Canyon Nuckols

Mrs.Pettay
English 112, 3A
17 March 2015
Its the new hot issue in the current education system and across the country: Are school
giving to much homework for elementary students? Some say there isnt enough homework
while some say kids are drowning in homework. While Homework for elementary aged kids is
sometimes seen as a good thing, it only hampers kids ability to just be a kid.
Homework has been around for many years as a solution to a possible loss of information
from one school day to the next. It is often said that homework helps kids overcome difficult
obstacles and prepares them for the life ahead. Jessica Lehey, writer of the book The Gift of
Failure, says, desirable difficulties, are among the best ways to turn fleeting, short-term
realizations and memories into long-term, durable learning. Others think that homework is a
god thing as long as parental units do not get involved in the process by micromanaging or
telling kids the answers. Erika Patall of the University of Texas at Austin states, Parents should
also give kids autonomy. She goes on to explain that, homework is a good opportunity for
parents to help young kids develop self-regulatory skills.
When I was a child I use to think homework was boring and time consuming and often it
didnt even help with my school work, little did I know I was right. Homework personally to me
is a waste of time and causes a lot of stress in my life as it did in elementary school. However I
am now in high school and I need the training to prepare for college this fall, but kids in the
lower grades, particularly k-5, have no need for ever-increasing homework load that causes a lot

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of conflict and stress in my life. My sister routinely comes home and is overly stressed about the
project and essay that is due at the end of the week and the homework she gets assigned every
day. In her article titled Dont Bother, Homework is Pointless, Sara Bennett expressed the cold
hard truth about oh homework by stating, almost all research shows the elementary school
homework is pointless. She also told the story of how nights would go different in most
American homes with the words, they [families] would be thrilled to lose that nightly routine
where adults cajole and bribe, and the kids cry and throw tantrums. This statement is validated
in my own life with the nightly routine of my sister and her ever increasing homework load.
A major letdown of homework is how most of the time it does not show the pupils real
potential, instead it shows the answers of a frustrated parent trying to get their children ready for
bed. With all of the parent help kids are not showing their true knowledge or potential and it can
also be harmful to them later on in life. Lahey argues, children of autonomy-supportive parents
are subsequently better able to complete tasks on their own. The children of these pro-autonomy
parents are better prepared for the classroom setting as well as homework. While children can
perform better on homework when given autonomy the consequences of homework are still felt.
As Alfie Kohn states, what [homework] a mounts to a second shift when they [children] get
home from a full day of school, Kohn goes on to list the emotions being felt including,
frustration, exhaustion, and family conflict.
While homework can be a great practice and grade filler it still has no positive impacts on
kids. Homework robs kids of time to just be a kid and adds unneeded pressure onto their day. A
homework free future can help kids and parents alike all across America have better and stress
free nights when their kids get home. Homework for kids in elementary school only hurts the
academic and social success of most students who are assigned it.

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Work Cited
Bennett, Sara. "Dont Bother, Homework Is Pointless." New York Times. New York Times,
November 2014. Web. 14 November 2014.
Kohn, Alfie. The Homework Parent Trap." New York Times. New York Times, November 2014.
Web. 14 November 2014.
Lahey, Jessica. "Autonomy Works Best for the Classroom." New York Times. New York Times,
November 2014. Web. 14 November 2014.
Patall, Erika. "Help Children Form Good Study Habits." New York Times. New York Times,
November 2014. Web. 14 November 2014.