Are kids being given too much homework? There is an on-going debate where some parents are protesting against the amount of homework that kids are receiving. They say that homework is stressing the kids out, it is interfering with their playtime and family time, and that homework is really not doing much to increase their academic achievements.
From the NY Times:
Research has long suggested that homework in small doses can reinforce basic skills and help young children develop study habits, but that there are diminishing returns, said Harris Cooper, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University. The 10-minute guideline has generally been shown to be effective, Dr. Cooper said, adding that over all, “there is a minimal relationship between how much homework young kids do and how well they test.”
Many schools are implementing homework policies where the kids can only have 10 minutes of homework per grade level. So if the child is in the 3rd grade, then that child should have no more than 30 minutes of homework per night.
Our school district has a similar policy. So our third grade daughter basically finished her homework in 3 minutes or less each night. And she rarely brought home a text book. It was worse for our son who just graduated from high school last week. Although he had a heavy schedule full of honors and AP classes, he rarely had homework to do.
He had a very smart AP calculus teacher that found a way to get around the homework policy by assigning math projects each month. The projects were essentially homework packets that had to be completed each month. I was so happy that he did this”...because I can’t imagine a person succeeding in mathematics without doing extra practice problems.
Where do I stand on this debate? Based on my experience with our two oldest kids, I think the 10 minute homework policy is not a good one. I definitely think that there are certain subjects where the teachers should be assigning more homework (such as Math and English.)
My kids are rushing through their homework (because they know the teacher’s are not grading.) The handwriting is sloppy, there are misspelled words, the grammar is incorrect, the date is not at the top, and they don’t have to write in cursive anymore. It’s crazy.
I am always making my kids re-do their work. I say: “I don’t care if the teacher does not care”....because I care. And if you show me that sloppy work again, you will re-write it all.”
I also supplement their homework with additional math problems and reading assignments.
BMWK Family ““ Do you think kids are given too much homework? Does your school district have a 10 minute homework policy or something similar? Do you agree with such policies?