Laura K Spencer, Ed.D.

Tag: homework

  • Can We Just Stop With The Homework Already?

    “There’s never a break. Never.”

    It “takes me away from everything I used to do,” says one.

    (High School student comments on a Stanford study about homework)

    I look forward to the day when the homework debate is no longer a debate. Ask any high school student or parent about homework and I’m sure you’ll hear comments about:

    • Increased stress
    • Lack of sleep
    • Fear of falling behind
    • Not meaningful
    • Too hard/easy
    • Less time for fun
    • “Busy” work
    • Piled on by all the teachers
    • No breaks, even on weekends, holidays, vacations

    My high school daughter was recently sick with that gnarly virus going around. For a week, it hurt for her to lift her head. She didn’t want to eat or drink anything. She was feverish. Finally, after a trip to Urgent Care and some intravenous fluids, she started to rebound. But then reality set in – a week of assignments to make up. Plus all the homework that would come from the normal week of being back to school. And the anxiety meltdown began.

    A big one!

    This is not okay.

    On a 2015 study by the Princeton Review, over 50% of high school students reported feeling stressed. 25% said homework was their biggest source of stress, and on average students spend one-third of their study time feeling stressed or anxious. What a horrible way to spend their time!

    What if we asked ourselves how much time we want to be mandated to do someone else’s work every night? (Not work we choose to do, like grade papers or write a blog post…work someone else decides we MUST do.) And then that is the amount of work we assign to students.

    Seriously, we all need and deserve balance. Time to unwind. Time to explore our passions. Time to enjoy our families.  Time to just be.

    But if you must assign homework, consider this Spring Break homework approach from my teacher friend Toni Stout:

    Homework Message

    For more posts on this subject:

    Holidays Are For Families, Not Homework

    Finals = Lots of Homework = Stress = Sickness = Death, therefore Finals are Death

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  • Holidays Are For Families, Not Homework

    Today’s memory on my Facebook feed was an article I shared a few years ago. Since winter break is coming up, it’s a good time to share it again.

    The Tyranny of Homework: 20 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Assign Homework Over The Holidays

    No time to read a long article? Here’s the Cliffs Notes version:

    Stop assigning homework over vacations, and let students enjoy time with family and friends. And while they are enjoying time with family and friends, you do the same.

    The packets, the grading, the reading logs – those aren’t building lifelong memories, but baking cookies together, or going for a bike ride with friends, does.

    moreyouknow

  • #NoHW

    #NoHW

    I was lucky to catch the #SSDChat tonight, which was all about homework. 

    I will admit – I don’t find much use for homework at all. I find it only serves to reinforce the good, and further alienate the struggling. 

    I bring this up here because I am worried that the push for digital learning is sending the (wrong) message that access to a device means teachers can expect students to complete more work outside the classroom. We’ve all heard it – “24/7 access to content,” “classroom without walls,” and “anytime, anywhere learning.” What we need to remember is that access to a digital device does not inherently make the learning more relevant or accesible any more than access to a mechanical pencil might. Students have a life outside the school. For some, it’s soccer, plays, music lessons, Boy Scouts, etc. For others, it’s domestic violence, poverty, working parents not at home, or unsafe environments.
    Equity is not just about access to a device. It’s about access to opportunity; access to support; and access to meaningful and relevant learning. Without these, a device is just a device and homework is just another way to expand the gap between those who can and those who need support so they can as well.
    Some powerful tweets from tonight’s #SSDChat: