Why homework should be banned

Imagine a world where your children were given no homework…

When I read Jo Abi’s article about how she got into trouble for not ensuring her son’s homework was completed at the start of the school year, I saw red. I am in the exact same situation.

I have two school-aged children, both boys, and each night we spend 1-2 hours completing homework tasks. Three nights a week they have activities on top of that – swimming, karate and art class. That means we only have just enough time to eat dinner and fall into bed on those nights. It’s just not fair.

A study by the Australian Institute of Family Studies has concluded that homework offers no real benefit to children until they are in their senior years of high school. Also research by Sydney University’s Education Faculty turned up similar results. “The amount of homework is a really critical issue for kids,” Associate Professor Richard Walker told The Daily Telegraph. “If they are overloaded they are not going to be happy and not going to enjoy it. There are other things kids want to do that are very valuable things for them to be doing.”

“I don’t think anyone except senior high school students should be doing a couple of hours of homework.”

My children are at school all day. Why should I be giving up my time to teach them school work at home? If the school curriculum is so full that homework is essential, then the school curriculum needs to be reviewed, and reduced.

And is it just me or is homework really complicated these days? My son who is in Year 6 is given such complex tasks that there is no way he could possibly complete them on his own. It is as though my husband and I are getting homework too. Our involvement in essential and I feel resentful about that.

Why can't homework be restricted to students reviewing the work they have completed at school that day and perhaps one or two special projects per year. Then there is study time ahead of exams. That way most days we'd get our family time together as well as be able to help them learn. Just not every single day.

I was disheartened to hear from my son's teacher that some parents are requesting even more homework so their kids can achieve, achieve, achieve. I find this depressing. My son is 11. When does he get time to just relax, think, ponder, imagine...

I am dreading when my son starts high school next year. Just dreading it. I work full time. If my employer asked me to complete another two hours of work at home each night I'd tell them to get lost. So why do we expect our kids to do extra work after already completing an entire day of learning?

Do you think homework should be banned? What changes would you like to see made to the homework assignments given to your kids?