The next time you’re missing fun because you have tons of homework, think about how great California kids had it decades ago. The Golden State had a law that made it illegal for teachers to assign homework. Talk about golden!
“In the 1920s, physicians led a movement against homework; they believed it interfered with kids’ health,” said Etta Kralovec. She’s the director of educational studies at Maine’s College of the Atlantic. “They said kids needed between six and eight hours a day of fresh air and sunshine.”
Kids today may simply need a break. More educators like Kralovec think it’s time to do away with homework. Sure, that’s every kid’s fantasy. But some experts say there are serious reasons for confining schoolwork to school.
A recent University of Michigan study found that students ages 6-8 spent more than two hours a week on homework in 1997. That’s triple what that age group spent in 1981. For students ages 9-11, homework jumped from 2 hours, 49 minutes (1981) to more than 3 1/2 hours (1997).
Today’s kids also participate in more after-school activities and cram homework into already hectic schedules.
“We don’t believe people should work longer than eight hours a day,” Kralovec noted. “But is it OK for kids to work eight hours a day, then come home and work for two more hours?”
Kralovec and John Buell make their case against homework in a new book, “Clearing the Kitchen Table: Homework and the American Dream.” Kralovec said: “If kids complain about homework, what’s the response? `You’re lazy, you want to play video games.’ But if you really listen to kids, you realize it’s a real problem.”
But not everyone believes homework should be abolished. Bob Chase, president of the National Education Association, cited a recent U.S. Department of Education study.
“Homework, especially in the higher grades, produces greater academic achievement,” Chase said. “At the lower grades, it can help students with study habits. And if it’s done in the proper doses, it can help with thinking and problem solving.”
How much is enough? Chase said it’s “artificial” to pin it down in minutes. But he believes the deck is stacked against poor students who lack a home computer or have a job.
Chase said President Clinton’s proposal to have expanded after-school and Saturday school programs for children may help. Longer hours at schools could give kids without computers more access to the school’s equipment.
How do kids feel about the homework issue? Two Scoop Troopers took a homework break to share their thoughts.
“Homework is obviously something kids abhor,” said Veronica W., 14, of Buffalo Grove. “But at the high-school level, it helps me understand the concepts – especially if it’s a difficult class. As for those who have other activities, you just have to set your priorities. There’s 24 hours in a day.”
Salman A., 14, of Lake Bluff said: “At times it can be useless. Sometimes, teachers check only that the work is completed and don’t pay attention to the quality. But homework also prepares you for the real world, where you have to get your work done on time.”
And Kristen K., 13, of Carol Stream wrote to KidNews:
“Kids should not be getting a lot of homework. … If teachers believe that assigning loads and loads of homework is appropriate, well, what’s loads of homework gonna do? You learn the same thing that you would learn in one worksheet.
“You’re only supposed to learn at school, and when you get home, go to a friend’s house or the mall – at least those places you can have fun.”
