Comments on: Why I don’t believe that school is a child’s most important job

By: Shahnoz

Shahnoz — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 17:46:16 +0000

Wooouw. That’s an amazing outlook. However most of don’t understand and so weak to realize or so busy to get time to think about it. We r just like a robot sometimes and do the things unconsciously. I love ur ideas and agree totally. That’s beautiful!!! I found ur article on time as I was looking the answers for my questions regarding this topic. I love it and hope you give us more about other related topics soon. Take care

By: Xavier Reinke

Xavier Reinke — Wed, 26 Feb 2020 20:38:32 +0000

Ran into this on complete accident, and I completely agree with the article. From a student’s perspective, I can personally say that homework has been a major burden on me. I couldn’t attend my best friend’s eighteenth birthday (even though I was the first person he invited) because I’d been precision-bombed with algebra, biology, AND economics homework. Another time was when the homework had taken too much of a toll on me emotionally. It was Wednesday, February 8, 2011. I had been told my grandfather died, and my response was “You pulled me from my homework, which you told me to do, for that? Grandpa doesn’t affect my grades.” I have regretted that response, and my mindset at the time, ever since.

My homework doesn’t matter to me. My relationship with my family and friends DOES matter to me. We need people like you teaching schools rather than people who thinks along the “more work = better grades” thought process. It’s time to get rid of homework, for good.

By: Heather aka HoJo

Heather aka HoJo — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 21:48:45 +0000

This is so incredibly true! Thank you for posting. I am a HUGE believer in that homework needs to be limited (particularly in younger grades) so kids can be just that – kids! Homework has a time and a place, but let’s let our students enjoy being young. They only get that opportunity once in their life.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 13:18:47 +0000

While I certainly agree that learning is a student’s most important job, and by extension we should all be life-long learners, as students progress through elementary school to middle school to high school so too should the student progress as students. As a high school teacher I cannot emphasize enough the importance of (gulp) so called objective measures of student achievement: GPA, class rank, rigor of the curriculum and, yes as much as I and most hate them, standardized test scores. The reality is that these measures have more meaning today than ever before, to the student (and his/her parents), the teacher and the school.
I suggest my high school students spend 30 minutes a night, on average, studying each of their five academic subjects. Yes, this means they need to devote 2.5 hours of their evenings to school work. This makes sense not only for all the stake holders mentioned above and, more importantly, for real learning to occur.

By: Angela Watson

Angela Watson — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:14:16 +0000

In reply to Suzy Brooks. LOVE it! Great job! I'm creating a HW page for the site and will add it there. Thank you so much for sharing!

By: Suzy Brooks

Suzy Brooks — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 22:28:32 +0000

In reply to Angela Watson.

Hi Angela – Race to Nowhere is definitely worth seeing.

Here’s a link to the post from my classroom blog/newsletter – with the menu.

http://blogs.falmouth.k12.ma.us/simplysuzy/2011/10/02/work-at-home/

There’s a download button there, and you’re welcome to share it, or the link, or both! If I update the menu, (my students keep asking me if I can add new ideas soon) then I’ll be sure to let you know.

Dream Big!
Suzy

By: Angela Watson

Angela Watson — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:58:50 +0000

In reply to Adela. Well said, Adela!

By: Angela Watson

Angela Watson — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:58:01 +0000

In reply to Erica. Hi, Erica! I, too, have had parents request additional homework. I would rather have that happen than force the entire class to do more work because I'm afraid a handful of parents will think I'm too "easy." If they really insist, I try to give them higher-level thinking activities and creative projects, like self-selected book activities. Some have insisted on workbooks (mostly parents who don't speak much English and therefore feel like they can't help with much other than math fact practice-type things) and I have accommodated them. It's their child, after all.

By: Angela Watson

Angela Watson — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:53:58 +0000

In reply to Celeste. Celeste, that was my pet peeve! How dare a family take their own child out of school to enjoy life when they SHOULD be forcing their child to sit and pay attention to me! Hah!

By: Angela Watson

Angela Watson — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:52:21 +0000

In reply to Jodi. Hah, I love that, Jodi!