Homework, argh. We all thought once we finished school, we were done with it. And for a while, most of us were. But then we had kids and those kids had homework, so we inevitably began working on homework yet again.
The idea of reducing or completely banning homework (or, hey, why not try to at least make it fun?) is not a new one and it is usually parents at the forefront of the battle against administration. But up until this point, there is no record of any country, school or region banning homework. In 2012, French President Francoise Hollande proposed a country wide ban on homework, but the proposal did not go through.
The Swedish town of Hallstahammars is the latest to pick up the battle, but with one big catch. To make up for the time that would normally be spent studying independently (see: with mom and dad), the school day will be lengthened.
Lenna Millberg, the head of schools in Hallstahammars told ABC News, “When children learn to read, for example… we often give them homework to train. If we want to do that in the school day, we may need to make the school day a bit longer.”
While kids (and teachers!) might cringe at the idea of an extra hour or so at school, this might actually a perfect solution for a number of reasons.
First, kids won’t have to deal with the stress of homework (yes, homework can be a flashpoint for stress on both parents and kids). They will be able to spend the extra time at school, and then leave school at school when they come home. This is no different than an adult wanting to leave work at work when the clock hits 5:00pm.
Second, most working parents don’t actually make it home until 5:30pm or 6:00pm, meaning that if the school day is extended to say, 4:00pm, the kids will still be home before their parents. The added bonus of a homework ban? When you and the kids are finally home together, you will get to spend your time with each other. You won’t have to sit he kids down and tackle that math homework; instead you can go for a walk, cook dinner together, schedule after school activities and just enjoy each other’s company.
Sounds pretty great, right?
With longer school days teachers should be able to focus on lessons and give children the chance to better understand the materials in class.
It seems like a win-win.
As a teacher and a parent I REALLY like this idea. My only concern would be that “the powers that be” would think that means piling more curriculum on for the teachers to teach. Which would complete defeat the purpose. It would be nice to be able to help the students get their work finished at school. As a parent it would be nice to come home to my own kids and have family time not homework battle time.