Homework?

“There’s a huge philosophical divide between parents who want their kids to be very scheduled, very driven, and very ambitiously focused at school -- those parents want their kids to do homework. And then there are the parents who want a more child-centered life with their kids, who want their kids to be able to explore different aspects of themselves, who think their kids should have free time.”

-- Etta Kralovec, associate professor of teacher education, University of Arizona South

I can almost bet the "huge philosophical divide" of which Etta Kralovec speaks would show up on a poll as primarily those parents with a political leaning toward liberalism and, for once, they might find an ally - in me.  

It isn't that I agree with no homework, I simply see this as a way to hold a teacher's feet to the fire and prove whether they are capable of teaching.  Parents, nowadays, whine that they have no time to assist teachers by helping students with their lessons at home or hearing from the teachers that, as parents paying said teacher's wage, they should also be expected to take more responsibility for the child's education.  If parents have no time or desire to ensure students do their homework, much less to assist them, then when is a parent going to find time to spend their "evenings doing things that are proven to correlate with student success.  Eat dinner as a family, read together, play outside, and get your child to bed early," in their selfish schedule?  And, if the students are doing their work at school, when are the teachers going to teach them how to do the work.  This defeats the entire point of learn at school and practice at home.

I have to agree with Etta Kralovec that there is a huge philosophical divide.  There are parents who want their children to be able to survive the real world, and there are those parents who want a kinder, gentler, fantasy of what the real world will offer.  These children will grow into whiners which will replace the whiners who bred them.  This experiment will travel down the same path as Dr. Spock saying to spare the rod, stop spanking your child.  He reversed his opinion many years later when he saw how screwed up our society had become due to the lack of respect for work, education, and authority.

But, like I said, I agree with this experiment and I'm very surprised teacher unions support it.  The unions have long fought for a teacher's right to not be held accountable and to dump the responsibility for the teacher's shortcomings onto the parent as a way of shifting blame while protecting their paycheck and union dues.  This idea puts the entire responsibility, for a teacher being proficient at their trade, right back where it belongs - on the teacher.  This allows us to finally separate the "getting along" for a paycheck, from the teachers that truly care about education.

This isn't about homework, it is about responsibility.  This is about parental responsibility for bringing a child into the world and ensuring that child has the tools to succeed and be a productive member of society.  It is about the teacher's responsibility to do their damned job or go find another in the foodservice industry.  And, it is about the responsibility of the child to learn, even if they have to educate themselves, so they can be all they hope to be.  It is, after all, their life.

In the end, parents will finally understand that students who actually find a future will be those who have responsible parents that find the time to ensure their children are learning, who purchase additional material for them to fill their time at home, and who impress upon their children the importance of knowledge for themselves, their society, and the world they live in.  The downside of this experiment is that, while we wait for our children to fail and parents to wake up, we will be falling farther behind the rest of the world in education, and we already suck so badly.

Just saying.

Editor's Note 

(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card) 

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider another viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 23 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with an Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects in pharmaceutical research.  Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, to wage his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as Chaplain Program Liaison, at a regional medical center.