by Alexa (age 9, @KNEstemGirls)
All About Homework
I think that a small amount of homework is good for kids. What do you think?
Homework lets the teacher know which students need help in the classroom. Homework is an important component of education for students in the middle and upper grades of schooling. It is an opportunity for students to review what is covered in the classroom.
Many parents feel that from early on, children need to do homework if they are to succeed in an increasingly competitive academic culture.
However, Stanford researchers found that students in high-achieving communities who spend too much time on homework experience more stress, physical health problems, a lack of balance and alienation from society. They also found out that more than two hours of homework a night may be counterproductive. Too much homework has negative effects on well-being and behavior. The negative effects can extend to students’ lives outside of school, including family, friends and other activities.
Many students felt forced or obligated to choose homework over developing other talents or skills. If a student takes their sleeping time to study more than usual, that student will have more trouble understanding the material taught in class and be more likely to struggle on an assignment or test the following day.
Parents and Homework
When parents and children fight over homework and strong emotions are created, homework can have negative association with academic achievement. Rather than seeing homework as a solution, policymakers should question what aspects of their educational system might propel teachers and parents to increase homework loads.
Homework is frequently the source of frustration, exhaustion, a lack of time for kids to pursue other interests and less excitement about learning. When it comes to stress, the Stanford research found 56% of the students surveyed considered homework a primary source. 43% of the students viewed tests as a stressor, while 33% of the of the students put the pressure to get good grades in that category. Less than 1% of the students said homework was not a stressor.
Many students said they often do homework they see as “pointless” or “mindless” in order to keep their grades up. No research has ever found any advantage to assigning homework.
Here’s What I Think
A significant percentage of elementary students around the world are struggling with large homework loads. I think that teachers should give out little amounts of homework that don’t take too long to do. This way students don’t get too stressed on homework or have health problems later on in life.
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