Photo by Annie Spratt.
“Many mothers and fathers return each evening from their paid jobs only to serve as homework monitors, a position for which they never applied.”
“Why has it been accepted as gospel for so long that homework is necessary? The answer, I think, lies not in the perceive virtues of homework but rather in the clear deficiencies of what happens in the classroom. Homework becomes necessary because not enough learning happens during the school day... The broadcast, one-pace-fits-all lecture... turns out to be a highly inefficient way to teach and learn.”
― Salman Khan, The One World Schoolhouse: Education Reimagined
There are many reasons for not assigning homework to our students at Maricopa Christian Academy. Allowing for the possibility of happy families enjoying their evenings after school to occur or at least the opportunity to do something else in life besides school are among two very important reasons.
The students at Maricopa Christian Academy work very hard. When visitors observe, it is always one of the comments expressed, especially by the dads who visit. Some kind of comment to the effect of, “Everyone is sure working hard.” Of course, other comments are made such as how well the students talk with adults, the quality of everyone's work and/or how focused the students are.
There are many well written articles and books on why homework is unnecessary for students. The two quotes above give good succinct reasons. but my experience of over forty years in education kindergarten through twelfth grades, public and private schools, regular education and special education in three different states has brought me to the following supportive conclusion.
Homework is necessary for some students who did not meet their school expectations or goals for the day because of their attitude or work habits. For the rest of the students, homework is unnecessary.
My teachers are well trained to instruct in methods that have been very successful in instructing students for over forty years. Those methods allow our students to improve at his/her maximum rate while not being influenced by the progress of the other students. Our students do not need homework with their individualized goals.
That teacher training occurs daily for one to two years before allowing any of them to have their own class. And even with the earning of their very own class of students to instruct, the teacher is daily supported and monitored in the following years of instruction.
From the second quote above, comes another reason for no homework. Homework often becomes necessary in the typical six to seven hour school day because not enough learning is accomplished in class, necessitating the assigning of homework. As a rule, each student accomplishes his/her goals for the day. If not, a plan is made to meet those goals the next day.
No child or parent has ever, I mean never, ever stated or expressed the thought that any of my students did not have enough learning on any given school day. Because of the fact each day is a day of maximum learning for each student, homework is not necessary.
There is no regular assigned homework at Maricopa Christian Academy. Well, except for the suggestion of reading at home a half a hour each day during the week Monday through Thursday.
The reason for that is practical and true. Students from my schools who read at home traditionally test on high school exams for college placement with exceptional scores instead of very high scores.
All to his glory.