No More Homework !?!
Apr 4, 2008
Has homework reached critical mass in Toronto?
Families across the greater Toronto Area will be on the edge of their seats in the upcoming weeks as they wait to hear whether or not Toronto District School Board trustees will make the groundbreaking decision to ban or restrict homework.
The fact that homework could be on the legislative chopping block at all is not that much of a surprise. Homework has been a thorn in the collective sides of parents for some time now as the sheer amount of homework that children face each night has been wrecking havoc in otherwise happy households.
Kids are stressed by the volume of homework they face every night, and parents aren’t too happy about it either.
Homework amounts seem to increase in direct relation to teacher cutbacks and classroom sizes. School boards are expected to do more with fewer resources and classroom sizes are rapidly expanding giving teachers less time to teach materials during class, which means that in order to meet grade standards, more and more homework is assigned to the student. Unable to teach the curriculum in class, teachers send it home as homework. Now legislators want to eliminate homework entirely.
Something’s gotta give.
No single set amount of time for homework will work either because kids still need some measure of individualized attention. They still need to learn how to prioritize tasks, how to be organized, and how to make sense of the work that they’ve been assigned.
How do you feel about the potential homework ban?
Comments(18)
Find this article online at: www.oxfordlearning.com/letstalk/no-more-homework/
Jane
Apr 9, 2008
A homework "ban" seems too harsh. My understanding of homework—at least in the lower grades—is that it is mostly made up of assignments not completed in class. If we were to see homework banned, what would happen to all the half-finished classroom assignments that surely would build up? Teachers would be losing valuable instruction time to allow children to complete work that could have been done at home. I am not sure if a "ban" is the answer. I think it would be in the Toronto District School Board's interests to explore a few alternatives, such as reducing the amount sent home, or ensuring that parents understand what is sent home so they can offer help and encouragement. Of course another great alternative would be to check out Oxford Learning, where children are taught to study smart, and make the most of their time.
Claudia
Apr 10, 2008
I agree .Homework puts my kid under wwwwwwwwwwwaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyy too much stress.
Amy
Apr 13, 2008
I think it is a terrible idea. As a teacher, I know how much material we must cover in the course of the year, and due to interruptions such as snow days, fire drills, field trips, sports games etc, the reality is, we lose a lot of time with our students. Some teachers give way too much homework, but I think homework is an important skill for students to learn. What will happen when they go through school being babied and only doing 2 hours of homework or less per night (in high school), then they get to University and are hit with 4 hours of readings plus essays and assignments? These kids are going to be lost. I think a homework ban will only hinder their development.
Jacqueline
Apr 14, 2008
I believe that having homework is an integral part of our right to be educated. Homework should enhance and reinforce what is being learned in the classroom. Parents should not be burdened with having to teach their children what should be taught in the schools, and the children should not be self-taught, using homework as the tool to do so. Well-planned homework and projects are necessary to prepare students for university, as well as to instill a good work ethic that will take them through their lifelong learning challenges.
charlynn
Apr 15, 2008
i totally agree
Jenna
Apr 16, 2008
I'm depressed and part of the reason is homework.
Jenna
Sarah
Apr 17, 2008
My daughter has a learning disability that requires her to take a longer time to finish her in class work. This means in addition to regular homework, she has to complete class work which sometimes adds up to hours for a grade three. It becomes totally frustrating for her at times. I believe that emphasis should be put on the quality of homework done, not on the quantity.
Alex
Apr 21, 2008
Banning homework is not a good idea. My daughter went from a private school that handed out extensive homework to public school--that gives out practically none at all and she suffered greatly because of it. Too much free time is not good for kids. The only reason people want to ban homework is because parents don't want to spend time with their children helping them do it.
Jack Rodden Education center
Apr 21, 2008
i would agree to ban homework, kids need to be able to play,laugh and just have fun. They dont always need to be doing homework.
Personally i don't think theres a point of getting 2-3 hours of homework, that just creates stress and if kid in high school get stressed enough it might lead to suicide.
We need the goverment to really consider these comments.
[[[[Kids need a life]]]]]
-Jack Rodden
Alena Gabriel
Apr 22, 2008
I agree, children and young adults need to know how to learn and to know that it is their joyful right to learn.
Great Website!
Alena Gabriel
Children Of Today
Jane
Apr 22, 2008
Simply to play the devil's advocate, I'd point out to Mr. Rodden that some might say that children receiving little or no structure during after-school hours are more likely to turn to things such as drugs, promiscuity, and crime to fill their time. I might also suggest that likening homework to suicide is a bit harsh. As I suggested above, a happy medium needs to be found. Banning homework is a bad idea for the reasons listed above. Teachers have so little time to work with the students as it is. It would be irresponsible to expect them to spend their little precious time completing homework. I believe it is just as irresponsible to send the students home at 2:45 or 3:00 with absolutely nothing to do. Homework provides structure, breeds self-disclipline, and prepares students for college, university, ot the workforce. Let's find the middle ground! A place where children are receiving enough homework and where they can still also be children.
Jane
Apr 22, 2008
As a side note to Mr. Rodden,
I looked your center up online, and didn't find anything. I was intrested in reading your philosophy. Does your center have a website?
Danielle
Apr 22, 2008
I believe my daughter who is in French public school grade 4 recieves to much homework and does get totaly stressed out about it. I also believe that we should get back to basic in the class room and spend more time on reading, writing and math. Never mind the field trips. I'd rather take care of that... I don't think there should be a total band but I believe that homework should be a revision of what was tought in class and not an extension of what was not accomplised.
Danielle
Apr 23, 2008
This is to Jane
You teachers make me laugh...Do you realy believe that children are home by 3:00 with nothing to do?? My 10 year old is on the school bus at 7:30am and doesn't get picked by me untill 5:00 or 5:30PM. As soon as we are home she starts her homework while we make dinner. So about an of homework. After dinner she finishes what she couldn't about another 1 hour 1/2 on good days. My heart break to see tears rolling down her cheeks when she is tired and frustrated and my husband who is anal about homework won't dismiss her till she finishes. If that's not stress I don't know what is?? Most people are not teachers we don't finish work at 3:00. I am not happy at all that it is going to cost me an arm and a leg to get her a tutor because basics have been cut out......
Jane
Apr 24, 2008
Danielle,
I was primarily referring to the early dismissal times of high school students or students that are old enough to be left without supervision until their parent(s) gets home from work. I empathize with your situation, however, if you carefully read my previous posts, you will see that I support a reduction in homework amounts. I just do not agree with doing away with it altogether. I also made a point of suggesting that schools provide education for parents regarding homework, so that they can help and encourage their children, and help them finish quickly. Again, please note that I empathize with your situation, and feel badly that your child gets frustrated. I have suggested finding a middle ground where homework (an important time management exercise and pratise tool) does not interfere with a child's right to be a child.
As a final note, I feel that you should know that I am not a teacher, and agree with you regarding your problem with teachers not teaching the basics anymore.
Tare
Apr 25, 2008
Not only does homework give children a chance to work independently away from a classroom setting, I think homework is an important tool in communication. I think it keeps interested parents current with what their children are learning at school and gives us a glimpse of how they are managing the subject areas.
I find that teachers are cutting back homework and I feel more disconnected from my children. When I visited the school for parent teacher night I was surprised to see the research subjects and sad to hear that one of my children wasn't organized or neat enough in his work. I feel like I have been eliminated as a part of their education team.
It has been said to me that math homework shouldn't be brought home because teachers don't want parents to help in troubled areas. Apparently the "new math" shouldn't be confused with old methods. Personally I wonder whether children should be limited in their approaches to solving problems. Our school offered a "Parent Math Night" several years ago and explained to us the new approaches and showed us how they were helpful to students. I thought that was a nice touch.
Krystyna
Apr 26, 2008
I do not think that homework is helpful at all.
First of all, the name “Homework” assumes that each child has a home that is safe enough to do their homework. It assumes that each child has the time to do homework – some children leave school and look after younger children or go to work to help support themselves or their family. By assigning homework in your class, you have set several of your students behind in their work – as a result they will act out simply to get sent to the office so that when homework checks come around they do not feel “stupid” or left out – acting out tends to have a strong connection to how prepared students feel compared to their peers – if they do not feel as “smart” as their classmates they will act out as a way to compensate for this.
Most will argue that homework is needed to ensure that students are not up to “no good” once the school bell rings – however there are far more beneficial programs that are available for children that help with their development – both socially and personally (ie self esteem). Children are living in a fast paced world, where most are not given time to simply be children. The studies that show the importance of play far outweigh the studies (actually, I am not aware of any recent studies that show that homework is beneficial) that argue for homework.
Jonny
May 13, 2008
People please! homework is an important to the children's education and learning! Sure it may be over loaded, and this might be because of kids using up the class's time talking. So if your child comes in with a lot of homework, then his class most likely was messing around a lot of the class period. And Jane, I totally agree with you about this whole situation, and that it is important to review the children's class period, about what they were learning. It ideed does help kids to learn the subject, and to get a better understanding of what they are learning! So I would say that it is important to keep kids with homework, to be able to go throughout their years of learning with skill, and an abillity to do so . . . Keep Homework!!!
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