Homework and the rising death toll

Maybe it's not as serious as that, but it seems like the general trend in education-related academia that homework is both useless and arguably detrimental to kids. Maclean's Magazine ran a back-to-school double issue in September that featured the title "Homework is Killing Kids". Just this month, another article (an interview) came out that discussed the negative nature of homework and how pointless it is. I'm concerned in a few ways... is the negative impact that damaging? And is the supposition the author/interviewee makes a valid one?

The argument to which the interviewee is responding assumes that homework is assigned because it has some sort of intrinsic value related to work ethic, determination, responsibility, etc. In other words, teachers assign homework because it makes a better student. Now, this may be my modern education speaking or the fact that I'm pretty "green" in the field of teaching, but I definitely have not made this assumption. I don't assign homework because it is good for kids or is has some inherent value. I assign it because I feel as though we need to get through material! The amount of information needed to cover the curriculum feels enormous, and at the end of class, students may or may not be done the work assigned. In a perfect class, there would be no need for homework, as the students would have been diligent and enthusiastic about their eduational experience. If this were some sort of non-anomolous case, then of course I would get rid of mandatory homework. However, I feel as though the reality is much different than this idealised myth. At the end of the day, many kids will goof-off, be unproductive, and simply not finish their work in a reasonable amount of time. Assessment strategies take a variety of forms, but they still test for required knowledge and skill development. Some students also need more time to finish things, and since we're strapped for time during the day, the evening (or early morning) is the only time left.

Sure, there is definitely a measure of accountability involved in doing homework, but it has more to do with the need to complete tasks and move through material than having some innate character-building quality. Students need to be responsible for their education, and if they spend time goofing around in class and being unproductive, they'll still be expected to get the work done. If my class works well and we cover the needed material in class, I don't assign homework. Realistically, this doesn't happen nearly as often as I'd like, but that has more to do with the fact that I'm still pretty new at this whole teaching thing and my lessons are not as effective as they could be. And I'm not sure they should be... I've only been in front of my class for just over a month, and although that sounds like a lot of time, it's a snap of the fingers in reality. The learning curve for this career is extremely steep, and if you don't keep up, you'll get left behind.

So my response to this reviling of homework is mixed. Do I agree that homework has no intrinsic character-building qualities? Sure I do. However, I do not make that assumption to begin with. Homework provides a means for completing what needs to be completed, and if students are willing to put the effort in for the six hours they are actually at the school, then I'll be fully satisfied to let them enjoy their evening. Family and friends are important. Shouldn't that be the way all jobs work?

- T