More homework please...said no kid ever!

More homework please...said no kid ever!
Helen Wilt
June 20, 2016
Twitter@HelenWilt


Ok teachers and parents, do you really love homework?  Parents, do you enjoy fighting with your kid about doing her homework every evening?  Teachers, do you enjoy asking your students to get their homework out?  If you said yes, you're a liar.  Ok, that's a little rough.  As teachers we dread the moment we say, "Please get out your homework."  This is when several students start rummaging through their desks and backpacks.  Some students start whispering to each other, "There was homework?" One student will say, "I think I was at the bathroom when you assigned that."  And of course, my favorite: That confused look like I just asked them to take out their intestines and lay them on their desk.

I've been teaching for 25 years and believe me, I've tried everything to get my students to do their homework from promising candy to threatening them with no recess for the entire year.  The usual suspects get to spend their recess sitting out according to the rules of schools I've worked in.  That works zero percent of the time.  The students I've "put on the wall" over the years because they didn't do their homework will again visit that wall over the school year.  This is the kid that needs to run around and get his energy out.  I was just punishing myself when that same student came back to class so eager to learn.  Not!

After reading Ron Clark's book The Essential 55, I tried his homework challenge.  I excitedly told my classes about this new homework challenge.  I would give them a point every time 100 percent of them did their homework.  After earning 10 points, I would bring in homemade cookies and brownies for them!  "Woo hoo!" they yelped with excitement.  I started thinking about how much this was gonna cost me.  Oh I forgot to tell you, if one kid, just one, forgot his homework, all points were erased and they had to start over.  Hey, Ron Clark's idea, not mine.  I encouraged them to exchange each others' phone numbers to remind their friends to do the homework assigned that night.  Numbers were exchanged and kids started pointing at other kids, "You better do your homework tonight."  Good peer pressure.  I smiled.

We started out strong.  I had 3 math classes at the time.  I always let them begin their homework in class to give them that extra edge.  Some would finish it before we even left for the day.  The homework was 7-10 problems by the way, not 20, not 50, not a packet of work. 7 problems.  I was sure this was going to work.  I started planning the party.  How many boxes of brownie mix would I need for 3 classes of 22 students? Hmm. Could I afford this?  What have I done?

Well, no need to worry.  Every time a class got close, someone blew it.  The kids would get mad at him or her and I started to fear for certain kids' lives at recess.  I mean, let's face it.  The kids who need to practice by doing homework were my kids that had only one parent at home.  These were the kids who were in charge of little brothers and sisters when they got home.  They made Hot Pockets in the microwave for dinner.  They were watching episode after episode of Phineas & Ferb, Spongebob Squarepants or God forbid, Jerry Springer.  There was no one at home to remind them to do those 7-10 problems I had assigned.  They weren't thinking of brownies down the road.  They had other worries.  Did mom remember to buy Hot Pockets this week or will we have to skip dinner again?

My students who did have their homework finished didn't need to do it.  They had this stuff mastered. Yes, one or two wanted more homework.  I gladly gave them more. Hey, knock yourself out. But I don't need YOU to do the homework!  I need this other kid to do it!  And there were some of them who had mom's handwriting on it, but hey, it was finished, right?

So we have 3 groups of kids:

1. The doers group
2. The non-doers group
3. The my-mom-does-my-homework-for-me-because-she-loves-me-group

If you read Alfie Kohn's book The Homework Myth you'll throw homework right out the window.  He cites research that's been done with elementary-aged children.  This research showed that when given homework, students showed no increase in academic achievement and sometimes actually showed a drop in achievement! (Kohn, 2006)  

So I tried it.  No more homework I said. Kids gave me that look.  Is Mrs. Wilt serious?  Is she crazy?  Was this an April Fools joke?  Nope I reassured them.  We are gonna work hard in here every day and you'll go home and spend time with your family and friends.  Go outside and play I told them.  Most parents loved it.  "Thank you so much.  We spend 2-3 hours doing homework a night between math, science and reading."  What?!  My colleagues were giving homework too and we didn't even think about the time it would take them.  How many of us are guilty of this?  My colleagues kept giving homework and fighting and arguing with kids about it.  Not me.  I went outside with my kids and watched them run around, play football and soccer.  I didn't stress anymore about homework.  I didn't have to come up with bribes or contests or turn to threats.  We did our work at school and went home to relax, read and play.

Teachers, I challenge you to try to throw homework out the window this year.  You'll have pushback from some parents.  Give them a website to practice their skills.  Assign a challenging project for those kids. Try a menu board where kids choose what homework they want.  But don't kill them with packets and worksheets and busy work.  I promise you.  You'll thank me in May when you haven't spent money on candy, cookies and Excedrin. 

Kohn, Alfie, The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of A Bad Thing, Da Capo Press, 2006

Clark, Ron, The Essential 55: An Award-Winning Educator's Rules For Discovering the Successful Student in Every Child, Hachette Books, 2004