Less homework in school?

Tommy Boy

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I came across this article today:
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/28624181/?GT1=43001

Since there are a lot of members on CF that are still in high school, I'm interested to hear what you guys think of this. Should there be less homework in school? Do you think kids are overworked? Do you feel overworked in school?

My feeling is that kids aren't paying attention in class that much since they are busy with their ipods and cell phones texting their friends during class and whatnot. Homework is an essential part of learning, you can't just sit there and listen to some teacher talk, not all students are going to pick it up just by listening. They have to do the work, "learn by doing". Example, my high school math class, the teacher told me that if I did all the homework assignments then I would do good on the tests. I ended up doing every single homework assignment, and got great scores on the tests and ended up with the highest grade in the class. Don't tell me that homework doesn't make a difference. School is hard, students need to learn that they have to work hard to achieve something like graduating from high school. My teachers in high school had no pity on students who whined about too much homework, of course, that was over 10 years ago.

Less homework, no......more homework, yes.
 
IMO high schools are turning into a social gathering and not a learning establishment... Schools are teaching the stuff to get the kids to pass these tests they need to take in order to graduate. The teachers bonus' are based on the percentage of passing grades for the tests. The teachers have less and less interest on what the kids actually learn since they don't make enough money to really care. The kids that do want to learn and achieve stuff have the ability to but the kids that don't care aren't being held responsible. They are just pushing kids through the motions so that they graduate but aren't holding them accountable for learning anymore.

I think that the kids need more homework because a lot of these kids come out of high school (if they even graduate) with a poor education and are sent to these colleges in which they flunk out of and lose their parents money because they weren't held responsible in high school for the work and in college for the most part it is unacceptable.

Like you said my teachers didn't let us off with whining about homework either,(I graduated 10 years ago too) but the thing is they allow kids to totally flunk a class and then get the same credit for the class by completing a couple of weeks in summer school. It just seems that the kids these days are being pushed aside for less important things such as money issues and the levels of stress that come with making a child succeed in life. Parents are less involved in their childrens lives and activities for the most part now since both parents are working just to make ends meet.

It also doesn't help when KIDS are having kids at the ages of 14-18 now...They are more worried about having a good time and partying then properly taking care of a kid and setting up good foundations for later learning in life...
 
I say yes and no to it. There are some kids who really deserve less. Those are the ones who put in the effort to use class time right, try to get good grades, have a job, and are working to get into college. those that slack, and just don't care, they can keep the load they have, or get more.
 
If they change anything in school it should be banning ipods and cell phones and other electronics that cause distractions for students. But like I said, I'm coming from school a long time ago when hardly anyone had a cell phone and the big thing was portable cd players, and only a few had those anyway....lol
 
I think it should be removed. We have 7 hours of school. Normal people work 8 hours. Why in the world does it make sense to have 11 hours (4 homework hours) of school work a day when in the real world you only have 8 of work a day?

I think that if you don't pay attention in class, and don't do the work, then you lack of an education is YOUR fault, and you should suffer those consequences, and not be given any welfare, disability, or unemployment. Its your fault that you didn't get that education.

Because right now, I could drop out of high school, and take in money on welfare. I'd be taking it out of the pockets of people who persevered through high school and got a job, and I got it doing nothing. School needs to be a place where you either learn or you don't, and students need to make that choice themselves.

Also, I'd like to add that if there were 7 hours of school, 1 hour of homework, and then 16 hours a day to do whatever, school may be less of a social gathering, and more of a learning place because then students will actually have time to do stuff out of school.
 
^^

I work Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and have college on Thursday. I am working a 45 hour week, plus 9 hours of college on Thursdays, and still have assignments and exams to do for college, school is the easiest time of your life, no responsibilities, there is no reason why 4 hours homework is such a bad idea.. totally for it imo, might actually start preparing kids for getting a job if they do it like that.
 
^^

I work Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and have college on Thursday. I am working a 45 hour week, plus 9 hours of college on Thursdays, and still have assignments and exams to do for college, school is the easiest time of your life, no responsibilities, there is no reason why 4 hours homework is such a bad idea.. totally for it imo, might actually start preparing kids for getting a job if they do it like that.

true, there are people that do work more than a standard 40 hour week, but how many are there? I bet there is a lot more 40 hour a weekers than people who work substantially more than that.
 
I didnt get much HW when I was in High School, so i wouldnt say its too much.
Its usually the overachievers that gets too much HW.
But for those that do what gets past and be a success in life, its a decent amount.
While with underachievers, they dont have any HW most of the time, and when they do, it only takes them minutes to do.
 
I don't really have time to read all these posts so forgive me if my opinion has already been stated.

Homework is something that should be optional. They are very effective in helping people learn their materials. If you come out and say that you can understand math by just watching class just as well as watching class and doing homework I call you a liar. Not trying to brag or anything, but I understand all the calculus done in my class by simply watching it. If I concentrate hard on tests I can get good grades. However, when I do my homework, not only do things come easier for me, but in most times I get higher grades. And this is coming from someone who ENJOYS doing mathematics and is pretty good at it. Besides that, homework is a really good "buffer" to your grade. If you only have test grades you have to do well in your tests because otherwise you'll fail the class. When you have homework grades you have a little more room to work with. The opposite can also be true. Last semester I headed into my calculus final with an 88. Because I skipped pre-calc I did bad on the first 2 weeks of class (a couple homework assignments and a quiz) that was all review from the pre-calc class. Throughout the year my homework grades, quizzes, and tests brought me back up to an 88 (starting from a 67). When I took the final, it raised me enough to get an 90 in the class. Ultimately, while homework assigments killed me in the beginning, they partially helped me up. With all this mind, I believe that if you're in a good standing student and you can do a couple exercises on your own to solidify the material in your head, then homework may hurt you. On the other hand, homework can raise your grade and help you understand. Having both sides stated, I conclude that homework is something that is optional and that would eventually be done by most students because of necessity.
 
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