SCHOOL: Done Your Homework?

Last week, I went off on the Halton Board of Education's decision to forgo deadlines for assignments (and homework). Technically, they just eliminated late penalties, but a late assignment is a late assignment, whatever the overly-rosy name.

It's still a dumb idea, whatever slight nits you might want to argue over.

On the other hand, the other recent uproar over too much homework has me on the side of the 'slackers.' I do agree that turning little Johnny and Jills into over-stressed nine-year olds is probably counter-productive. Yes, they SHOULD have deadlines (one or two a week) to meet, just to get into the habit. But turning the school-day into an 8-hour marathon five days a week probably isn't a good idea.

I think kids should be kids. I think they should do some homework just to get used to the idea, starting really small and growing slightly each year until they are no longer in school. And I like the idea of emphasizing reading and being read to, for the youngsters. Some rote learning would be permissible too.

Teachers need to co-ordinate to keep total homework to a manageable size. Teachers suffer from homework overload too. Most of my bridge partners are teachers. They hate GIVING the homework (with its subsequent marking) as much as the kids hate getting it. There SEEMS to be a happy compromise available here.

Intelligent co-ordinated homework might help make EVERYBODY's life simpler and better.

I was talking to one mother recently about a 'home' project that involved building something. The student was supposed to do all the 'building' while the parent or parents were supposed to offer guidance. As anybody who's seen parents 'guide' their children's go-kart productions, some of the parents were very 'involved' in the home work. My friend was worried that she wasn't doing enough for her kid.

"Do you really think I should have helped out more?" she asked. She was expecting me to say, "Of course not."

She was shocked when I said yes. Not to the point of actually DOING the homework for the child. I honestly believe in the Socratic method of teaching. Questions and answers. When teaching one of the movie mob how to play chess, I started off with two rules, never make a move without a reason and always come up with a reason for your opponents' moves.

After that, the idea is for the student to do a play-by-play of what they are doing and thinking. The teacher's role is to watch where the student might go too badly off the right path and ask questions to let the student find the right way back. Allowing slight detours down a wrong way are good for the teaching process.

This way teaches the student HOW to solve problems, rather than the rote answer to any one particular problem. It's the teaching equivalent of the old saw about feeding a man a loaf of bread versus teaching the man how to fish. One leads to a lifetime of nourishment, the other to hunger tomorrow.

Is this method of teaching more difficult for the parents? Of course it is. Some parents aren't equipped to take the time to do this. Sometimes the parents don't have the knowledge spectrum to do it. And other parents don't have the temperament to do it. On the other hand, being a parent isn't SUPPOSED to be easy.

The parents that I know do a really good job of involving themselves in their kids' education. Do they adhere to my approach? No. A lot of THEIR homework is overseeing quizzes and tests and going through tests sent home by the teachers. They just don't get enough of the projects that teach critical thinking.

So, I get to stay in my ivory castle and pass judgment on the homework system. That's my job.