Top 10 Reasons Homework Should Be Banned

Top 10 Reasons Homework Should be Banned
Top 10 Reasons Homework Should be Banned

Top 10 Reasons Homework Should Be Banned

Homework is one of unique evils that all of us can relate to. Whether it plagued our evenings or weekends – or, for those unfortunate enough to be homeschooled, every waking hour, – for each of us homework evokes an individualized and vivid set of memories. Mine tend to consist of horrendously early mornings spent either trying to disentangle apparently impossible mathematical equations, or frantically scribbling a series of unsubstantiated (though passably well-articulated) ideas and interpretations for a humanities assignment. On a particularly bad morning, I’d have to do both.

 

Looking back

, constantly leaving my homework until the last minute was no more than a matter of course. For a guitar-obsessed teenager who would invest more time in the PlayStation than in any given chemistry or biology textbook, homework was always going to take a back seat, as it did amongst my peers. Indeed, I look back with fondness on friends whose constant failure to even attempt the set homework was matched only by the constantly poor excuses they offered to the teacher: ‘some homeless guy on the bus’ (who presumably had a profound interest in long-shore drift) ‘stole it’ remains my personal favorite.

 

As a teacher my relationship with homework has taken on a new dynamic. Working in Italy, I am obliged to set (and of course grade) increasingly large amounts of homework: most of which is completed by my female students, little of which is even attempted by my male students. While the dynamic has changed, however, my view has not. Homework does not help. Instead of contributing to learning, it only threatens to blacken the association young people have with education. Here are 10 reasons it should be banned.

10Homework encourages conflict

Homework provides an endless supply of screaming! Ban it!

9Homework favors the few

Great, another thing that favors the 1%.

8Homework doesn’t test anything

Memorizing doesn’t help with critical thinking skills.

7Homework covers what teachers couldn’t get through in the lesson

And that’s why I’m voting for Donald Trump, I don’t care what your mom thinks! We’ll cover math…tomorrow. Make sure you finish all 30 homework problems!

6Homework takes time away from a child’s development

Sorry little sweeties! No sledding for you. Get out your history and math books.

5Homework is Rarely Enjoyable

Ugh! No more homework! No more homework!

4Homework encourages bad learning habits

Muddled studying leads to muddled learning.

3Homework is a nightmare for teachers

I’m drowning in papers!!

2Homework has detrimental health effects

Homework takes a toll on kids’ health.

1Homework has no academic benefits

No benefit to homework?!! I’m freakin’ out!!