There have been many voices against the practice of giving homework to students in schools lately. These voices of dissent point to the ill effects of too much of homework and suggest drawing up of red lines in this regard. There can be no gainsaying the fact that it is painful to see small kids working hard till late in the night only to complete their homework. This is a trend that leads to stress in the minds of these small kids and they start to consider homework as a burden. Little kids are deprived of doing things that they like in their free time when they are made to sit and complete their homework. This gives birth to hatred against not just homework but also their teachers and education system at large. What then is the solution? [1]
There are many perceived benefits of homework
There are many benefits of homework that make it an integral part in modern formal education system. Teachers believe that homework helps in cementing the concepts in the minds of the students that are taught to them in the school in daytime. Students develop many other skills when they do their homework regularly. However, the manner in which teachers are in a hurry in classrooms and try to complete the curriculum, it suits them to ask students to do many of the topics at home as homework rather than explaining them to the students in classroom.[2]
There are many benefits of homework that make it an integral part in modern formal education system. Teachers believe that homework helps in cementing the concepts in the minds of the students that are taught to them in the school in daytime. Students develop many other skills when they do their homework regularly. However, the manner in which teachers are in a hurry in classrooms and try to complete the curriculum, it suits them to ask students to do many of the topics at home as homework rather than explaining them to the students in classroom.[2]
Stress generated by homework adversely affects health
The biggest argument in favor of banning of homework comes from doctors who feel that excessive load of homework in schools can create a severe burden in the minds of small kids. This burden leads to mental stress that with passage of time results in socially inept behaviors and attitudes shown by small kids. It has been found by researches that heaviest homework burden is associated with countries with social inequalities and lower incomes. More homework is reported from developing countries while a highly developed country like Japan has little or no homework for its kids.
The biggest argument in favor of banning of homework comes from doctors who feel that excessive load of homework in schools can create a severe burden in the minds of small kids. This burden leads to mental stress that with passage of time results in socially inept behaviors and attitudes shown by small kids. It has been found by researches that heaviest homework burden is associated with countries with social inequalities and lower incomes. More homework is reported from developing countries while a highly developed country like Japan has little or no homework for its kids.
Many students view homework as a waste of time and something that they complete like a robot without using their brains. There are also cases of students getting their homework completed with the help of online homework services. They pay these services a small amount of money in lieu of homework and get completed work delivered in the mail in time to submit to their teachers in the morning in the class.[3]
Staunch supporters of homework feel that homework helps in the learning process. But if one goes by the views of a vast majority of students, it just does not serve any purpose and they only complete it to prevent being given lower grades by their teachers. If a student finds himself caught doing homework in the evening while his mind is attracted to all the fun activities, he is actually wasting his time rather than doing something good for his education or studies.
