Like most parents this time of year, I recently found myself wandering the aisles of a mega office supply store gathering the laundry list of necessities for my son’s venture into 2nd grade. The store was bustling with parents and children, creating that familiar back-to-school energy and excitement. I was surrounded by a tornado of chatter, ranging from opinions on preferred notebook colors to debates on the best pen for a 5th grader. One conversation between a mother and son made me stop and eavesdrop. The boy, no more than 10 years old, was asking his mother how much homework he would have this year, to which she responded, “I’m not sure honey, but hopefully we are not up all night doing it like last year”.
That very same morning, a 2nd grade teacher from Texas was catapulted into stardom when her New Homework Policy went viral and was picked up within hours by every major media outlet imaginable. Her concept is simple: homework will no longer be assigned, so that families can spend their evenings enjoying dinner, playing and reading together. Reducing the stress on children as well as their parents.
The homework debate is not new. Schools and teachers have been under scrutiny for years, particularly at the elementary school level, for the number of hours of homework assigned to children as early as 1st grade. It has been blamed on standardized testing forced onto teachers to prove their worth, as well as the fashion pushing children beyond their academic level and capabilities. Or even the use of common core math.
Ok, maybe the common core method isn’t so much a homework issue as much as the bane of my personal existence. If you have not experienced the common core method, allow me to explain. It takes a simple equation like 2 + 5 = ?, turns it into a complex algebraic mystery and then requires a 9 year old to write a 3 paragraph dissertation on how he or she came to their answer. Many schools have posted YouTube videos on their websites to teach parents how to properly help their children with their common core math homework. It’s that complicated.
But I digress…
Parents are frustrated, children are exhausted, and we have yet to prove that extensive amounts of homework are academically beneficial. Perhaps we could adopt Finland’s method, where homework is minimal in elementary school, and children are given 15-minute recess breaks after each 45-minute class session to increase focus and productivity. Aka, everything in moderation.
Completely eliminating homework may not be the answer; however we must acknowledge that the 2 to 3-hour workload alternative is not having a positive effect on our kids. We are reaching a point where the work-life balance philosophy in corporate America will need to be adopted by schools to prevent children who have just recently learned to tie their shoes from becoming burned out.