When I was in sixth grade in a day school in Philadelphia, I had a math teacher whom everyone feared, students and parents alike. Once, I had forgotten my homework and was trembling in my seat, waiting for Mrs. Rummel to discover my sin. I remember hearing her high heels clatter down the hall and trying to figure out how I could avoid her wrath. To my great relief, she said, “Oh, your father just called to tell me that you forgot your homework at home. You can bring it in tomorrow.” My father had saved the day! That was 40 years ago. Have things changed for today’s children? Probably not by much.
Homework! Good or bad? Necessary or a waste of time? A source of stress or a source of pride? Dreaded or anticipated? So many variables affect the homework experience that it is hard to draw conclusions that are valid in all situations. Families are structured differently, children have different capabilities, and teachers have different personalities and standards. The special conditions under which our day schools operate also influence the answers to these questions.
Homework has been an almost unquestioned principle of education for a long time, and many – both educators and parents – assert its importance in helping children learn and in teaching them responsibility. Yet some educators argue that homework is educationally ineffective, psychologically detrimental, and actually counterproductive.
One thing is clear: Homework affects the life of every school child and his family in Baltimore. What follows is a discussion of a few common homework concerns from the perspective of parents, children, and teachers.
Parents Are Different
I remember being very frustrated with my children when they were in middle school. They were not interested in studying for their tests, and usually forgot to bring home their books and study guides. At a PTA meeting, once, I was discussing the upcoming science test with the mother standing behind me. She told me how well her son did on his tests because she studied with him. I felt a bit jealous that she managed to study with her son so effectively. Interestingly, that boy eventually became my son-in-law, so now I, too, benefit from the great study habits his mother instilled in him.
This incident highlights, for me, how different families are. No one approach suits all. For instance, some parents insist that their children do homework as soon as they come home; others feel that forcing a child to continue school work as soon as he or she comes home is cruel and unusual punishment.
“When my older four children were young, we did homework together every day as soon as they came home,” says Toby, an experienced mother with married children. “They never went out to play before their homework was done, and there were never any excuses. It became a routine, and the children didn’t fight it because we always did it the same way.”
But Miriam, a mother of eight, says, “My middle school sons are worn out by the time they come home at six p.m. and can’t sit down right away. They won’t do their homework without me, so it’s a choice between doing their homework early in the evening, with all the little children running around, or waiting until the little ones are asleep. By then, they are up way past their bedtime. Neither way is ideal.”
Another question parents differ on is who should do the homework, the parents or the child? Some parents take the position that homework is strictly the child’s responsibility. “I don’t get involved with my children’s homework,” says Rena, a mother of many, “and they know that I expect them to do it. I only get involved if the teacher calls to complain that they are not doing their work. If that happens, I don’t let that child play outside after school for a week, and I monitor his homework during that time in order to emphasis the importance of homework.”
But Perel says, “I think homework is so named because parents are supposed to be involved. Even though it is a lot of work for me because I have many children I feel it is part of my job description. It is called homework because it is the responsibility of the parent to work with the child at home.”
How much is too much help? The website Imamother posted this humorous description, in which one child describes doing his homework “himself.”
I did do my homework. Honest, I really did. My mom…read the questions to me. Then I told her what I wanted to write and she spelled out every single word for me to write down. Then we did my reading homework and my mom read all the stories to me. I went to play and my mom put all my homework into my folder. She left the folder on the table for me to put into my bag. She said since it is my homework I should be responsible for the folder. I caught my mom throwing out a bag of garbage in the morning. I think my homework folder was in there. I put my snacks in my bag after my mom made them, and when I noticed my homework folder was not in my bag, I turned to ask my mom if she had taken my homework. She told me she does not do homework before she has her morning cup of coffee.
Ironically, when I showed this quote to a friend of mine, she thought it wasn’t even funny but was an accurate description of doing homework with her child. I guess it just goes to prove that what works for one family doesn’t necessarily work for another. Families interpret the word help differently!
And then there are the projects! Sometimes teachers give creative homework in order to give the children a chance to use other skills. As with most things in school, it often becomes competitive. For the children who love arts and crafts, it is exciting, but for children who do not enjoy coloring, cutting, and pasting, it is just another burden. Plus, while some parents help enthusiastically, other parents do not enjoy shopping all over town to find the cute accessories that make the projects special, or they don’t want to spend the extra money. This becomes a source of tension between mothers and children.
“I never let my child come to school with a book report cover he made himself,” says Fayge, a conscientious mother. “He is not particularly artistic, and if I did not help him with the cover, it would look awful! It would make him look bad in the eyes of his teacher, because she expects the parents to be involved; most of the other kids will be bringing in a book report covers that were created with the help of their parents.”
Rivka, a teacher of sixth-grade girls was horrified at Fayge’s perspective, “A parent should never think it’s her responsibility to help her child with a project or display. All the teacher wants to see is the kid’s work!”
Tzippora agrees with Rivka, although she had second thoughts after attending an exhibit in her second-grade son Chaim’s classroom. He came running out crying and wanted to go straight home. She didn’t understand why he was so upset until she saw the projects the other children displayed, which were really made by the parents with the help of the children. Only she had taken the instructions literally and let her child do his own work! Even though the teacher told Chaim that she was proud of what he did, he was not comforted.
One of the homework complaints mentioned most often is the stress it causes. Although the homework dilemma affects all of American society, our community’s large families, dual curricula and long school hours make homework even more problematic for our students than for the ordinary public school child.
Rabbi Matisyahu Solomon, mashgiach of Bais Medrash Gevohah in Lakewood, writes in his book With Hearts Full of Love that homework can be detrimental to the child and family:
Any more than a limited amount of homework is not necessarily a positive contribution to chinuch….Most children simply cannot complete such homework assignments without the help of a parent….Besides subjecting the children to undue pressure and tension, such homework assignments can be unwelcome intrusions into the world of the home.…How are parents with six children supposed to get anything done at home if they must spend hours and hours every evening doing homework with their children….The school is a place of pressure, and the home is where he is praised and rewarded for having made the effort in the pressured learning environment of the school.
The comment of Penina, a mother of five, bears out Rabbi Solomon’s remarks: “I hate homework,” says Penina. “My children don’t want to do it after a full day of school. Many times, the children don’t know the work well, so homework takes even longer. The evening is one long battle, getting them to sit down, to pay attention, and do the work, and finally getting them to bed!”
In large families, it is hard on the mother when the older children are not available to help because they are too busy with school work. “I can only think of one reason that my daughter has so much homework,” says Tzippora, a mother of seven, who does not live in Baltimore and whose oldest daughter is in the eighth grade. “On Thursday nights my fifth-grade son doesn’t have any homework, so he helps prepare for Shabbos, but my daughter has a full agenda. I couldn’t figure out why, and then I decided that the school wants to give her practice in juggling a bunch of responsibilities, because that is what she will have to do when she is a mother, i”H.”
Yet, contrast Penina’s and Tzippora’s attitude with that of Sora: “I’m happy that my daughter is busy after school,” says Sora. “She is the youngest child, and our house is very quiet. It is good for her to be occupied with her school work, instead of kvetching that she has nothing to do.”
Although most parents I spoke to hate homework, Sora is not the only one who pointed out its benefits. Rochel feels an obligation to doing homework with her son. “I especially asked that he be placed in a high level class,” says Rochel, “because I wanted him to work hard and learn a lot. I knew that it would be a commitment on my part to work with him every night, but since he is cooperative and motivated, we enjoy spending time together.”
There are other benefits: “If there were no homework, I would have no idea what my child is learning in school,” says Chana. “One of my children did his math homework every day in school. I had no idea that he didn’t grasp the concepts until he failed his math test. Homework helps me be on top of the situation and give extra help before my child falls behind.”
Sometimes children are interested in what they are learning about in school and enjoy working on projects. “My fifth grade son had to do a research report on William Clark, an American explorer,” says Tova. “He really was excited about it and spent a lot of time reading books about him and working on the report and on his costume. It was fun to see him so productively occupied.”
Children Are Different
It’s not all up to the parents, of course. Children have different abilities. Those who are organized and capable can handle multiple classes with multiple assignments “My ninth-grade daughter comes home at about 5:30, eats supper, and immediately starts on her homework,” says Sora. “She has about three tests a week, so she is studying for a test every night. Then she often has to answer questions, do math homework, or work on an essay. Most nights she is doing homework the whole evening. Although she doesn’t complain, I sometimes look at her and think, I don’t know how many adults come home from a full day of work and then continue working for the entire evening! Isn’t this a little excessive?”
Other children are frustrated at school and then again at home. Finding it overwhelming, some simply give up. Chaya, also a ninth-grade student, struggles with school work. “I dread homework. I usually forget to bring home the things I need, then I worry about it all evening, don’t sleep well, and can’t get up in the morning, so I am late to school the next day. It’s a vicious cycle that is difficult to change.”
When these two types of children are in the same family, it creates psychological pressures in addition to the scholastic ones. As Malka says, “One of my daughters never opens her books at home and is getting straight As, and one studies hard for every test and gets Bs. It is a really hard balancing act to encourage both my daughters to do their best and to accept their strengths and weaknesses. How do I explain to my daughter who is weaker scholastically that she is just as good as her sister and that her value is not based on her grades?”
Teachers Are Different
The reality of our community is that our schools have to squeeze a full day’s curriculum into half a day. Most of the teachers I spoke to felt that there is not enough time to do everything in school and that homework is valuable to reinforce what is accomplished in the classroom. “Even though chazara (review) of the Chumash is difficult for some of my students,” says Mrs. Shulamis Juravel, a third grade teacher, “I still think it is very important for the girls. I can tell right away if one of my students didn’t go over the pesukim (verses) the night before.”
“In first grade homework is very practical” says Mrs. Shulamit Gartenhaus, a first grade teacher in Bais Yaakov. “I only give reading homework because the children need the practice at home in order to become good readers. Parents also see the value in the practice, so they are consistent about doing it with their children. It only takes 10 minutes, but it is very important.”
Another reason for homework is that skills are enhanced by working alone at home rather than as a group in the classroom, especially in the older grades. Mr. Leach, who has taught history and English at Talmudical Academy since the 1980s, gives a lot of homework to his sixth grader honor’s class. “We only have secular studies four days a week,” says Mr. Leach, “and when the boys have gym, it is only three days a week. The class time I have is precious, and I use it to teach new skills. Then the students use their homework time to practice the skills I taught them in class. Each boy may learn in a different way, and by studying on their own they learn the best way to ‘crack the system.’ They also are taught to plan their schedules and to handle long-term assignments. Just as when a student learns piano, the teacher teaches the skills, the chords, and how to read the music, but a lot of the learning takes place when the student practices what he learned on his own.”
Mrs. Rochel Naiman, a Bais Yaakov high school English teacher and department coordinator, says, “One of the goals for the girls is to learn how to become active readers. They have to read quietly to themselves and learn how to focus and comprehend what they are reading. We ask them to answer questions as they read at home to improve their thinking skills. We also want the girls to have the experience of writing an essay and the time to think through what they want to say. We want them to learn how to write a rough draft and correct what they have written. The girls have to develop their own approach to writing. Every person has his or her own way of writing, and only through working on one’s own can this way be discovered. These goals cannot all be accomplished during the short periods of time we have in our dual curriculum schools.”
Not all teachers think that homework is necessary, however. One elementary teacher I spoke to said, vehemently, “I hate homework as much as my students, but I give it because the school insists. I could easily do the extra review during class, and it would be more effective.”
Mrs. Rivka Schor, a sixth-grade Hebrew teacher in another city told me, “I can understand that parents might enjoy doing homework with their kids if they have only one or two, but most families have several children in school and despise homework. The kids really do have a long day already! I think teachers need to be very careful about assigning homework. They could be causing so much friction in a home. Why can’t the chazara (review) be in the beginning or end of class? For example, start Chumash with a five-minute worksheet and review yesterday’s pesukim, which would have been homework the night before. Then teach the lesson and end by reviewing that day’s pesukim, instead of assigning them for homework.”
Alfie Kohn, author of The Homework Myth, agrees. He writes, in his article “The Truth about Homework,”
Even if practice is sometimes useful, we’re not entitled to conclude that homework of this type works for most students. It isn’t of any use for those who don’t understand what they’re doing. Such homework makes them feel stupid; gets them accustomed to doing things the wrong way (because what’s really “reinforced” are mistaken assumptions); and teaches them to conceal what they don’t know. At the same time, other students in the same class already have the skill down cold, so further practice for them is a waste of time. You’ve got some kids, then, who don’t need the practice and others who can’t use it….
Finally, any theoretical benefit of practice homework must be weighed against the effect it has on students’ interest in learning. If slogging through worksheets dampens one’s desire to read or think, surely that wouldn’t be worth an incremental improvement in skills. And when an activity feels like drudgery, the quality of learning tends to suffer, too.
Conclusion
How much homework is too much? Is the homework worth the stress it causes? How much can we expect from our children?
As with most things in life, it depends upon whom you ask! Yes, homework is sometimes necessary. Still, after working on this article for weeks, reading books on the subject, and asking every person I met how homework affects them, I have come to the conclusion that – especially in our community, with its large families, late dismissals, and heavy work load – homework should be assigned with great care and with a specific purpose in mind, not simply because that’s the way it’s always been done.
