Stop Assigning Homework!

Protect the sanity of your students

[Rolling up sleeves…taking a few deep breaths…ready to rant.]

Preface: this post is intended largely for high school teachers. Not for all of them, but you know who you are.

You have been given 45/60/90 minutes, several times a week, to improve the lives of your students. Stop colonising their ‘free time’ with your loving ambitions.

Classrooms are Not TED Talks for the Imprisoned

‘But they need the practice!’ That’s what your class time is for. ‘But there’s not enough class time to …!’ Be more concise, don’t try to do so much, and design your lesson plans more effectively.

I’m sure I’ll hear endless excuses and rants as to why my assertion is misguided, but I stand by the principle that, you have no right to administrate the time of your students outside of your classroom. Where did we arrive upon the assumption that students are expected to do homework? And, that your lesson plans can extend without boundaries into the private lives of your students. Isn’t eight tedious hours of student time per day enough tythe to sate the gods of standardised education? Who gave us the right to demand more? Rest is a critical part of the learning process. Do your job and let rest do the rest.

The Blind Spot of Teachers’ Expectations

One of the least-regulated aspects of education is the cumulative workload of students outside of school. Most teachers have no idea how long it will take their students to complete their assignments, because every student has a different capacity for performing their tasks. Just because a teacher can complete the work in ten minutes doesn’t mean that a student won’t need an 1-2 hours to do the same. Most teachers have no idea what homework has been issued by other teachers, and when they have deadlines for other classes. And yes, starting your classes with a quiz, to reinforce learning from a previous knowledge dump, is also homework. Knowing that these quizzes count towards grades, students care enough to study in their ‘spare time’ to ensure they don’t invoke the wrath of parents, teachers, and education as a whole, for underperforming with their grades (very rarely would they study because they are inspired by the material). Students get ‘homework build-up’ in much the same way that some people had ‘shoulder-pad build-up’ in the 1980s (where blouses, jumpers, and coats, all with shoulder-pads, made a generation of fashionistas look like line-backers). The accumulation of this colonial taxation results in deadline stress, poor sleep, resentment against you (Yes, kind, wonderful you!), and existential frustration; all of which works against the learning aims you’re trying to nurture.

The Death of Dreams

I can’t count how many times I’ve heard students tell me, I.e.: ‘I’ve had to give up dance because I don’t have the time.’; ‘I don’t have time any more to practice guitar’; ‘I’m too tired to read, I fall asleep with my book on my face.’; ‘I would love to learn to cook, but who has the time?’. We tell our students to chase their passions, and then sabotage the only time in their lives when they might do so. Students have their own ideas about what they would like to learn, but they often don’t have the energy to pursue their ambitions, or the will to push back against overbearing parents and teachers/schools. If your student’s passion is that of the subject you are teaching, then they may use their time to explore that subject in their own way.

Teach Differently!

Teaching without homework means that you will need to talk less, and students need to work more during class. While you may no longer have the luxury of hearing yourself talk during your classes (mostly to yourself), it does mean that you will be able to oversee the work process of your students. It means that students will have access to your knowledge to help them unpick problems while they are doing their work (Again, don’t use student questions as excuses to prattle on; provide explanations as though you have to use the bathroom.). It means that students will collaborate to solve and clarify problems that you may not even know exist (as you may be tied up helping another student). It means that you will need to create a classroom conducive to focussed work; forcing you to observe your students more attentively, change seating arrangement, and develop skills for non-oppressive classroom management. During focussed work, your classroom should feel like a library. It means that you won’t be teaching faster than students can absorb. It means that you will be training the ability of students to give focussed attention in the midst of an attention crisis. (Now you’re doing God’s work!)

Outlawing Homework Has Made Me a Better Teacher

Teaching without homework has transformed my practice in revolutionary ways. It has significantly improved the overall performance of my students and increased their completion rates. It’s improved my relationships with my students, because I’m not a source of extra stress in their lives. It’s forced me into a learning curve to improve my skills as a teacher. It’s helped me to better understand the learning needs of my students. It continues to make me a better person; before all else, I am a student.

Become an Ally for Student Rights

I believe that it’s the right of all people, and especially young people, to have unstructured time in their lives when they can determine their own activities. As my remarkable wife once said, “Everybody needs their own pot to grow in.” Time to be bored, time to rest, time to pursue passions, time to be alone, time without expectations (“and time to every purpose under heaven”). I believe that educators should ally with students to protect that time from the encroachment of teachers and parents. Fight the power! ✊

[Long exhale…Rant complete.]