Shimon quickly shoveled a forkful of rice into his mouth, while attempting to scribble the right math equations into his workbook. “(2 x 34 -11)2” he said between mouthfuls. “Mommy, I got some rice on my paper, but I have to finish this before it is time to go in the shower,” Shimon choked out.
“Just relax, Shimon. Take your time. And, I really wish you wouldn’t do homework at the table,” his mother said.
His mother watched him trying to finish his math homework so that he could move onto his Mishnayos memorization, Navi questions, and then to his English reading. She knew it was going to be a long night for Shimon – and for her as well. She hated that he was doing homework at the table, but she didn’t really know what else to do. It just felt like there wasn’t enough time in the day to finish. This wouldn’t be the first time that she would end up reading aloud to him before he went to bed because he was just too exhausted to do it himself.
What’s the point of homework?
Recently, a lot of parents have been asking me: what’s the point of homework? Why do we need it? And why do we have so much of it? Well, there are some really good reasons for homework:
Practice: Homework gives kids an opportunity to master skills that they learned in the classroom. They can learn how to solve problems more quickly and efficiently.
Preparation: In some cases, teachers might assign new material or reading for homework. This can help students prepare for the next day’s lesson. In education this connects to the idea of “Velcro.” When a student is aware of a concept before and then learns it more in-depth, he has the mental Velcro to attach it to in his brain. This helps him remember it better in the future.
Diligence: While perhaps the most hotly contested “benefit” of homework, diligence still makes the list. Homework teaches children to sit and manage their time in order to complete tasks within an allotted timeframe.
Parent-child interactions: Because homework is done at home and parents are often somewhat involved in the process, it allows parents to communicate how important the learning process is. Through this interaction, children can recognize that learning is not only a value in school, but at home as well.
How much homework should your child have?
There are many benefits to homework. That said, often problems arise when there is too much homework or very difficult work is assigned.
The National PTA and the National Education Association suggest that children get 10 minutes of homework per grade level. That means that first graders should have about ten minutes a night, second graders 20 minutes, third graders 30, and so on.
Parents of children who receive more than this amount of homework, like Shimon’s parents, are increasingly finding themselves stepping in to help out. In fact, one Brooklyn parent, Nancy Kalish, became so alarmed by the amount of homework her daughter was being assigned that she wrote a book entitled, The Case Against Homework: How Homework Is Hurting Our Children and What We Can Do About It. The book includes research and interviews with parents, educators and students surrounding the idea of homework. In the book, she argues that too much homework does not allow kids to be kids.
Do and Don’ts of Homework
While perhaps Kalish’s book is a bit extreme and in some senses impractical, here are some tips for how to help your child through his nightly homework: