Allow me to fantasize for a moment: It’s 5:45 and my family has just walked in the door after a long day at school and at work. (This is my fantasy world, so the house is clean and a full dinner is simmering in the crockpot.) “Why don’t you kids go outside and play before we sit down for dinner?” I say. “Better yet, let’s all go take a bike ride. We don’t have many more weeks of evening sunlight left! Let’s make the most of it.”

“But, Mom, will we have time to practice piano after dinner?”

“Of course you will, honey! I know how important it is to you to get better at the piano so you can switch to the flute.”

Pop! That’s the sound of my little fantasy bubble bursting.

Here’s the truth: 5:45 p.m. is like a fire drill around here: In the door. Shoes off. Stove on. “Empty your backpacks! Where’s your lunchbox? Somebody help me set the table! I said, somebody…”

And, nearly every night, “Sorry, honey, there’s no way you’ve got time for a bike ride tonight. You’ve got to finish those worksheets.” It’s simple math: In the roughly two hours between walking in the door and kissing them good night, we’ve got to squeeze in dinner, homework, piano, baths, reading — all with a minimum of shouting and tears.

Something has to go. My vote, frankly, is homework. But it’s not up to me, so evening bike rides, trips to the park, and extracurriculars are generally off the table. (I know I’m going to get letters from people who manage to squeeze it all in.)
My kids are 21st-century American kids. They, like me, could use all the additional exercise possible, preferably in the form of unsupervised outdoor play and family activities. What they get are worksheets. So many evenings I think to myself, “Really, a six-and-a-half-hour school day wasn’t enough?”

I realize that I am in the minority. We asked readers of our weekly e-newsletter, Minnesota Parent This Week, what they thought of homework, and the vast majority gave it a big thumbs up, saying it was necessary to strengthen academic skills and develop self-discipline. Some even pointed out something the educational establishment has known for years: Homework forces parents to get involved in their kids’ education. (And, boy, does it ever.)
This month, Beth Hawkins talks to some educators who take a slightly different view of homework — not quite my do-away-with-the-backpack-altogether fantasy, but a more critical look at the role it plays in our kids’ educations. Maybe we can meet in the middle somewhere.who’s got time for homework?

Allow me to fantasize for a moment: It’s 5:45 and my family has just walked in the door after a long day at school and at work. (This is my fantasy world, so the house is clean and a full dinner is simmering in the crockpot.) “Why don’t you kids go outside and play before we sit down for dinner?” I say. “Better yet, let’s all go take a bike ride. We don’t have many more weeks of evening sunlight left! Let’s make the most of it.”

“But, Mom, will we have time to practice piano after dinner?”

“Of course you will, honey! I know how important it is to you to get better at the piano so you can switch to the flute.”

Pop! That’s the sound of my little fantasy bubble bursting.

Here’s the truth: 5:45 p.m. is like a fire drill around here: In the door. Shoes off. Stove on. “Empty your backpacks! Where’s your lunchbox? Somebody help me set the table! I said, somebody…”

And, nearly every night, “Sorry, honey, there’s no way you’ve got time for a bike ride tonight. You’ve got to finish those worksheets.” It’s simple math: In the roughly two hours between walking in the door and kissing them good night, we’ve got to squeeze in dinner, homework, piano, baths, reading — all with a minimum of shouting and tears.

Something has to go. My vote, frankly, is homework. But it’s not up to me, so evening bike rides, trips to the park, and extracurriculars are generally off the table. (I know I’m going to get letters from people who manage to squeeze it all in.)

My kids are 21st-century American kids. They, like me, could use all the additional exercise possible, preferably in the form of unsupervised outdoor play and family activities. What they get are worksheets. So many evenings I think to myself, “Really, a six-and-a-half-hour school day wasn’t enough?”

I realize that I am in the minority. We asked readers of our weekly e-newsletter, Minnesota Parent This Week, what they thought of homework, and the vast majority gave it a big thumbs up, saying it was necessary to strengthen academic skills and develop self-discipline. Some even pointed out something the educational establishment has known for years: Homework forces parents to get involved in their kids’ education. (And, boy, does it ever.)

This month, Beth Hawkins talks to some educators who take a slightly different view of homework — not quite my do-away-with-the-backpack-altogether fantasy, but a more critical look at the role it plays in our kids’ educations. Maybe we can meet in the middle somewhere.

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