Maria
Mrs. Zurkowski
English 9 Greens
21 September 2012
Homework:
Family
time being lost and ruined.
Many
students come home from either school or sports, knowing they still have
another 2 ours at the minimum of homework. This affects all grade levels, not
just high school students but also elementary and middle school students. Teachers
and staff at schools are beginning to realize the problem of too much homework.
Parents think they are receiving a lot, and it is starting to interrupt family
time. Some schools around the country are starting to test experiments where
students get less homework, and seeing what grades they will receive on test
and quizzes. Teachers should lessen the workload, because
students need less homework, and families need more time to spend together
doing various activities they enjoy. In this competitive academic world,
teachers are trying to make students smarter through homework not class work, and
they do not realizing how much work they are really providing us. Students do
need more time to see families and they are unable to, due the work they are
provided with.
The first reason this problem needs to be recognized is
because many students are beginning to struggle with homework amounts. A lot of
different reasons are causing a kid to become overwhelmed. According to Anne
Michaud,
“Cutting back on homework can make the difference in whether some students even
attempt the assignment.” Teachers are encouraging parents to motivate their
students to at least attempt their assignments whether it is right or wrong
when they are finished. A huge reason a child may fall behind is
because they are absent from school a day or more. If a student is absent they
should not be required to make up the work for homework that night, but instead
during a free class or before or after school one day. Also, a source tells us
that most students, doesn’t matter Elementary or high school give up on
homework after an hour or just stop doing it (Skinner). Another author also noted
that boring assignments make it harder for a student to concentrate one. “Like
many things in life, homework may be a case where less really is more.”
(Michaud). A student who plays sports for school ends up staying up late doing
an assignment, because of the time they get home and finish doing other things
first. Students who also have a part time job have trouble balancing school
work with their hours of work, because most don’t get home until late at night,
then stay up late doing homework, causing them to be tired the next day
(Headholder). Teachers are now starting to realize the health effects and side
effects of this (Anderson). Many students have stories that can relate to
homework amounts, and have different views of homework.
Many
students and parents have stories of anxiety once homework is in gear. “As
school doors swing open, it will be time once again to engage the homework
battles” (Michaud). Many students agree
with this statement because once school starts, they feel as if homework is all
they ever do. Susan Graham tells us that, no matter how good someone can do
something in a certain subject in school; they can still use a little bit of
practice outside of school, but with a little motivation from parents or even
teachers. With all the homework and carrying it in book bags comes back, neck,
and even shoulder pain that can lead to serious injuries (Skinner). The only
age group that could potentially benefit from having homework is high school
students, because they are preparing themselves for collage where they will
receive homework. Elementary and middle school students would not be affected
as much by cutting down amounts, or even giving them none at all. Anne Michaud
tells us that, “Family rituals that generate enthusiasm and contentment are
being lost”. The last concept that can be recognized is what can be done so
students don’t leave school with hours of homework.
Many
people have looked into possible ways to limit homework for all students in
every grade level. Jenny Anderson sates “Teachers, parents, and administrators
are also starting to look beyond the academic questions, studying the research
about the health effects of overscheduling and stress.”(Anderson). One possible way to limit homework could be to
doing the work during school where a teacher is there if a child has and
trouble or questions about the lesson they are learning. Also, only some
teachers give homework on certain nights. For example, a student’s math teacher
can give homework one night, then the next night the English teacher can assign
a light homework assignment. Some schools are starting to experiment with less
homework to see if a positive or negative outcome comes out of it. As another
author notes, “Reading a book is the best possible homework a teacher can
assign to a student.” At some given point, a teacher needs to draw the line and
realize too much work is too much.
Some
people may argue that students need the homework they receive to make them
become more educated and knowledgeable. Susan Graham said “no matter how good you are at something,
practice helps and that most of us could use some outside motivation to get
that practice accomplished.” This is not correct for students because as Anne
Michaud argues “Cutting back on homework can make the
difference in whether some students even attempt the assignment” making students
more willing to do work in school and more motivated as well. There are many
possible solutions to this argument.
A
possible solution to the issue of homework is giving students homework on
certain nights. Things like reading a book can be given to a student for
homework. (Headholder). Also, “teachers should give out homework for things
like projects, not extra enrichment”, because projects are things that we
already receive to do outside of school. This would be a practical solution
because then students will have more time to do family activities together.
Too
much homework for students is a huge problem that is now being investigated
among some schools. People who object are incorrect because students are still
going to gain knowledge by going to school. Just because we don’t end up coming
home with a minimum of two hours of homework, does not mean we are going to not
gain knowledge. In this world teachers attempt to make all of their students
smarter but are doing this only through homework as appose to classwork during
school hours. “Sure,
a "no homework" policy makes life easier for everyone,” says Susan
Graham. However the older a student gets, the more they get engage in after
school activities and part time jobs leaving little time for at home academic
work. Hopefully this will come to the end of students complaining about
homework, if teachers come up with a solution.
Works
Cited:
Anderson, Jenny. "At Elite
Schools, Easing Up a Bit on Homework." New York Times. 24 Oct 2011: A.1. SIRS Issues Researcher.
Web. 12 Sep 2012.
Graham, Susan. "Student Performance Suffers When
Homework Is Optional." Do Students Have Too Much Homework? Ed. Judeen Bartos. Detroit: Greenhaven Press,
2012. At Issue. Rpt. from "The 100-Year
Homework War." Education Week 3 Nov. 2010. Gale Opposing
Viewpoints In Context. Web. 10
Sep. 2012
Holderhead, Sheradyn. "Time to
Work on Kids' Homework." Advertiser (Adelaide). 05 Apr 2012:
19. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 12 Sep 2012.
Michaud, Anne. "Less Is More
When It Comes to Homework." Newsday. 24 Aug 2012: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 10
Sep 2012.
Skinner, David. "The Homework
Wars." Public Interest No. 154. Winter 2004: 49-60. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 13 Sep
2012.
Homework." Issues & Controversies On
File: n. pag. Issues & Controversies.
Facts On File News Services, 2 Mar. 2001.
Web. 29 Sept. 2012. <http://www.2facts.com/article/i0600340>. “
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