debate on "homework should not be abolished"?

Question

Homework is defined as out-of-class tasks assigned to students as an extension or elaboration of classroom work.

Answer 1

it should not be abolished fully, you need to learn things at home, and teens are not "kids"

Answer 2

Homework should not be abolished because
--it provides reinforcement of what was learned in class.
--it gives kids something productive to do in the afternoons.
--it teaches the responsibility of taking an assignment home, completing it, and returning it.
--the scores if the US students are steadily declining, so we shouldn't cut back anything in education.
--it allows the parents to see what their kids are learning in school.
--it provides for parent/child interaction as the parents are asked for help.

Other side of the debate:

Homework should be abolished because...
--it detracts from family life because kids spend so much time doing it.
--it shows that the teachers are not teaching adequately if kids have to spend hours doing extra work.
--US students are scoring lower and lower on standardized testing, in spite of all this homework, which shows that it is not working and something else should be tried.
--it contributes to obesity because kids are sedentary for 7 hrs in school, then several hours after school.
--the extra work will dull kids' enthusiasm for attending school.


My personal opinion is that SOME homework is okay, but I've lived in 3 different places and in all of them from 3rd grade on 'most' kids have HOURS of homework every night. I have had many parents tell me that their child comes home from school, does homework, eats supper, does more homework, showers, and goes to bed, and this has really affected the family life because they simply have no time together. Dr. James Dobson says that teachers have the kids 7 hrs/day and should not require so much more homework, that it shows they are not doing their job.

Answer 3

I'm a student aswell, no one enjoys homework but it is a preparation for tests and also test your knowledge. Obviously the hassle, but he need one at that. Honestly, how much time do you spend on homework is that between one to three hours. Well Third World countries spend three times that long on homework, and that is why America and the UK have become one of the dumbest(proven fact not an insult).

Answer 4

I don't think it should be abolished altogether, but it should be cut back significantly from what is being given to our kids now. School shouldn't be a 12-14 hour a day job! Let kids be kids.