There is no worse feeling in the world than opening up your agenda on Sunday night only to realize you still have so much work to be completed before the start of the week. On top of multiple extracurriculars, homework can seem like the last thing we have time for or want to do. Still, homework is a necessary component of student learning because it expands skills taught in class. Certain types of homework, however, such as busy work and assignments on material that is already mastered provide no benefits to students.
Because classes are only fifty-five minutes long in high school, there is not enough time for students to learn and practice class material. It is important for lessons to be reinforced at home following an in-class lecture to help with comprehension of the topic. Dan Baron, a German and A.P European history teacher, believes homework should support classwork. “I do think it is important, especially for A.P. Euro, to have information repeated” he said. He does not assign much homework, but expects students to do what they need to do to get ready for the test, such as reading or studying. Eight times a quarter, Mr. Baron gives surprise reading quizzes that check whether or not students have been keeping up with this ongoing assignment.
On the other hand, homework that is assigned without a clear purpose doesn’t do anyone any good. Coloring map assignments don’t help us with geography, fill-in-the-blank worksheets don’t help us with vocabulary, and pages and pages of Spanish verb conjugations don’t help us with our fluency in the language. Junior Maggie Stang doesn’t believe in busy work, either. “If the student can finish the assignment in five minutes or less, chances are that it’s busy work. There’s no learning there, which hurts the student and the teacher. No one benefits,” said Stang. Typically, if watching television while doing an assignment has no influence on the accuracy or efficiency of an assignment, it has no educational value so I don’t think we should be expected to complete it.
Homework should be used as a tool to help with understanding a topic and with getting ready for the eventual test. It is difficult to see a point in giving a student homework on class material in which he or she is already proficient. If a student has already mastered a concept, such as how cells divide or the causes of the War of 1812, he or she should not be given a worksheet further explaining this. Additionally, homework should be low-risk and have little point value given to it, which would help students key in on the important parts of the unit to better prepare for the assessment instead of stressing over their grades.
While there is some benefit to certain kinds of homework, busy work and other unnecessary assignments take the enjoyment out of classes. Homework should not promote repetition. As for me, I look forward to having a real job, where “home” and “work” stay separate.
