Homework Philosophy and Good News?

Homework Philosophy

I've always struggled with the idea that some kids might be too good for homework.  I guess I never struggled with it myself because I loved doing homework (I was a weird kid... in 3rd grade, I was so disappointed we had no homework one day). You know, the really smart kids that just get "bored" and "don't need to do this" - the homework that's "a waste of time" for them.  Well, what opened my eyes happened the other day.

I was tutoring my Latin student, who came to class with homework that was 3 weeks old that still wasn't done.  At first, I thought it was a problem of the directions being too difficult, so week 1 I forgave.  I spent time explaining the steps of thinking that needed to go into the homework.  I also pointed out any words she didn't know.  Week 2, I thought maybe it was the fact that she didn't remember how to do the work to solve the questions I gave, so I spent a lot of time with drilling and repetition and using cutesy things like the future ghost and the imperfect sheep (flashback to Latin 1) to help her remember certain morphology.  Week 3, after all that, the homework was still not done, so I told her now it was a question of time management - I only gave 20 problems every week, so I expect them to be done by the next time I see my students.  Otherwise, everyone is wasting their time, to a certain extent.  I told the father at first I didn't mind if it was incomplete, but what I meant by "incomplete" in that sense was 1 or 2 problems that were highly complex not done all the way.  She is taking another very challenging class this summer, which is why I can understand if she doesn't finish ALL of her homework, but I mean it should be mostly complete.  This is getting to be a bad habit and unacceptable.

When I was tutoring, kids didn't do their homework all the time, so that meant that tutoring time became homework time. When you have 1 hour to work with a kid, you don't have that much time every week to teach new things and assign more homework and assess whether or not they know the old stuff. Doing homework streamlines the process the teacher has to take to figure out what the student's strengths and weaknesses are.  If the student can do the homework easily, that's a sign that the teacher can move on to new things or more challenging, in-depth things - the things that are more exciting.  Without old knowledge to build on to, you cannot build.  When a student doesn't do homework, the teacher has to use class time to figure out how the student is doing, which destroys the ability of the class to move forward as a whole.  It's easier to motivate some kids to do homework by giving grades; students that don't care about grades either don't understand or have other issue that need to be worked out by the teacher, parents, and maybe some other professionals.

But really, the top reason for giving homework is simple.  You expect your students to respect each other in the classroom; you expect your students to respect you in the classroom (hence, classroom management and expectations); you must also expect your students to give respect to the subject they are learning.  How can you gain an appreciation or respect for something with which you have no connection or relationship?  You build relationships first by spending time with them and getting to know certain things about other people.  How can you expect students to respect the subject they are learning if the teacher does not advocate respect for the sububject?  The easiest way for them to gain respect and get to know the subject is by giving homework.  Does homework have to mean boring, repetitive drills? Sometimes.  It's like how some people have a weird giggle you have to get used to, and then what might've been an annoying quirk becomes endearing. It's accepting the subject as it is.  Sometimes you are able to make the assessment fun and really interactive; sometimes, the boring, old, normal stuff does the trick.  The teacher's job ultimately is to be the guide to and catalyst of knowledge - giving homework allows the students to have a better relationship with the material, and actually foster a love for that subject.  Would you suggest to a friend to try to marry a guy that she has only spoken to once or twice, and only for necessary things?  Or would you suggest the guy she's been dating for several years?  For homework, it's the same thing.  You want your students to take the knowledge and use it to change themselves, their way of thinking, the people they interact with, the world even.  I think even an extra 15 minutes a day of doing drills is better than allowing the student to trample all over the subject. That's like setting someone up on a date (not even necessarily a romantic one) again and again and let down each time.  The subject will always have its potential; you have to convince your students that it's worth spending time with.  If you are lenient about homework, for one, that's saying it's a chore and not something pleasurable; two, it's saying that you are not serious about your subject, nor are you serious about being a teacher (oh boy, classroom management problems); and three, it's saying that your subject is not worth spending time with.  Think about not just being an advocate for your students; think about being an advocate for your subject which you love.  If you don't show it proper respect, who will?   From now on, I am not lenient about homework or assessments.  The student must take it as a serious obligation to be upheld unless there is something more immediately serious.   It's not about whether students don't need it; education I guess is not something "needed" practically to survive, and my subjects do nothing to save you if you're stuck in the wilderness alone.  It's about accepting the subject as it is.

...and Good News?


The director of the EPICS program called me today hoping that I had heard back from Interview #4 because apparently, I impressed the heck out of the principal there. I hadn't heard anything yet, since the principal is on vacation until August... but I'm going to take it as a good sign because that probably means I'm on the path to having a job soon!  Yet, I haven't heard back from the principal or any of the other interviews yet, so I can't say anything but "?".  Ya'll will obviously know when I get a job, and I plan to throw a huge party to celebrate when I FINALLY am behind a REAL DESK.  I start the EPICS program through Seton Hall next Monday, so I hope I hear something soon.

A word of sage advice, brought to you by Hogwarts: "Draco dormiens numquam titillandus est."  (Translation: A sleeping dragon ought never be tickled)