Should we do away with homework?

[YES]

The students have worked hard enough all day. Most employees do not work at home after they leave work (except teachers). The only homework I recommend is reading.

Pam Steeg
Eighth-grade science teacher
Jacksonville, Florida

I try not to give homework because:

1. If the next day's lesson depends on it being done and only a third of the class brings theirs back, you are in a bind (this happened often my first year of teaching).
2. Many of my students go home to empty houses or day care.
3. I have parents write me notes saying they didn't understand the directions and could not help their child.
4. Many of the assignments I see given as homework are nothing but busy work, drill and kill activity sheets.
5. I try to provide enough time in class for my students to get their work done. If they fool around or are slow, they may have to finish at home. But I would rather they get help from me than from someone who is not sure.
6. Many students have so many after-school activities that scheduling is a major issue. When I tell parents at our open house that I try not to give homework, I almost always get applause.

June Shoemaker
Fourth-grade teacher
Twin Lakes, Wisconsin

Students should be taught to make good use of class time. If we treated school like a job site, we would want our "employees" to produce as much as possible during their time there.

D'Andra Clark
High school art teacher
Parma, Michigan

Cast Your Vote

[NO]

Should we do away with practicing skills? With more parent involvement? With promoting student responsibility? Absolutely not! My success in assigning homework is due to:

• varied homework, not always the same
• homework help for 15 minutes each morning, while the other children work independently
• family communication by phone
• homework needing little family help
• assignments that are extensions of what has already been taught--nothing new
• weekly, not daily homework, modified or reduced for those who require it
• no late penalties.

My students vary in the level of support they get at home. But if I expect less of them, I am not helping them strive to be as successful as they can be.

Karen L. Ruhs
Second-grade educator
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Homework is an opportunity for students to practice skills and learn time management. It is better than video games and television.

I appreciate when my son has homework so I can see what he is doing and his thought process. Besides, it gives us a chance to talk about so many things.

Beth Holt
Special education teacher
Cedar Rapids, Iowa

I tell parents that, just like playing a musical instrument or sports, school skills need to be practiced. Learning to read takes practice, practice, practice! When I drive by ball fields with lights on at 10 p.m. on a school day, I wonder if parents have ever thought of the time they spend there versus the time they've listened to their first grader read.

Debbie Johnson
First-grade teacher
Midwest City, Oklahoma

Cast Your Vote

[MAYBE]

I teach in a high school where a large percentage of families fall beneath the poverty line. I have students whose home life is so disrupted that homework is a forgotten luxury. There are parents who count upon these students to work to help the family or watch younger siblings. There's also alcoholism, drug abuse, teen parents--all things that prevent students from doing homework. So my students respond best to no homework. Everything is done in class. This leads to a slower class, but I am sure that the student does the work.

I have taught in other settings, though. In the average school, meaningful homework can speed up learning.

It would be great to know that most students would return to class with a completed first draft of a paper when assigned. Students who actually do homework can get so much more from their education.

Sandra Sanders
English teacher for at-risk students
Rosebud Indian Reservation, South Dakota

Cast Your Vote

Future Debate Question

Should cell phones be banned from school?
If you'd like to take part in this future Debate, send a brief note to Alain Jehlen, ajehlen@nea.org.