As a former teacher, I’ve heard every excuse imaginable for why students were unable to produce the required homework assignment. From the cliché ‘the dog ate it’ to the very elaborate ‘the police raided my house last night and took my homework as evidence,’ I’ve heard it all.
In one Texas school, a classroom full of students were provided the best excuse for skipping homework for an entire school year — ‘my teacher doesn’t believe in homework.’ And, they were telling the truth.
Brandy Young is a second-grade teacher who has decided to do away with assigning students homework for the year. On the first day of school, she sent each one of her little darlings home with a note explaining to parents that homework would not be assigned.
The Great Debate
The topic of homework has been hotly debated for decades. Is it practical, useful and necessary, or is it an antiquated practice that wastes the time of parents and robs students of their childhood? Then there are questions over how much homework should be assigned and how often, to which types of students and how old should students be before they are required to complete homework. Read more.
Featured image by Personal Creations on Flickr
Hill Writing & Editing 