Homework. My son refuses to do his, and my daughter is a perfectionist about it. She started working on her book report before it was even officially assigned! Four weeks before it was due, she was already worried that she wouldn’t have enough time to finish it.
She definitely has my husband’s genes when it comes to school work. He started getting stomachaches in third grade, he was so anxious to please his teacher. That was about the time that I decided I didn’t need to do homework – I was good at spelling, reading and writing, and what did I need math for anyway?
I managed to muddle my way through many years of schooling with this attitude, finally capitulating in high school, when I realized that, yeah, maybe I didn’t know everything, or even enough. It wasn’t until graduate school, however, that I really gained the discipline to be a good student, to manage my time and meet deadlines on assignments.
My daughter is learning these skills at a much earlier age than I, and I think it will serve her well. She’s only in fifth grade, but already she’s willing to spend an hour or more each afternoon on her homework. Her book report is due today, and not only is it well-written, it looks beautiful too.
Given my own history with homework, I know I’m in no position to question how much work the teacher is assigning, but I have to wonder, are we expecting too much of our kids? Should my 10-year-old really be spending an hour every night on homework? At this rate, I can only imagine what the work load will be like when she gets to high school.
What are your thoughts? What’s the purpose of homework? And how much is reasonable – and useful – to expect from our kids?
Posted by Anne

October 20th, 2008 | Category: Metro Parent