Should Homework be Banned?

Dear Tommy Schnurmacher

I have read your article and I understand the points you made about why homework should be banned. You mentioned students do not get enough time to spend with their family and how they have a long day which can make them stressed and tired. Also, they complain to their parents repetitively which means they struggle with responsibility. However, I disagree because with time management and a little amount of sacrifice, they can solve this.

Firstly, homework prepares the student for an upcoming class. This is ideal for the student as it means the student is prepared and may even be ahead of the other students. If a student has an advantage over the class by being ahead of other students, they have confidence in their approach to work and studies which encourages progression and development.

Moreover, you mentioned children not getting enough time to spend with their family in your article. Time management is the obvious solution. This means students can get their work done and get to spend time with family. Time management is an act of responsibility and will prove useful later in life; careers, training, relationships or even devising a work-life balance, the management is a skill every person needs.

If homework is banned, rather than doing homework as an incentive, young students will turn to other means such as playing video games and other leisure activities. An inordinate amount of time spent playing games and the like, is detrimental to a student because they are unable to learn vital skills such as time management and subsequent responsibilities.

Furthermore, if the student is struggling at school doing work, homework allows a student to refresh the work in their mind. This way, the student will retain what they learn. When exams approach, the student will excel because of improved memory skills. Therefore, homework is excellent for memory retention which will prove useful in higher education.

Homework is integral because it means teachers and parents can check the student’s homework to monitor progression, areas of difficulty or improvement. If there has not been any improvement then they will not know what the child is struggling on. This is ideal because if the parents do not know about how their chid is doing then they are not taking responsibility and the child may fail. If parents do not take full responsibility then it is not easy for the child to backtrack on their studies and develop a careless attitude. If the student does not care then how will they succeed? Failure is not an option because it puts students at a disadvantage for attaining good grades, progressing onto further education and excelling in life with subsequent employment and quality of life.

Homework teaches a child independence and how to work alone. In fact, studies show the more you use your brain and cognitive skills to gage with new material, nerve cells are stimulated and memory cognition accentuates. As a student myself, I often find work difficult but working independently enables me to work more efficiently and apply my knowledge. This is a useful skill and encourages initiative; students are able to learn how to think outside the box.

In addition, homework enables students to develop a love and passion for their subject. Not everything comes naturally. By doing homework, you are trying something new. Developing an interest is important for self-development and future career choices. For example, studying Geography can encourage travel. Maths can come useful in becoming a carpenter. By doing History at school, you can explore different cultures.

Ultimately, by doing homework, students learn how to use resources such as libraries, books and computers. When a student researches about a subject, they use books, computers and internet resources. Through research, students develop reading and analysis skills. By gaging with resources, students are able to pick up transferable skills which are applicable to a range of subjects, tasks and professions.

In summary, homework is an essential component of progression. As I stated before, homework prepares you for the next day’s class, teachers and parents can monitor students understanding of topics and keep a record of attainment and areas which need work. Overall, homework enables achievements and achievement is a further step to progress onto further education such as A-Levels and University. Without homework, it is merely impossible for a student to monitor their progression which is a key factor in self and academic development. Therefore, homework is a concept which needs to be enforced and not banned.

Yours sincerely,

Minhaj Ud Din