Article Highlights:
-Too much homework and too many projects can stress up the students and cause health symptoms.
-Some believe that excessive homework does not improve grades and leads to burnout.
-Parents are also a big part of the problem because they are pushing their kids to get admitted to Ivy League schools.
-Research supports the 10-minute rule which says that the maximum amount of homework in all subjects combined should not exceed 10 minutes per day, per grade level.
-In response to a growing skepticism about the benefit of homeworks, some schools have adopted homework-free weekends
-San Ramon Valley Unified School District in Danville (near Berkeley ) advocates no homework.
Source OC magazine
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What do FamilyIgloo Members say:
Diane , a FamilyIgloo member, advocates minimizing homework. She feels that the time after school is for children to explore other interests such as sports, music and hobbies. It's also important for children of all ages to have free time to relax, play and be with their family.
Sarah, on the other hand, is a firm believer in homework. The homework is necessary. She is a Kindergarten teacher and each nigh M-Th, her students do homework and read at least one book. She gives them a homework to practice what they have learned at school in order to promote responsibility and routines that each student will need for the rest of their lives.
Her homework, including reading a book takes about 15 minutes. That isn't very much time to commit to school by any means but if the parent's of her students take the time to set up a routine at night for homework, that routine will be instilled in them for the rest of their lives. That routine will help when they are in high school and have their biology and algebra work to do, go to college and are required to complete everything independently, and it will even help when they are adults and need to finish their adult homework, such as sitting down to pay bills or spending time doing homework with their own children.
Sarah works in a community where most of her students come in not knowing how to hold a pencil so she considers it priceless when she can get one of her parents to spend time with her children. If the parents begin taking the time to work with their students, things can get accomplished much faster. Homework in her classroom is not intended to be a nuisance. It is there to promote success. Her homework is not there to interfere with any extra curricular activities or to hinder self exploration. It is there to promote communication and success. Hence, the homework is not only necessary but it has become a necessity.
Dina also believes that homework is necessary. She also believes that a child should be given time in class to do some of his/her work. If on the other hand the child is overwhelmed with homework, the situation needs to be reassessed. Is your child given time to work on it in class? Does your child have a study hall period? When your child comes home and starts working on the homework, are they distracted? Do they stay on task?
In fourth grade, her son brought home a lot of homework. She found out that he was not utilizing his time in class efficiently and had a hard time staying on task when he got home. Things got better when he started to work and concentrate at school.
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