Sixth Grade Woes in Public School

My beautiful step-daughter, Jasmine, just began sixth grade. For some reason sixth grade is a time of great adjustment. She goes to public school. I know from what my older two experienced that this year can be tough. Well, day three of school and the challenges have began. She is loaded with homework from every subject.
This frustrates me, it really does. I don't mind some homework, some studying for a test or finishing up some reading. But every subject? Is it really necessary to give a child hours of homework? What do the teachers do all day that hours of homework have to be sent home? I know that remark sounds judgmental, but I've been through this with my older girls. It's frustrating for a parent to watch them overburdened and struggling. This isn't challenging. This is ridiculous. And the teachers know that the kids are having a tough time.
Jasmine works hard for her grades. She's successfully managed to deal with learning disabilities and still get decent grades. She's had teachers and school administrators tell her (and her parents) that she would never get out of LD classes and would never graduate. To see a girl that has worked so hard get discouraged because of the push to cram as much in as possible is heartbreaking.
I would home school her in a heartbeat if her mom would let me. Unfortunately, she doesn't want to take Jasmine from what she knows...public school. So we deal with the homework. If experience with my older girls has taught me anything, this year in public school is going to be a challenging one. Sixth grade means beginning Middle School. Sixth grade means lockers and changing classes and, for whatever reason, massive amounts of homework every night.
I know that I don't know what the future holds. Lots of situations in life can happen making our homeschooling adventure impossible. Yet, if God gives me the grace, the ability, and the resources to home school, I have no intention of putting Laura or Megan in public school.
I am tempted to look back and say that I would home school Kim and Tasha if I could change things. But the truth is that God didn't lead me to home school until last year. For that there was a reason that only he knows. Kim and Tasha are in 11th and 12th grades in public school. They are both looking at Christian colleges, and for that I am grateful.