HOMEWORK! Why All That Stress?
KENNETH E. HALL SEPTEMBER 12, 2012 HOUSTON
Student: Mrs. X, do you think that someone should be punished for something they didn't do?
KENNETH E. HALL SEPTEMBER 12, 2012 HOUSTON
Student: Mrs. X, do you think that someone should be punished for something they didn't do?
Teacher: "I should say NOT!"
Student: "WHEW! I'm glad you feel that way, 'cause I didn't do my homework!"
-------OLD GRAMMAR SCHOOL JOKE
Today is Tuesday; we're just coming off of a long holiday weekend. Mom, Dad and the kids are tired and sunburnt, but today, as I mentioned, is Tuesday, and it's a school day.
At the breakfast table, Johnny just pipes up that he has a "project" due (SURPRISE!) TODAY and, (more surprises) it's a major part of his grade!
What teacher gives an assignment over a holiday weekend, when families are likely to have people over, or go to the beach, or camping trips, etc.?? Now, at 7:55 a.m. Johnny has to re-connect to the WiFi, and put that EXTRA-LONG password on. If that wasn't hard enough, the the time-consuming, complicated process of him logging on to his site began, using up what little time he had. He's aggravated, stressed, and unhappy, and that's the way he begins his day. He also upsets the household with all the scurrying around and worrying that went into this assignment.
8:35 a.m. - Johnny finally finished his work, which was neither instructional nor helpful in his overall goal of becoming a better person. It was an inane assignment carefully engineered and timed to cause the schoolkids to miss an assignment, much as a "speed-trap" always comes with a traffic cop with a radar gun laying in wait for some hapless motorist to not see the tiny speed-limit sign carefully placed in an obscure location.
Mommy took him to school late because of the foolishness of the assignment, and Johnny probably got a "tardy" for today. Ant this is how he begins the school day.
So much stress! And what did all that accomplish?
Mommy took him to school late because of the foolishness of the assignment, and Johnny probably got a "tardy" for today. Ant this is how he begins the school day.
So much stress! And what did all that accomplish?
It's not like I never forgot to do my homework, or anything like that! Quite the contrary! In my day, the grammar school I attended actually would've given me a PADDLING for not handing in an assignment on time, complete, and well-written to boot!
Homework is an anathema to so very many schoolchildren.
Where I went to grammar school, homework was often assigned as a punishwork. That doing homework is closely linked with punishment, this is a clear indication that it is a CHORE and is something that is profoundly disliked. If it is so undesirable, why foist homework assignments upon children in the first place?
I have a son who hated homework so much he took the lower grade instead of doing it. No matter how much we badgered, cajoled, requested, threatened etc, he still did little of it - if ANY, and he was just that adamant that he almost NEVER did it.
Was all that fussing and harassment of this boy to do homework really conducive to a happy home life? Did NOT doing all those assignments effect IN ANY WAY his ability to learn?
Was all of the negativity WORTH IT?
In researching this theme, I have discovered that teachers have been bamboozled by school administrators and child psychiatrists into believing that homework is beneficial to the student.
Teachers claim that assigning homework somehow prepares the student for the next day's class. How? By antagonizing them until they cannot SEE straight? Stressing them so they have problem eating? Upsetting the whole household because of the school-induced chaos? ----- That seems a bit counterproductive.
Teachers claim that assigning homework teaches responsibility! How? By causing unhappiness and stress that can only be alleviated by doing what the teacher said - and only for that reason? That is not teaching responsibility - that is teaching BLIND OBEDIENCE!
Teachers claim that assigning homework teaches working independently. This is like saying rain irrigates the plants naturally, so why water the garden? In the case of a larger research project, this sort of thing is perfect for outside assignments; but most homework is not an occasional project or a book chapter to read. It is a continual daily harassment of the student!
Teachers claim that assigning homework reinforces the skills students learn in their classes. This one is true, to an extent, but what little benefit that comes from a cursory review at home is lost in the anguish and unhappiness that the actual assignment causes.
Homework is stress-inducing, NOT GOAL ACHIEVING!
WHY STUDENTS REALLY HAVE HOMEWORK:
Teachers work hard. Most of them sincerely do want to give their students a better start and a good education. This is true even of incompetent teachers. There might just not be time enough in a busy class period to complete a particular module - so the burden is, of necessity, shifted off of the teacher and onto the student - who needs to do the required work at home, rather than in the place built specifically for that purpose.
This is inevitable, but why is it inevitably HABITUAL? Can this really be that a teacher NEVER has enough time during class to get the point across? So every day, some coda is tagged onto each subject, costing the student some 12-40 minutes per day, per subject to do that which should have already been completed at school.
Sounds a bit far-fetched, right? So rather than bashing the already beleaguered instructors, perhaps there is another reason why homework is part of the schoolchild's daily routine.
Homework is assigned to fill a square, not to promote or inspire learning. School administrations thrive off of the ego gratification produced by an inordinate amount of scurrying around on their behalf. It makes them feel more important - and it is tangible "proof" to the Public-at-Large that the Administration is doing its duty, and doing it well. Just keep the paychecks coming. Assigning students quite a bit of homework means that poor academic performance is strictly the fault of the student. The child gets poor grades, and gets blamed for them as well. Little blame is left to pass around to the teachers, and most especially NONE is left for the school administration.
THE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION IS NEVER TO BLAME!
Let us examine the MECHANICS of Homework: HASTE MAKES WASTE!
If something is done grudgingly and/or quickly, or at the last minute, it will usually be done poorly, and quite possibly incompletely. IF IN FACT the true motive of the assignment is that of actual LEARNING, the best that can be hoped from such a coerced task is "MINIMUM REQUIRED" - hence the end result of the assignment is INEFFECTIVE at best, and stressful and punitive at worst.
CONCLUSION:
*HOMEWORK IS COUNTERPRODUCTIVE! Most homework assignments are simply silly busywork assignments, intended to encroach upon the precious family time the student may have, and is done mostly for administrative gratification - not as a learning tool.
*This article is not intended to relieve the student of ANY responsibility when it comes to shoolwork! Teaching responsibility is one of the FIRST things a learning institution should impart upon its charges.
If a parent likes homework because it keeps the children busy and out of their hair, perhaps there is a different problem that also needs to be addressed.
Unfortunately, quite often parents, teachers, and school administrators forget that children are adults UNDER CONSTRUCTION, that they are not endowed at birth with intuitive knowledge of how things work. The overall school experience should be one of pleasant and positive ENCOURAGEMENT to allow the student to learn to the best of his or her ability, and not as draconian dens of negativity, teaching them to "fill squares" rather than to actually LEARN!
Where I went to grammar school, homework was often assigned as a punishwork. That doing homework is closely linked with punishment, this is a clear indication that it is a CHORE and is something that is profoundly disliked. If it is so undesirable, why foist homework assignments upon children in the first place?
I have a son who hated homework so much he took the lower grade instead of doing it. No matter how much we badgered, cajoled, requested, threatened etc, he still did little of it - if ANY, and he was just that adamant that he almost NEVER did it.
Was all that fussing and harassment of this boy to do homework really conducive to a happy home life? Did NOT doing all those assignments effect IN ANY WAY his ability to learn?
Was all of the negativity WORTH IT?
In researching this theme, I have discovered that teachers have been bamboozled by school administrators and child psychiatrists into believing that homework is beneficial to the student.
Teachers claim that assigning homework somehow prepares the student for the next day's class. How? By antagonizing them until they cannot SEE straight? Stressing them so they have problem eating? Upsetting the whole household because of the school-induced chaos? ----- That seems a bit counterproductive.
Teachers claim that assigning homework teaches responsibility! How? By causing unhappiness and stress that can only be alleviated by doing what the teacher said - and only for that reason? That is not teaching responsibility - that is teaching BLIND OBEDIENCE!
Teachers claim that assigning homework teaches working independently. This is like saying rain irrigates the plants naturally, so why water the garden? In the case of a larger research project, this sort of thing is perfect for outside assignments; but most homework is not an occasional project or a book chapter to read. It is a continual daily harassment of the student!
Teachers claim that assigning homework reinforces the skills students learn in their classes. This one is true, to an extent, but what little benefit that comes from a cursory review at home is lost in the anguish and unhappiness that the actual assignment causes.
Homework is stress-inducing, NOT GOAL ACHIEVING!
WHY STUDENTS REALLY HAVE HOMEWORK:
Teachers work hard. Most of them sincerely do want to give their students a better start and a good education. This is true even of incompetent teachers. There might just not be time enough in a busy class period to complete a particular module - so the burden is, of necessity, shifted off of the teacher and onto the student - who needs to do the required work at home, rather than in the place built specifically for that purpose.
This is inevitable, but why is it inevitably HABITUAL? Can this really be that a teacher NEVER has enough time during class to get the point across? So every day, some coda is tagged onto each subject, costing the student some 12-40 minutes per day, per subject to do that which should have already been completed at school.
Sounds a bit far-fetched, right? So rather than bashing the already beleaguered instructors, perhaps there is another reason why homework is part of the schoolchild's daily routine.
Homework is assigned to fill a square, not to promote or inspire learning. School administrations thrive off of the ego gratification produced by an inordinate amount of scurrying around on their behalf. It makes them feel more important - and it is tangible "proof" to the Public-at-Large that the Administration is doing its duty, and doing it well. Just keep the paychecks coming. Assigning students quite a bit of homework means that poor academic performance is strictly the fault of the student. The child gets poor grades, and gets blamed for them as well. Little blame is left to pass around to the teachers, and most especially NONE is left for the school administration.
THE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION IS NEVER TO BLAME!
Let us examine the MECHANICS of Homework: HASTE MAKES WASTE!
If something is done grudgingly and/or quickly, or at the last minute, it will usually be done poorly, and quite possibly incompletely. IF IN FACT the true motive of the assignment is that of actual LEARNING, the best that can be hoped from such a coerced task is "MINIMUM REQUIRED" - hence the end result of the assignment is INEFFECTIVE at best, and stressful and punitive at worst.
CONCLUSION:
*HOMEWORK IS COUNTERPRODUCTIVE! Most homework assignments are simply silly busywork assignments, intended to encroach upon the precious family time the student may have, and is done mostly for administrative gratification - not as a learning tool.
*This article is not intended to relieve the student of ANY responsibility when it comes to shoolwork! Teaching responsibility is one of the FIRST things a learning institution should impart upon its charges.
If a parent likes homework because it keeps the children busy and out of their hair, perhaps there is a different problem that also needs to be addressed.
Unfortunately, quite often parents, teachers, and school administrators forget that children are adults UNDER CONSTRUCTION, that they are not endowed at birth with intuitive knowledge of how things work. The overall school experience should be one of pleasant and positive ENCOURAGEMENT to allow the student to learn to the best of his or her ability, and not as draconian dens of negativity, teaching them to "fill squares" rather than to actually LEARN!
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