I mentioned in a previous blog receiving an email that directed me to an article,
“Pressure from parents: Do students need more of it?”
I addressed the question of whether or not more pressure needs to be put on students. But in this blog I am going to look at some other interesting findings from the article, regarding homework and sleep.
The article cites that students average 3.07 hours of homework every night, which totals to 552.6 hours a year. That is a lot of homework, especially when you combine it with the class work they do in school.
Now I might be the odd one on this but I don’t really care for homework. I don’t see the benefit to it, unless the student is given a big project or required reading. Filling out worksheets and the like is to me just mindless. Most students are ready to put school behind them when they get home, so I don’t think they are adding to their learning. But that’s just my opinion.
Perhaps it’s also because I think about the other activities and responsibilities that my children and our family have. Now that my son is working, he sometimes has to go to work shortly after he gets home from school and then work until closing which is 10 p.m. By the time he gets home and showers, it’s almost 11 p.m. He then has to get up at 6:30 a.m. the next morning for school.
Or I think about our church activities, time together as a family and other stuff going on. I guess I just personally don’t like my children receiving a lot of homework. So I am thankful they attend high schools where they do block scheduling. They have only four classes that last for 90 minutes, so they usually have plenty of time to complete their work.
They also have 20 minutes in a class called “Aspire,” similar to a study hall but they are also mentored by a teacher who keeps up to speed on their grades.
Sleep is another issue for many students. They don’t get enough of it. The article indicated that 33% get 6 or less hours of sleep a night. Clearly, that isn’t enough. I will be honest; I don’t exactly know how much sleep my children get. Once I’m out, that’s it and I can’t police my children. I do make sure they are in bed but as far as when they actually fall asleep, it’s hard to say.
What do you think about the amount of homework and sleep your student receives?
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Photo by anitapatterson in morgueFile