Author Archives: Sara Bennett

Needham, Massachusetts High School in the Forefront of Reducing Student Stress

I’ve written about Needham, Massachusetts high school in this blog before (here and here) and I was happy to see an article in today’s New York Times, titled “A Principal Who Cracks Down on Stress.” The principal, Paul Richards, whom I interviewed for The Case Against Homework, has, among other things, asked teachers to haveContinue reading “Needham, Massachusetts High School in the Forefront of Reducing Student Stress”

Teachers Jump on the Assign-Homework-to-Parents Bandwagon

A math teacher at Hilliard Memorial Middle School in Ohio has started assigning homework to parents. Her rationale: “It’s stressing the importance of schoolwork, and it’s good for the kids to say they know something that their parents don’t.” According to an article in The Columbus Dispatch, the “assignments ask students to show their parentsContinue reading “Teachers Jump on the Assign-Homework-to-Parents Bandwagon”

Guest Blogger: Down with Homework

A few weeks ago, I had a great conversation with Christopher Garlington of the Dave & Chris show out of Chicago. Check out his very funny blog, deathbykids, about his life as a mostly stay-at-home dad. Here’s what he posted about homework before I went on his radio show. Down with Homework by Christopher “G”Continue reading “Guest Blogger: Down with Homework”

From My Mailbox: Letter from a frustrated parent

I live in Rhode Island and have a 13 year old 8th grade girl. I wanted to share with you the attached newsletter that the Superintendent of our schools just sent this evening. All about how to be an active parent in your child’s school life, i.e., homework, etc. I personally resent being told howContinue reading “From My Mailbox: Letter from a frustrated parent”

Parents Speak out Against Homework at a New Canaan, CT, Board of Education Meeting

At a meeting of the Board of Education in New Canaan, Connecticut, convened to talk about pushing forward by 15 minutes the start of the school day, parent after parent stood up and said that a reduced homework load would solve the lack-of-sleep problem, not a new starting time to the school day. According toContinue reading “Parents Speak out Against Homework at a New Canaan, CT, Board of Education Meeting”

Teachers: Don’t Assign Parents Homework

The New York Times asked me to write an op-ed about a high school teacher who was assigning homework to his students’ parents. But the op-ed was killed after the School Board publicly disavowed the teacher’s actions. Here’s what I submitted: Unpublished Op-ed Teachers: Don’t Assign Parents Homework by Sara Bennett Damion Frye, a ninth-gradeContinue reading “Teachers: Don’t Assign Parents Homework”

High School Teacher Assigns Homework to Parents

According to an article in The New York Times, an English teacher at a Montclair, New Jersey, high school assigns regular homework to the parents. Since September, the teacher has asked the parents to read and comment on a Franz Kafka story, Section 1 of Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself” and a speech given byContinue reading “High School Teacher Assigns Homework to Parents”

Guest Blogger: It’s Hard to Read When You’re Tired

Today’s guest blogger is Vera Goodman, author of Simply Too Much Homework; What Can We Do, which came out in early September. Her book is concise, straightforward, and short (88 pages), and I highly recommend it. Vera a long-time educator, teaches parents of struggling readers how to “conduct reading practice with material that is interestingContinue reading “Guest Blogger: It’s Hard to Read When You’re Tired”

Guest Blogger: An Eleventh Grader Speaks Out

You might have noticed that I am featuring more guest writers than I did last year. So whether you’re a student, teacher, mental health professional, or parent, please send me your thoughts. Because I think it’s important to see students’ work in its original form, I don’t edit it or correct grammar and spelling errors.Continue reading “Guest Blogger: An Eleventh Grader Speaks Out”