BellaOnline Forums Education School Reform Too Much Homework

Parents and teachers are choosing sides in the Homework War. On one side there's a call for more homework, beginning in Kindergarten, no less. On the other, there's the call to abolish the dreadful institution. What's the answer?

Too Much Homework

Hi Maeve,

I don't know what schools they tested, but here teachers absolutely do not give homework. At first, I thought it was just my child telling me he didn't have any, but when I went to back to school night. 5 out of his 7 teachers said they don't give homework. What??? I'm not sure how that prepares them for college where they will have a ton of out of class work...then again what can I say about a school system that would tell a child they can't take gym in 11th and 12th grade if their GPA was not high enough.

Dianne,
Very strange. I hope your child is an avid reader.

Hmmm, Dianne, no homework. I've never heard of that. I can't speak as a parent or teacher, but as a former student I had a lot of homework. In the last few years of high school, I would have three hours a night. I don't know how the other students who had sports and extracurricular activities managed.

As with anything in life, there must be a balance. Homework is a crucial learning tool, but hours upon hours in my opinion backfires. It is important to have some downtime to let the brain properly absorb the new information it has taken in.

It is a shame, though, that Dianne's kids are missing out on the benefits that homework can teach.

Homework should be perfect practice for a skill that has been learned. It should take the student into automaticity, where they can do the task quickly and accurately.

There is no need to assign homework to kids who don't know how to do the skill. If a teacher does that, it is often the case that students practice the skill incorrectly.

I loathe homework. The students who are effective at it are the students who have support at home. Homework often puts additional stressors on families who are already fragile.

When you get to college, studying independently is expected. So is sitting in a large lecture hall. If a student is an effective reader, writer, and can do math, they should do well, even if they have not done hours upon hours of homework each night of high school.

Connie,
I think everyone means something different when they hear the word "homework."

It sounds as if your experience with homework was very unpleasant.

My view is that homework is a necessary part of the learning process, but only if it is appropriate to the subject being studied. If the teacher's only purpose in assigning homework is to assign homework, then the exercise is pointless. Homework must have a clear focus. The student must understand why she's doing it and be able to see an improvement in her work as the result of doing the homework. Homework in elementary and secondary school should have time limits.

I won't go on because I think I have more posts on homework wanting to be written!