Stop Homework

The Toronto School Board has just implemented the best homework policy I’ve seen. The policy, which will affect close to 300,000 students, focuses on quality, not quantity, suggests that homework in the early grades be limited to reading, talks at length about the value of family time, and recommends that all homework assignments be differentiated. I hope that the Toronto policy becomes a model for other school district across Canada and in the U.S. as well. You can read all about the policy in my earlier blog post here.

In the Spring, 2008 issue of Rethinking Schools, I read a wonderful article by Peter Campbell, an educator who writes a blog called transformeducation.blogspot.com. His article vividly describes how time in pre-kindergarten classes is now spent on worksheets and traditional academics at the expense of play:

My daughter came home the other day in an incredibly grumpy mood. “How was school today?” I asked. “Terrible,” she answered. “Why? What happened?” “I want to play with my friends,” she said. “Don’t you get a chance to play with your friends?” “No,” she replied.

To be honest with you, it’s not so much the addition of academics that worries me as it is the subtraction of everything else. We seem to have lost the balance here. What are we getting rid of to make more time for all this skill building? Art, music, foreign languages and – yes – recess are being cut to make more time for skills, specifically math and reading skills. Starting in pre-K.

So I met with a district administrator at the Office of Teaching and Learning. I said to her, “Ideally for me, pre-K can be about play, socialization, and fun. I think we can introduce some early literacy and numeracy in Kindergarten, but let’s wait until first grade to get into formal instruction.” She replied, “Oh, no. That would be too late.” “Too late?” I asked. “Too late for what?”

Read the entire piece, The Scripted Prescription: A cure for childhood, here.

In this blog, and in every media interview, I often lament that students don’t read for pleasure. If you’re also interested in this topic, I suggest you read The Book Whisperer, a blog in Teacher Magazine by Donalyn Miller, who writes about how to inspire and motivate student readers. Here’s an excerpt from a recent entry:

When I have denounced teaching whole-class novels in past entries, the comments I received from readers spanned a range of emotions from hearty agreement to derision. I feel emotional about this topic, too, so let’s take emotion out of the equation and face some truths:

No one piece of text can meet the needs of all readers. A typical heterogeneous classroom may have a range of readers that spans four or more grade levels. It is impossible to find a book that is at an instructional level for all of these students.
Read the rest of this entry »

The other day I received thiis letter from a middle school teacher in England:

Dear Sara

I have been a teacher for the past thirty years and I completely agree with you about homework. I often feel like a lone voice in the staff room. My brother’s two children (ages 9 and 12) have been completely turned off school - and the main reason is the ridiculous amount of mind-numbingly pointless tasks set for homework. Last week, my niece had to make a model of a seed (wait for it) out of cake! Their father said and I quote: “It is ruining our lives!” Every Sunday they have to devote to homework when they should be out on their bikes or practising the piano etc. I would even go so far as to say that it is a form of child abuse! As a teacher I cannot keep thinking of “useful” things to set my pupils day in and day out just to conform to the school “homework policy”. Then I have to mark it as well as all the other work they do in class. It also wastes a huge amount chasing pupils up, interrogating them when they come up with excuses etc. It fact it has a detrimental effect on staff pupil relationships. Let’s get rid of it altogether! Staff will be happier, pupils will be far happier and less stressed out and will come to school much fresher and eager to learn.

In San Marino, California, Tracy Mason has been organizing parents to try to change homework policy in her District. You can read about what she’s been doing here and here.

When she got the opportunity to talk to the School Board, this is what she said:

Hello.

Thank you for allowing me to address the board. My name is Tracy Mason, and I’m a San Marino resident and parent of a 6th grader at Huntington middle school.

I am here tonight, as a concerned parent and as a representative of many other parents in San Marino who are beginning to question the large amount of time and resources which are devoted to homework. We want you to respect that homework is an intrusion into our family time.

We do not feel that we need to justify other uses of after-school hours. It is the responsibility of the district and educators to justify the use of OUR time.
Read the rest of this entry »

The editor of OpenEducation.net sent me this link to Several Lessons to Be Learned From Finland. The article provides a more indepth look at why the Finnish school system is successful and provides suggestions for ways other systems could incorporate some of Finland’s educational policies.

Rae Pica, a children’s physical activity specialist for 27 years and the author of 17 books, has a wonderful online radio program called BAM! Body Mind and Children. Some of her recent interviewees have been: Carol Dweck, David Elkind, Alfie Kohn, Dr. Jane Healy, and me. You can listen here.