My Homework Philosophy
I believe that homework should be given to help support students academic growth and to practice what was taught in class that day. I do not believe that homework should be a stressful or frustrating experience for students. If students are becoming overwhelmed with their homework then I encourage parents to allow their child to stop doing the work and write me a letter explaining to me that the homework was stressful to the child. This will help me adjust my instruction, help the student, and make sure students understand.
I believe that reading should be assigned for homework every night. Students will only learn to read if they have the time to read. However, students should not feel that reading is homework. Reading should be a fun experience and if taught right, students will feel that way!
When it comes to giving homework, I do not believe in giving more than in necessary. I will not give my students a massive amount of problems. For example, I believe that 5-10 math problems is a good amount for students to understand and practice how to do the problems. The amount of time I expect students to spend on homework each night will be based off of the grade they are in. Each grade should get 10 more minutes than the next (Harris Cooper, 2006). For example, first graders will get 10 minutes, second graders will get 20 minutes, etc.
Homework is a way for students to practice lessons taught in class, strengthen study skills, keep parents informed on what is happening in class, and also teach responsibility.