Time Magazine has an article on why homework is a bad thing for school kids. They cite Alfie Kohn whose work is a constant inspiration to me both when it relates to our workplaces and schools.
Kohn’s claim is simple: There is not one single study that shows that homework helps kids learn. At the same time kids have less and less time to just be kids – time spent on homework has gone up 50% since 1981.
And if your first thought is “But how could you have a school without homework” you’ll be glad to hear that the Sudbury Valley schools have been doing just fine without homework for 35 years now. I previously wrote about these radically different schools and why I would love to have gone to one of them.
You know what this fixation on homework is? It’s The Cult of Overwork forced on children. Let’s stop it.
A big thank you to Leandro N. Camargo from Brazil for sending me the link :o)
Hm. Finally someone from Big Media stepped up to say that homeworks are bad. Wee! :)
Yeah, weeee :o)
If I get rich (without aiming that xD), in a unknown future, I think I will invest my money in a new education method, based on these stuff above. Creating a “new wave education” at school by founding my own web of schools…in my country and then all over the world. xD
I recognize it’s a kind of dream, but all the great ideas start like that.
And thanks, Alex, for the cite and for the article.
Well I already don’t send my kids to school, which we can do here in Canada. It’s called unschooling (you can Google that).
BUT if for some reason my kids did go to school I would do what I have advocated others do and that is, I would refuse to allow the school to assign them homework. It is not simply the fact that kids are overworked. There are four other reason why homework would be banned at my house.
1. They learn nothing from doing it. It is not homework that reinforces an idea or a skil, it is developing a passion for something and then having the time to follow it through that does the trick. Homework is a waste of time.
2. Schools already steal six hours or more a day from a child’s life. If they can’t do what they need to do in six hours, it is not my child’s responsibility to gives them more time. Homework is not for kids to learn, it’s for schools to shift the responsibility. Teachers don’t get marked on how useful classroom time is, but kids get marked on whether they did their homework or not. THat means a lot of classroom stuff that isn’t working is allowed to congtinue as long as kids do their homework.
3. Homework is an infringemnent on family time. Many of the big media that would otherwise say that homework is important also decry the fact that kids aren’t spending enough time talking with their families. It is not possible to create an atmosphere of deep family connection when mom, dad and the kids are all working three or four hours a night at home. You need many hours together, playing games, reading books, fixing the house together, going to movies, cooking for friends to have a balanced family life. Being togethe ronly on weekends is a crime.
4. Homework robs children of the time they need to develop real skills and passions. When I was in school for example, I taught myself music theory and theology during my grade 11 year. I wasn’t taking either of these subjects at school, and I set aside a lot of homework to learn them. I failed several exams in Christmas 1985 because instead of studying, I was writing four part harmony arrangments of Queen songs and reading Martin Buber. Both of those experiences have stayed with me long after I can even remember what classes I took at school that year.
I agree with Chris. My kids go to private Jewish day school. They study the full gamut of Jewish studies, and then tackle “regular” classes as well. This is something I went through in my child hood, and agree that I am no better for it. Currently my 6 year old goes to school from 8:00 – 4:30, and then has an average of 1 hour of homework. After eating dinner, it is basically bath time and into bed. No fun, no relaxation, I feel bad for him. I felt bad for me when I did it. The hours are unavoidable, but the homework certainly is.
Leandro: Go for it man! The world needs it.
Chris: Cool to hear some practical experiences from someone who already does without homework. And great to hear from you. Gotta check out unschooling.
Ezrie: Man that’s a long day for a six year old! What about playing and goofing off and staring into space and … Good to hear that you’re aware of it and don’t aim to put him through what you went through.
Alexander,
You are absolutely right, it is long. They do have breaks for lunch and recess, but it is not enough. It will also only get worse. When I went to high School, my day was 7:45- 6:30 — including Sundays. It sucked, and if there is another way, I would welcome it. In the religious school context, I am not sure if there is. One consolation: College was easy. After 11 hour days in high school, not including time for homework, college at 4-5 hours per day, every other day, was easy. But I guess the culture of overwork can prepare you for a culture of relatively less over work. Is that really progress?
Then there are the long breaks, like Christmas and Easter, when teachers get the idea that this is a fine time to assign a big, fat book to read. Two or three teachers, two or three books, bye bye vacation.
What students could and should learn from homework is how to structure their time to balance their workload to meet deadlines. These time management skills do not come from structured classroom time but must be discovered outside the classroom.
I don’t think homework is necessarily a product of the cult of the overworked. A reasonable amount of homework will cause the student to manage their own time around deadlines and if they occasionally have to miss a little league game because they waited until the day before a paper was due to start it that’s the breaks.
The key words there are “reasonable amount.”
I agree with Mr Emmons above. Six hours of school is hardly killing your children, considering that it’s likely less than a full six hours of intensive study and learning. I don’t know what schools you went to, but I talked to friends, went to different classes each period, ate lunch, had gym class, etc.
Homework was my own deal with my parents: as long as I got As, I could handle it when I wanted . If I slacked, then homework right after school before dinner (we ate at 5pm, so 90 minutes to get it done).
Then again, I read an encyclopedia one rainy summer, so my data point might be a flier.
Still, homework in moderation helps keep the day’s instruction fresh and gives a student a chance to absorb the lesson(s) and maybe figure it out. I solve problems for a living and I hardly ever just go from problem “A” to solution “B”. For hard problems, I have to sleep on them or minimally get away from them for awhile.
-C
Jon: I agree, that is the key learning kids should get from homework. I can safely say that in 19 years of school, high school and university I never learned it. I’m more the aaargh-it’s-due-tomorrow type.
Next question: If we really want kids to learn to structure their own time and work, why is school time so structured? That’s what the Sudbury Valley schools I linked to in the post are doing – the school days themselves are structured by the kids.
Christopher: You read encyclopedias too as a kid? I’m not alone!
I still think that dropping homework would make kids learn more. What we need to instill in kids is not the self-discipline to learn and study – it’s the desire to do it. A kid whose heart isn’t in it, will have to fight to learn even the simplest things. Kids who want to learn, can be taught a subject in no time.
Right now most schools fail at this.
Alexander,
I agree that schools fail to get most students excited about learning. As a student I was very excited about and very good at learning and the schools weren’t ready to handle that either.
As for doing stuff last minute, that’s fine. Hopefully school taught you what you can accomplish last minute and that there are consequences like sleepless nights.
Why is school time so structured? That’s a good question. That may be old-school corporate culture sneaking in. The “show up and do what you’re told” mentality. This will prepare you just fine for a job on an assembly line somewhere but certainly won’t teach you the interpersonal or problem-solving skills you will need for a good 21st century job.
I was never too good about doing what I was told, or doing my homework for that matter. In fact the best way to make sure I won’t do something is to tell me to do it.
Jon:
I guess my fundamental disagreement is that I don’t believe that children should learn to structure time around meaningless activities. When you are working with passion on something you care about, you learn self-discipline. Childhood is about trying out all these different kinds of ways of doing what you love.
There is an implicit assumption that schools teach kids how to be good workers in a system where they don;t care for the work. And I think that is true, because I think most adults work in these types of environments. But if we are trying to chart a new shift from a system of drudgery to a system of passionate livelihood, I would think that we need to examine this assumption about the value of homework.
13 years of doing meaningless stuff after hours just to learn how to structure time and meet deadlines with false consequences? Better to do what I did when I was ten years old and start a bike maintenance business. I put up a flier at the store across the street to fix up people’s bikes. I got customers who had demands and were willing to pay me for my time. But they wanted their bikes back quickly. I couldn’t sit around playing video games if I wanted to get paid, and I loved doing the work on the bikes and learning about different types of brakes and gears and pedals. School does not prepare you for this – it is not designed to. That was only chapter one in my own entrepreneurial self-education.
THanks to this discussion and a subsequent post on my blog, we have reached the front page of one of Canada’s national newspapers this morning.
Just thought you’d like to know…more here:
http://chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot/?p=1013
My opinion on this whole homework scheme as a father of a son who barely got through high school because of his homework completion rate–I still get burned over homework. He got A’s on his exams but was nearly failed for lack of homework. Now really what is the point? Isn’t the homework to reinforce content for the final exam or at least the big ideas that you want students to understand. If they can do that….arrgghh. I felt most homework was busy work–he did too unfortunately.
My opinion on this whole homework scheme is a bunch of crap!!! as a father of 6 children i am strongly againtst it because i can never spend time with my children who were born from five different mothers,.
i say ABOLISH HOME WORK FOR GOOD!!!!!!!
Hey, I am a public school teacher and believe it or not the board of education requires that we give homework. So, having the same type of view as most of you do about homework and family time being very valuable, I let the kids choose their homework. Believe it or not, most do more than I would ever, ever require. But like you said, it is about passion. I have a girl who takes 3 or 4 math papers every night – because she loves math. I have some kids that like puzzles, reading and other things. I tell the parents that a good guideline is 10 minutes for every grade they are in. In other words, 1st graders should do 10 minutes, 2nd graders 20 minutes etc. Work your way up to one hour and then stop. Also, they do not have to do anything on the nights they have other activities. But sometimes they do anyway – go figure.
alilovestoteach
I am another parent who is alarmed at the increase of homework that my kids bring home every night…and they haven’t even started middle school yet! What really gets me is that my daughter even has homework on the weekends now and we are just supposed to accept this. NO!!! It takes time away from her, from us and gets her stressed out. She is a good student, not a slacker or disruptive but I worry that school will turn into nothing but drudgery for her and not the place of discovery and joyful learning that it was for me.
My question is: is there an organization here in California I can join to lobby against this increasingly insane way of teaching kids??? Thank you!
ali: I love your approach. And of course there are straaaange children out there who actually enjoy homework :o)
stickybeak: I’m with you. I know of no organization in California. Maybe Chris Corrigan (the man behind the Canadian ban) has some contants..?
You can ask him here: http://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot
I whole-heartedly agree and accept what all of you are saying! I’m in grade 8 (in Canada), and I know and understand everything I’m INTERESTED in, but honestly, when will I ever need to know about phytoplankton or how to give directions to a casino in French? Okay, I need to know a lot of what they’re teaching, but I am just not interested in a lot of it! Also, when kids get stressed out (which we all do sometimes) a lot of us eat. I’m not overweight, but I’m concerned about the rate of obesity in Canada and the USA. And right now, in the teen years, the media today is pressing down on us very uncomfortably to be skinny and successful. So, when we don’t finish our homework, we get bad grades, then we get stressed out, then some of us eat comfort food, get overweight, and with lower self-esteem, we don’t feel like doing homework, so we feel like failures for not getting excellent grades and not having the “perfect idea of beauty” skinny look. All because of excessive homework. I think we should cut homework out of our lives. As some of you mentioned, we don’t have enough time to hang out with friends and develop skills and passions we like. I don’t even remember what I learned in grade 6. I just know I didn’t enjoy it. I remember when I was doing stuff I loved doing, though. When you put it together, its quite a vicious circle. PLEASE STOP PUTTING PRESSURE ON US KIDS, AND GET RID OF HOMEWORK. !!
Pesky intrusive government.
Get the kids out of the schools and back into the fields, the factories and the mines.
Kids should be paying their own way, not be parasites upon parents and society.
Sydney: Thank you for the inside look at school life these days. I share your concern and I think the greats failure of our school system is, that we haven’t been able to create schools that are so much fun, that students go there voluntarily. Homework is one of the biggest issues here and it should go!
Obbop: I never even though of that: Remove homework, and kids will have more time for hard manual labor. Good thinking :o)
I would like to thank everyone that has replied to this, especially chris corrigan for his input, it has helped me with my english debait assignment about banning homework alot.
Also, this debait was the first link on google when i was looking for opioions about banning homework so whoever created this did a good job :)
and i aggree that my life has been alot easier when i got to high school and had no more homework to do, it has been much eaiser to complete work without the stress of having to do homework when i get home.
Thanks again.
Joel Cox.
Thanks for all the great comments – it’s clear that there is some real energy around this topic.
There are a few interesting things going on:
Th NY Times has an article on unschooling:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/26/education/26unschool.html
Lars Kolind, Denmark’s most respected business leader is on a crusade to fix Danish schools. I’ve told him about this conversation and that step 1 must be to abolish homework.
i hate homework so much and if anybody gives me any more i’m gunna pop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Homework Blows!!! Ban It!!! *WOOT*
i think hoework should be banned at all costs!!!!!
Homework really gets in the way of wanting to have a social life and do things that interest you. I have no time to do anything I really want to do, for I always seem to have some homework or a prokect due soon.
And plus a lot of teenagers have jobs they have to go to right after school. It definity is hard to get homework done, when you go to school for seven hours and then come home, change and go to work for another four to six hours. By the time you get home you just want to eat and then sleep. I work at a daycare, and I help supervise two year olds, which is a lot of work when you can be in a room with seven at a time. When I get home I just want to sleep, I don’t even think about eating. I haven’t eatin a decent meal in over two months, due to my job and the pile of homework I always seem to have.
So I think school districts should limit the amount of homework (total) we should be given and//or get rid of it altogether. It would create less stress and give me more time to just relax and read one of the many books I get from the library.
Hey Piper,
I’ve a friend in Texas who had to step in and have a conference with all the teachers and lay the law down. It was so bad because she has several kids who were having work piled on them. These kids were involved in other worthwhile pursuits after school, which actually have greater affect on their future. Anyway, she went to the teachers and said that each of her children were going to spend 45 minutes at the most on homework and if the teachers homework assignments were not completed in 45 minutes, along with all the other teachers homework assignments, then that is just the way it was going to be.
If she hadn’t have done this, with all the classes each individual child takes, they would be there for hours doing homework. It is a broken system that encroaches upon family time.
I am in the IB program and I hate it have no time for extracurricular activities because I get home at four and I am doing homework till 6 and I am still not getting straight A’s. I am not a stupid person at all but no matter how hard I work I still can’t get the grade. I hate how much homework I have to do I think I would be happier and a lot less stressed if I had less homework.
Homework is usually a review of what you learned throughout the school day, but its when the teachers assign you a load of homework to do thats just the same thing over and over, it can be a waste of time unless the student really needs to review that much. Even though my schools dean wanted me to go into the IB program I refused because I thought I would even have more homework then I already have, which keeps me busy for atleast 2-4 hours depending on the subject or if you didnt finish classwork in class youll do it as homework which can make you lose some time to your free time at home.
A couple of my friends are in the IB program, and they say its easy and say the teachers are laid back and dont assign too much homework but they assign a lot of classwork. Work can be done faster in a more calming, less distractive atmosphere, like a classroom rather being in your home, where theres T.V., computers and other things like that to distract you. Thats why if I have a hard time doing my work at home Id sit out on my patio where I can do where I can concentrate.
Hey Katie and you too Lee,
Katie, first I have to say that I’m not clear what the IB program is and please accept my apologies for not being more informed. I’m the kind also who could not make the grade no matter how much I tried. Like you, I’m smart but I also accept the fact that I do not learn a subject until I’m really interested in it or, until I’m in a position to where I’m going to use it and apply it immediately. That is just the way I am and I’m beginning to believe that is the way a lot of people are.
I made very good grades in college but maybe it’s because I had a ton of work experience behind me and it was immediately applicable. When I was going to school, if you didn’t “get it” you were considered stupid or as my parents and teachers would say, “slow”. Math was a big issue with me. Okay, I can multiply, divide, add and subtract, but when I came up against college algebra, I experienced the same emotional hell I felt while I was a kid in school. How does this relate to homework you might ask?
I believe it compounds the stress after having to sit, stuffed in classroom after classroom hour after hour day in and day out. After school, just like after work you like to sit down with friends and enjoy a conversation or get out and do something that diverts the mind and actually refreshes the mind to face another day.
What I would like to see is more opportunity to see what’s taught in the classroom put to practical use more immediately so the application of the theory taught in school could actually be witnessed by the students.
When I was a kid, it was just the opposite. Learning made me hate homework. If I could use a time machine to offer some 20/20 hindsight to my youthful self, I’d advise her to put up and shut up, as school represents the best years of one’s life when it comes to intellectual stimulation.
I’m an 8th grader in the USA right now. I had to visit China to see my relatives which I haven’t seen in TEN YEARS! When I came back, I was slammed with THREE RESEARCH PROJECTS. One of them was some useless class called Big Six that taught us how to PLAN MAKING PROJECTS. And the homework there was EXCRUCIATING. It was POINTLESS. I also got science projects… which wasn’t THAT bad…
But give us a break! I agree… I have to chew gum so much to keep myself from eating the whole refridgerator when I’m under all of this homework stress. I can’t even do what I enjoy… And I know I can be lazy sometimes and just not want to do my homework… but I feel so dead sometimes… (Maybe it’s because i’m a freshh teenager…) but I just stare at my homework for sometimes an hour!
I really don’t see the point in homework… and if I need help… then i’ll get it! the stuff I do get however shouldnt be mandatory.
Oh.. I wasn’t done my rant… Whoops…
Well, not only that but the day I got back from China… my Science and English teacher decided to slam me with the assessments. I had a mental breakdown then and there. I mean… what do they think I did in China? STUDY?
I also believe that testing is … useless… I’m in accelerated programs… so some of the state assessments we actually have to sTOP learning and go back to review what we did two years ago,,,,
Lori, if I’m understanding you correctly, school was the best years of your life. Unfortunately for some of us it is not. I want to make it my son’s best years by being there for him. He brings homework home and we treat homework more as a time for discussion of the subject and instruction rather than standing over him making him do it all on his own.
does anybody have 3 reasons why there should be less homework? respond quick!!!
Dear Sami,
I am a teacher. I hope you do well on your assignment! As to the three reasons: One, Kids need time away from school things to pursue other interests such as sports, music lessons, reading a novel of their choice for fun, spending time with family, listening to music, or just time to relax. We have developed a strange attitude in our country that if you are not working all the time, you are being lazy. Not true!
Two: Students already spend a minimum of six hours in school studying. That should be enough. Particularly the youngest students.
Three: Many students start their day between 5:30 and 6:00 a.m. and do not get back home until 6:00 p.m. each night. The majority of parents work and the time they have to spend enjoying their children and vice versa is minimal. We hear too much anxiety expressed about not having enough family time as it is. For homework assignments, particularly the busy work assigned just for the sake of giving homework because it is expected, to take away from what little time families have together, should be abolished.
I hope this helps.
ali rae
i hate hw so much man i hateeeeeeeeeeeee it
E-mail: Paula@express-printit.com
name: Paula
work: Sorrento Valley
city: San Diego
info: I am a mother of two elementary students, one 6th grader and a kindergartener. On the homework subject: Times have changed and there are many more two parent working families. One of the big arguments of a short school day is because children are unable to focus for extended periods of time, this being said. The CV schools that my kids attend have half days every Friday, and only go to school from 8 to 2:45 the rest of the week. We were told to expect 2-3 hours of homework each night. Both children go to day care, where there are too many kids for them to get one on one help with their homework, so our house can not begin homework time until 6pm when we get home. That time also includes dinner and chores, our kids do not have play time in the evenings anymore. Where did our family time go? Well it leaves the weekends… no both children are regularly given homework on the weekends and even are required to do it while on vacation. I understand that they need to be responsible adults one day, but when do I teach my daughter how to cook? shop? be a team member. We have foregone the cable since there is no time anyway, there is not a place for extra circular activities such as sports, and we have gone as far as not going to dinner on Valentine’s day due to the homework. My solution is to extend the school day. Yes it sounds bad but in real life we do not work 6 hours a day. And we certainly do not do so on our vacation. When long ago every home had one parent stay home it was different. I am for teachers that want us parents to be a part of the learning process, but we all know you need time to learn more than just what is taught at school. Wholesome learning means you will need more than just book smarts.
I’m partucularly against homework!!!!!!!
And if anybody gives me more on it, i’ll certainly explode!!!!!!
arghhhh!!!!! my spm…
I HATE homework………………at last i found some people who agree with me!!!!!!!!!
well, what can we do? We are all against homework, but so many people out there will disagree with us and call us dumb on this issue. How can we speak up? If homework really takes a child away from his dad or mom causing stress, hate and depression, than what can we do to stop it? Posting here is a good thing, at least we know we’re not alone, but as of right now, our words speak louder than our actions.
By the way, I had to deal with homosexuality because my father was never there for me to make a man out of me. My mom spent hours of useless homework with me and if I failed, she would be the one crying and making me feel bad. My father wasn’t in the picture at all, because he has a heart of a man, and real men have wild hearts of lions, not geeks!
What can be done is to approach not the teachers but the school board. They seem to be most isolated from the front lines (the classroom). It needs to be approached in an organized manner and must have the support of many parents. I see two classes of people in this world. Those who see something is not right and accept it with shoulder shrugging resignation and the second class are those who stand up and say something about it and do something about it. Those of the class just perpetuate the problem. Remember, most teachers don’t like to assign homework, it’s those who are removed from the front line. I find that those in academia, those who are farthest up on the food chain have strange idea’s about how things get done.
I absolutely hate hw. it bores me and it is too hard for me. why can’t all the schools in th world not have homework
As an 11th Gr academic (as in avoiding applied courses) student in high school I in fact agree with the homework issue. I guess I can say that homework is an absolute waste of time especially when what’s to be learned is an absolutely worthless item for the next to come in learning. I always get math hw after those classes, but at least they’re short enough I can do it during lunch since I have nothing better to do than my remaining 5 hours. What irritates me the most is my English class work, involving reading literature. It improves my reading? I can learn everything that the average person can learn by reading it in less than half the amount of time, and improve others such as grammer and writing style without actually writing. I must say I never read an entire novel up to now since I failed grade 8 english. I in fact had to learn the stuff in 1996-2002 in 2003-2004 inclusive so that the “knowledge:P” becomes a skill instead of ordinary memorization. In fact that’s how my many senses and skills grew to when I can invoke them to my will, i.e. my eight favorites: limit, judgment, emotion contain, and implement for senses; change will, focus sense, anonymity, math for skill; all improving by USING them (more specifically not during exertion). Since I could not afford the time to allow myself to liking literature accompanied to logic, even with my tendency to read anything until I understand it, I can no longer be induced emotionally by any sort of writing [and advertisements, I’m doing terribly in english media studies as well] (unless it’s fanfiction, since they are based from games, anime, etc) and never understand the importance of reading it. Do I care about the play Macbeth, and all the characters, as well as the main plot themes? The answer lies on this question: Does this play even matter next week? I refuse to learn though in a snail’s pace, more on topic of homework, in repitition. It’s how I decided to abandon my native language and try to learn one that I feel I actually like.
My experience with class time vs homework is:
Best: Teacher teaches only important or note-worthy things (even not class subjected), makes sure all students understand without stressing them, and gives a limited amount of work for home or none at all, which are selected by the teacher rather just a page of random questions. The teacher shows the students his/her own skill of the information as well as sending the students the knowledge.
Luckily for me I have 3 teachers like that; for math, chemistry, and gr11 accounting.
This is the reason logic is the best path over literature. Though others are also available (athletics; music: instrumental, vocal, composition; etc.) as well, I will not compare them today.
Practical: Teacher teaches important things, makes sure all students understand, and gives a limited amount of work for home or none at all.
I have 2 teachers like this; gr11 programming and communication technology. Pretty much expected for general learning, so its still great.
Worst: Teacher teaches at a limited amount or nothing learned at all due to disorganization and thus becoming slow or worthless information, and gives an excessive amount of work for home which have no point in doing.
My last 3 teachers are like this; physics (DAMN), english (like I said), english media studies (do not watch/listen to the news, and unaffected by media so there)
The third one I don’t care about. English however, I still don’t get why they incorporated the study of writing composition with the damned literature! And finally physics, an important course, I usually get high grades in any science, but here my teacher does not teach well, so since I have no time to learn out of class, I began bad this year, but at least I rose after, avoiding a failure. English however, I started at 81, which is an A- I suppose, but because of the worthless hours that has accumulated my time for living as I do right now, I dropped 20%!. That’s right, I’m now at 61, a C-. Homework will not help at all in this, on topic. I must read, and it’s difficult to memorize the story’s detail. The most irritating thing is that you must use a repetitive focus to do any of it, and there is practically nothing to learn to help.
Anyway(s) my point is that homework is does not help learning, only improve what’s already learned. However according to this article, teachers give homework so that the students will learn.
(More simple)
Homework is 1:1 gain/cost, more homework does not increase gain but increases cost.
Time managements skill is more effectively learned without it.
Hello Dan,
I understand the frustration you face. I would have to say this on the subject of learning…actually two things. History is a subject that is sorely lacking in the agenda. But, I believe the way history is taught is what drives students away from it. This is all due to the teachers approach on the subject. Too many times the subject is taught by those who teach memorization of dates and places when in fact history is so much more. I think in order to make subjects more palatable it needs to be taught in a more holistic manner. Let me explain. Why not teach math with related history and teach math in relation to the subject being taught. My whole issue with math with it’s application. This would require teachers to learn more about their subject but actually make it much more interesting. At least if I had my own school that’s the way I would approach subjects instead of dissecting the subjects.
I am in the 7th grade and i have to say i agree with a little bit of what everyone is saying. I think homework does help with time management and organization and all that stuff but what a lot of people don’t remember to mention, unlike this website, is that homework tends to be a main stressor in kid’s lives and they are loosing the kid in them that much faster. I honestly would love to see them ban homework but i have to say i don’t see that happening anytime fast because of all this research on how it is beneficial. And this goes a way back, but i think vacations don’t actually exist! At least i never get a REAL vacation. But what i really wanted to say was thanks Dan and thanks to everyone else who put a comment on this website because now i don’t feel like its my fault that i want to ignore it, or that i have no time for my friends And family on the weekends. I mean i always knew that other kids were stuggling too, but this really put everything in perspective for me.
i hate homework its ment to be a break when your not at school!
I currently have 7 school projects all given to me on the same day.
It’s annoying because they are also all due in next week.
I don’t seem to have time for it and it’s stressing me out…
Damn homework…
Let’s all give a round of applause for Melissa. I too can see the benefits of researching subjects, not only because I love research work, but because this is what is expected in the job market. Ryan on the other hand said he has been assigned 7 projects and they are all due by the next week. Has anyone in this group ever heard of the term
HOMEWORK, I DO ONT LIKE!!! BAN IT!!! IT TAKES UP ALL MY TIME TO HAVE FUN!!!
HOMEWORK, I DO ONT LIKE!!! BAN IT!!! IT TAKES UP ALL MY TIME TO HAVE FUN!!!
I LOVE HOMEOWRK DONT BAN IT PLEASE
Hi,
I’m a 9th grade student at a school where they firmly believe in homework and dont care about the students opinion because they can always replace you. I got a 99% on my physics mid-term and B+’s and A-‘s on all my other subjects and yet my averages were way, WAY lower than that because of all the zeros I got on homework assignments. I think that right there says something about homework…
IT ISN’T NEEDED!!!!!!! I was getting strait A’s until I realized in 7th grade that I was doing homework for the sake of not failing rather than learning. Since then I slowly started missing homework assignments and now I have stopped doing them alltogether. I’m now failing out of that school even though I could easily get A’s and B’s in all of my classes if there was no homework. The current way of schooling has messed me up big time and I wish there were more schools that were open to change or have gotten rid of homework completely. If any of you know of schools like this in the U.S please tell me because i want to transfer to a school like that rather than homeschool which would suck!
Hi Daniel! I feel compelled to try to answer you because you seem to be a very bright student and I am a teacher. I just hate to see you pull bad grades because of something like homework. I have a few questions if you don’t mind. I wonder why you think homeschool would not be desirable? How do your parents feel about the homework issue? And what kind of homework are we talking about? I do know that as you get older and more study is required, sometimes reading assignments are necessary because there just is not enough time during class. This will be true even more so in college. Do you get any time in study hall? I am truly against piling on homework for the sake of giving students ‘busy work’. Would it be possible for you to do just enough to get the A’s in your classes?
However, I would like to make a few suggestions. I know you mentioned you did not want to be homeschooled, but are you aware that many states now have high school on the internet? Would you be interested in something like that? Also, some community colleges allow a double enrollment. You can finish your HS at the same time you are attending college. Some school systems have magnet schools, where you can go if you have a special interest in something?
It is hard for me to give you an answer without knowing you better;but please don’t give up. You sound like you have great potential! Some students just don’t do well in a traditional setting and that sounds like maybe that is what you are facing. You may not know this, but many gifted students have the same problems that you are describing. Has anyone ever suggested that you be tested for a gifted program?
Just some things to think about; I hope it helps.
Good luck to you!
ali rae
Does anyone know the ratio between the kids that do homework to those who don”t
I LOVE HOMEWORK IM FOR IT
Christina, I’m not sure where to find those statistics on the ratio.
Frank, are you a student or a teacher? I’d like to know a little about you. I have to admit there are those kids who just get a bang out of school and the whole system and I take it you’re one of them.
Thanks Ali Rae. I think homeschool and internet schooling wouldn’t be perfect for me because of the social issue with it. I like being in an environment with lots of people so that might not be fun. (That said, I am ready to give that up for a few hours a day if it’s the only way I can pass high school, haha.) The reading homework and studying are fine with me… it’s just the 15 math problems a night where I could do and have done just as well with 2 math problems that makes me annoyed. That goes for all subjects. My parents think close to the same as me about homework, because my dad had similar problems when he was in school. They can’t confront the school about it as much as I would like them to because my sister goes there and she isnt having any problems so a good relationship between my parents and the school is benefiting her, and they dont want to screw that up (neither do I). I’m in gifted programs at my school they call it advanced placement but even so the homework problem is still there. I really appreciate all of your help and I am going to look into all of your suggestions!
Hey Daniel,
First of all, your parents can approach the instructors with the concerns. You would be surprised at how teachers appreciate feedback. That
hi, I’m in school writing about why we shouldn’t have homework. Thank you for providing me with the information i need. ;)
we hate mbhs so bad its hell we get bullied by the teachers Miss titley miss
I’m doing a persuasive essay on why to ban homework and it sucked until i found this website. THANK YOU!!!!!!!
I’m doing a persuasive essay on why to ban homework and it sucked until i found this website. THANK YOU!!!!!!!
Also i would like to add that this assignment has taken the entire weekend away from me and my family. i have barely had time to take a shower!!
the IB website:
http://www.ibo.org
i need help on an assignment i need really good facts on why we should ban homework
Yes homework kills our life. Yes i would love to have all homework banned. Most kids fail classes because they forget or just dont do thier homework. This really makes me want to move to Sudbury Valley XD
ye i agree wat does home work do….? nothing its pointless why have it we learn enough in school great argument :-)
im in year 10and ye i agree wat does home work do….? nothing its pointless why have it we learn enough in school…. great argument :-) some 1 should do somthing about it, it puts us of learning
Hey,
If those schools are doing fine without homework for 35 years then why can’t all the schools not have homework. Why they get to have all the time in the world to be a kid. And we have barely any or not doing homework to be a kid. We even have homework in the fricken summer. SUMMER READING. its so gay. please out a stop to it.
unknown?
i completly believe that. its true/ homework makes you not want to learn. because if you hate doing the homework.. oyu wont want to do the work =)
I think homework is super fantastic,I wish it not to be banned!!
But I hate it.
Yay!
I am a confuzing wannagofruit.
hey,
im with all of you saying your against homework. every monday,wennsday,and thursday i have activities after school. i eat dinner at 400 and get home around 2. that leaves 2 hours to do ss spanish, science, english, math, and we have to read 3 ch from a book every night. IT’S SOOO HARD TO DO!!after my activities if i ahdnt finished my homework i work from when i get home(8:00) till about 11:30 then i have to get up again at 5:00. im always soo tired! plus most of the time it’s so hard!! ecpecially math which is my weakest subect. o and im also doing a powerpiont in computers about homework and all u guys really helped! thank you!!
Ever since I started doing homwork, my IQ dropped from 140, down to 120. I hate homework.
Beer and drugs had nothing to do with my IQ dropping.
Murray, I can believe it. It’s called brain overload. The mind needs respite and rest. When you don’t get the time away from the daily grind, you become the grinded.
Homework wastes my time. Every afternoon i come from school and my dad tells me to go straight to my room and don’t come out do your homework. Im sick of it.
I agree with idiot, homework does nothing but waste your time, because your only repeating what the teachers taught you in class.
No matter how much homeowrk school throws at you, if your not interested in what your doing your mind just doesnt process the information.
I believe that when school finishes at the end of the day then thats what it should stay…FINISHED!
homework interferes with young people’s social lives which is equally as important (if not alot more so) than algebra etc….
Children and young people need time to go out and actually experience the world they are living in.They will not learn how to become successfull adults by sitting in their house day in day out doing usless assignments and not interacting with other people.
A child can learn to work to a scedule without homework FULL STOP!
thanks
I AGREE WITH YOU TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY
I’m from Australia and in year nine. The teachers are seriously scaring me about year 10 and VCE and IB and exams and all that rubbish.
Oh yeah, and i get 9 hours of homework a week. Sometimes more.
The stress from all my homework has physically impacted on me, I am constantly sick and I’m absent from school sick, every one or two weeks.
I really hate homework, I would seriously sell my soul to get rid of homework at my school, although my soul has been eaten up by all the work any way so it wouldn’t make much difference.
i hate homework because i have to play tennis every day after school and i dont have any time
thanx for trying to stop it but my school isnt listening
I am in 8th Grade IB with lots of homework. I take an online class, 10th Grade Geometry, because I do well in school. But at my school we have Flight School which, if you dont:
-Do your homework
-Be on time
-Have your materials
you have to stay for an hour, and thats if you just miss one thing. You get a stamp if you do these three things for eight classes. We got loaded with homwork the first day, and are school is pretty big so its hard to not be late. But I do it, but the FLIGHT SCHOOl IS SO STUPID. I get discouraged every day because you cant forget anything. ITs system after system and more and more homework every day. Plus I have to practice my instrument, and later I start Karate. Last year I stayed up till 11o clock doing HW, I dont know how much Im gonna have this year. I like reading and sports and stuff but HW doesnt allow it. Its one threat after another, you have flight school because you were one second late, or you didnt do the HW correctly, or your binder is organized the wrong way. ITS OUR SCHOOL CAREER AND they are trying to punish and threaten us like we cant be responsible ourselves!
BAN HOMEWORK
im back again and its summer vacation…and guess what..i STILL have school work to do. every summer from when you enter 6th grade u have to read two books and do a report on each, and their books the school chooses which makes it worse!But thats not all we also have to complete a math packet with 80+ questions!!!! im mean come on give us a brake, didnt we already do enough of that crap in school?!!! it STINKS!!!!!!!!
I am in an IB school and in 12th grade. I have at least 6 hours of homework a night, 3 extra essays to do for my diploma, 150 community, action, and service hours, and 3 advanced and diffcult IB courses. I stress about homework, school, doing homework, tests, essays, and finding time to relax for 1 minute. 12th grade at an IB school is hell. Kids at public schools have it easier. My friends are at public schools and they have 2 courses: math or english( they’re in 12th grade too!), while I have higher biology, higher english, higher history, chemistry, swedish, and math. School consumes all my energy, and my class is ultra competitive. I get Saturdays off, if I’m lucky. I am not joking, my highschool experiance has been hell. They say highschool is supposed to be fun, while mine has been IB, stress, and hell. It makes me hate school, I’m so negative, but how can’t you be when all you do is work and the assignments are so difficult? They are long and drawn out. For instance, I have a math test over at least 100 pages out the text book. This is not normal. I’ve had enough. It goes beyond just homework.
HI ANNE,
I am certainly past my highschool years, but this may offer some insight as to what is on the otherside of your frustration. You do sound very overwhelmed but at the same token, your results will offer you opportunities beyond those that take a relaxed approach. I fiddled around during my highschool years and was lucky to show up for a class, when I did do an assignment I may have done well but the late marks knocked the marks down so much it hardly seemed an accomplishment. Nonetheless, my brother is the lawyer and living in a house that he built for himself and though his lifestyle is structured and in some instances anally so, in reflection I am the one struggling to complete courses at 38 with less energy and a 4 year old child. You CAN do this. It does get harder as you get older, because those little jobs expect a great deal of committment for that 9.00 an hour pay scale. The more you can handle, the better equipped you are to juggle the adult world. Unfortunately, you do sacrifice a small part of the teenage world to make this happen, but the gains are REMARKABLE as a 20 and 30 year old and you won’t regret it. Best things to destress, post positive sayings off the web on your wall and keep looking at it. FOCUS FOCUS FOCUS OR SUCCESS SUCCESS SUCCESS or whatever it is that you want. Do meditation for 10 minutes between visualizing what you want and then 10 minutes to just repeat a word that allows your mind to rest. I find talking myself back into my goals through books works best, just opening up a book and reading a page after I have asked a question of something I need. Never think it’s for nothing. Because starting at 40 to get a life is a whole lot more challenging when your day consists of 2 jobs @ 9.00 to 16.00 an hour racing home to make dinner then speeding off to do errands like banking etc. You are a strong capable lady who has a bright future that only comes with DISCIPLINE. What you focus on you get more of, just remember it’s only a struggle until your brain catches up and it becomes second nature. DO NOT GIVE UP!! It’s a breath of fresh air to have more empowering woman challenging life, and it is much harder for woman. You really need to have the edge. HANG IN THERE! Let me know how your doing.
Hi Kendral,
Thanks for your words of wisdom. You make very good points, and I will try to keep everthing in perspective.
Thanks again for your kind words of encouragement.
Sincerely,
Anne
This is great! I hated homework growing up…
homework is a way for the school/teacher system to direct kids with needless busy work..
.’idle hands are the work of the…’ i’m sure everyone’s heard that saying at least a few times from those all knowing ancient leaders.
…maybe our homework assignments have evolved and mutated from the early farm and field assignments given to our forefathers by their puritanical and slightly misguided efforts to ensure the salvation of our souls in the afterlife. So we would then sleep easier at knight (from sheer tiredness) and the comfort we were going to rest easily in the hereafter by working ourselves to death! Amen!
Who Ever Made This Is Pure Gold,Homework Sucks!Lame!,Lame!,Lame!.It Takes Are Time.WTF IS THAT $HIT!?Please Ban The Crap.Everyone Hates It.And Mabye Im the One Who Hates It the Worst.It A Load Of Crap.Please E-mail Me At themadddog@gmail.com Or Atlease Replay!Thank You!
Woops My Spealing Is Wrong!Sorry!
Hi There
I take it you are all American. Well, I am a New Zealander. I am doing year 10 (I am 14 years old) and the amount of work expected by me from my teachers is incredible. I am in a higher streamed class therefore the work rate is higher than that of a normal class.
On top of academic work, I have music lessons and recitals to attend. Also my Dad is a Hindu Priest. I am expected to be at every Puja (Hindu prayer service) every weekend.
Holiday and weekend homework is unacceptable in my books.
Holidays and weekends are there for students to relax and re cuperate.
I hate homework. I never have time to complete it and whenever I do, I get a bad mark from the teacher.
So thank you all out there for starting this forum. It has helped me with my Formal Writing Assessment.
Good Luck on your Crusade!!
my two kids come home upset and crying they have so much homework they are discouraged and hate school because of it. they have no family time at all to speak of. i think this should go before congress to pass a bill that schools will not enforce homework as they do.
i just love homework even though my friends say is an enemy of them
y do i have do do homework it’s just not fair because my mum said she didn’t do homework and in english nextweek and we have to write a topic we hate and i am going to do mine on homework
I am so happy to have found these postings, I am a working/ single mom, with a lovely, smart son, 12 yrs old, in the honor class, athletic, quiet shy,we live in NY, the amount of h.w. is outrageous and very frustrating, the teachers are mean and demanding, they do not coordinate h.w. schedules, and we spend hours trying to comply with all
their request, although, my son has a beatiful mind, and his state test
scores are very high, he now hates school. I feel that these teachers are
abusive, and power hungry. last nite, he had to study for a math test,
spanish test (which is new for him), the months, the alphabet, the colors
and the days (in spanish), and spelling counts on the test, he had 2 social studies assignments that required four essays, he had math homework, science homework on the scientific process, and after he was totally exhausted and frustrated we had to study, there is no family time, sure they encourage good nutrition and exercise, when is he supposed to get it, they rob us of all our quality time together, and the teachers really think they have more power than the parents, hey what happened to land of the free, school is not feeling very “free thinking”, it’s a list of must do, must have, if not zero, failure, embarassment, humiliation.I am done with these teachers, and I would love to see parents rise against the system. Let our children be children, let them play, take the homework abuse away, homework should be given in moderation.
thanks for hearing me out, I needed that.
Being in highschool myself i find it is incredibly hard to manage school, a part time job working around 25 hours a week, family time and a social life. I need to have money to save for university, but thanks to homework and getting lates on everything i hand in, it is sooooo hard to manage everything and not get stressed out. Thankfully my school has introduced a 0 late policy, meaning you will not get penalized for being late. you have a week to hand in the assignment, and then after that a detention and then after that a conference with the parents. I still find it hard working until 9 or even 10 some nights to save money, and then have 3 or 4 hours of homework and trying to get a good sleep. I believe it would be beneficial to get rid of some homework, and only have it if it is completely nessicary. By the way, i stumbled upon this website doing a paper for my anthropology class on how homework is killing kids :)
homework is a complete waste of time i never do it so why teachers give it me i dont know but oh well thats school init really. mum and dad are always at me trying to get me to do my homework but im a child and i just want to spend time out with my friends like anybody else does why dont the teachers do homework instead of us and then they wil know why we hate it so much especially if u have 5 pieces due in the next day its un fair! x
I’m in england in year 8 ( I think grade 9 for you) and I finish school at six, get home at seven and do homework. you see, we have prep that is one hour where two subjects set you half hour pieces of work. But, in my year, the final year, the teachers suddenly thought, hold on, why don’t we give them two hour preps to do at home and the have to hand it in the next day! DOWN ON PREP (homework).
By the way, our prep is at school, that is why we finish late…
homework S U X!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
atleast someone big like a father knowa that homework is no use and very annoying atleast you have taste in not working and i sware if you were a father you will be the best for childeren for ages 3 -17 i think your the best.. hehe …….. XD———- i wish they’re erent homework———– !!!!
Hey…um i completely agree with all of this talk about banning homework…as an 8th grade student in jr. high, homework is the thing that keeps me off the phone with my friends…off the computer..away from the fresh snow to play in outside…today i spent 3 hours on english homework alone…it stinks i think that homework is a waste of time and that you dont learn anything from it…i have found that most homework is only a repeat of what teachers just taught you in class, making homework, pointless, i have also found that math is the subject that is most gulty of this. I hardly get any time to just chill with my family and play a board game or go to the movies, it really sux. School without homework would ba a kids dream come true. But with all this global warming, and all this iraq issues, it seems like no one really cares.
right now im doing my social studies honors homework, its just killing me! im in 8th grade have been doing this homework since a total of 10 hours including research, and i just need some sleep, my mom is just sick of seeing me awake but cant help it because homework is “important” not one day we have no math homework, we just read a book in english and just as it finished another one has started, after this i have to do a 3 page book report which is due tomorrow and i didnt even start the 400 page book yet. i understand that we were supposed to start the book a month ago but then what about the other homeworks we have to do in that month its not like we are not doing anything in that time. no one i know started reading the book before only one week was left. im in 8th grade and i have dark circles around my eyes due to lack of sleep and my head hurts like hell! im an a student in every subject, didnt get below a 98 in any of my math tests, getting everything they teach in class and totally sick of homework! why doesnt anyone understand we are teens and we need time to do stuff besides homework and i mean including sleep! its like 11:30 at night and i’ll probably be awake atleast until 2 or 3 in the morning and go to school at 7! i love going to school but hate coming home because then its time to do what…………………HOMEWORK! I have never been so stressed that i had to take a day off because i had to get some sleep. it was heaven i slept full 12 hours! and we are not allowed to talk in class, looks like we are not even allowed to talk at home! no time at all! geez its been a week since i watched tv. that was on the weekend! tomorrow is friday. im so happy! but sad because everything is due tomorrow. a book report, an immigration project, math homework!, science extra cridits which i was not able to do!, english journal ( i didnt even start writing the new journals we were supposed to), english chapters we were supposed to read and some other stuff im too sick to care about! my uncle is in collage and im and im more stresses out than him! someone tell our teachers they are killing us!! plz someone put a word out!!!!!! thnx so much for doing this u totally understand out pain! and for real its really bad i cant take it anymore i just wish there was no school!!!!!!! its so annoying i just cant take this homework rubbish! 8th grade sucks like hell!
i absolutely hate homework,it drains happiness out of you and all there is left is sadness,I would say to extend school hours just a little bit (1 hour?) just for the sake of some leisure time,doing the things you love.
As a teenager,im forced to do homework to the max..
i have so much homework, i only get to normally have 2 hours of leisure time for saturday and sunday… the rest is revision and sleep.
i have heard alot of stories about students commiting suicide,hitting the streets,taking drugs, because of school and stress.
its the homework thats stressful!!!
right now i feel like hitting the streets,my parents are too strict on me,they didn’t do well at school,so why are they pushing me to the extreme?
i normally hit the streets for a while,but right now i feel like staying there SERIOUSLY,i feel like finding myself a homeless shelter,or finding a teenager job.
I don’t hit the streets as a punishment,its just freedom.
I’m a year 9 student at an Australian private school.
I don’t even do my homework anymore. The only work I do is the major assessment tasks, and a little studying for tests that I care about getting good results in. Otherwise, I do nothing. I refuse to let school impose itself upon my life.
2 years ago i was really conscientious about all my schoolwork, but now all of it has just burnt me out, i don’t have the motivation to do it, and in the long run, no one gives a f*** if you did it or not.
These days, homework worries my parents more than it worries me. I can safely say that homework is responsible for destroying the relationship between me and my parents. They don’t trust me with anything now, and they accuse me of getting mediocre grades and that I’m lazy and will fail at school. I’m not getting mediocre grades, I’m getting straight As, they just want something to yell at me for.
The thing about private schools is, on top of the homework, they make you get involved in extracorricular activities that take up your weekend. Private schools assume you are a robot with no interests or personality, and that you do nothing besides go to school. They make you play sport every Saturday in a different venue each week. It is a very unreasonable demand to meet, because they assume that you have parents available to drive you 100km to some shitty outer suburb wasteland. Wake up f***ers, my parents are too busy bossing me around and working to pay thousands of dollars in school fees.
HOW CAN WE GET HOMEWORK BANNED PERIOD? SCHOOL WORK SHOULD BE LEFT AT SCHOOL. LET ME LOVE MY CHILD AND DO FAMILY THINGS AT HOME. CHARLENE HII, SAVANNAH,GA
Please join this forum if you feel homework is unfair:
http://z3.invisionfree.com/No_Homework_Forum/index.php?act=idx
ok I am doing an essay that is going to be posted in the paper about how homework is bad.Anyone waant to help just email me at shelbie.butz@yahoo.com
Okay here is my opinion. I am currently in 8th grade in a private international school in Sweden and I only agree with half of the things you said. Yeah, it’s weird. I’m a teenager thinking that it’s good to get homework. Dont think i’m a nerd -.- haha(far from it). Anyways, I get it. Homework is a time consuming process of writing down stuff we already know, and sometimes I just want to tell the teachers to take their precious homework and shove it up there a$$ because I have a LIFE. Though, generally homework does help me remember somethings and it’s not something new for us to learn, but it always helps to know that we are capable of learning and knowing that we can get into good universities. Plus, it’s kind of gay to think its like a cult to force us to do homework, unless you’re a crazy person with no common sense. This part, I am sorry for saying this, but parents, if you think that we want to ban homework because we absolutely adore spending time with our family, you’re not entirely correct. Don’t get me wrong, everyone loves spending time with their families, I love too myself. It’s just that I think most teenagers would rather go out with their friends to a party then stay at home and play monopoly with their parents. Not all, but a lot do. It’s the sad truth, and I have to admit myself that it’s how I think too. Yepps thats all i got to say. Tell me whatcha think, kay? ;)
Sounds like the teachers are the only ones who care if kids are held accountalbe these days. You gripers are just lazy and you are raising lazy children who will be disrepectful because of you griping in front of them. They would never question homework if you bad influences would shut up and let people who are trained to do their job “do their job”
Oh yeah, You gripers probably wouldn’t spend time with your kids even if homework was cut back. You are too self absorbed.
And that comment about 6 children with 5 different woman. That was funny, I got that.
i Hate Home work im at school right now doing it
Let’s nuke all of the homework stuff… underground…. :)
Oh Crap homework stinks really alot !! First , teachers scold us when we dont do homework. oK so we do , but we dont know how . we wan to go tommorow to school to ask teachers how to do ? before u can ask get scolded like mad le.
i do like homework , but i seriously dont like it when theres too much.when its exam time , those teachers just throw those practice paper at us , and when we dont do it ? they complain they have lots of stuff to mark. they think only their teaching. WE HAF SCIENCE ENGLISH MATHS CHINESE AND MUCH MORE IN SECONDARY SCHOOL ZZZ , THOSE TEACHERS THINK ONLY GOT THEIR HOMEWORK . BESIDES , SO MANY A FEW PAGE FEW PAGE HOMEWORK ADDS UP TO ALOT . that whats make us forget homework easily. cant they put something like . maths homework today , english tmr . not all on the same day . so those who likes homework can look forward to the day , and those who dont know how to do can call up their friends who’re good at the subject to help them out? better than all subjects on one day and u haf like 2 questions on each subject u dont know how to do ? then u haf to call 10 ppl ? ok then ur mom will scold u for using the phone too much ? and when we explain to teacher do they care?
hi everybody im glad to hear alot of people hate homework as much as i do i am in 9th grade ib programe and the amount of homework we get is unbelievable i come home at night and have so much homework i dont even have enough time to eat dinnner. homew is a useless thing all it is is the exact same work we do in class and now alll the teacher mark by homework so if u deside to do no homework in one term your mark is 0% homework is puttin alot of stesson us student and it is affecting our mark dramaticly
I myself am a kid and I really hate homework. I have 8 periods and in about 5 of them I can expect to get homework. Even if each teacher only gives me a little homework I end up with a whole lot. Once I got some sort of flu and missed school for 2 days. I had to make up 2 math assignments, a small social studies project 2 science worksheets and 2 spanish worksheets. Lots of parents and adults think that homework is a useless waste of time, but it seems nobody gets around to doing anything about it. If I could I would abolish homework.
I am a student at a school which likes to give out alot of homework.
and let me just say i agree with this 100 %. it makes me not want to learn if i have to learn in this form. there should be much more classwork than homework. it just waists time in my opinion, so thank you for posting this for everyone to read.
Yeah i hate homework. im doing it right now and its pretty much gonna kill me. stuff from school should stay at school so i have time to actually go to church and have good family time.
I agree with the comments above…Right now I am in my computer lab typing a stupid paper on this topic that I agree with strongly, We deffinetly need more SCHOOL work and LESS homework! I never have time to hang out with my girlfreind, or my neighbors….I am trying to grab my teachers opinions on this aswell…Because I am writing a persusaive paper on Abolished homewok!
Hey michael, im doing the same thing.
Im in 10th grade and am currently in 2nd period, ENGLISH 10. My teacher is making me look up articles on something i want do write about. I am suppose to write a persuasaive paper on something also, and I choose to write a paper on banning homework and this whole page will go great. I hate homework and it never leaves times for anything. I love with my uncle and he is kind of a hardass and makes me do chores so when i go home my agenda normally looks like this…
1.Get home
2.Get mail
3.Collect eggs from chicken coupe
4.shovel the path around the house if theres any snow
5.load the dishwasher
6.clean the kitchen
7.wipe off the table
8.sweep the floor
9.do homework till im done
I learned I actually have to do my homework because he checks my grades online with skyward every day and it has a calender now thats updated daily that shows any missing work and If i tell him I did all my homework and he see’s a missing assignment I get grounded.
10.unload the dishwasher
11.every other night I have to cook
On the nights he cooks, I am aloud to use the computer or play video games on the ps3 until he is done(normally about 10-25minutes)
12.clean up any messes that i made since i got home
13……..
Finally a little fun in my busy day..
I get home at 4:00(1 hr bus ride)
chores last me till about 10:00
He then goes to bed and i can stay up as late as I want but it is my responsability to wake up in the morning and if i miss the bus I have to walk 10miles to school and deal with the school about showing up 3hrs late.
Around 10-11pm i get to do whatever I want so theres some fun in my day but it is extremely anoying because all my friends get to hang out in the day so if i want i can get online and play with nerds on the other side of the world that i dont no around midnight my time.
I would love to see the school ban homework because it is pointless. I exetremely agree with chris(the second person who posted on the top of this page) about all his reasons
p e a c e
i totally want to go to that school it sounds amazing and totally stress free!
This is what lacks horribly out of all school I had. I want active engagement with problems. Lectures are useless, they are a waste of everyones time because it is a repeat of the textbook. When I am solving a problem, there are times when I will be stuck, thats what a teacher should be for! Actively doing problems makes you learn, there is no substitute.
i hate homework
which makes me hate school
which makes me not want to learn
Hello everyone, I am currently in year 11 in high school in Australia, and I must say I absolutely hate homework, and see no point in having it.
Almost all the time the homework I do is pointless, meaning that I don’t learn anything from it, and even if I do, I forget it shortly afterwards.
In my spare time, I like to do things such as play around with electronics, write computer programs, play chess, play computer games and read books about physics(believe it or not).
Sometimes I seem like a geek, but I am also into sports and I’m athletic.
During the holidays my hobbies thrive, I learn all about physics, I make cool things and I actually learn heaps. However, as soon as homework starts, this all stops.
Even if I am not handed a lot of homework, the mere stress of it prevents me from enjoying my hobbies.
People need to understand that you cannot force learning in such a way. People also need to understand that kids and teenagers actualy ENJOY learning, but they enjoy learning in its purest form, not pointless excercises with a dull piece of paper and a pen.
Homework stunts my social life and you could say it’s the number 1 cause of stress in my life.
Anyway, how is it any of their business what I do at home in my OWN SPARE TIME?
Who nlikes homework? I bet no one does. its pointless. Even if u learn something u forget it !!!
i really love going to school but the only thing that i dont like is homework. and our parents dont even understand….why? because when they were young, they didnt get as much homework and that much work! all those experts say that kids are spending too much time on video games or just having fun. well they dont understand that they are from a whole different generation and they didnt have the same kind of work or the same amount of work! i hardly get any sleep! i cant even go out and have fun just because i have to do a lot of homework! i wouldnt mind if they extended the school an hour and a half and we had really little or no homework at all!
i love this rule
I totally agree with you! I wish homework would die off like the dinosaurs did!! (well not by a big meteor! lol) But seriously, homework is nothing but a time waster! What do you learn from it? NOTHING!! Absolutely nothing!! Hard to belive homework has gone up 50% in the past 27 years!!! Thats a crime right there! As a 9th grade student, I should know! BAN HOMEWORK 4-EVER!!!
What’s the point if your just going to forget what you did in your homwork assignment like, 6 years later? It’s just POINTLESS!!!
MAKE IT ALL JUST GO AWAY FOR GOOD!!!!
Okay,
HOME is a place where we can relax, not do more work for school.
SCHOOL is a place where work should be done, not at home.
Finally someone who’s on this side, homework makes kids stressful and tired, it’s a waste of time and gets kids in trouble for not havng the time to do it.
Your right about that Abbbbbbbbbbbbby(:!!!
Stressed spelt backwards is Desserts!! LOL
Let’s eat cake to relieve our stress from homework! ^_^
I am 16 years old, and currently a Junior at the Bronx High School of Science. I would absolutely LOVE school if there was no homework. I dont mind school, its not a bad place. But I really do not want to deal with an extra 4-5 hrs of work after. I wake up at 5:30am and I get home at approximately 5:30 pm. Then I spend the rest of my time doing hw. Then studying for exams, college applicaitons, studying for the SAT + ACT + SAT II subject tests. Then I go to bed, and the same cycle continues. Homework has robbed me of my life. Homework doesnt teach time management skills. The night before a large paper is due, I see everyone from that particular class up and online nearly all night trying to finish it. Homework is horrible and should not be administered =/
What’s the point in doing homework if you’re just going to get more the very next day?! Home is a place were you can RELAX. School on the other hand is were the work should be completed. When kids/teens/college graduates get home from school, that is a time in when they should unwind from the hard work they put into there school work. If SAT/ ACT/ SAT II
What’s the point in doing homework if you’re just going to get more the very next day?! Home is a place were you can RELAX. School on the other hand is were the work should be completed. When kids/teens/college graduates get home from school, that is a time in when they should unwind from the hard work they put into there school work. If SAT/ ACT/ SAT II are comming up, there should be a school schedual change so that all of the classes for that day/ week/ month should only be study hall. That would give them over 7.5 hours to study. At home there can be MANY distractions if studying for those kind of upcoming events; like loud TV, noisy siblings/ parents, etc. So I think that homework should be banned.
i think that you are right because i am a kid tht is searching why homework is bad and i know how it feels that it is soooooooooo depress!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!FINALLY SOMEONE AGREES WITH ME!!!!!!! WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
You’re Right.
Homework DOES make me hate learning!!!!!!!
Homework has gone up 50% since 1981?! YIPES!!!
Ai yi yi! X(
I wish that schools LITERALY had learning caps!
I mean,
You just put it on, press the “ON” button, and over 3.5 textbooks of a school subject in hewn into your brain permenantly!
Heck, if THOSE were real, the average school day would be like, 5 seconds!!!
And our homework: DO WHATEVER YOU WANT, WHENEVER YOU WANT!!!
I wish THAT was our homework everyday!