Lord help me, the homework has started...

[jdmom]

Jarrett started school Thursday. We had homework, of a sorts, for the first time this year last night. All he had to do was go over his spelling words and read one story out of his reader. The reader is never any problem. I just replace the reader with his bedtime story. Instead of me reading to him those nights, he reads to me. He has always liked this and it has never been a problem.
The spelling words are a different story. We were sitting in the floor of his bedroom. He had 10 regular spelling words and 5 bonus words. All he had to do was spell them to me out loud. It was like pulling teeth. He was rolling on the floor, crawling on the floor, trying to do somersalts. It was a nightmare. Plus, they were EASY words. It's the first group of words of the year, so of course they are easy. And Jarrett's pretty bright. He also has a really smart mouth (I swear I have NO idea where he got it ) He had to spell "still". He spelled it steal and steel each twice before he spelled it right. He knew how to spell it right. He was just being a smart you-know-what. He was giving me an evil little grin while he was spelling it, along with rolling on the floor and trying to put his ankle behind his neck. It took us 25 minutes for him to spell 15 words out loud. God grant me patience. That's part of the problem, Jarrett knows I have no patience!
All I could think was "And this is just the beginning......"

[catseye]

Sounds like since there wouldnt be proof he did it to the teacher, he just didnt care enough to try his best? Maybe have him write them down next time? Or is it too clear to him that is what is expected (verbal), and mom couldnt pull a fast one on him?? LOL

Sorry I cant help you, I am sooooo dreading homework... Good luck and I hope it gets better!

cat

[jdmom]

Well I have no idea really what the teacher expects. I keep waiting for her to send home some kind of syllabus or something about homework, but she hasn't yet.
Last year (1st grade), we were supposed to read either his library book, class reader, or accelerated reader book every night of the week. Then on Thursday night, we were supposed to make sentences with the 10 spelling words and study for the spelling test on Friday. It was the same every week.
Since this is the first full week of school, and she hasn't sent home anything to explain it to us, I have no idea. If another night this week, we have to write the spelling words or something, I can tell you, Monday night reciting of the spelling words will be thrown out the window. At leat until the words get more complicated, anyway.

[catseye]

I agree! Choose your battles mom, if you know Jarrett can spell the easier words, why go through the torment, until it is necessary (harder words)...

cat

[Linda]

I can't remember whether your son is on meds or not...if he is chances are the meds have worn off.Like cat said pick your battles!!!

[aimee30]

Does your school have an open house? Something where the teacher goes over expectations and the like? If so bring up the point of her homework expectations. If not send in a note and ask what she expects.

On the subject of spelling words....Last year DD was supposed to study nightly for her spelling test at the end of the week. The only thing that I found to help her memorize them was to have her write them down. We started with three times each the first night and if she pretty much knew them we would go down to two times each the next night. It was a pain to get her to do them. 30 to 45 minutes of work for 10 or less words. I bought her a chalkboard and out time was cut in half! Guess she just likes the chalkboard.

[rosyred45]

Here, have some patience on me I don't need it yet. Maybe because your sittting there and he has nothing to do with his hands or anything is why he's rolling around, knowing it irks ya.

What about if you were to do it at the dinner table while you doing dishes or something? That way, you can here him spell the words, AND YOU have something to distract yourself from him being foolish and goofing.

I found that even if I am in the room with Mikey, he'll get his work done quicker because he knows that yes I am right there, BUT I am not giving him attention because he might be goofing off.

[camismom]

Oh lord JD, have I been there! It was like you were describing Cami at that age! She used to drive me insane going over speliing words! We would sit in the living room and while she spelled she would stand up, then sit down, with each letter, i.e., S (stand up, clapping her hands on her side), T (sit back down), I (stand up) , etc. She was also major into cheerleading at that time, so she would spell them while mimicking the moves of a cheer! AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!! I knew like Linda said that her meds were wearing off at the time and she just needed to get out that pent up energy, but man was it tough to deal with!

I go along with what Kaiti suggested, call them out while you are doing something else. That way you can hear if he's getting them right, but you aren't focused completely on him to see what he's doing.

As far as your subject line "Lord help me, the homework has started", I'm with you there too! Cami had a ton of homework last night! She worked on it from the time she got home until 8:30, and she wouldn't have gotten done then if I hadn't helped her some. Why, oh why can't teachers understand that children need time outside of school too? Isn't 7.5 hours a day enough???

[vickilyn32]

So far this year I have been lucky. Our school opens for tutoring at 7:15 am, and Dan (8th grade) has been going in each morning between 7:15 and 7:30 to do his homework where he can ask the teacher if he needs help. This is our second week, I hope he continues to do so well. Since he needs to keep his grades up for football, basketball, and track, I think he will. Amber is also enjoying her first year of jr high. (6th) I remember the spelling words. I used to make a tape of me saying each word and spelling it 3 times. Then Dan would listen to the tape and write the words along with it. Then when he would get done, I would give him a spelling test and he would write the answer. I hope things improve when your DS is used to being back at school.

[jdmom]

We had an open house, but the teacher didn't go over anything about classroom stuff. It was all just school rules and lunch and who was getting picked up, who walked and who rode the bus. She said she would go over classroom rules on the first day of school. She didn't even go over her discipline system. I figured I'd give her the rest of this week. I kept thinking she would send something home, and now am thinking I'll give her until Friday, because some teachers like to send everything home on Friday. If she hasn't clued us in by then, I'll speak with her Monday morning.

Oh, BTW - we got the SAT scores that I was so worried about. Remember my complaining about the teacher telling me on the last day of the test that Jarrett kept scribbling all over his answer form and she had to take it away from him twice a day to erase it? She was worried that the computer wouldn't be able to grade it, and I was upset that she waited until the last day to tell me about it. I mean, what could I do about it then?
Well, we got the results and he did great I was SO pleased. He didn't score under the 90th percentile in anything, EXCEPT listening skills - 65th percentile. Go figure. I still thought that was great for an ADHD kid, it is still above average. I bought him some coveted Pokemon cards as a reward. Then I wondered if I should have done that. It's not like we studied for it or anything. But I was just so tickled. And once he got his hands on the Pokemon cards, so was he. I refuse to buy them usually.

[rosyred45]

Your best bet might be to call the school or e-mail her ASKING if there is going to be something sent home since you need it concrete.

Good for him on his test scores, and 30 lashes with a wet noodle for the pokemon cards He did very well, he should be rewarded, but I know what you mean about the cards, that's why we don't have them here.

Anyhow, jump on her, maybe she doesn't realize you are that involved as a parent, not by choice, but by necessity. If she realizes that early on, you'll be an asset to her.

[aimee30]

We had an open house before school, but it was basically meet the teachers and leave. Tomorrow we have another open house to sit down with the teachers and go over discipline, homework policies, etc. I'm glad because DD has yet to bring home her first piece of homework. I'm beginning to wonder.

I'm sure within the next week I'll be back in the same boat as you.

[bunny]

I rarely sit still myself when reviewing spelling, hmmm , I wonder why... it's BORING. I usually clean the kitchen, while DS can walk around the dining room, sit, or whatever... while he spells.

When I had trouble teaching my other son to learn his phone number, we used a stretchy toy (this happened to be a frog), but I guess even a rubber band would work. For every number he said out loud, he would stretch the frog in a different direction. He actually had different movements worked out to represent each number. It was very interesting to see him develop his own method . Not that this example would necessarily apply, but keeping his hands busy seemed to keep him focused.

Take whatever helps and run with it ;D.

We just started school today, and I am dreading the homework. Anything that requires writing more than one word answers becomes a battle in frustration! DS will read, and do math, but the writing skills are a battle . I'm really dreading this........

[rosyred45]

Bunny, did you steal my son while I wasn't looking

Same here.....writing anything that isn't his idea is work

[camismom]

rosyred45 said:

Same here.....writing anything that isn't his idea is work

I think that applies to most ADHD kids. That's why I have an accomadation for Cami in her 504 to not have to write anything more than answers when doing homework. ;D you know how teachers always want them to write the question too.