Homework is an evening ritual which can easily turn into a nightmare. It is the source of endless anxiety and conflict in many households. It’s the bane of youngsters who’d so much rather go outside and play ball. Homework has always been a subject of controversy and heated debate among educators and parents alike.
Is it really necessary? Are we overburdening our children? How much homework is too much? Should homework be done alone or with the help of adults? Should it be assigned at all if there is a holiday, a test or a science project looming in the near future? Do our children really benefit from doing their homework? And, finally, what exactly is homework supposed to accomplish anyway?
In all my years in the field of education, I have found that the subject of homework has evoked more passion and headaches than virtually any other topic. Parents are up in arms. Some complain that there is too much homework, others that their children are not being challenged enough. Many parents who are blessed with large families become frantic when they are confronted with helping five or six children do their homework or prepare for tests.
Teachers are in a bind. Some of their students breeze through their homework, while others struggle for hours trying to finish it. And the school administration, which sets the policies, is at a loss. How do you balance the need for homework assignments with the necessity for children to unwind and relax once they get home?
There is no quick solution and there are no easy fixes. There are also no right or wrong answers. If you expect me to take a firm and resolute stand on this issue, you may be disappointed. There are just too many factors to consider and too many variables involved. A six-year -old student who is learning to read has different homework needs than a fourteen-year-old.
A study conducted by Dr. Sandra Hofferth at the University of Michigan revealed that children are doing more homework than ever before.
Does this mean that kids are getting smarter? Not necessarily. In another study by Gerald K. LeTendre and David P. Baker, it was discovered that there was no correlation between the average amount of homework assigned in a nation with the corresponding level of academic achievement.
Countries with high academic standards, like Japan, the Czech Republic, and Denmark, have teachers who give little homework. While countries with teachers who assign lots of homework, like Thailand, Greece, and Iran, have students with low average scores.
Where does the United States fit in to the equation? For better or for worse, we are one of the most homework-intensive nations in the world.
Let’s look at the challenge facing the typical yeshivah student. They have a double curriculum and a double workload, not to mention increased school hours, more teachers, countless tests and considerably more pressure to succeed than their public school peers.
On the other side of the spectrum, children in our community are occupied with home-based activities more than other students. Between attending family simchas and preparing for Shabbat, there is certainly less leisure time available for them than for the average American kid. Yeshivah teachers know exactly what I’m talking about. If they even think about assigning homework to their high school students several weeks before Pesach, they have a mutiny on their hands.
On the other hand, homework is a necessary component of the academic process. It helps children review and internalize their schoolwork and it allows them to develop discipline and time management skills. As for parents, homework is their golden opportunity to become aware of what is being covered in class. It can help to create a bond between parent and child and it is extremely helpful in alerting parents of any learning difficulties early on.
So what’s a teacher to do? How can they balance the need for homework with the craving for freedom? I’ll never forget the time a principal told a teacher about a parent who complained that one simple page of math homework was too stressful for her first grader. I had to wonder: was this parent overwhelmed with other issues in the home? Did the child refuse to do the homework? Were there other siblings who could have helped? Was it possible that the child was a struggling student who truly had difficulties with math, even at this young age?
The possibilities are endless, which is why it is so vital for the lines of communication between parents and teachers to be open. Teachers cannot begin to perceive the scenario that plays itself out in your home every night. They cannot know if your child is polishing off his homework in five minutes and then roaming around bored and unfocused. They also have no idea if the homework hour turns into a power struggle between parent and child, ultimately straining your relationship with each other. Is your child choking under her homework? Would you prefer that she help you bathe the baby? Does your personal situation force you to work evenings, leaving your children to fend for themselves with complex projects and homework assignments?
Homework is one of the most controversial aspects of the academic experience, but it is also one of the most flexible. Sharing your feelings, your frustrations, and yes, even your praise, with the teacherwill help them to develop a fair, clear cut and beneficial homework schedule that will work for your children and their classmates.
Ultimately, we have to be honest with ourselves. We must banish the myth once and for all that homework-intensive education translates into higher academic achievement. We have somehow convinced ourselves that the school which assigns many hours of homework is the school with the greater academic standards. In fact, no such correlation exists.
Japan is ranked among the least homework intensive nations, yet Japanese students rank consistently higher than students from other nations in terms of academic achievement. Could it be that their teachers recognize that allowing kids to relax and rejuvenate during evening hours is more productive than forcing them to hit the books? We can only wonder, but one thing is for sure: It’s about time that we all take a fresh new look at the homework situation in our community and come up with some solid answers to these timeless questions.
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Mrs. Rifka Schonfeld founded and directs the widely acclaimed educational program SOS, servicing all grade levels in secular as well as Hebrew studies. She offers teacher training, consulting services and evaluations. She has extensive expertise in the field of social skills training and focuses on working with the whole child.
