Needham, Massachusetts, Principal Tries to Ease Burden for High School Students
When I started this blog last summer, one of my first entries was about schools that had cut back on summer homework. There, I wrote about the principal of Needham High, Paul Richards (whom I had interviewed for The Case Against Homework), an educator who’s concerned about the amount of stress today’s students face.
Paul Richards was in the news again recently because he put an end to the tradition of publishing the honor roll in the local newspaper, a move which subjected him to ridicule on national TV. But, according to Richards, high schools stress contributes to increased incidents of suicide, eating disorders, drug abuse, and other self-destructive behaviors.
According to the Boston Globe, Richards recently outlined several new initiatves to combat stress among students, including surveying students about their anxieties; consulting the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital; and forming a stress-reduction committee of students, parents, and teachers. He also said he’d ask teachers to be more flexible in their assignment deadlines, noting that college professors often hand out a syllabus at the start of a semester that list windows of time to turn in projects and reports. And he plans to ask teachers to make sure they clearly state the objective of assignments, so that students are not left feeling they’re doing busywork.
As parent of 2 elementary age boys, and former elementary and junior high school teacher, I have seen this issue from many, many angles. This principal’s approach seems well thought out and reasonable to me. My experience and intuition cause me to believe some types of homework can be beneficial for specific purposes. IF the goal is memorization of math facts or spelling words, then 5-10 minutes several days out of the week would likely be more helpful than 15-30 minutes on a worksheet. IF the goal is responsibility (keeping track of the homework and remembering to do it), then the time spent ON the assignment should be minimal. And how long does it actually take for a child to learn this process? Are children really doomed to never being able to complete and turn in assignments on time unless they start practicing that process in 1st grade? IF the goal is really because we can’t get enough done at school or because some parents equate more homework with higher expectations and achievement, then we really need to do some educating of the adults. True professionals set policies based on the best information (ie research) available for the best interests of the children - not based on current public opinion or ill-informed parental pressure. I’m impressed that this principal was willing to make a controversial decision for the benefit of the students and then defend that decision.
March 5th, 2007 at 11:35 am
Permanent Link
As a current junior at Needham High School, I think what Mr. Richards is doing is a good… start. What I have seen in my experiences at this High School can not be explained. Bordom, Stress and Homework (3+ Hours) at this Town leads teens to a form of maniac deppresion, And with 4 suicides any many attempts it only makes it harder for the Students. The main contributer is Social and Perental pressure to be ‘the best’.
January 24th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
Permanent Link
i am from malaysia and i do believe that homework is a burden for schooling children.
April 14th, 2008 at 2:21 am
Permanent Link