Her head hangs low and her honey-colored hair dangles in her face. She drags her roller backpack drags against the pavement and as she approaches me, her thumpity-thump is her hello.
“How was your day?” She rolls her eyes at me. “How annoying,” she says, “you know I’m not done yet.” She points her head toward her bulging roller backpack. “How much do you have?” “At least two hours, maybe more,” she says, “plus I have a science test to study for.”
My daughter has way too much homework to get it all done without my help. Though she’s one of the top students in her class and works quickly, it usually takes her at least two hours a day. This is seventh grade. Do you remember getting hours of homework in middle school, besides an occasional math test irregular spelling quizzes? My daughter’s homework is a four-page typewritten book report with an extensive outline due next week. Summaries of each chapter by the end of the month? Math problems to solve, at least 36-50 exercises a night, and she must show answers and the detailed operations. How much of this homework is busy work? How much of this work should be done in class where teachers explain the directions and correct misunderstandings?
Schools have changed. Today, they worry about “standards” and losing funding if students get low test scores. Since grades and tests have become all important, my daughter receives a “progress” report every two weeks. This progress report resembles an Excel spreadsheet with every paper that has gone in and out of the classroom assigned a numerical grade. Plus, the teacher has calculated a grade average for each subject. How long did that number crunching take?
Priorities have shifted from real teaching to giving “quantifiable” homework and tests. This is happening despite the overwhelming research (Penn State, University of Missouri, and Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory) that shows no link between achievement and the amount of homework given in school.
If teachers lost all the answer keys to their textbooks, just think about how much homework would be assigned then. Very little. The teacher would then have to actually do the exercises, know the material to arrive at the correct answers on their own, and truly correct papers themselves.
The homework load has greatly increased while schools have been ignoring the fact that most parents work. We parents are forced to help our kids get done with their homework in time for them to shower and get to bed at a decent hour. Yet, instead of talking about what’s happening to our schools, we hide the fact that we are spending our precious evening hours helping our children with their homework instead of reconnecting with them.
Parents, it’s time to speak up. We should band together and protest the amount of homework and demand that more schoolwork be done inside the classroom before coming home. What if we ask teachers to put down their correcting pencils long enough to listen to what parents have to say?