The Less-Homework Revolution

I have plenty to say about homework, and I’ll be saying it from time to time right here on this blog. But today, I’m mostly just going to say amen to this Parenting magazine article about homework, which I found on MSNBC.

Author Nancy Kalish used to be in favor of homework. “In fact,” she writes, “I once wrote an article for this very magazine telling readers how to get kids to stop whining and knuckle down to work.” That was before her daughter started struggling with homework—and hating school because of it.

“I'd always assumed homework was essential,” Kalish says. “But when I finally looked into the research about it, I was floored to find there's little to support homework—especially in vast quantities.”

Now she’s leading a revolution—the "less-homework revolution." It seems like an important cause for families with ADD, since our children are likely to be the ones who take extra time doing homework—who take extra time even just getting started doing it—and who have lots of other interests.

Maybe Kalish will inspire you to revolt.

Here's a previous post about homework. More to come, as promised, when I can process the trauma of it enough to write more.

Comments

[Mandy]

I used to dread those longer term projects that seemed to be more a test of how much time I could spend helping my children creat a work of art rather than any meaningful lesson. Thankfully, our middle school principal decided to change the homework policy a couple of years ago and now there's no homework at the weekends and an hour each night at the most during the week. That's very manageable and my son doesn't get discouraged by it.

[Melanie Mulhall]

Kathleen,

Yikes! Life without homework? I admit that I have a bit of difficulty wrapping my head around that. But, then, I also scratch my head at the seeming lack of solid academic training I see in young people. I will be interested in following your take on this.

Melanie

[Kathleen]

Melanie, thanks for your post. I'm looking at this right now as the mother of a fourth-grader, and the research seems to suggest that homework is not that helpful academically for elementary school children. If I remember correctly, it's uncertain how helpful it is for middle school students, and it can be helpful in moderate amounts for high school students.

These days, it's the norm to get regular homework starting in kindergarten and to get a huge amount by high school. When I was a child, we didn't have homework at all until fourth or fifth grade, and then very little. It wasn't until sixth grade that we had homework regularly. I though we had way too much in high school, but it was nothing comparared with what kids get now. Still, I was prepared enough academically to get a degree from Stanford and two master's degrees.

Think of all the skills we need to succeed in life--everything from social and emotional skills to health-maitenance and housekeeping skills. The more homework, as I see it, the less time to develop the whole person.

[Priscilla]

Kathleen, I don't have kids, but I remember lots of homework throughout my school years. I tended to be a studious kid (and went on to get an advanced degree), but I'm siding with those who say homework is not all that helpful. I'd have been a happier kid--and I think better prepared for adulthood--if I'd been outside exploring nature with friends. It seems a travesty to me that most of our education takes place sealed away from the natural world--as if one could become educated without understanding how the world really works. I suspect the foundation of our environmental crisis lies here.

[Megan]

I met you at the Yellow Pine reading earlier this year, and I've finally made it to your blog!
The article you link to is an interesting take on homework-- one I'm definitely sending to my mom, a fourth-grade teacher. Your blog really makes me appreciate the parenting my mom did for me as a kid who hated getting up, getting ready for school and doing my homework.