Homework… the bane of every child’s existence. Is it helping them learn? Or is it burning them out?

This time of year is where the “Homework debate” usually begins; School has been in for a few weeks now and the kids are starting to feel the homework load.

Depending on the teacher, the school, and the student, homework loads vary. I remember being in grade school, and some classes never had homework, whether it’s cause the kids got class time for the homework, or the teacher just didn’t assign any.

Rule of Thumb:  Children should be doing about 10 minutes of homework per night per grade level: Grade 1–> 10 minutes, Grade 2 –> 20 minutes….

Marcus’ Thoughts
Disclaimer: I’m not a teaching professional, but I have plenty in my life to have an informed opinion. 

Homework is helpful, but to an extent. It gives children the opportunity to practice and apply what they learnt in class. But, kids should have ample class time to practice the ‘homework’ with the teacher available for help, before the children take the assignments home. In my mind, homework isn’t where the learning takes place, you learn in the classroom, homework is for practice.

Just like a sport: The coach does’t teach a skill, then tells the team to go practice at home. But the kids who do practice at home, improve more and get better. But if they practice too much, they get burnt out and are too exhausted to learn the next day, or they lose time for other activities that they should be doing as well.

Filed under: Homework, Marcus Williams, School