Today's post is a little unusual in that it is about what happens just after the preschool years. Here I share my recent letter to the editor with Preschool Parent Blog readers. It combines my love of strong public schools and my concern about too much homework for very young students. Here it is…
I love our public schools and I am impressed with the commitment and knowledge of our teachers and administrators. I believe if you are an involved parent you and your child will do well in our local public schools. Recently I have become concerned that some old paradigms regarding homework before forth grade, are driving some families out of our public schools. Young brains do need time to assimilate learning and young bodies need time to play.
Finland has consistently remained at the top by all international measures of academic success for decades, with no homework for elementary school children, while the United States generally comes in much lower in world rankings. Documentation can be found at the National Center for Educational Statistics https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pisa/pisa2012/index.asp
To be fair it’s not just less homework in Finland. They have less standardized testing, smaller class sizes, and teachers, who are expected to have a master’s degree, are trusted and respected like doctors and lawyers in Finish culture. http://neomam.com/blog/there-is-no-homework-in-finland/
Elementary school homework starts some students on the path to hating school. It takes young children away from learning what they are developmentally primed to learn; motor skills, social skills, and learning about their world through play. These skills help children develop the resilience to navigate an ever-changing work world. Even studies that support some homework for young students are very clear that too much is detrimental. https://today.duke.edu/2006/03/homework.html
I encourage parents who have made the difficult decision to pull a child out of public school, due to homework, to write a letter to your child’s public school principal and superintendent explaining your decision. Many teachers and administrators agree with you, but they can’t make real change without documentation. The public schools are here to serve all our children and we all need to help make them the best they can be by working respectfully together.
