Why should students not have anymore homework? Although homework is important for students to retrace back what they learned from the day, most do not have the time nor the patience to actually do it. Based on certain studies they found, appropriate amounts of homework can prepare them for a routine of studying as they get older while enhancing their learning. A professor of neuroscience and psychology at Duke University is Harris Cooper who has studied the interaction between academic success and homework. He says that all students should have some kind of homework, but the type and amount of work should vary based on a child’s developmental level and age. Cooper believes in the ten-minutes-per-grade-level-per-day of homework. Too much can bore students or take away time from important experiences such as playtime, sports, or afterschool clubs.
On the other hand homework does create good study habits that will help students for college, future jobs, and even social interactions. Cooper talks about why he believes studying at home is useful when he says, “you may have brought home a pre-test for spelling on Thursday before you take a test on Friday, and you did better because you brought the pre-test home. What it’s really doing is shaping their behavior, so they begin to learn how to study at home.” (Cooper). It will help children achieve in their academic skills. He also says homework can provide an opportunity for parents to look into their child’s challenges and academic abilities instead of relying on a teacher to tell them. It gives parents the chance to see for themselves what their child may be struggling with. It can also start a type of communication among parents, teachers, and students. Usually a child will ask their parent for help and in doing so this allows the parent and the student to learn something and to interact. Teachers can see where each student is in the learning process to get an overall average of the class to see if the lesson needs to be further explained or if they are ready to move on to the next subject.
On the other hand, homework can cause children and even parents to have a difficult time having their child get their homework done. A typical student has seven hours of school, seven days a week, starting at eight in the morning and are usually out by three. Most adults are working about the same length of time at their jobs, and after they come home feeling exhausted. Although somehow they can’t understand how their kids have trouble focusing at the end of the school day. Many adults get frustrated when work cuts out time from their personal life, but they can go out for a break after or during work. So why can’t children do the same thing? I believe it is illogical to make children at least between grades seven through twelve to spend hours and hours of studying throughout an entire school day, and after it. An adult having attention or focusing problems is nothing when comparing to a kid.
Children’s brains aren’t completely developed yet and are still growing so it is extremely important that they get a lot of free time and exercise everyday. An education consultant, James Gray, set a no-homework policy in Lakeview, Chicago at Hamilton Elementary School. He explains why children shouldn’t have homework as he says, “kids can become disenchanted with school easily, learning happens all the time at home, whether you’re cooking a meal, playing a game or reading a book,” (Gray). An average student that is fully energized and well rested that is given an assignment that can take thirty minutes to do, can take several hours if restless and tired. Kids feel unfocused because they are leaving a full seven hour school day and going home directly into hours of homework and studying. The time for children to go play or relax is when they get out of school. Having a social family and friend life is very important and having to spend time away from that can be a burden. School is a time for learning taking up a lot of the day. After school is the time for hobbies such as sports and other personal activities.
The solution to this issue would be to give certain schools one extra hour, making classes longer than the usual forty-five minutes so teachers can thoroughly teach to students to help them better understand the technique of what they are learning all in one class period. Giving them more time in class to do what would of been homework can be classwork that they can finish now having more time. Most students would rather have the time to actually learn and pay attention than to be rushed and have teachers quickly get through a lesson before they go to their next class to do the same thing. Homework isn’t effective if students don’t understand the lesson. In addition to that, students should be allowed to have one recess everyday and be allowed to go outside or to rest and take a break from the non stop hard work they do all day. Having free time is very important to health and helps your brain destress. In preschool through usually grade six, kids are allowed one recess per day where they have time to play and talk amongst themselves. It is important that as kids, students have social interactions with others. In summary, homework is a valuable resource for students to better understand what they learned, however it is unnecessary to make kids struggle any more than they have to when there is a simple solution that needs to be further talked about to make it happen.
