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I am all for academic excellence, but here is the situation.
Kids spend about 7 to 8 hours in school, and they sleep for about 8 hours which leaves them with about 8 hours to live their lives.
They come home at about 4:00 PM, and practically have about 5 hours to eat, do homework, relax a little, play, take shower, and spend a little time with family before hitting the bed.
And here is my issue,
We can teach them in 2 hours at home what the school can't teach them in 7 hours. So how effective are the schools?
If they take 7 hours from our kids, they better do a good enough job that there shouldn't be a need of any home work.
Our kids are almost having a 40 hours work week routine at school as we adults have with our jobs. Do the kids have any life? There is just SOOO MUCH of homework !! They don't even have time to play.
Homework give kids a chance to practice the skills they're being taught, and to realize where they may be "stuck", and need a little help. It also helps reinforce the skills they learn. "Practice makes perfect", as they say. In the early elementary years, there shouldn't be too much homework; usually a few math problems to work out, and some reading. In the later elementary years, the concepts are more complex, plus they're acquiring writing/composition skills, and have a wider variety of subjects, so there naturally will be homework that's more time-consuming.
Having homework also helps develop time-management and self-discipline skills. These will be essential to have in highschool, and especially college. No matter how bright the student, the absence of strong self-discipline, self-motivation and time management skills will sink a college career. Those mental habits get set at an early age.
Homework give kids a chance to practice the skills they're being taught, and to realize where they may be "stuck", and need a little help. It also helps reinforce the skills they learn. "Practice makes perfect", as they say. In the early elementary years, there shouldn't be too much homework; usually a few math problems to work out, and some reading. In the later elementary years, the concepts are more complex, plus they're acquiring writing/composition skills, and have a wider variety of subjects, so there naturally will be homework that's more time-consuming.
Having homework also helps develop time-management and self-discipline skills. These will be essential to have in highschool, and especially college. No matter how bright the student, the absence of strong self-discipline, self-motivation and time management skills will sink a college career. Those mental habits get set at an early age.
I agree with your last paragraph 100%...and kids need to learn how to complete assignments...
The many anecdotes of about FAR TOO MUCH HOMEWORK, kind of reminds of something from the past...When parents or parent had little involvement with their child..nor made efforts to assist, support or give guidance ...Then it's when the school advises them> Homework not completed> They whine online..instead of spending the time with their child..SMH..Homework assigned is usually expected to be completed..and no child is expected to have to take more than an hour to complete...
Sorry, maybe I mis-contrued the topic ..But after raising two boyz on my own, working shift/full time 12 hour sifts..then observed my boyz with their own children assisting them with homework..I guess even tho I had little time..I made an effort to help/ be involved obviously rubbed off..No excuse for any parent to be unaware..there should be no need to get notice from school..Maybe working with your kid may open one's eyes as to his level and interests..and yu can reach out to the teachers/school?
I don't know just what's going on precisely ..but complaining about homework?..IF indeed overloaded?..points to child's participations or at least trying..as most teacher's will work with any child struggling IMO Whining about education trials isn't going to assist a child in the learning process IMO GET INVOLVED or get help..ala Tutoring or School/teachers..Just a suggestion
There should be more homework, not enough now as it is. There's very little emphasis on having them actually understand and remember what they've been taught, that's why every year they waste time on a "re-freshers" of the things they should know already.
An hour - hour and a half of homework every day is reasonable and will give them a habit of studying / doing some work on a regular basis.
I hear all the time from my students about why they "didn't have time" to do their homework...and they all sound exactly like their parents.
"baseball/basketball/football/soccer" game, went to my sister's/brother's XXX game, went to the store....and my favorite..."we were running around all afternoon".
No, homework is not preventing kids from having playtime...
Homework give kids a chance to practice the skills they're being taught, and to realize where they may be "stuck", and need a little help. It also helps reinforce the skills they learn. "Practice makes perfect", as they say.
This is what my kids' math teachers used to say. I agree.
I don't understand what the controversy's about. The parents who are complaining about too much homework for their kids probably had the same amount of homework when they were kids, maybe more. Did it do them any harm? What's the problem, here?
I had homework starting in first grade. I wasn't scarred for life, nor was I deprived of playtime. I had snacktime and playtime after I got home from school, then after dinner was homework time. Not a problem.
I don't understand what the controversy's about. The parents who are complaining about too much homework for their kids probably had the same amount of homework when they were kids, maybe more. Did it do them any harm? What's the problem, here?
I had homework starting in first grade. I wasn't scarred for life, nor was I deprived of playtime. I had snacktime and playtime after I got home from school, then after dinner was homework time. Not a problem.
Am I missing something, here?
No, this is not true. Homework overload today is much greater than it was for most parents. And, there is significant research showing that homework is not necessary in the lower elementary grades.
I went to school in the early to mid fifties and had very little homework at all until 5th grade.
Over the last decade, Japanese schools have been scrapping homework while American elementary schools have been assigning more of it. What gives—aren't they supposed to be the model achievers while we're the slackers? No doubt our eagerness to shed the slacker mantle has helped feed the American homework maw. But it may be the Japanese, once again, who know what they're doing.
Quote:
For elementary-school students, Cooper found that "the average correlation between time spent on homework and achievement … hovered around zero."
I am all for academic excellence, but here is the situation.
Kids spend about 7 to 8 hours in school, and they sleep for about 8 hours which leaves them with about 8 hours to live their lives.
They come home at about 4:00 PM, and practically have about 5 hours to eat, do homework, relax a little, play, take shower, and spend a little time with family before hitting the bed.
And here is my issue,
We can teach them in 2 hours at home what the school can't teach them in 7 hours. So how effective are the schools?
If they take 7 hours from our kids, they better do a good enough job that there shouldn't be a need of any home work.
Our kids are almost having a 40 hours work week routine at school as we adults have with our jobs. Do the kids have any life? There is just SOOO MUCH of homework !! They don't even have time to play.
Have you recently spent time in a classroom? You cannot teach 4 core subjects in addition to electives (for well rounded people) in 2 hours but that's another story...
As another person mentioned maybe your kids are over scheduled. When I was in middle school I went to school from 7-2, played school softball (practice from 2-4; games went until 5ish), town softball, and I had a life. I also finished middle school with a 97 avg.
I think it teaches time management skills now the AMOUNT of homework is again, another issue. Typically homework does not take an enormous amount of time if the child understands and if they don't chances are the student is not- not understanding everyday. Yeah, maybe one day a student will have to spend 3 hours figuring something out but that shouldn't be an everyday occurrence and if it is you should talk to your child's teacher.
Many teachers don't give Friday night homework and even if they do- kids are awake more than half the day (by your calculations appx 16 hours) they can do homework over the course of 2 days plus Friday night (appx 36 hours) which is plenty of time if scheduled properly
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..But after raising two boyz on my own, working shift/full time 12 hour sifts..then observed my boyz with their own children assisting them with homework..I guess even tho I had little time..I made an effort to help/ be involved obviously rubbed off..No excuse for any parent to be unaware..there should be no need to get notice from school..Maybe working with your kid may open one's eyes as to his level and interests..and yu can reach out to the teachers/school? 
