Why I quite teaching part II

http://www.slate.com/id/2149593/?GT1=8592

The above article was forward to me by "The Real Dookie" (see link in side bar).

I am not sure who Emily Benson (the author) is but she seems to be a parent and not a traind or qualified educator.

The purpose of the article was for an argument against assigning homework to elementary school students. It was hard to decipher this as it seemd against all grade levels doing homework, but she later clarifies, and states how homework in the upper grades does help.

So is she not rebunking herself. Lets be a little realistic here. If someone (anyone) spends three or four years not doing something, how can we expect them to suddenly start doing it. Her argument seems very short sighted.

What I gather from her article is the reason she does not want her child doing homework, is that his time is better spent playing out side, playing with blocksm or spending time with his brother. Now I wish all children did this, but lets face reality for a minutes. While a few children may use the extra time to do these things, the overwhelming majority will play video games or watch TV. When the average child spends six (6) hours a day watching TV and/or playing video games. (http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/schools/viersmilles/greenl/stats.html)
Studies show that a child should spend less then an hour a day, only if they are over 2 years old, where the number is zero.
(http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/tv_affects_child.html)
Children who watch 4 or more hours on average ARE overweight, no exceptions.

Lets break down a childs day. School usualy last 7 hours. So lets say they wake up onw hour before school, (wich is a HIGH estimate.) ad one hour for round trip travel, seven hours of school. So 10 hours after they wake up, they are done for the day. There are still 14 hours untill the next time they have to wake up.

School age children need on average 9 hours of sleep. (http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/general/sleep/sleep.html) So there are 5 hours left for their time. If the average child watches 6 hours a day it does not add up.

A senior in High School should expect at most 2 hours of homework. But were not talking high school, most school follow the "ten minutes rule," (which she mentions in the article) and it states that for every grade level add ten more minutes a day. So a third grader would do about 30 minutes of homework.

Still 4.5 hours left untill bed time. They have 3 hours of daylight to still play outside (a guy can dream can't he) and 1.5 hours for dinner and quality time.

So how is there to much homework? Homework for sure has NO negative effects. Even if th chil learns nothing, they are begining a life long practice of studying, which they WILL need in college (if they pass high school). Mommy can't complain to the dean of students, they will simply not accpet your child into their school. (besides if your 18+ and your mom fights your battles, kill yourself.)

I am a fan of limiting homework, I love the "ten minute" rule. If your third grade has only 30 minutes of homework, what is 30 minutes? An episode of any cartoon. Find a cartoon they don't like, and do it during that period.

Most of this article focused on the childs feelings. I am a strong supporter of having children feel hardship. Im not being pragmatic, the children need practice. When they have a full time position somewhere or another, is their boss going to care about their feelings.

Worker: "Uh sir, I don't feel like staying late tonight and finishing this."
Boss: "Well, I dont feel like paying you anymore!"

Here is the truth, school is to prepaire our children to be adults, and you play the way your practice. If children are only asked to do what the feel like doing, they will be adults who act the same way. I am looking forward to haveing children, whom even if they don't have homework, I will give them some.

My child will be the CEO, and this feeling oriented people will be cleaning his pool, washing his car, and mowing his lawn.

Remeber, the mother may have married into upper class, but any idiot will lose a million dollars. I guess she does not mind having her children work a Taco Bell and living at home.