Is No Homework
the Way to Go?
22 January 2017 washingtonFAMILY.com



TEXT ANN DOLIN
A second-grade teacher from
amount of time it takes them to finish the
because one size does not fit all. So if your
Texas recently made headlines
work grows exponentially. Kids end up
child is bright but disorganized, and lacks
after she sent home a note to
either spending far too much time working
organization and planning, it’s necessary
parents, informing them that
inefficiently, or they spend no time at all
to set up structure in the home from the
their students’ homework would only
because they’re overwhelmed, unprepared
start of the school year.

consist of materials they did not finish in
and convinced they’re going to fail. Instead
class that day. Instead, she encouraged
of trying, they would
families to spend more time together
rather pretend like they
rather than spend hours on homework. So,
don’t care.

what is the role of homework, and are kids
Current research shows
getting too much?
that homework for
As a former teacher and current
students younger than fifth
educational consultant, I was recently
grade is not beneficial. It
asked for my reaction to this “no
doesn’t help them to be
homework” approach, and wanted to
smarter or score better on
share my thoughts.

tests. For older kids, about
This story has a lot of people talking. Do
you think more teachers should adopt this
“no homework” rule for their classrooms?
90 minutes of homework
is a perfect amount of
time; anything more
becomes redundant. However, parents at
Sometimes kids have subject struggles
Homework is an area of stress and
high-performing high schools across the
and get just a tad bit behind, causing
tension in almost every household.

country are seeing their kids working on
them to lose confidence, which can
Unfortunately, some kids get so stressed
homework for up to 3 hours each night.

trigger a downward spiral. If it’s caught
and overwhelmed by homework, leaving
early enough, and they know there is a
them almost no time to enjoy being a kid.

What about teaching responsibility? Does
support system available to help, they
And when it creates too much stress, the
homework help with this?
can overcome the hurdle. This can boost
It depends on the student. If the student
their confidence because they see they can
has a system for planning, organizing and
conquer a challenge.

parent/child relationship becomes all about
academic performance.

The general rule of thumb when it comes
completing assignments, then homework
to homework is about 10 minutes of
is an amazingly powerful tool. It’s not just
homework per grade level per night. So,
about being responsible with homework,
while this story may sound peculiar, it’s
it’s also about packing up materials the
actually following the guidelines for a
night before and following a consistent
second grader.

process. And when parents help with
that, they’re reinforcing the right types of
Does homework really help kids become
behaviors. A growing number of kids are stressed
from studying. And without the right
strategies, these conscientious kids can
expend more time and energy than they
might need. The key for these kids is to not
get overwhelmed early on and always
plan ahead.

better students?
Homework truly helps when kids are
efficient, organized and know how to
find answers when they are stuck. But
when kids don’t have a plan and don’t
fully understand the subject matter, the
Being in the competitive Washington, D.C.

area, it is inevitable that your student will
get homework. What are things parents can
do to help their kids with homework?
First, understand your child’s situation,
Ann Dolin is the founder and president of
Educational Connections Tutoring. She and
her team of tutors help students throughout
Northern VA, D.C. and MD. Visit ectutoring.

com for more information.

washingtonFAMILY.com January 2017 23