I have to admit, when the kids were little, and homework came home, I totally felt like it was more “mom work” than anything. They weren’t really equipped to do it on their own {obviously} and I certainly wasn’t all that equipped to teach them {gracefully} how to do it. I kinda came to resent it in a way. As they got older, they became completely independent with their homework, and although they would disappear into their rooms to do it each evening, it wasn’t really my problem. Now, I can say, we have basically survived homework for better or worse.
BUT, that doesn’t mean the debate doesn’t rage on. I found an article on the Washington Post that tries to summarize some of the research done on the benefit of homework. The article clearly states that summaries on research studies aren’t all they are cracked up to be because a lot is lost in translation, but that is totally not going to stop me from trying.
Basically, research on the benefits of homework have shown that there is very little correlation to homework and overall academic performance. Say what?! I wasn’t personally sure what to think of that. I mean, even though I kinda hated homework when the kids were younger, I consoled myself with the thought that at least it was reinforcing their learning. Apparently, NO research has ever shown a positive benefit to assigning homework in elementary school. As students move on to high school, the correlation between academic performance and time spent on homework is sketchy at best. That’s pretty much the best I am going to do at summarizing–so pop over and read the article first hand, because holy buckets, my summary does not do it justice.
Article aside, I kind of came to conclusion that the benefit of homework really probably comes down to what kind of learner you are. I am more of a hands on learner…and I am sure all kids learn differently, some probably like the quiet reinforcement that homework provides. Still, I’m super curious what you all think. Do your kids have too much {or too little} homework? Do you feel like the homework helps them?
~Mavis
Wendy says
My kids are on the bus at 7:10am and aren’t home until 5pm. If their teachers can’t teach them what they need to know in ten hours a day, too bad. We don’t live our lives around school. I tell their teachers not to even bother sending anything home.
erin says
We do not put a lot of effort into homework. The last thing I want to do in the evenings is more work. We all need down time.
Jess says
Now that all of my kids are junior high age and older, homework is part of routine everyday. My high schooler has a lot of homework, and it often takes hours at night. I don’t always see the point. However, European children have a lot more homework on a whole and they consistently rank better than the U. S. in education standings. Who knows( big shoulder shrug)?
Julie says
I taught high school for many years and assigned my fair share of homework there. Most of that work was either preparation for the next day’s class or some how manipulating the information from today’s class. I know many high school kids have crazy busy schedules, so my practice was to assign all of next week’s homework on Friday.
Now I have a third grader — an average third grader. He has homework every weeknight, and I have trouble understanding why. Four nights a week his assignment is to write his spelling words. Maybe a child who has trouble spelling would benefit from this activity, but for him it’s a waste of time.
Another daily assignment is to go through math fact flash cards. Does a third grader really need to practice 1-0? Oh, and if I don’t sign his flash card folder, he gets a homework slip and misses minutes of recess. The only beneficial homework he brings home is an occasional math worksheet to practice the type of problem they’ve been doing in class.
CathyB says
I actually read a lot about this when my kids were younger because I remembered that as an elementary kid I had practically no homework. I wondered if it was really worth it. All my reading pretty much confirmed what you concluded. The one area that did make a big difference in elementary school was reading – the more time spent reading directly correlated to better academics overall. Once they get into upper grades there is more homework that seems beneficial – but I still think that there is probably a lot of extra stuff and the time would be better spent reading or working on a project of interest. I am sure it varies greatly depending upon the school, the child, and the classes taken.
Mavis Butterfield says
I can totally see the nightly reading helping {even if it is just to foster a love for reading}.
Margery says
I have a second grader his homework is to read, write his spelling words 1x a week, and a math sheet given on Mondays, due on Friday, also anything he doesn’t get done in class due to day dreaming which with this one doesn’t happen but my girls at that age oh my. I do not help him with homework, I provide the time and place to study, he does it on his own. My high school kids I look at homework as teaching them time management a skill they need for college, when you go to class and then have hours of homework based on that one class. At that age all I offer is a do you have homework reminder after dinner and it’s up to them. 9th grade they still forget a lot of homework so they end up with being grounded on weekends, by 12th grade they have it down. In fact this year for some of my son’s classes they are reversed which means that he watches the teacher on a video at home, and then in class they ask questions and do the ” homework” part of the class. My high school kids each have one study hall, a B period ( 20 min when the whole school has a study hall or extra time to meet with any teacher) plus lunch, and 40 min after school before sport practice starts to do homework, so rarely do they bring it home.
Jillbert says
I will leave the grade school homework discussion to others since we’re past that. I actually switched my 6th grader to a school with MORE homework. Our public middle school does not really assign much. I found my older high schoolers were completely unprepared for the challenges of high school coming out of our public middle school. They both went to academically rigorous private high schools and were shocked by the 2+ hours of daily homework required. It was a harsh start of high school. I find regular homework helps my kids hone their organizational skills and learn how to prioritize tasks. And for kids on a heavy academic track, of course they need to do work outside the classroom to keep up — there is a lot of reading, and writing and review. They will be better prepared for college where the ability to study outside of class will be essential. Already, my kind of spacey and disorganized 6th grader is shaping up and proudly managing his time well. FYI, he has about an hour/night and if he uses any extra class time well, it is even less.
Melissa says
I just don’t think it’s necessary for kids to be pushed so hard when it comes to homework – even if they’re on a heavy academic track. I had a full International Baccalaureate schedule through high school and still managed to avoid doing homework much of the time (at times at the expense of “perfect” grades) but I have no regrets, and in younger years, specifically later elementary and the middle school years, I fought or even lied about doing homework (SO NOT my true personality) but it just seemed pointless! Turns out research agrees that it basically is not as beneficial as you may hope – I focused a lot of attention in high school on tons of productive activities, clubs, and an after school job, and THESE are the arenas in which I believe I honed my time management and multi-tasking skills, along with learning to build healthy relationships, take healthy risks, step out of my comfort zone – more than studying alone for hours a night would have done for me. For the record, I still managed to get multiple scholarships to the school of my choice, and graduated with my undergraduate and master’s degrees with 3.9 GPA for each, so I managed to make the transition to college-style studying JUST fine, and my other (not traditiionally academic) skills have been the most useful in translating to success in my daily work in my chosen field. Just something to consider – sounds like your kids may be feeling quite a bit of pressure from a young age – I hope I can let my little guy be a kid for as long as possible.
Stacey says
My husband taught a 7th & 8th grade self-contained classroom for 13 years. Over the years, the “standards” have become higher and the days have become longer, but the learning has not necessarily been better. Kids can only absorb so much in a day. He whittled down his curriculum so they would get what they needed with as little “busy work” as possible. The focus was on the learning. Assignments were planned carefully, and the kids were given time to work on them during the day. If work wasn’t completed by the end of the day, they were responsible for finishing it at home. Some refused to finish, and if parents had the attitude that outside of school hours was not the time for schoolwork, the learning and grades suffered. That’s all there was to it.
Michelle says
I have 2 middle school boys, my husband is a middle school teacher, and I am a district level administrator… And I hate homework. Once we are all home, around 6:00, our family time consist of talking about what they have for homework, what prep is needed for upcoming tests, and are you still hungry? Yes, we ask about their days, what new thing did they learn? And it doesn’t have to be academic. Then we get ready for the next day and go to bed around 9:30. I so miss just sitting with them, walking or bike riding with them, enjoying the wonder of the world around them, and hearing what they want to share about their thoughts. Ahhh… To go back to more simple times. I understand we are preparing them for the future, instilling good work ethics, honoring the hard work of the teachers, and yet I wonder, what are we missing out on with them? Ummm… I think I should stop, huh? 🙂