Michelle
Should schools ban homework?

I came upon an interesting piece about homework and schools. Some schools in the USA are considering banning homework. Kids say they are stressed out and families say they don't have enough time for family time, sports, and other activities and that kids should have a "work-life balance". In addition some parents are working late or don't speak English and it would be unfair for some students to have help and others not.

 

Others say it's a bad idea because homework teaches self-discipline and they will fall behind when they get to high school. They say lowering the bar for homework widens the gap even more for poor and rich kids.

 

I have to say that when I visited a middle school teacher a few years ago, she said the school system changed the grading policy. She said "now kids are so lazy because they don't have to do any work and parents disrespect teachers. If a student writes one sentence for their essay, we must give them 50% for making an effort." I was surprised. When I was in school, writing just one sentence for an essay will get you a zero.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/05/opinion/kralovec-ban-homework/

 

What do you think?

Oct 2, 2014 4:25 PM
Comments · 13
2

banning homework is not a good idea...simply..the students need to practice and deepen their understanding of  what they have learned throughout the day....and at the same time schools should not load the students with several  or complicated assignments......they should balance between the two...wone more thing... not all parents are capable of helping their kids out with the assignment....in other words the homework will turn to be  a burdon for the student and his family...thats another reason why schools should limit..but not banning the homework...

October 3, 2014
1

Myself and Michelle in Portugal is more or less the same of in your country, we have some courses you choose but you have X disciplines in common for all courses. After you choose the course you want you can focus in some disciplines more in the anothers because in 9 disciplines just like 3 or 4 count for enter in university but ofc you should have a good average. We also don't have a lot of homeworks but our tests aren't like the Americans with A, B, C, D, options, it's very rare that happen and when that happen it's like a preparation for the big one or ins't to much important, so we need study because we need write a lot. I remember a teacher of Philosophy where we needed write like 10 lines for each question.

 

 

The disciplines and the courses we have in Portugal: http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modalidades_do_Ensino_Secund%C3%A1rio_em_Portugal

October 3, 2014
1

In the country I studied (Portugal) in the highschool isn't common you do homework, at because some books didn't had to much exercices or the teacher prefer do that exercices in the lesson :) So maybe in 8 disciplines you homework of 1/2 disciplines because the teachers prefer do the exercices in the class :)

October 3, 2014
1

Michelle 

In Iran we choose our major in high school.

In the theoretical high schools we have three main tracks. Experimental science (Most focus on Biology and Chemistry)

Math-Physics and technology (Most focus on Math and Physics)

Humanities (Most focus on literature, philisophy, society, economy and psychology)

Students also can enter professional and technical high schools, in these kind of schools they can choose their major more specialty and improve their practical skills , such as computer, mechanic, even sewing or agriculture!

Also they can enter art schools and choose  majors like graphic, musics, architecture etc.

All of these schools have some mandatory general courses too. Like Persian literature, Arabic, English, History, Religions.

 

In fact students choose their way when they are only 15. After about three years they take the university's entrance exam regarding to their major at high schools.

 

This system seems good at first glance, because students can do homeworks which they really like, but it's almost inflexible in my opinion.

 

I think teenagers choose their major without sufficient knowledge. The system first should help students in early grades to know their talents and interests but it doesn't at all.

 

Also university's entrance exam is very challenging in Iran. (Specially in experimental science)

I know some students who study 12 hours per a day for about one year to enter a good university!

So if students change their minds about their major, it's really hard for them! Rarely students dare to change their majors because it's a hard way to take!

 

 

 

 

 

 

October 3, 2014

Hi Rimi, that's really interesting that you have to decide so early what you want to do. I wouldn't know what I wanted to do! And yes I think mainly I was thinking of elementary school kids when I asked the question about banning homework.

October 6, 2014
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