Homework Ban
less -homework revolution
How fed-up parents are changing the way sehools think—and how you can, too
By Nancy Kallsh Photographs by Brooke Slezak used to be extremely pro-homework. In fact, I once wrote an article for this very magazine telling readers how to get kids to stop whining and knuckle down to work. Back then, I could afford to be smug; My second-grader was happily zooming through her ten minutes a night. But a few years later, Allison started coming home with four hours of homework each night, and everything changed. Now there was not only whining but also begging, yelling, and crying—sometimes from both of us. The worst part: hearing my previously enthusiastic learner repeatedly swear how much she hated school. I'd always assumed homework was essential. But when I finally looked into the research about it, I was floored to fmd there's little to support homework—especially in vast quantities. While not every child gets too much, many kids are now overloaded as early as kindergarten. I was appalled (I even cowrote a book about it, The Case Against Homework), so you can bet tbat this time around, you won't be getting any "bow to be a good homework cop" tips from me. Instead, I'm here to call you to action. You can change tbings for your child—even for tbe whole scbool. There are more and more frustrated parents and wised-up schools around the country, so why should your child keep suffering through hours of work? A less-bomework revolution is brewing, and you can join it.
I
taking back family time
Like me, Christine Hendricks, a mother of three in Glenrock, WY, had always believed in homework. Then her daughter, Maddie. entered elementary scbool. "By the fourth grade, she bad so much, there was no time for after-scbool activities, playing, or simply enjoying our evenings together. We were
72
parenting.com february 2009
homework always stressed, and I knew many other families were also miserable." Hendricks decided things had to
How fed-up parents are changing the way sehools think—and how you can, too
By Nancy Kallsh Photographs by Brooke Slezak used to be extremely pro-homework. In fact, I once wrote an article for this very magazine telling readers how to get kids to stop whining and knuckle down to work. Back then, I could afford to be smug; My second-grader was happily zooming through her ten minutes a night. But a few years later, Allison started coming home with four hours of homework each night, and everything changed. Now there was not only whining but also begging, yelling, and crying—sometimes from both of us. The worst part: hearing my previously enthusiastic learner repeatedly swear how much she hated school. I'd always assumed homework was essential. But when I finally looked into the research about it, I was floored to fmd there's little to support homework—especially in vast quantities. While not every child gets too much, many kids are now overloaded as early as kindergarten. I was appalled (I even cowrote a book about it, The Case Against Homework), so you can bet tbat this time around, you won't be getting any "bow to be a good homework cop" tips from me. Instead, I'm here to call you to action. You can change tbings for your child—even for tbe whole scbool. There are more and more frustrated parents and wised-up schools around the country, so why should your child keep suffering through hours of work? A less-bomework revolution is brewing, and you can join it.
I
taking back family time
Like me, Christine Hendricks, a mother of three in Glenrock, WY, had always believed in homework. Then her daughter, Maddie. entered elementary scbool. "By the fourth grade, she bad so much, there was no time for after-scbool activities, playing, or simply enjoying our evenings together. We were
72
parenting.com february 2009
homework always stressed, and I knew many other families were also miserable." Hendricks decided things had to