A lot of people have strong opinions on homework. It is definitely a touchy subject. Ask a student and chances are they will have negative thoughts and feelings towards the homework load they are given each night. Ask a parent, and you might get some mixed reviews. A lot of the time when children get home from school all they want to do is kick back and relax, or go outside and get some fresh air, or even just want time to spend with their family. But in reality, they have no time to do anything but eat dinner and continue their studies for the day. Teachers these days seem to be giving huge loads of homework and it is really affecting children and their families. Some children are getting so stressed out it is affecting other aspects of their life, and some parents are stating they feel like drill sergeants instead of parents. There needs to be a balance created between how much school work teachers assign and how much free time it will allow them at home. It is important that children get exercise when they go home in the afternoon. Going to the park, shooting some hoops and running around will help them to let out all of the energy they haven't been able to use while sitting in school for six hours. Spending time with families is extremely important, and with big homework demands, children don't get to do that. I know for me, personally, my favorite thing to do was get home from school and spend time with my sister, parents, and dog. It was relaxing and a rewarding thing to do considering both my parents work and have busy schedules. Finding time for important things like these examples is important to do as children. Although schoolwork is important as well, too much can get in the way of life. Upon my research about homework I found a lot of interesting quotes in support of homework and in hatred of homework.
"Many in the education field today are looking for evidence to support the case for homework, but are coming up empty-handed. “Homework is all pain and no gain,” says author Alfie Kohn. In his book The Homework Myth, Kohn points out that no study has ever found a correlation between homework and academic achievement in elementary school, and there is little reason to believe that homework is necessary in high school. In fact, it may even diminish interest in learning, says Kohn."
http://www.education.com/magazine/article/The_Homework_Debate/
I chose to share this quote because I completely support it and agree with it. As a child, the more homework I got, the more unmotivated I was to do it. I never really got anything out of the homework because I spent more energy thinking about getting it done and rushing through it more than I cared about retaining any information that was coming from it. I believe that as a future educator I will find a good balance for my students. I want to give them a little reminder of what they are learning in school to take home, but I strongly believe that family time, exercise, and relaxation at home will help them come to school more willing to learn.
