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Edited on Sun Nov-21-04 10:08 AM by IMModerate
I taught school on and off starting in 1968. This homework stuff is the school systems trying to be more accountable for their failure to educate students.
The failure is really not the schools' or teachers' fault. It is the fall of readiness that stems from a lack of stimulating environment outside of the school. As a teacher, pressure was put on me to assign more and more homework. This is to show that we're doing a good job. Then they expected me to check it every day.
I had 150 students. Giving each a minute outside of class means 2 1/2 hours a day. On top of this, there is lesson and project planning, record keeping, bus passes, lunch passes, interminable reports for government agencies, etc.
Teachers are really caught in the middle between clueless parents and incompetent government agencies. Education reforms are never proposed by educators. It's politicians and judges.
A story. Once at a pre-term orientation with parents, I made a speech about how important it is for a child to have a hobby. It motivates them to learn on their own. It leads to search out sources and do research, and develop skills which generalize to other learning.
One of the parents said, "That sounds like a good place for you to start."
I replied, "Sure, when the child support checks come in."
--IMM
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