Is summer homework really a necessary part of academic growth? Is it a vital requirement for our future school year? Or is it just an excuse for teachers and parents to lay on more homework for their kids so it gives them something to do during the long summer months. I think if the kids did well enough to pass their previous year the burden of summer homework need not to apply.
I know that the homework does not take the whole summer but there are many reasons why kids need a summer. It's the time for a child to recharge their batteries by spending long summer days at the beach partying and watching the stars on evening nights.
I know this sounds clicky but there are different types of kids. There are the ones who play sports and put their work off and there are also the ones who would rather do their work the first instant they receive it. There is nothing wrong with the diversity of our culture, in fact our civilization thrives upon it. But the diversity is also bad for the group as well. We have six billion people in the world and nearly half are illiterate. So the diversity has its pros and cons.
Schooling is very important to the United States so we do not fall in the illiterate half. We as a country are the greatest in the world so our youth also need to be the greatest. The way to achieve this is by formal schooling but to a limit. If we have to do it year round, kids will rebel and the hard work will be lost. If the work is left to a moderate amount, kids will want to learn and excel; but if it isn't, our future may be at risk.
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Well, of course I have to respond to this. Lucky for you, I played 18 holes in the hot sun today, and I've worked on my house for a couple of hours, and have been reading for a while, so I am sleepy – and so although I could probably put together about a half-a-dozen good, compelling, rock-solid arguments for summer homework, I’ll just say two things and come back to this later if anyone wants to discuss this further.
ReplyDelete1. Summer homework is assigned in honors and AP classes. Kids do not need to take these classes to graduate from high school. If summer homework is too onerous, don't do it, and take regular English. Problem solved. Many hundreds of thousands of kids take regular English, and go on to live happy, productive lives. If students believe that their FUTURES ARE AT RISK BECAUSE OF SUMMER HOMEWORK...well, those students should probably sit down with their parents and talk that over. That is really outside of the purview of the teacher
2. What is the purview of the teacher? The AP exam is a national exam, given on a specific day, and at a specific hour. The students from Mayfair High School in Lakewood take the same test as the kids from Harvard-Westlake, Exeter, Windward, and other private or magnate secondary schools where the student/teacher ratio can be as low as 12-1. I see at least three times that many every hour that I teach. The kids from MHS in Lakewood who start school on September 2 are competing against students who start classes on August 10. Summer homework gives teachers and students the opportunity to begin class on Day One with work in common...there is no dilly-dallying with three weeks of getting-to-know-you activities. We begin Day One already walking together at a brisk pace with a common vocabulary and set of issues in mind.
I care about my students very much, and work hard not to burn them out. I know about burn out, believe me. I always have the highest achieving students in my AP class -- kids who are sleeping very little as they struggle to balance 4 AP classes with two sports and community service. If the work we are doing here is already too heavy...maybe it's a good time to re-think things?
I think what Matt has said makes sense. Regular kids work all year so they can have their summer off. They need it as a rest period. They want to have fun. That is fine, but that is fine for the REGULAR kid. We are doing AP summer homework. BY doing the homework, it shows dedication. It shows that one is actually interested in the class. Maybe one doesnt believe they should be doing it, but they are still doing it. There are lots of things people do that are necessary but they dont want to do them. I think this summer homework is necessary because it will weed out all of the nondedicated students and it also gives us a taste of the class.
ReplyDeleteIt's important when we talk about this that we don't sound like we're talking about Alphas and Betas.
ReplyDeleteYea, lets not segregated our selves, because we're doing this work and taking the class by choice. Just because a student doesn't take ap doesn't mean they're not dedicated. It's all by choice.
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