In Homework Revolt, School Districts Cut Back

[RamboLiberal]

GALLOWAY, N.J. — After Donna Cushlanis’s son, who was in second grade, kept bursting into tears midway through his math problems, which one night took over an hour, she told him not to do all of his homework.

“How many times do you have to add seven plus two?” Ms. Cushlanis, 46, said. “I have no problem with doing homework, but that put us both over the edge. I got to the point that this is enough.”

Ms. Cushlanis, a secretary for the Galloway school district, complained to her boss, Annette C. Giaquinto, the superintendent. It turned out that the district, which serves 3,500 kindergarten through eighth-grade students, was already re-evaluating its homework practices. The school board will vote this summer on a proposal to limit weeknight homework to 10 minutes for each year of school — 20 minutes for second graders, an hour for sixth graders, and so forth — and ban assignments on weekends, holidays and school vacations.

Galloway, northwest of Atlantic City, is part of a wave of districts across the nation trying to remake homework amid concerns that high-stakes testing and competition for college have fueled a nightly grind that is stressing out children and depriving them of play and rest, yet doing little to raise achievement, particularly in elementary grades.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/16/education/16homework.html?_r=1&hp

[RandomThoughts]

1. I am due beer and travel money, and that will be sent.

[bluestateguy]

2. Not sure how this would be enforced

A smart kid could bang out his homework in ten minutes, while a kid who is a little dim might take over an hour.

I didn't have homework until 4th grade.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

3. every teacher thinks their subject is the most important one.

And they refuse to take into consideration the fact that you probably have home work every night in ALL or nearly all subjects.

I once had a high school English teacher who gave us UNEXCUSED ABSENCES when we were gone on orchestra trips.

What a witch!! :wtf:

[shraby]

4. Adults put in an 8 hour day at work and the rest of the

day is their time. To expect more of children is wrong. If a teacher can't teach what she needs to in the class time and needs to assign tons of homework, she isn't doing it right. Half of the class time can be used for going over the lessons for the day and the last half used for the child to do the actual class work with a teacher present to help with questions.

After school should be used for play, meals, and family interaction..not bent over books for 1-2 hours beyond the school day.

The lower test scores may be a reflection of children rebeling against the oppressive homework requirements..causing true reason for a turn-off to school

[exboyfil]

5. 8 hours is a dream for many professionals

10 hours at work is a minimum, and I have probably averaged 1-2 hours/night in professional development over my career. I have scaled back on the professional development in the last few years to spend more time with my kids.

Homework to no purpose is useless. On the other hand you get better at math by doing problems - lots of problems. As you move into Algebra, Trig, and Calculus the more you do problems that are like what are on the tests, the better you will do. The thing we should not be doing is developing junk like Everyday Math (the Lattice Method - give me a break). Tried and true methods including knowing your multiplication tables cold are best, and getting to that point requires work. It is not easy, but you can be sure lots of children are doing it. The children your kids will be competing against if they go into quantitative majors in college.

That being said worthless assignments like trying to pick out words in a Chapter reading should be stopped. I would much prefer to have the children spend time writing about what they just read.

[shraby]

7. Still, 8 hours or more a day may be okay for adults and adult

professionals with pretty good pay for their efforts, but I'm talking about children..a whole different situation. Children need time for play and time to just daydream. Not just need time, it is almost a requirement for a child's development.

[LWolf]

8. I have to point out that

children aren't in school for 8 hours a day. About 6.5 hours, and that includes lunch and recesses, in all the schools in various districts and 2 states I've taught in for the last 2.7 decades.

I can argue both sides of the homework issue, and have, many times. As a matter of fact, I lobbied, yet again, at the end of this school year, to include a study hall for necessary practice time instead of homework, in our daily schedule next year. I was shot down again.

My reasons were different than yours, although yours are valid, as well. Practice of skills taught is necessary to master them. That takes time. Our professional mandates are to make sure that our class time is instructional time. There's a little time to practice or study, but not enough to master anything. Students MUST have that time to progress. Those who come from functional homes that value learning and ensure a structured homework time thrive. Those that don't, don't. I don't think it's right to depend on responsible parenting. It limits opportunity for every child who comes from a chaotic, dysfunctional, or overwhelmed, over-stressed home.

My arguments went nowhere, as usual. Why? Because teachers might not make sure that students use a study hall period constructively. They might let students waste time while they read the newspaper or played on the internet at the back of the room. We can't be given any credit for being professional. We might, gasp, even have spent that time helping kids who needed extra support. Heaven forbid. :eyes:

[YvonneCa]

6. This is a K-8 school district. The purpose of homework...

...at least at the K-6 level...should be to develop good habits, responsibility and some level of skill practice that a student can do independently. That should not require much of a student's out of school time before 4th grade. After that, it should be proportional to the student's age/grade/developmental level and ability level with the subject matter.