The Life of a Kid
Go to school all the day
Do your homework before you play
Be sure to be in bed by eight
Up at dawn, do not be late
Tonight inside my bed I lay
A very selfish prayer I pray
I beg and plead with Mr. Sun
Shine longer tomorrow—
I need to have fun.

Avoid Homework Overload. Parents complain about homework, children complain about homework, and teachers complain about how their students do not turn in homework. No one seems to be too crazy about the idea of homework, yet some teachers keep piling it on. Imagine if a student has six teachers and each assigns homework activities that require twenty minutes of work. That’s two hours, IF the student understands the concepts and does not struggle. Where does he find time to be a child? Also, many students are involved in after-school activities. Is it any wonder that parents get upset and many students do not turn in their homework assignments?

As the saying goes, “Everything in moderation.” Students spend between seven and eight hours a day at school. Does it make sense to send them home with hours of work? If I work hard every day with my students, then homework should not be a nightly event. Much controversy has arisen involving homework questions. Do students need homework? Does it improve achievement? Does it foster responsibility? Should it affect student grades? To date, the jury is still out on the homework issue.

I am not opposed to homework, but my suggestions to you are as follows:

1. Assign it only in moderation.
2. Make any homework assignments interesting and doable.
3. Remember that the old trick of doubling the homework if they don’t do it has never worked.
4. Remember that many students do not have the luxury of parental help with homework.
5. Remember that we teach children, and children need to be children. For that matter, let’s hope there’s a little bit of a child left in all of us. If we could remember that, we’d all be happier and less stressed!