I also think teaching responsibility in other areas will help a child be more responsible in school and in other things the rest of her life.
Which is exactly why assigning mindless amounts of homework is ridiculous. Kids need to develop their mind, and I don't see how doing endless amounts of long division problems at home will do that. Every piece of research I've seen in terms of brain development talks about giving the brain time to absorb and develop understanding. There is a reason adults are told to take breaks when they work on complex problems or projects. We call it 'getting your mind off things'....by going and doing something else. Take a long lunch break, workout, go for a run, play something, hang out with friends, vacation. All these things are designed to remove yourself from 'work'....thus allowing your brain to absorb and develop understanding for what you're working on.
How many of us have been frustrated with something at work that we couldn't figure out, and we left it AT WORK for the weekend, came back Monday morning and were able to figure it out because we have renewed focus?
Kids are the same way. They spend 8 hours in school each day. After school should be spent doing other activities that develop their mind and skills. Even a job is more important than physics homework IMO. If you can't teach a concept to a kid in 90 min, how do you expect them to pick it up after 4 more hours of doing more of the same at home, alone, and with zero help?
It is stupid.
|