Tuesday, September 05, 2006

I suck at homework

Okay, I know I'm supposed to be a good example to my kids, when it comes to homework and such. The key word here is 'supposed'. I'm sometimes not.

For example, Anna was studying decimals, fractions, and mixed numbers for math a couple of weeks ago. She was having to place numbers like .000032 on a number line and having to write in word form things like .30226. I had to cheat to be able to help her. I couldn't help but blurt out (more than once, so maybe it wasn't a 'blurt'), 'What??! You will never, ever have to know this in real life!'. Followed quickly by 'Don't tell your teacher I said that, but it's true'. I guess it's just a part of general understanding of mathematical concepts, but it's a waste of time to me.
What do you think, should I keep these things to myself?

Emma, tonight, was working on her predicates. It was almost 9:00, her bedtime ,and I had about had it with schoolwork. The last part of her worksheet asked her to write the predicates for the following sentences:

The moon ___________
The astronauts _______________
I think outer space _____________

She asked me for ideas. I said, 'How about 'The moon sucks. The astronauts suck. I think outer space sucks.?'
She wrote it all down.
Just because she's silly like her mama.
Then she just had to erase it and put in some real answers.
Then she went to bed.

I'm a bad example, not giving a damn about predicates and the word forms for decimals carried out to the millionth place.
Should I pray they don't turn out like me?
Let's get an 'AMEN' to that one.

13 comments:

Unknown said...

I was never a fan of school and the teacher's never liked me much either. I remember my math/science teacher telling us girls that we wouldn't need this stuff when we got older (being housewives 'n all). I wish I had better role models - maybe I would have done better instead of just getting by. I did manage to go on to University and I even took financial planning courses after that and have my mutual funds license! So Mr. Paris... where ever you are today - here's to a housewife who kicks financial butt! ;-)

On a more relavent note... I can't help my kids with their French homework. I took 4 years of it in high school (manditory) and can't remember a lick of it! They know more than me and their in grades 1 and 3. The other stuff... I just say... "go ask your dad" that way I don't feel dumb when I don't know what a "Long A" is!

Unknown said...

and obviously I can't spell either...

Debbie Cook said...

I've told my kids the "you'll never need this in real life" stuff too. But ... we also pair that with "it's still homework so you still have to do it." And I do try to explain that sometimes it's not the exact exercise that they'll use later but the concept. That they're in a way training their brains for other things down the life road. But at the very least, they're training their brains for the homework yet to come. So, in other words, I give them the opportunity to vent and tell me it sucks, which does help with the frustration, but they know they still have to do the busy work. Which means No, I don't think you suck at homework. Sometimes the homework just sucks. ;-)

chesneygirl said...

Good God woman, we ARE one in the same!!!
I would've said (and probably will) ALL the same things you said!
I dread the day I have to help my son with his homework....especially the math homework (can you guess I'm an accountant?)
blech...I hated homework!!!

Tiffany said...

Yep, there's a lot of stuff kids learn and even high schoolers learn that is simply pointless. I think it's the process by which they learn, not the info. they learn.

The moon sucks...haha.

Suzanne said...

When we get to that point, I'm hoping that I can rein in my eye rolling and sighs over pointless homework. I hated it as a child. But I never had a cool mom who'd agree with me and say that "the moon sucks"!

Amanda said...

I hated homework when I was younger. I dread it because Hannah and Gracie are much smarter than me.

Martie said...

Wow, as a grandma, I have even said this to my 11 year old granddaughter while trying to help her with school work! I felt quilty saying it, but now....maybe not as much. Thanks froggie! LOL

Cheryl Wray said...

That is TOO funny!!
Thank goodness we live in a "blended" household--I can help my girls with English and history (all that good liberal arts stuff) and my DH can do the math and science! I look at my oldest dd's 9th grade math and it's like an ALIEN language. And my fifth grader's isn't much easier!!!

MarkD60 said...

The moon sucks. The astronauts suck. I think outer space sucks

I came up with the same answers

Teri said...

Homework, ICK!

that's all I have to say.

Greta Adams said...

bwhahaha girl..that shit sucks..yes it does....i would however refrane from telling them the "whole truth"...lol

Anonymous said...

ROFL-anne....
I have actually skipped math lessons with my kids on base 5, base 4 , base 15 etc. because it is HELLONEARTH.
Unless you are going to program computers...or just feel like screaming obscenities, or
gouging your eyes out with red, hot pokers, a good challenge--
TOTALLY usless.
*sigh*
Bad homeschool mom. bad.bad.