Are we Punishing Our Kids with Homework?

I believe that most of you will concur with me that carrying work alongside you back at home is the last thing we could imagine. Indeed, workdays can be really demanding and all we want to do in the evening is to relax and have some peace. Except if you are very determined to get a promotion, that is when you might now be worried about working additional hours in the night and weekends as well.

Ideally, kids also need to take a break from schoolwork while at home. It is quite reasonable for them to get some breathing space when they return home after spending several hours in school learning more than one concept and/or formula. Therefore, it is quite unhealthy to similarly create a mirror-like mentality of classroom monotony back at home.

Where all these started?

It is claimed that students were not exposed to engage in taking away assignments until the twentieth century. During this time, the mind was looked at as a muscle, and just as we regularly exercise to keep the rest of our body in shape, the mind needed to be stretched a bit. For this reason, it was quite a common practice to assign students homework assignments but as brain workout.

Nonetheless, these assignments were used in disciplinary cases to punish students who either got out of hand or simply didn’t do their classwork. This thought immediately became far-reaching and educators began using it in this form. It eventually reached a point where every student had to do their share of after-class assignments even if they had the best conduct in school.

Thusly, this prompted the wide developed contempt and negative demeanor that almost every student has about homework. Let alone those that might actually be enjoying them of their free will.

Primary concerns

Homework works in extraordinary ways. Research now shows a clear correlation between academic excellence and homework assignments. However, this does not seem to give any restrictions of guidelines that should be adhered to for best performance. I do not want to sound as if I’m on the opposing side. So, if these assignments are truly beneficial, so be it.

However, I hope that you can understand that it’s a bit hard for me to come to terms with the fact that students spend close to 8 hours in class every workday and we are still insisting on adding them additional classwork to be done at home. It’s my opinion that students’ home should be a place to rest from schoolwork. Would you rather turn your kid into an overworked machine with more homework?

According to my two cents, I believe that such assignments are designed to deny students their freedom and free time. It removes the fun of being at home and takes away the chance to nurture alternative life skills as well as develop their social skills. That said, it is my honest opinion that homework is more detrimental than beneficial. What’s your take?

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