Excessive Dependence on Homework in American Schools
"I didn’t feel [stressed] until I was in my 30’s. It hurts my feelings that my daughter feels that way at eleven" (Ratnesar 313). This statement describes the intense issue facing the American Education System today. More and more students are spending a lot of out of school time on enormous amounts of homework. The overabundance of homework is putting pressure on the students, along with their parents. Our nation has steadily focused on after school studying to the point of possible exhaustion. In this paper, I will attempt to explain how educators are relying on homework as the major form of education, and how the amounts are too demanding on the students.
The emphasis on homework has slowly escalated since the launch of Sputnik in the 1950’s (Ratnesar 313). "Sputnik" was a Russian satellite sent into outer space in 1957. The Russians, not Americans, were the first nation to send a satellite into orbit. This caused a nationwide frenzy. Law-makers were inclined to focus on math and science because of the threat of soviet "soviet wiz kids" (Ratnesar 313). As the 1970’s approached homework declined once again, but soon we emphasized it to its highest level of importance.
According to research done by the University of Michigan, elementary school students in 1981 spent forty-four minutes a week on homework. Sixteen years later 9-12 year olds had an increase of almost two more hours a week (Ratnesar 313). A 1983 government report, A Nation at Risk, caught the attention of the American Education System. The article explained the failings of the American school. It explained how education is declining, and teachers need to get tough on their students again. This prompted...
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...ould be a sufficient
amount, increasing 10 minutes each year, beginning in the first grade (Cooper 317).
After studying the issue of homework, and the teacher’s influence upon it, I’ve come to realize homework may be overused in today’s educational system. I feel teachers are depending too much on outside education and not enough on in-class learning. Also, I believe the United States Government needs to develop a "homework standard". Educators in general need to come together and encourage students to learn in the classroom, and spend less time out of school doing countless hours of busy work. Teachers must look at the best interests of the students and base learning on communication in the classroom.
Works Cited
Considine, Jeana "The Homework Ate My Family"
Cooper, Harris "The Homework Ate My Family"
Ratnesar, Romesh "The Homework Ate My Family"
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Nothing quite stresses out students and parents about the beginning of the school year as the return to homework, which for many households means nightly battles centered around completing after-school assignments. "Anybody who's tried to keep a 5-year-old at a table doing homework for 25 minutes
More and more children are beginning to feel pressured in school. Their teachers are assigning too much homework and they are expected to excel in their classes. Most children are involved in some sort of after school activity with their family and friends. But having large amounts of homework restricts them from having any free time. This
The stressful school year has begun and the homework immediately starts to pile up. Some people might think hours of homework every night is necessary in helping students continue to learn and progress in that specific subject. “...homework can ensure that they are learning well morning, noon and night”, understanding that some adults want students to learn every night to ensure they know the material, however in most cases the overloading of homework tends to do the opposite. The rising problem starts to surface a lot during the years of fifth grade to high school. Complaining of homework starts to be the regular topic of interest in every conversation. Understanding that this can also be seen as students being lazy and not wanting to work, but the excessive amount every night in every subject
Although homework may seem like drudgery, the hard work that is put into homework may pay off in the long run. In the article, “Does homework really work for students?” Jacqueline Carey, the mother of seventh grade student Micah Carey, stated that “homework gives [students] a good foundation for when they move on further in school” (Johnson). Not only that but according to Donyall Dickey, principle at Murray Hill Middle School, “if students do not acquire things in class, they will acquire them through homework” (Johnson). As we can see homework helps and prepares us for higher grade levels while in primary school that can possibly prepare us for college. It also helps us to remember the materials that were taught in class. Another reason homework can be beneficial is the fact that it can prepare us for tests and the dreadful pop-quiz that a teacher may randomly give us. This fact was proven, according to a 2006 study by Harris Cooper, director of Duke University’s Program in education, in the article “Homework or Not? That is the (Research) Question”. The studies instituted that “students who had homework performed better on class tests compared to those who did not” (DeNisco). Another compelling thing about homework, are the qualities a skills th...
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Students spend hours doing it, teachers spend hours checking it. Homework is sometimes a burden to teachers and students but still it is necessary. Some people doubt homework's effectiveness, but teachers and researchers agree homework is essential. Homework helps students get better grades in school.