To a fault, I care about my kids. Every single one of them takes up space in my heart and mind. When planning lessons and pacing, I try to think of as many learners as possible. Of course, it's tough to get all 185 accommodated for 180 school days, but it's worth a shot. My latest ear to the ground has told me that kids hate homework.
OK, so even the deaf could hear a student whisper about homework and their disdain for it. Even still, multiple high school geometry students have come to me and complained about the workload that they are experiencing and their extracurricular activities. On top of that, there is always a kindling ready to be set ablaze on the Twitterverse about homework.
I stopped giving homework. It felt good, too. Nothing to grade on a nightly basis. Kids come in less stressed. Students are appreciative and it feels like there is a better relationship because of my willingness to listen to their requests. None of these are the real reasons that I stopped.
I have been trying to make an effort to improve my lessons. While students are in my room, I want them to get a full dose of the content. Homework is unnecessary if students get the work done that they need in order to truly grasp a concept. After all, a meaningful lesson will stick in the minds of human beings.
The problem? It didn't. We just took a quiz, a pretty heavy one, that was inclusive of everything we had done in the past 4 weeks. I guess it wasn't a quiz. It was a summative assessment. One that told me what my students really knew. What did they "know"? The average score was a 64%. AKA it was awful, and if it was a true reflection of what we've been doing, it was that the past 4 weeks have virtually been a waste.
The easy answer is the homework. Students come in, get engaged, learn some stuff, work with some shapes, then leave and dismiss it. They are busy doing work for other classes, other priorities, and other responsibilities. Are my students struggling because I'm NOT giving homework? It is clear that they aren't studying, so would homework force their hand? Even a little?
The hard answer is that my teaching needs to improve, but I already know that. In my 8th year of teaching, I feel like I'm back to square one. Not to say that I'm in the "teach the same year 30 times" at all, because I'm not, but damn, this year has been a head-scratcher. Less tech, no curriculum, and a new scene, no homework, but those are excuses. I'm searching for answers in the aftermath of what I see as a crossroad in a pedagogical shift of homework in my classroom. Will I ever find what I'm seeking? At this time, the outlook is uncertain.
I stopped giving homework. It felt good, too. Nothing to grade on a nightly basis. Kids come in less stressed. Students are appreciative and it feels like there is a better relationship because of my willingness to listen to their requests. None of these are the real reasons that I stopped.
I have been trying to make an effort to improve my lessons. While students are in my room, I want them to get a full dose of the content. Homework is unnecessary if students get the work done that they need in order to truly grasp a concept. After all, a meaningful lesson will stick in the minds of human beings.
The problem? It didn't. We just took a quiz, a pretty heavy one, that was inclusive of everything we had done in the past 4 weeks. I guess it wasn't a quiz. It was a summative assessment. One that told me what my students really knew. What did they "know"? The average score was a 64%. AKA it was awful, and if it was a true reflection of what we've been doing, it was that the past 4 weeks have virtually been a waste.
The easy answer is the homework. Students come in, get engaged, learn some stuff, work with some shapes, then leave and dismiss it. They are busy doing work for other classes, other priorities, and other responsibilities. Are my students struggling because I'm NOT giving homework? It is clear that they aren't studying, so would homework force their hand? Even a little?
The hard answer is that my teaching needs to improve, but I already know that. In my 8th year of teaching, I feel like I'm back to square one. Not to say that I'm in the "teach the same year 30 times" at all, because I'm not, but damn, this year has been a head-scratcher. Less tech, no curriculum, and a new scene, no homework, but those are excuses. I'm searching for answers in the aftermath of what I see as a crossroad in a pedagogical shift of homework in my classroom. Will I ever find what I'm seeking? At this time, the outlook is uncertain.
Still Fishing
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