If your memory is not typical of these days’ short standard model, or if it still defies time in

other words, dig deep in the beautiful reminiscence of your childhood. You certainly can recall
an unforgettable part of your schooling, homework. In my modest experience as an elementary
school teacher, students have divergent opinions about this theme. Some adore showing their
hands proudly at the tasks they are assigned; they even remind you of the daily routine, writing
homework in calendars, and their parents complain if you happen to skip it. In contrast, I
remember how my colleague’s students always prayed that God would help their teacher’s
favourite hockey team win. That’s because their teacher, out of happiness, would exempt them
from homework, at least for one day. Only God knows how some poor little kids cope with the
shadow of assignments constantly chasing them, even in their dreams sometimes. To a certain
extent, students’ attitude toward homework can be understandable; they might be frustrated and
not appropriately helped (either by teachers or by parents) to carry out their tasks. However, the
attitude that is shockingly irrational is the one of some adults, highly educated adults indeed,
who argue for a pure and simple homework ban. Their goal, as they ironically think, is to spare
children the ‘trouble’ of making any mental effort outside school walls. Truly, some adults think
more childishly than children themselves do these days (Postman, 1994).
Fortunately, the vast majority of educationists sees homework as an essential exercise that
enables students to reinforce the knowledge they gain in class, to convert it into useful
competence (the know-how), and to learn how to deal with difficulties and to use time wisely.
Therefore, we should opt for reforming the methodology of homework, not for suppressing it. In
this essay, I intend to expose three different opinions about this sensitive subject. The first article
by Johanna Sorrentino nearly denies the utility of homework, while the second by Brian Haley
affirms the opposite. Susan Kruger, in the third article, gives parents some amazingly insightful
tips to make home assignment more enjoyable to kids.

In The Homework Debate, Sorrentino thinks that homework is not beneficial to students. She
cites The Homework Myth by Alife Kohn to support her claim. She adds that families and
students find homework an imposed burden, and one private school, Kino School, doesn’t even
give any work to do at home at all. However, many educators affirm that through homework
students learn, in addition to academic skills, good behaviours and good usage of their time.
Cera from the Kino School claims that children prefer rather to take home the tasks they achieve
in class, not assignments. For her, enabling children to handle their own schooling enhances
their self esteem, so they participate in their learning actively later in high school. The author
reports, according to Kohn, that homework only trains children to score high grades in
standardized tests, and there is no study that confirms the benefits of home assignments. Kohn
thinks that homework, when necessary, should primarily be aimed at enhancing children’s
thinking ability. As a norm, the National Parent Teacher Association recommends a maximum
of 20 minutes of homework for up to second grade and 60 minutes for up to grade six. In sum,
parents should question the effectiveness of the assignments their children bring home and
report any concern to schools.

In his essay ‘what is the value of homework’, Brian Haley affirms that home assignments enable
students to make the concepts they learn in class into practice, to prepare for following classes,
and to learn useful social skills. He supports his claim, using the ‘Homework As a Learning
Experience. What Research Says to the Teacher’ by Doyle, M. and B. Barber (1990). Practice,
he maintains, is an effective way to acquire knowledge. It also informs parents about their kids’
progress and makes them involved in children’s learning. According to Haley, as studies
showed, teachers and parents agree that properly planned assignments help students develop
meaningful competencies. Kids, in addition, learn self-control, and they learn how to handle the
load of their lessons and use time effectively. As to the amount of homework, it should be
increased for better grades in states’ tests (Easton, J. and A. Bennett) as kids progress through
school years. The national Education Association recommends 20 minutes of homework or less
a day up to grade three and 40 minutes or less up to grade six.

Sometimes, children may wrongly perceive homework as a burden. In this case, teachers should
try to persuade them of the importance of practising at home in the same way doctors persuade
patients to take medication to heal illnesses. In fact, the author urges teachers to seriously review
the way they prepare and assign homework to avoid boring students. Assignments should be
geared to children’s capacity and should be commented positively by teachers. Some schools in
California even propose not to give homework unless it is properly thought out and designed.
Though some claim that homework doesn’t help students develop a sense of autonomy, no
reliable study has proven this assumption. From another side, the value the family reserves to
homework boosts children’s involvement in their tasks. Haley reports:

“Among student aged 10 to 13, for example, 72 percent say they would like to talk to
their parents more about their homework. Forty percent of parents across the country
believe that they are not devoting enough time to their children's education. And
teachers say that increasing parental involvement in education should be the number
one priority for public education in the next few years”. One parent even said "I never
realized how much it would mean to her to hear me read."

To sum up, in addition to school success, homework helps children learn good habits and
manners.
In the Why Does Homework Cause so Much Grief, Susan Kruger explores some ways to make
homework a pleasant activity, not an unbearable task. For her, children should do their tasks by
choice, not by force. Homework is also a training for real-world tasks that adults have to carry
out once they live on their own (pay bills, manage a budget, organize life, etc.). In general,
children learn many of their behaviours from their parents by ‘imitating’ them. In the same way
parents try to impose their rules, kids try to establish theirs and be independent of their parents.
Children are aware of the value parents place on homework. They sometimes may use it to
negotiate and ‘elicit’ favours they can’t get in any other way. In addition, at least in children’s
perception, parents always want to keep some authority on them, especially regarding
homework. So, children in return, will adamantly try to escape that authority and affirm their
self-government; they may refuse to read or write, using different pretexts: “I’m sick, I don’t
like it”.
As children are thirsty for some ‘control’, the author proposes that parents may include them in
the decision making process, as to some home related tasks or outside activities. They may ask
them, for example, whether they prefer to go to the park or the arena, what they want to eat, etc.
Thereafter, they should execute children’s preferences, as long as they are harmless. In this way,
children will feel that their opinions count, which satisfies their natural desire for sovereignty.
Likewise, parents should ask children, for example, what the appropriate time to do each
assignment is, or what kind of stories they want to summarize. This way of dealing with children
raises their self-esteem and stimulates their curiosity to learn more. More over, as they feel they
are valued, kids will appreciate their parents and make more effort to accomplish their tasks.
Homework will then be a pleasant moment for kids and parents. To end, the author claims that
other factors may cause homework to be a headache for children. They may not know how to
deal with the load of their tasks, to manage their time, or to apprehend difficult concepts.

These three articles have more similarities than differences in the way they view homework.
Sorrentino rejects that home assignments play a role in the students’ learning process; she even
believes that children may gain more self-confidence if they are freed from homework.
Nevertheless, she does admit that homework may be necessary and should be effectively
designed to achieve meaningful purposes. In fact, all educators agree on one point: homework,
and school activities in general, should not be annoying and should be aimed at teaching
students useful skills. In contrast, the two other articles don’t recommend dropping homework at
all. On the contrary, they insist on the value of home assignments in preparing students for new
lessons, in making into practice theoretical knowledge, and in extending learning activities
outside school walls. The two last articles also agree that homework tremendously helps
children improve their self-control and their sense of responsibility. So, the three articles have
two shared similarities, at least. First, homework may be necessary and should be wisely thought
out and planned. Second, parents should take part in homework, either by checking and valuing
children’s work or by questioning the quality of homework and discussing it with teachers. The
third article by Kruger even explains why homework may sound heavy to kids and families and
shows parents how to make children adore their exercises.

Reading the article by Sorrentino reminds me of a general tendency that Neil Postman (1994)
extensively explains in The Disappearance of Childhood: childhood, as a social art to treat
children, is declining. That’s because children are being excused from some tasks and hurried
into adulthood without the right equipment: appropriate judgmental capacities. Through
homework, kids develop self-restraint, which is, along with controlling impulses and delaying
gratifications, an essential skill that helps kids advance in their learning and build their mental
abilities and social skills (Postman, 1994).

In conclusion, the three articles represent three opinions that are complementary rather than
different. Homework does play an essential role in the students’ learning process, and it should
be prepared and assigned by teachers carefully. In addition, parents have a duty to help children
through homework, to value their achievements, and to discuss with schools to make homework
a successful and adored practice.
 References

Doyle, M. & Barber B. (1990). Homework As a Learning Experience. What research says to the
teacher (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: National Education Association.

American Educational Research Association. (1990). Achievement effects of homework in sixth

grade classrooms. Washington, DC: Easton, J. & Bennett, A.

Haley, B. (2006, August 7). What is the value of homework?. Retrieved from
http://www.edarticle.com/homework/what-is-the-value-of-homework.html

Kohn, A. (2006), The homework myth. Cambrdige, MA: Da Capo Press.

Kruger, S. (2006, Septembre 9). Why does homework cause so much grief?. Retrieved from
http://www.edarticle.com/homework/why-does-homework-cause-so-much-grief.html

Postman, N. (1994). The disappearance of childhood (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Vintage Books.

Sorrentino, J. (n.d.). The homework debate. Retrieved from

http://www.education.com/magazine/article/The_Homework_Debate/?page=1