling the importance of homework in her (and us!) and we'll be more diligent in the future.

On a plus note--we do read every night without fail, so she's got that going for her!

Have a good day,
LC

What I wanted to say:

Are you effing serious? First graders do not need nightly homework. They need literacy integrated into their daily lives and we do an outstanding job of this in our home. I am not surprised that Taylor sees no value in her homework, as I do not see the point of her doing mindless worksheets and telling me her address and counting doors in the house (assignments actually given). I am an educator and I fully understand the importance of at-home reinforcement of important concepts, but I do think you should sincerely question whether your little green grids of gloom that come home every Monday really are a means to that end. Furthermore, at the age of six, the reality is that the so-called 'homework' is really being assigned to the parent and I do not need or want this added to my evenings. Have a delightful day.