Should homework be banned? Opinion by Heer,12,Chennai
Should homework be banned? 12-year-old Heer from Chennai, who attended Bookosmia’s journalism workshop, conducted a survey and gives us her insights!
Homework is a task assigned by the teachers for students to be completed after school hours. The effect of homework is generally debated. Let’s see what parents, students and teachers said about it in a small survey conducted by me.
Parents felt that homework should be given because if teachers do not give homework, they would not be able to know what has been taught. They also felt that teachers can give less homework as it sometimes pressurises the kids. It should not be a burden for children. They opined that practice makes kids quick in studies and we all know practice makes a man perfect! According to them if ‘homework’ sounds like a burden, we can change the word into ‘practice work’ which sounds interesting.
Most of the students feel that homework should be banned or reduced significantly so that they get more family time. Homework is a burden after 8 hours of school. After returning from school, some students go for tuition as their parents are not able to help them with studies due to many reasons.This reduces the time for physical activities and sleep.
A 2007 study of American students by MetLife found 89% of students feel stressed due to home assignments. They may also lose interest in a subject which can have negative impact on tests. It can be very tiring for students by the end of the day. On the other hand ,some students also feel that around half an hour of homework everyday helps them to reinforce the topics done in school and has positive impact on achievements.
Teachers have many purposes for giving homework. It is given for practice , preparation for exams, personal development or as a school policy too. It helps in maintaining proper study habits in students.
So overall it can be said that homework has its own pros and cons. My personal opinion would be that homework should not be banned but reduced so that children have time for family, entertainment and other activities as well. It should also be related directly to studies and not about any irrelevant topic. Teachers and parents should create a healthy balance between work and play so that children also enjoy their childhood.
