Studies show Homework is Counterproductive... so why do we allow it??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a high school teacher. My students who were admitted to top schools (Ivy League and MIT) were all "stressed", had a marked "reduction in health" in the form of more colds, probably due to lack of sleep, and had "less time for friends." I don't think these kids would do it any differently if they had to go through high school again. A lot of my former kids keep in contact with me, and the kids who worked the hardest in high school are now very happy in college.

Do you want your kid's high school experience to be the peak of his/her life, a golden time of social popularity and relaxation? Paying less attention to homework will help make that happen. But I think learning when to choose mild discomfort for the sake of delayed gratification is a wise skill to enforce.

You do you.

It's funny, because IMO my classmates from high school like the ones you describe- top grades, went into ivies- I think high school and college WERE the peak of their lives. They have all, almost universally, languished post-college, or even during college, with their academic skills not really preparing them for the real world. They are all still, in our mid-30s, perpetual students, unmarried, no kids, far away from family, and don't seem to have much social life, always chasing their next degree. Or they went into a lucrative and prestigious field like finance and are completely miserable, but with lots of money to burn to try and placate their misery.
I guess there is room for different definitions of success. But I kind of shudder at your implication that your kids who decide to forgo the "mild discomfort" you describe are somehow on an inferior track in, like, LIFE, and really hope you don't ever teach one of my kids.

You are exaggerating. You wrote that you "kind of shudder" at my "implication that...kids who decide to forgo the 'mild discomfort'" of doing high school homework "are somehow on an inferior track in...LIFE." I "kind of shudder" at your idiotic sweeping generalization of "all, almost universally" of the people you know who went to Ivies as people who are miserable in life. I somehow doubt you actually know enough of those types of people to serve as credible support for your idea (that kids who don't do high school homework will be happier in "like, LIFE."

I can tell that you aren't very well educated, OP. It is painfully obvious.

[Anonymous]

I am pretty embarrassed on behalf of the teachers in this thread who don't understand the "law of diminishing returns" and apprently think they can just "disagree" with established research.
The thing about science is...it's true whether nor not you "believe" it.
Teachers like this are why we can't have nice things in PG county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do our students receive too much homework? There are several private schools (and some public) in the county that pride themselves on giving lots of homework to its students.
Do parents at these schools ever push back against these policies? They don't seem smart.

A Stanford University study found that too much homework is associated with:

• Greater stress: 56 percent of the students considered homework a primary source of stress, according to the survey data. Forty-three percent viewed tests as a primary stressor, while 33 percent put the pressure to get good grades in that category. Less than 1 percent of the students said homework was not a stressor.

• Reductions in health: In their open-ended answers, many students said their homework load led to sleep deprivation and other health problems. The researchers asked students whether they experienced health issues such as headaches, exhaustion, sleep deprivation, weight loss and stomach problems.

• Less time for friends, family and extracurricular pursuits: Both the survey data and student responses indicate that spending too much time on homework meant that students were “not meeting their developmental needs or cultivating other critical life skills,” according to the researchers. Students were more likely to drop activities, not see friends or family, and not pursue hobbies they enjoy.

Do we care? Studies around the world show that there is no empirical data that proves more homework equals greater success or information retention. Curious as to what you guys think.

It says, "TOO MUCH homework...."

Why can't OP read?

That's what happens when you don't apply yourself to your homework in high school. OP isn't great with reading comprehension, or with choosing the best evidence to support her assertions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am pretty embarrassed on behalf of the teachers in this thread who don't understand the "law of diminishing returns" and apprently think they can just "disagree" with established research.
The thing about science is...it's true whether nor not you "believe" it.
Teachers like this are why we can't have nice things in PG county.

You can't pass higher level math and science courses if you don't do homework. Intense homework.

Keep calling your little hobby of skimming articles on the internet "science", though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a high school teacher. My students who were admitted to top schools (Ivy League and MIT) were all "stressed", had a marked "reduction in health" in the form of more colds, probably due to lack of sleep, and had "less time for friends." I don't think these kids would do it any differently if they had to go through high school again. A lot of my former kids keep in contact with me, and the kids who worked the hardest in high school are now very happy in college.

Do you want your kid's high school experience to be the peak of his/her life, a golden time of social popularity and relaxation? Paying less attention to homework will help make that happen. But I think learning when to choose mild discomfort for the sake of delayed gratification is a wise skill to enforce.

You do you.

It's funny, because IMO my classmates from high school like the ones you describe- top grades, went into ivies- I think high school and college WERE the peak of their lives. They have all, almost universally, languished post-college, or even during college, with their academic skills not really preparing them for the real world. They are all still, in our mid-30s, perpetual students, unmarried, no kids, far away from family, and don't seem to have much social life, always chasing their next degree. Or they went into a lucrative and prestigious field like finance and are completely miserable, but with lots of money to burn to try and placate their misery.
I guess there is room for different definitions of success. But I kind of shudder at your implication that your kids who decide to forgo the "mild discomfort" you describe are somehow on an inferior track in, like, LIFE, and really hope you don't ever teach one of my kids.

You are exaggerating. You wrote that you "kind of shudder" at my "implication that...kids who decide to forgo the 'mild discomfort'" of doing high school homework "are somehow on an inferior track in...LIFE." I "kind of shudder" at your idiotic sweeping generalization of "all, almost universally" of the people you know who went to Ivies as people who are miserable in life. I somehow doubt you actually know enough of those types of people to serve as credible support for your idea (that kids who don't do high school homework will be happier in "like, LIFE."

I can tell that you aren't very well educated, OP. It is painfully obvious.

I'm not the OP, I am actually a scientist with an MS degree, I have lived on three different continents, I am not exaggerating that this is my experience amongst the people I know, and I recognize that the people I know are not everyone in the universe.
Do you also personally insult your students?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am pretty embarrassed on behalf of the teachers in this thread who don't understand the "law of diminishing returns" and apprently think they can just "disagree" with established research.
The thing about science is...it's true whether nor not you "believe" it.
Teachers like this are why we can't have nice things in PG county.

You can't pass higher level math and science courses if you don't do homework. Intense homework.

Keep calling your little hobby of skimming articles on the internet "science", though.

FOR THE TEN THOUSANDTH TIME NO ONE HAS DISPUTED THIS POINT EVER! I am talking SPECIFICALLY about ELEMENTARY SCHOOL!
Jesus, why is this so hard? Lol.
And for the record, again I'm not the OP, I am an actual living scientist with access to academic journals via my job, and those were the sources I am citing.

[Anonymous]

And I am leaving this thread now. Can't argue with stupid. Have fun continuing to talk yourselves in circles!

[Anonymous]

I'm not the OP, I am actually a scientist with an MS degree, I have lived on three different continents, I am not exaggerating that this is my experience amongst the people I know, and I recognize that the people I know are not everyone in the universe.
Do you also personally insult your students?

OP here... Love this. LOL. All the assertions that I'm an uneducated bum surfing random Psychology Today articles... laughable. Like you, I have multiple degrees (including a doctorate degree) and have lived on another continent. Too bad that PP hasn't left the county. God bless her, poor thang.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And I am leaving this thread now. Can't argue with stupid. Have fun continuing to talk yourselves in circles!

Whew, you need to stay off DCUM if you're that easily agitated by a bunch of anonymous posters. Geez.