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Should homework be required?

Also, the idea that homework could be given, but not required, allowing those who need practice to practice and those who already know enough to skip it, seems ridiculous to me. For one thing, as several have said, you need practice to learn most everything, and if you're in the class you're learning new things if they've placed you at the right level. Secondly, most of the time, the students who need practice are the ones who don't do their homework, even when it's mandatory. The good students are often good because they've had all the practice that homework's given them.

Anyway, in my classes, mos of the homework is really just finishing stuff you didnt get done in class, because they usually just give us ambiguous 'work' before class ends to do. And if you get done before the bell, great, no homework. The only really tedious homework I have is Mandarin, because much of it is just copying stuff out of the book, which I guess makes sense, because you need to memorize how to write different characters, but still.
 
I think homework shouldn't be required up to a certain extent. In my opinion, I think we should only have to do it about 2-3 times a week. Four times if there is a test that week. If you really need that much more practice, ask your teacher for extra help or get a tutor.

We're just ending a unit in math, yet my teacher gave us homework over the break. We won't have a test until the end of next month. It's just a waste of my time.

Also, if you only have homework 2-3 times a week, you can do the rest for extra credit. If your test grades were low like mine, extra credit would really help.

For E.L.A, lets say, you should never really have homework in it. E.L.A is simple, along with History. Just pay attention in class, and there you have it.

Now, other languages, that's a different story. You should have homework to memorize the language. What use would taking the class be if you're never going to use it?
 
My pre-calculus teacher's extremely lenient with his assignments, to the point that he assigns homework but doesn't check it. Instead, he tells us that the homework is our practice and if we don't want to do it, fine, we can fail the test. And he'll also take time at the beginning of class to answer questions people had about the homework. And he only assigns us problems which actually have their answers in the back of the textbook. :3
 
Leafpool said:
My pre-calculus teacher's extremely lenient with his assignments, to the point that he assigns homework but doesn't check it. Instead, he tells us that the homework is our practice and if we don't want to do it, fine, we can fail the test. And he'll also take time at the beginning of class to answer questions people had about the homework. And he only assigns us problems which actually have their answers in the back of the textbook. :3
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This is... almost exactly like my algebra teacher. He, however, would check the homework sometimes just to make sure that people did it. He graded participation most of the time, and if the person obviously copied their answers from the back of the book (no work shown), he wouldn't give them credit.

Concerning homework: Although I see the point in extra practice, some people just don't need it, and those that do probably won't do it anyway. Homework is more of a necessary evil than anything else. Essays are a different story; I hate the idea of them but see that they can't be finished in class alone. The teacher shouldn't just give the class an essay to do and not say anything about it ever again, even if they give a packet to go along with it. This is one of my biggest pet peeves. Teachers are called teachers for a reason: because they teach. No one in their right mind should pay someone to show a class of kids something and not in the slightest care if they understand it, as long as the final exam grades make them look good. My 8th and 9th grade English teachers have totally sucked in this regard. One gave an outline on essay writing ("B. Clincher. Leave the reader with any final regards" is not able to answer questions like a living, breathing English major can) and the other told us that we should know how to write essays already. My current English teacher tried that approach but found us telling her that we were not able to do so. It amazes me the number of times that we have to be "retaught" something or that the teachers tell us it's something we should have already learned. (And then, when "reteaching," they too teach it terribly, not wanting to spend much time on it, so we have a vicious cycle that spawns.)
 
Homework is supposed to be a way of revising that day/week/month/etc's work, one to make sure you understand it, and two to give you extra practise. Without homework, school is basically a huge waste of time, especially when students are faced with a subject they don't particularly like. Those that don't understand the work will naturally dislike it, and will skip it, which may lead to even less understanding as the class progresses onto more difficult topics.

Those that understand the work will most likely zoom through it anyway, so doing it or not isn't a big deal.

I reckon it should be compulsory.
 
I did a whole report on this last year. :3

Basically, what I found was, homework does absolutely nothing for people but stress them out. I'm all in favor of having more work in class, but seriously, isn't 7 hours enough? The time after school hours should be the students' to do what they want.
 
Hematophyte said:
I did a whole report on this last year. :3

Basically, what I found was, homework does absolutely nothing for people but stress them out.
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If nothing else, homework teaches kids how to do homework, which is an important skill because even if you see homework as pointless and unnessesary at school level X, if they've had no practice in it by school level Y, they'll fail.
 
Dannichu said:
If nothing else, homework teaches kids how to do homework, which is an important skill because even if you see homework as pointless and unnessesary at school level X, if they've had no practice in it by school level Y, they'll fail.
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I'm living proof of this. Breezed through elementary and middle school, got to high school, hit a slump. And now I'm trying to fix a 1.8 GPA with straight As but I'm not sure it'll be enough. It sucks.
 
I think yes, it should be required, but not so much that you a) cant shut your backpack or b) are pulling an all-nighter to finish.

Alternative:
Lengthen the school day and make mandatory a FREE PERIOD!!! Can't wait for high school so I have one!!!
 
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