Most of us never liked that one person that reminded the teacher about the homework. It is honestly that one word that most students dread hearing. The last thing anyone would want to do, after hours upon hours of sitting in class, is more schoolwork, especially over the precious weekends.
While homework is an integral part of traditional schooling, it has become a rather diverse topic. While some feel that homework is a necessary part of schooling, others believe that their children’s time could be better invested.
Does homework play a significant role in education? Should homework be compulsory for students? It’s always important to consider both sides of the debate before concluding. Let’s take a deeper look at these arguments.
The Negatives of Homework
Homework creates a negative attitude towards learning and is not responsible for a higher level of academic success. Children usually begin to feel unmotivated when there’s a lot of homework.
Often students feel defeated because they didn’t fully grasp the concepts when introduced in class. Parents have long workdays and it’s natural for them to get tired. Sometimes homework can create friction between the child and the parents.
Excessive amounts of homework take away from their family time and can increase stress levels in children. They don’t have enough playtime, which impacts their social development and learning.
Outdoor stimulation is extremely important for a growing mind. Homework prevents self-discovery and eats up a lot of time that can be rather used to learn new skills outside of school.
The Positives of Homework
Giving just the right amount of homework offers one of the greatest benefits for high school students. Extra practice allows the concepts to be committed to each of their long-term memory.
Thoughtful and quality homework reinforces the concepts taught at school and ensures a deeper understanding of key learnings. Children gain a sense of personal responsibility and increased independence.
They develop productive habits owing to their daily homework, and it encourages the discipline of practice. They learn to manage their time efficiently and expand their organizational skills.
Homework gives the parents a chance to spend quality time with their children while contributing to their future development.
Conclusion:
The pros and cons of homework are both valid, and the question ‘‘should students have homework?’ is not as straightforward as one would imagine.
It’s important to understand both perspectives in the conversation to find a common ground. It is always important to choose quality over quantity. At the end of the day, all we really want is self-achievable academic success for our children!
At Great Principals, we hope to bring about a necessary change in the ways of Indian Education. Each new generation is far more capable than the last, and we owe it to evolution. But as humans evolve, we are required to transcend from our old ways and look at things from a different perspective, one that shapes the untapped minds of the children for the ever-growing world.
We are here to capture the journeys of marvelous School Leaders and Principals through an interactive talk show. We hope to inspire the parents who are the true changemakers in a child’s growing life. Our goal is to bring about a much-needed change in the way we educate our kids. Feel free to check out our episodes on YouTube www.youtube.com/c/GreatPrincipals.
