Homework

Well according to my 13 year old son, homework is wrecking kids. He believes homework is wrecking kids because he feels it is misleading. For example, a teacher might say they assignment they are doing as homework will be found on their test and it really isn’t so he feels it’s a waste of time to do the homework if it’s not on tests or quizzes. He also feels it can be very stressful if it’s too hard and too time consuming.

I have mixed emotions on the issue of whether or not homework should be assigned. I am all for some homework, but not too much. There are definitely some teachers that go over board with the nightly assignments. I feel some homework is a good idea because it keeps them refreshed and in the loop, keeps their brains moving. I do feel there can be too much homework though which like my son said can stress out the student. I can speak from experience when I say I was one of those that would “freak out” when my homework load was way too much and I was up late studying. If a child is staying up late just to finish their homework, that can cause sleep deprivation and lack of attention and focus in school the next day.

A teacher friend of mine (4th grade)is a strong believer in assigning some homework every night. During our 2 week winter break she has a project for them to work on and turn in the day after returning to school from break. She thinks it’s good for them and keeps them focused. I say it’s a bit over the top, can at times burn the students out and often times takes away from time spent with family. These kids spend almost 7 hours a day in school learning, the last thing they need is to be spending another 7 hours (ok maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration) doing homework at night.

Homework is good for staying on top of things, keeping refreshed and when needing to study for a test, but simple homework assignments will do most of the time, nothing that is over the top and going to stress them out or keep them up all night. yes there are a few times in the school year when a big project is due or a book report, but they are given plenty of time to finish and accomplish the task (hopefully) without getting stressed and taking time away from family. My kids get small prizes from the prize box if their work is all completed in class, but obviously there are times that worksheet or whatever it may be may need to be taken home to finish.

To give homework or not to give homework…..that is the question!