Opinion: Kids need homework

EVERYONE hates homework. The kids hate it. Their parents hate it. But with some schools moving to ban it, none of us should be celebrating.

OPINION

HOMEWORK. It’s as part of childhood as Vegemite on toast — and if you ask me, for good reason.

It teaches children to set and achieve goals. It teaches them responsibility. It cements the knowledge their little minds are trying to absorb in overwhelmingly loud classrooms every day. And it gives parents some much-needed one-on-one time with their kids.

So when I read that an increasing number of Aussie public schools were doing away with it, I was shocked.

Allambie Heights Public School on Sydney’s Northern Beaches is the latest to stop giving homework, a decision made after surveying students, parents and teachers about whether they thought it was valuable.

Principal Angela Helsloot said parents overwhelmingly had doubts about the value of homework, with 70 per cent saying it was only somewhat important to their child’s learning.

She coupled those feelings with research that has found homework makes little difference in learning outcomes for primary-aged students, and has stopped sending students home with daily spelling and maths tasks, instead giving senior students projects to do a few times a year.

I can see why parents don’t like homework — it’s just another thing we have to make sure our kids do. I can see why kids don’t like homework — it’s yet another thing their parents make them do. I can see why teachers don’t like homework — it’s just another thing to mark and be responsible for.

BUT. How could it not be beneficial?

I feel like homework is one of those things that may feel like a chore, but at the end of the day, it’s going to make a difference. Kind of like going to the dentist, or eating your veggies. We all know we have to, and the earlier you start, the better the outcome.

The most comprehensive research on homework to date comes from Duke University psychology professor Harris Cooper, who found a positive correlation between homework and student achievement, with students who did homework performing better in school. Other findings show that the goal shouldn’t be to eliminate homework, but to make it authentic, meaningful, and engaging.

The only way to understand something, to be good at something, to really “get it” — is to practice. Mem Fox says a child should be read a thousand books before they can start to learn to read. She suggests three a day.

And yes it may be laborious after a long and hard day, but it’s hugely important.

It’s also important to use common sense. So if the kids are tired or sick or just well and truly over it, then take a homework-free day or two.

If we have swimming lessons or soccer training after school, it’s a non-homework day for us, and I don’t give that a second thought — but we plan for it.

Monday is a good day to get into it. Set up the week on a good note, in a good routine. Get home from school, have afternoon tea and a play outside. Get them moving, playing basketball with the neighbours or racing bikes with their siblings. But after that, when it starts to get cool anyway, bring them in.

Ask what they did at school, go through their homework together. When they learn that it’s part of the routine and something that has to be done whether they whinge and whine or not — I’ve found everyone actually really enjoys it.

They want to show you what they did today, they’re excited to tell you what they’re doing tomorrow. They’re proud.

Take the stress out of it. Don’t let them leave it to the last minute — they know they’ve got the week to do it, so maybe 20 minutes a day, three days a week is plenty. It might be a day of Maths, a day doing their homework sheet and a day of something fun like looking around the house to see how you recycle, or learning to draw a dolphin using a YouTube tutorial. Whatever it is, if you don’t get excited about it as a parent, they won’t either.

A classroom is a busy place. Kids can get lost in a sea of uniforms, their voices muffled by the dominant personalities all around them. By doing things at home, whether it’s practising sight words, going over times tables or writing a two minute speech on the weather, it allows you to see how they’re doing, and where they need help.

And that’s important.

Projects are great. Independent learning is great. Giving kids the time to be creative, express themselves and just run wild and “be kids” after school is great too.

But it’s all about balance.

You don’t want a child to feel overwhelmed when they get to high school because all of a sudden, they have responsibilities every single day.

You don’t want them to fall behind in the early years, when learning — and learning to like learning — is so important.

It sets them up for life, and to me, that decision is as simple as A, B, C.

Lisa Mayoh is a journalist and mother of three. Follow her on Twitter @LisaMayoh