I’ve always felt that homework was a control issue the teachers used to exert their dominance over you.
Worse yet, if you had 6 periods you had 6 teachers assigning you homework without any knowledge of what other homework loads they put upon you.
Now, I have no problems with the teachers using research assignments to condition a child how to research things on their own without assistance but that is not all about...it’s CONTROL without regard to the many hours the poor student spends trying to do all of the homework for all of the teachers.
The problem that we have is the fact that our teachers cannot teach. If they could, they would be able to clearly explain things so that the students knew the most basic facts of relaying thought....THE 5 W’S! Who, What, When, Where and why. Another addition to this statement is the most important and that is How.
I had a very hard time through the first 9 years of school but I was lucky enough to have some really good teachers in the following grades. I became interested in school and even more interested listening those rare people who actually TAUGHT the subject they were expert in...not a football coach teaching english or the art teacher teaching geometry.
It’s even worse today for the teachers of today have an “iron hard” government approved teaching plan with no latitude to actually teach. The plan has already been laid out for them and they are responsible to indoctrinate the students (not teach) to remember by rote with no rationalization, analization, or reason to actually think with their own brains.
Homework is the result of the teacher not giving 8 hours work for 8 hours pay. They may lie that it instills discipline into the student but in most cases it instills resentment for it is not necessary if the teachers actually taught instead of making the students memorize such trivial things as the exact date, time and where something happened. In later life what would that get you at the hamburger stand?
I still have very bitter memories where I stayed awake until 4 in the morning trying to do all of the homework given to me by numerous teachers (not one knowing what the other one gave), while I was fully realizing the worthlessness of the subject matter I was assigned.
We have labor laws in this country and regardless as to who (or what) you work for, these laws apply to everyone...EVEN CHILDREN. When you are forced to work (and school is work) for more than 8 hours a day, federal and state laws kick in for compensation of overtime.
A child having to go to school for 8 hours a day and then spend 6 more hours doing school work (notice the word “work”) should be illegal.
Make the teachers teach and if they don’t or can’t, fire them and get some who will and have the natural ability to do so....not simply having a piece of paper the Wizard of Oz gave them.
Exactly. If a child was locked in a closet every moment they weren’t at school, but a teacher has them 8 hours a day. They should be able to well educate that child.
Most homework today is the teachers showing they are “doing something”.
Its also the government controlling your home life all evening.
Exactly