Is Homework Meaningful?

By: Dr. Michelle S. Williams

It’s back to school season, so I feel pulled to write a different type of post for the Montessori Corner this month. As many know, I have two older children and due to school district beaurocracy and personal decisions, both are experiencing “traditional” schools for the first time - well, technically my oldest spent one year outside of Montessori, but we try to block that out! Although my husband and I did a lot of searching and researching to find schools whose pedagogical beliefs were as similar to Montessori as wecould find, both of these schools (one elementary and one middle) have daily homework. 

You may have seen the conversations in recent years about homework, but just in case, here’s a short and funny video from a young boy speaking his mind on the subject. Many question if homework is meaningful. Here’s my quick interpretation.

Firstly, Montessori teaching does not assign homework. Children learn certain skills at school and it is our belief as Montessorians that they naturally either practice those skills or learn and practice others skills at home. School and homework in tandem to build well-rounded children.

Traditional schools, like most of us may have attended, have historically assigned homework - school work taken home to practice without the support of other classmates or the teacher (shout out to the caregivers sitting at the kitchen table trying to explain math concepts or defining the word “sentence” to your children!).

Homework has a longstanding tradition in most schools, but recent studies have discovered that assigning homework doesn’t reinforce these academic skills. It doesn’t help them practice and get better. But, some studies show that homework leads to a decline in academic accomplshiment. Crazy, right?! It may seem contradictory, but what has been lost in today’s “grind culture” here in the United States is the importance of rest. Just as we here at OCMS require children to rest in order to give their brains time to transfer material, older children also need rest. Not just more time to sleep, which is also often affected by long nights completing homework, but also a sustained period of time where children are not adding, subtracting, writing essays, or reading textbooks. It is during these sustained periods of time (ie. when not in school) that the brain takes the information they have learned and begins to transfer it to long term memory. 

But, because the idea of doing nothing is so counter-intuitive, especially to the myth of meritocracy that has this country in a strong hold, many reject the science of these studies and assign homework anyway. Couple this with the growing amount of academic (and other!) expectations placed on schools and teachers, and well, you can probably see why many schools still assign daily homework. 

By now, you’re probably asking, “what does any of this have to do with my two year old?” And quite frankly, I don’t believe it has much to do with them… yet. But, if you’re like me, you may already be considering which elementary schools could be best for your child. Or, if you’re like some of the new Montessori parents I’ve met, then you may also be wondering why your niece is receiving coloring worksheets in preschool and your child isn’t. This comparison may make you wonder if your child is “falling behind”. And my response to everyone who has ever asked me this question is always the same, “falling behind what?” My response serves to highlight the false boundaries and finish lines that exist in white supremacy culture and that mainly only exists for children of color. 

Every child is different and every human being works at their own pace. The best comparison is always against oneself. I encourage parents to ask, what did my chld learn today that they didn’t know yesterday, or last week, or last month. Because here at OCMS, that’s our concern. We aren’t worried about if one child is keeping pace with another, but we honor each child’s individual genius by encouraging them to continue their own race against themselves. And as they get older, I hope that I have supported them in building the self-confidence to welcome struggle with the full knowledge that that feeling of struggle is actually what it feels like to learn. 

So, is homework necessary? I’ll rephrase my earlier question and ask “necessary for what?” For some children, homework and extension work is a joy. For others, it is a chore or worse. So, if your child is in a phase where they are seeking extra practice in an academic area, by all means, give them what they crave. But, if they’re happy just learning about the world around them , just remember that for your toddler, every moment is a lesson in itself. 

The above is an oversimplified version of my opinions on homework. I find this article helpful in expounding upon the pros and cons of homework. Feel free to read it and share your thoughts, too!