Homework in Elementary School

Elementary school as defined by Google is “a primary school for first six or eight grades” or “a school where children were taught between the ages of five and thirteen”, provides one of the most important learning years in a student life and are supposed to shape up their interests in the study more. 

Recent several types of research have shown that our student, at this age, is pretty much exhausted by getting excessive amounts of homework.  This is also a current debating topic for a decade because some people think this is enhancing a child learning style and other take it as a burden. So basically there are two schools of thoughts regarding this issue. Then you see If a child is in high school, he will find several other ways to cope up with ‘this’ thing like forcing their siblings or friends to do their homework, making convincing excuses at the school or they can buy assignment online and many more but an elementary school student situation is not the same. They somehow have to bear that homework and need to get it done as they are totally monitored by their parents and teachers.

“Decades of investigation have failed to turn up any evidence that homework is beneficial for students in elementary school”- Alfie Kohn

Alfie Kohn, an American author, and lecturer, totally denying the idea of ‘Homework is directly proportional to high achievements” in his book The Homework Myth and says that it only creates stress. Dr. Harris Cooper, a professor in the Department of Psychology, has basically made it clear in his research that homework in elementary school has nothing to do with achievements.

The Internet has provided them a vast variety to learn through some quick and easy ways interesting ways. Like if a student is typing on Google ‘easiest way to get the assignment done’ the most expected answers would be several websites links with bold words buy assignment online, several YouTube videos etc.

The reason why lengthy challenging homework should not be given on daily basis is that it increases stress. Like a child is getting through a hard lecture and then teacher announces homework at the end, it makes the childless productive towards school work and more tensed and irritated. Homework stress, on the other hand, is also a hindrance between a child and their fun time, which can actually retard their mental growth. Parents keep pushing them to complete and submit their homework on time for good grades and so they don’t have to face any negative remarks on school meetings. This creates a tension between a child and their parents and makes a parent more unfamiliar with their child stress issues, which in many countries is a leading cause of teenage death. And then there are few parents who start to maintain their child class works and homework’s which totally subtracts the reason behind the homework and a child thinks that no matter for how they procrastinate, they will get their work done and this saves them for efforts plus learning if that was the reason. More, an average student, every 8 out of 10, just completes their assignments not because of interests but because of the fear of getting punished.

Then there are positive sides of this thing too. Like it gives a student a sense of responsibilities, increase parental involvement with their child education more and more and gives the student a repeated chance to recall what they have learned.

So there are both pros and cons of homework. I guess it mainly depends on personal interest with learning too, and the way he wants to get through his education steps. Like if you ask an average student on how they get their assignment done they will frankly say they buy assignment online or ask someone else to get it done for them. And yes why to waste your time on something you don’t have any interest in.  Educational organizations will come up with an effective idea to handle this issue to make learning better, more interesting.