You Asked?

Too Much Homework?

This response comes from Cathy Sieben                               

What we’re often seeing are

kids who are turned off to

reading, to figuring out math

problems, to discovering truths

       about the natural world. . .”  

Q: My daughter is a fifth grader who is bringing home enormous amounts of homework, almost daily. The friction this is causing is becoming increasingly difficult, as she is frustrated and cranky, leading me to feel that way too. Is there any easy way to deal with the dreaded homework issue?

 A: As a mom of three, I have been in exactly your position at various times over the years. What I have found, and come to appreciate, are the differences in teachers’ approaches to homework. While my daughter was often saddled with two hours of homework per day in one particular grade, the next year homework seemed nonexistent, a refreshing but admittedly guilty surprise to me. Guilty that is, until I recently read an interview in MACLEAN’S magazine with Alfie Cohn (2006), author of The Homework Myth. Cohn emphatically states that research has proven no correlation between homework and either work ethic, academic achievement, good study skills, or character building. In fact Cohn expresses that the research does not prove any disadvantage for students who don’t do homework. He asks: “Is it justifiable to take kids who have just spent six or seven hours in school and force them to work a second shift, or should they have a right to get some rest, or get some exercise, or just hang out with friends?” ( p. 13).

Cohn poses a very good question here, and he goes on to admonish society for its inherent distrust of children. In structuring their lives so that free time is minimal (i.e., thinking that without being useful every after-school minute, including with homework, our children will get into trouble) we are questioning their own good sense and judgment. As well, he explains that the expectation of homework is tied into the notion that “kids are vending machines, where you put in more homework, you get out more learning,” (p. 13), ignoring how learning really takes place. 

Cohn does offer suggestions, stressing the need for democratic classroom communities, where the students have some role in deciding what is important enough to spend time on after school. He suggests free-choice reading, instead of book-reports, and offers ideas for home-friendly learning activities that are creative and certainly more engaging than 20 pages of math problems. He encourages parents to take a stand, given what he feels is the negative effect of homework on children.  Not only is it often pointless, in fact, “What we’re often seeing are kids who are turned off to reading, to figuring out math problems, to discovering truths about the natural world. . . . .  [I]n general homework isn’t merely failing to help, it’s actively hurting kids’ disposition to learn.” (p. 16).  Cohn imaginatively describes homework as “part of the modern cod-liver oil that we think is going to make them shape up”  (p. 16).

When I think of homework in this very different light, I look back on that trying year, when homework was one of the most contentious issues between my daughter and me. Learning in this way certainly did nothing to engage her curiosity or love of learning. Yet, I am always of the mind that dealing with different personalities (and yes, teaching styles) offers us something important – adaptability, and an understanding that life throws many curveballs and challenges at us. However, I also feel that had I read The Homework Myth during that time, I would have felt more empowered to respectfully question the teacher on the need for so much homework. Perhaps this book, or even the MACLEAN’S article would provide you with some insight on the homework issue. While somewhat controversial (I have heard of teachers expressing complete dismay when they saw this issue of MACLEAN’S), this perspective certainly gives us some food for thought.

Editor’s note:

We invite your responses for an additional perspective on the issue of homework for our next Newsletter.

Reference:

Kohn, A.  (2006, Sept. 11).  Homework is killing our kids.  MACLEAN’S, 119, 13-16.

Cathy Sieben is the coordinator of the Pent and Tot program for Saskatoon Catholic Schools, a mother of three, and a Board member of SAS.