Homework in Moderation is Good Essays

Not only does homework help student but also it creates interaction between teens and parents. However, statics has shown that even though homework is a way to refresh what students have learned, it also create stress for students. Homework has shown its benefits for student but most of the time when student is given a homework it’s likely he/she will not do it. They believe it’s stressful,and when they can’t get the right answer, they gave up instantly instead of keep practicing. According to researchers, they believe that when student do more homework they get better grades and do well on the test/quizzes that were given. Even though homework has many advantage toward students, it also has disadvantage. Which include having too much homework and these things could lead to mental health issue toward students.

Homework has been around for many years, and parents have had many questions and concerns about the impact it has on their children. Kate McReynolds states in her article Homework that, “In 1957, the Soviet launch of Sputnik challenged the intellectual and military might of the United States. The New York Times ran a series of articles describing the Soviet educational system as superior to the United States’ system. Congress passed the National Defense Education Act and America’s youngsters were charged with restoring the nation’s competitive edge” (2). This means that schools are under the pressure to make sure their students excel and work extremely hard. So by doing so, they assign homework, which will progress to other issues for the students.

Homework was a necessity because it was the only way the students were prepared for class the following day. By the 20th Century the PTA began to push their opinion in the battle of homework. They sought to have it irradiated as it was a distraction from the students learning process (Gill & Schlossman, 2004 pg. 175). There were pediatricians going as far to say that homework was the reason for the rise in health issues and the death toll. At this time educators, doctors, and scientists were all in agreeance that is was essential to educate the “whole child”. Thus, allowing time for distractions, play, and a life outside of school that was enriched. This would develop the child’s well-being in every aspect of life (Gill & Schlossman, 2004 pg. 176). During the Cold War, the issue of homework became a cause for concern. The Russians had achieved more than the American children. This began the achievement for excellence. As the curriculum in school changed homework was reinstated because the students needed to learn outside of school in order to prosper in academics (Gill & Schlossman, 2004

In The Battle 0ver Homework, Harris Cooper defines homework as, “tasks assigned to students by school teachers that are intended to be carried out during non-school hours” (27) Common homework assignments might include reading, writing, problems to solve, a school project, or other skills to be practiced. The purpose of homework is to assist in reinforcing what was taught in class. Sometimes the purpose is to gather extra information beyond what was taught that day. There are many teachers who don’t understand the meaning of homework and just give it as something to keep students busy. Homework should be given to students on a regular basis but only in reasonable amounts.

Homework has been an area of discussion for teachers, students, and even psychologists. It’s been a practice which has been used throughout the United States to help students learn material, reinforce their day’s lesson, or just as busy work to improve a student’s work ethic. Several people view homework as useless, or just plainly unhelpful; this view has been demonstrated ever since the early twentieth century, where many authors and politicians were vehemently against homework, going as far as to write whole books and draft legislation (legislation which had passed the Californian government and had been law) against homework. This opposition has ever since faded, but is now seeing a new movement around America, and there are reasons as to why that is. In an article from CNN, they quote a study from another article published by The American Journal of Family Therapy which states that: “students in the early elementary school years are getting significantly more homework than is recommended by education leaders, in some cases nearly three times as much homework as is recommended”, and, as such, students are raised within a state of stress from the first grade. Several other studies also find that homework is very hurtful; the Journal of Experimental Education published an article which had made a study that found that the average amount of time students spend on homework each night had been 3.1 hours from a sample of high-performing schools in California, when the recommended time on homework is, at most, one hour each night. Homework has been mandated work for students all around the country, and several others, and the workload seems to only be increasing, and so, how might this workload affect a student’s ability to live a healthy life, a teacher’s work plan, and a psychologist’s view of an enormous workload on a student?

On average, American high school teachers assign approximately 3.5 hours of homework each week, meaning that teens with multiple classes spend around 17.5 hours a week working on these assignments. In only 13 years, the percentage of teens that claim they spend an hour on homework each day has increased to 45%, from the 39% in 1994 (Bidwell). Parents and students across the country are beginning to spot the flaws in these homework methods, however, claiming that academics are merely being memorized instead of thoroughly taught. Is homework truly helping America’s students? To the majority of high schoolers, the answer is clear: homework is unnecessary for academic development.

The stance that homework is necessary and helps students engage in the content and learn time management skills is one I concede with assiduously. Homework is given to students to help them retain the information they learned in class and leads to academic achievement. Many research studies have found evidence of a positive correlation between homework and student achievement. Since students are given homework nightly, it will help them absorb the content and they can score higher on a test or quiz. Homework also helps students develop responsibility and life skills, and prepares students in time management skills. Research claims the ability to manage tasks provides essential learning, increased motivation, and academic benefits. When students engage in homework it makes them more successful and independent in the long run. Although homework may take up time after an extracurricular and can lead to less sleep; for example, a student doing a sport after school, getting home and having to do homework on top of that. Doing an extracurricular and still completing homework are inherently important, students will gain time management skills if they are doing both. If a student can learn to juggle an extracurricular with homework it will help them learn life skills. Homework will lead to the academic growth, achievement, and the success of a student.

“Homework is arguably the worst punishment inflicted upon the student body.” One would think this extreme statement would come from the 10-year boys and girls who complain to their parents about the homework they have to complete. However, Rodney Jones starts of his argument against homework using this statement. He argues that homework does not help children taking up all their time. Continuing, he explains how parents should extend child’s knowledge out of school instead of homework and in the end these assignments do not help students grade. However, in contrast of Jones’ beliefs homework indeed benefits children’s learning through the small amounts of extra practice it gives to help the students excel.

In “The Trouble with Homework” by Annie Murphy Paul for The New York Times, she says that “The quantity of students’ homework is a lot less important than its quality.”-Murphy Paul. The article reveals students in this decade have more homework ever before because most of it is busy work. It can be concluded homework done just to get credit is pointless.

There is not one student that enjoys homework. It seems as if it serves no purpose other than taking time out of your day. However, studies and experience show that it is significantly beneficial to students in certain fields. As an engineer, homework reinforces the material taught in my courses so that I can go beyond the general concepts and transition into more complicated material. Prospective college students are often intimidated by the amount of work they will face at a given college or university, but I am here to say that with time management it is possible. While homework may seem like an unnecessary grade, it is crucial for those interested in the fields of science and math.

While the primary reason for assigning homework is to aid and reinforce instruction, there is growing evidence that the practice of homework can have additional benefits including managing distraction, self-efficacy, and perceived responsibility for learning (Bembenutty, 2009). While these self-regulation tasks, such as time management, setting goals, effort and persistence in completing difficult tasks, and self-monitoring one's performance, are important to academic success, they are also vitally important life skills, especially for successful professional writers, athletes, artists, and scientists. (Ramdass and Zimmerman, 2011). Other benefits include long-term academic benefits such as better study skills, as well as nonacademic benefits such as greater self -direction and more independent problem-solving. In addition, parents tend to have a great appreciation of and involvement in

Many students in school struggle to complete piles of homework assigned to them each night. Some wonder if homework is really critical to learning, and many wish homework wouldn’t exist at all. These people argue that homework is overwhelming and it takes away most of their free time at home and is just “busy work”. While some people may feel this way, I personally believe that homework is a key point of learning because it teaches time management and helps solidify what was learned during the day.

Learning is a discovery for students rather than a chore. “Homework does not teach children responsibility, time management skills, self-discipline or more of what they should be learning during the day. What it teaches is how to put up with a job that they dislike” (McCarthy). Responsibility, time management, and self-discipline are not taught in traditional schools. These skills are expected to already be mastered by the student but there are still students in college procrastinating until the night before a deadline.

Learning is a discovery for students rather than a chore. “Homework does not teach children responsibility, time management skills, self-discipline or more of what they should be learning during the day. What it teaches is how to put up with a job that they dislike” (McCarthy). Responsibility, time management, and self-discipline are not taught in traditional schools. These skills are expected to already be mastered by the student, but there are still students in college procrastinating until the night before a deadline.

Can you agree that lately “homework” is being largely misguided? Can you agree that “homework” is being abused without producing its primary intended results? I highly urge you on behalf of all students operating through this system; change is needed. The current use of homework may be contributing to the decline in the motivation of students; therefore, interfering with their academic potential. Evidently, there has been an abundance of research which shows how homework is detrimental to a teen’s self-confidence, social skills, overall health, and most importantly their attitude towards school.