By Kathy Bushouse | South Florida Sun-Sentinel
February 19, 2009
FORT LAUDERDALE - The Broward County School Board is giving a new assignment to teachers for the upcoming school year: Take care when you're handing out homework.
The School Board on Wednesday unanimously approved homework guidelines that urge teachers to assign academically challenging work while also being considerate about not assigning too much homework.
While the policy doesn't stipulate time limits for homework, the district's guidelines suggest 10 minutes of work for each grade level. A first grader's assignment would take about 10 minutes to finish, while a high school junior's total homework load would take 110 minutes.
Board member Phyllis Hope said she sympathizes with overloaded students, and the parents who help them. She watched her 12-year-old grandson Tuesday night, and spent four hours helping him with a project.
The Broward County School Board is asking teachers to take care when they're handing out homework. The board on Wednesday unanimously approved homework guidelines that urge teachers to assign academically challenging work while also being considerate about not assigning too much homework.
The policy also requires teachers to provide "timely and appropriate feedback" on assignments, be sensitive about the costs of materials for projects, and collaborate with other teachers so projects are not assigned at the same time.
Though board members approved the policy Wednesday, it will take effect in the 2009-10 school year.
Jeanne Jusevic, chairwoman of the District Advisory Committee and parent of two Monarch High School students, said she thinks parents will find the new guidelines helpful.
Though many teachers try not to overwhelm students with too many assignments, "occasionally, parent complaints fall on deaf ears," Jusevic said. "Now we have a policy and procedures that we can point to."
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Homework Limits
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As a student, I say it depends on what classes you take! In high school we got to pick some of our classes, or at least the difficulty level. I took as many college-replacement classes (AP classes) as possible, hoping to earn some college credits before I got to college. I challenged myself and kept excellent grades and attendance, but I also worked on homework for about 4 hours a night, 5 days a week. Some of my friends though, who took less rigorous classes, could get all their homework done before even leaving school. I never had a study hall period, some of my friends had 2 a day. So, you can't always blame the teacher.
Right there. Oh yeah baby. Right there.
The US education system is getting worse, not better, and Asian countries (even so-called 'developing' ones) are kicking some serious American ass when it comes to science and technology curriculum.
So what's the solution?
Yes, worry about assigning too much homework and reigning in teachers, lest they push their students to excel. You can't have it both ways- the price of an exceptional academic culture is that sometimes students will either have to miss Gossip Girl or not make the highest mark.
Parents, upset that cocktail hour is interrupted because a teacher is pushing your kid? Wow, hate to be a buzz-kill here, but that's the least of your worries, you ought to suck it up and be thankful that as a result, your kid (hopefully) will have a fighting chance in a globally competitive economy.
Or, you can aim low, set 'homework guidelines' and then freak out when eastern Europe produces better IT and science research candidates than honors students in Florida.
So what's the solution?
Yes, worry about assigning too much homework and reigning in teachers, lest they push their students to excel. You can't have it both ways- the price of an exceptional academic culture is that sometimes students will either have to miss Gossip Girl or not make the highest mark.
Parents, upset that cocktail hour is interrupted because a teacher is pushing your kid? Wow, hate to be a buzz-kill here, but that's the least of your worries, you ought to suck it up and be thankful that as a result, your kid (hopefully) will have a fighting chance in a globally competitive economy.
Or, you can aim low, set 'homework guidelines' and then freak out when eastern Europe produces better IT and science research candidates than honors students in Florida.
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Not particularly. There are some kids at my program that are assigned far more homework than I would have ever thought was reasonable. But it is up to the teacher, or professor. Mostly based on curriculum, not a sadistic pleasure to keep children out of the sunlight. Or based on how much the class has covered in class, or how much practice the class needs to help lock onto a subject and assimilate the information (yes, borg reference, for you Trekkies/Trekkers). It's all a matter of perspective. When I feel lazy or bogged down, it seems like a lot, but the professors rarely assign ridiculous assignments. For me they are a challenge, but they are doable. I know it's not like that everywhere, but from what I've seen, I do not think that children are assigned an excessive amount of homework.
However, I do wish to make a point that a great deal of textbooks that I've seen are out of date or haven't been maintained properly to be of use to the child. Not to mention hardcover books that are placed in a backpack that becomes entirely too heavy for the child carrying it....but that would probably be in another forum topic, no?
However, I do wish to make a point that a great deal of textbooks that I've seen are out of date or haven't been maintained properly to be of use to the child. Not to mention hardcover books that are placed in a backpack that becomes entirely too heavy for the child carrying it....but that would probably be in another forum topic, no?
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Being a parent there are numerous studies that show that doing homework doesn't provide any benefit. Imagine if we all went to work and were given a couple of hours worth of work to do at home after working all day.
Quote by redhotfun4u
Imagine if we all went to work and were given a couple of hours worth of work to do at home after working all day.
I don't have to imagine...that happens now- to me occasionally, and to lots of people all the time.
I could show you a 'study' that supports damn near anything you want to prove, but I can't help but bristle at any suggestion that we'll improve our education with across-the-board limits on workload and effort.
Teachers are hamstrung as it is, and the US is falling further behind, let's make succeeding harder by limiting their efforts, shall we?
[full disclosure: I'm an educator, and a US citizen]
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Quote by redhotfun4u
Being a parent there are numerous studies that show that doing homework doesn't provide any benefit.
LOL
Yeah kids ought to be encouraged to keep sleeping through their classes and not waste their valuable time after school hours on something as worthless as doing their homework. In 2 blinks of an eye Wall Street will be filled with geeky Asian kids who still know how to actually use complex mathematical models to mess up your economy even more.
/rant
Insert typical super smart ass comment courtesy of thepainter here.
The problem isn't one teacher giving you a shitload of homework, the problem is having 8classes and 5 of them are very difficult subjects where every teacher decides to give you homework on one unfortunate day. For example when I was still in school I had English, History, Biology, Chemistry and Calculus on the same day and it happened multiple times that I got homework from each of them on the exact same day.
Though I cant complain, here in New Zealand I cant remember one morning where I was up till 3 doing something where it happened regularly in South Africa.
Though I cant complain, here in New Zealand I cant remember one morning where I was up till 3 doing something where it happened regularly in South Africa.
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Quote by Necho
Teachers should definitely have a limit
I actually agree with everyone's comments above, however, Necho's first contribution gets the top award!
Whilst other students are told to finish of class work at home, my daughter often gets other homework because she finished her class work in class - almost like punishing a kid for doing what she is supposed to. And does the teacher listen to my complaints?
"Whoa, lady, I only speak two languages, English and bad English." - Korben Dallas, from The Fifth Element
"If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must man be of learning from experience?" - George Bernard Shaw
"If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must man be of learning from experience?" - George Bernard Shaw
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Quote by mercianknight
Whilst other students are told to finish of class work at home, my daughter often gets other homework because she finished her class work in class - almost like punishing a kid for doing what she is supposed to. And does the teacher listen to my complaints?
The teacher actually is rewarding your daughter for being a smart student. She will learn more than the other kids. How is that a bad thing?
Insert typical super smart ass comment courtesy of thepainter here.
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Consistency in education is what should be strived for.. and it doesn't happen because of the amount of homework a particular student is given.. currently everyone is herded into the same class and taught at the same speed.. that speed is dictated by the teacher who may or may not be qualified for the job.. we need better paid and better educated teachers.. we need teachers who have some degree in psychology as a prerequisite to teaching.. we need schools to have defined hours of attendance and not flexible classes.. with the proper curriculum and processes in place a student could be well educated from 8am - 4pm each day with only two hours of homework per night.. not an unreasonable expectation...
Quote by BigRod
Consistency in education is what should be strived for.. and it doesn't happen because of the amount of homework a particular student is given.. currently everyone is herded into the same class and taught at the same speed.. that speed is dictated by the teacher who may or may not be qualified for the job.. we need better paid and better educated teachers.. we need teachers who have some degree in psychology as a prerequisite to teaching.. we need schools to have defined hours of attendance and not flexible classes.. with the proper curriculum and processes in place a student could be well educated from 8am - 4pm each day with only two hours of homework per night.. not an unreasonable expectation...
I agree with most of your beliefs re: teachers, though pragmatically it's not even worth discussing...we can't even get enough teachers with subject-applicable degrees, much less something additional in psychology, and the system just won't support significantly higher pay, though I wholeheartedly agree that it's something that affects the quality of teachers we have.
I disagree with your point about consistency in workload...if they feel additional work is needed, they shouldn't be prevented from doing so by some bureaucratic '2 hours homework maximum' statute.
The system largely succeeds or fails based on the strength of individual teachers, that much we agree on, Rod, so let's let them succeed on their own terms...they usually will know better than a Department of Education bureaucrat, armed with his 'studies'. And when they don't (i.e. they're incompetent), they're just like anyone else in any profession that deserves to lose their job.
Ideally, yes, the entire system needs an overhaul, but since the US federal and state governments can't seem to accomplish anything beyond corporate subsidization and free money handouts, solutions need to come locally instead of spending too much energy dreaming of ideals.
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Quote by WillinBKQuote by BigRod
Consistency in education is what should be strived for.. and it doesn't happen because of the amount of homework a particular student is given.. currently everyone is herded into the same class and taught at the same speed.. that speed is dictated by the teacher who may or may not be qualified for the job.. we need better paid and better educated teachers.. we need teachers who have some degree in psychology as a prerequisite to teaching.. we need schools to have defined hours of attendance and not flexible classes.. with the proper curriculum and processes in place a student could be well educated from 8am - 4pm each day with only two hours of homework per night.. not an unreasonable expectation...
I agree with most of your beliefs re: teachers, though pragmatically it's not even worth discussing...we can't even get enough teachers with subject-applicable degrees, much less something additional in psychology, and the system just won't support significantly higher pay, though I wholeheartedly agree that it's something that affects the quality of teachers we have.
I disagree with your point about consistency in workload...if they feel additional work is needed, they shouldn't be prevented from doing so by some bureaucratic '2 hours homework maximum' statute.
The system largely succeeds or fails based on the strength of individual teachers, that much we agree on, Rod, so let's let them succeed on their own terms...they usually will know better than a Department of Education bureaucrat, armed with his 'studies'. And when they don't (i.e. they're incompetent), they're just like anyone else in any profession that deserves to lose their job.
Ideally, yes, the entire system needs an overhaul, but since the US federal and state governments can't seem to accomplish anything beyond corporate subsidization and free money handouts, solutions need to come locally instead of spending too much energy dreaming of ideals.
Hey Will.. I wasn't using the 2 hours homework as a limitation on teachers but more as a realization by them that these are children.. they need their free time as much as their work time.. if the level of education is intensified in the classroom as it should be then the two hours should be more than enough individual study.. I also agree with you that more money equals a better stock of teachers.. why shouldn't they make as much as doctors or lawyers? As far as spending too much energy on dreaming of ideals.. ideals are created and enacted by dreamers.. realists will wallow in self-pity and worry.. if you are suggesting that we just make the best of what we have to work with then I would also suggest that complete failure is imminent.. and that additional homework isn't going to change that one iota...
It's a balance, to be sure...to teach effectively and in both quantity and quality, yet not to squeeze the life out of kids. I have to say, having lived in Asia and grown up in America, I can tell you that somehow these kids here grow up reasonably normal and happy without four hours of TV and Playstation time every night. Americans seem to really feel like long hours in school are a pain in their ass (but not nearly the pain that they'll feel when getting lapped by other countries for high-paying secure jobs).
Point taken on not settling for anything short of ideals...but the pragmatist and teacher in me knows that the education will have to be propped up without some sort of complete reimagination of economics and academics, nothing short of which would change the basic reality that American instructors and students know.
How in the hell do we get to a point where teachers command the six-figure salaries of physicians and attorneys? You want to pay 65% federal taxes to enable that to happen? What about the collapse of disposable income and small business when that occurs? Or the growth of an underground economy when the masses refuse (to various extents) to pay such a high levy? Scandinavians we are not, as Americans. Sorry that veers off into politics so quickly, but they are all intertwined...teachers can't make major-league money in a vacuum, where does it come from?
Point taken on not settling for anything short of ideals...but the pragmatist and teacher in me knows that the education will have to be propped up without some sort of complete reimagination of economics and academics, nothing short of which would change the basic reality that American instructors and students know.
How in the hell do we get to a point where teachers command the six-figure salaries of physicians and attorneys? You want to pay 65% federal taxes to enable that to happen? What about the collapse of disposable income and small business when that occurs? Or the growth of an underground economy when the masses refuse (to various extents) to pay such a high levy? Scandinavians we are not, as Americans. Sorry that veers off into politics so quickly, but they are all intertwined...teachers can't make major-league money in a vacuum, where does it come from?
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Quote by BigRod
Consistency in education is what should be strived for.. and it doesn't happen because of the amount of homework a particular student is given.. currently everyone is herded into the same class and taught at the same speed.. that speed is dictated by the teacher who may or may not be qualified for the job.. we need better paid and better educated teachers.. we need teachers who have some degree in psychology as a prerequisite to teaching.. we need schools to have defined hours of attendance and not flexible classes.. with the proper curriculum and processes in place a student could be well educated from 8am - 4pm each day with only two hours of homework per night.. not an unreasonable expectation...
I agree. I went to a charter school for a few years, and although it was still a "public" school, you were tested and then for each subject you were placed in small classes based on your ability level, not your age or grade level. I learned SO much more, so much faster than in any normal public school. I then went to a normal public high school and my entire freshman year was repeating shit I had already done. I hated high school because I felt like I was stuck going as slow as the slowest student in the class, often not covering material in the syllabus. As someone who took school very seriously, and got REALLY frustrated when I got held back because other people either weren't at my level or (as was mostly the case) just didn't fucking care enough to keep up, I think schooling definitely should be stricter, it should be valued more, and it should be treated seriously. Not saying you can't have fun, but hell. Some of my fellow high schoolers had never even stepped foot inside our library.
Most of this was simply due to the fact that our teachers had too much shit to do, too many students, and often were teaching things they were not qualified to teach. I had a football coach teach my humanities class. wtf.
I would also like to add: I went to a fabulous high school in an arts-driven town. It was not a shitty school. This ^ is the best case scenario. How depressing is that?
Right there. Oh yeah baby. Right there.
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Quote by WillinBK
The US education system is getting worse, not better, and Asian countries (even so-called 'developing' ones) are kicking some serious American ass when it comes to science and technology curriculum.
So what's the solution?
Yes, worry about assigning too much homework and reigning in teachers, lest they push their students to excel. You can't have it both ways- the price of an exceptional academic culture is that sometimes students will either have to miss Gossip Girl or not make the highest mark.
Parents, upset that cocktail hour is interrupted because a teacher is pushing your kid? Wow, hate to be a buzz-kill here, but that's the least of your worries, you ought to suck it up and be thankful that as a result, your kid (hopefully) will have a fighting chance in a globally competitive economy.
Or, you can aim low, set 'homework guidelines' and then freak out when eastern Europe produces better IT and science research candidates than honors students in Florida.
Agreed, if you've ever been to China, the 12 year olds there are studying stuff that even American 15 year olds don't understand... I took a course there for two years and nearly died. It was the language problem as well as well as the fact that Chinese are COMPETITIVE AS HELL!!!
What's the difference between a bad golfer and a bad sky diver??
One goes... WHACK... DARN!!!
the other: DAAAAAARRRRRNNNNN..... WHACK... *Bloody red stain on the ground*
One goes... WHACK... DARN!!!
the other: DAAAAAARRRRRNNNNN..... WHACK... *Bloody red stain on the ground*