SCHOOL HOMEWORK.

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 288, 16 May 1929, Page 1

SCHOOL HOMEWORK.

SHOULD IT BE ABOLISHED? Discussed by a School Committee. A variety of opmions on the desirability of homework for school i children were vented at the meeting of <he Matamata Junior High School Committee on Monday in pointed fashion. The discussion arose following the receipt of a letter from the annual meeting; of householders held at Waharoa, forwarding the following resolution:— 1 That this meeting of Afhe Waharoa householders protests to #the Matamata Junior High School Committee that the amount of home work at present allotted to the scholars is excessive, and the committee suggests that the same be reduced to the equivalent of thirty minutes’ work.” The headmaster’s report stated that principle of the mean or medium in all things as laid down by the ancient Aristotle seemed to have lost r none of its force throughout succeed- * ing ages. A Strong Bond. The abolition of all homework would sever one of the strongest bonds of interest between parent, child and teacher, and at the same time tend to - isolate the home from the school. Through tbe medium of homework the parent, could note many other things besides scholastic progress. He would discover the tremendous influence for good the conscientious teacher exercised over His or her pupils, the Iqyalty of the child to the teppher and school, and the desire of the child to please and give x of its very best. Parental interest Inland co-operation must always be recognised as an absolute necessity of educational progress; therefore, why hastily' abolish one of the chief means of obtaining it. -V Abolish Excess. The abolition of excessive homework, however, had much to commend it. No homework was one extreme, and excessive homework the other. Most children loved a little homework and felt tremendously important as they set about it. Their self-assertive instinct was for once allowed to function, and every assistance was given to the temporary I “Kings of the Gastle ” in doing it, so that their work on the morrow 7 would compare favourably with that of their class mates. No teacher would willingly impose excessive homework, and whilst examinations existed pupils wished to sit for them arid teachers knew the standard of attainment required. The word “ failure ” was like a death knell to the eager child’s ambitions, and so came homework, which, in the case of certain children, and especially in some secondary schools, became excessive. Two. Essentials. Those who, favoured the reduction

of homework should strike at the B root of the matter and should advocate these two prerequisites;— (1) There must be some, chance of retention after school. This had many advantages. It stimulated a fine spirit of work for the lazy person could not get away until he had completed his daily units of work. Another advantage was that the teacher could concentrate on backward scholars, while a third advantage was the pleasing moral effect a completed task had upon both teacher and scholar. No tasks could be left uncompleted in after life, and the same should therefore apply at school, which should be after life in embryo. (2) All external examinations should be moved a year ahead. That is, no child should be allowed to sit for the Public Service entrance examination until he had spent three years in a secondary institution, and eo pupil for his matriculation until the end of his fourth year. Regulations to this effect would serve two very useful purposes in that the ■ need for homework would be reduced to a minimum and also that education along broad cultural lines could he substituted for the narrow stereo-

typed cramming process that prevailed in most secondary schools today. A Country View. Speaking to the resolution, Mr. V/. R. Wilson (Waharoa) stated that country children were at a disadvantage compared with those of the town. A child came home with books galore, was disheartened, started to cry and was eventuallysent to bed where it could not sleep. Children were sent to school to be taught, and he did not see why so much home work should be necessary. He held that a teacher who gave excessive homework could not be qapable, or the work would not be needed. Continuing, Mr. Wilson stated that some teachers had to “ knock work in with a stick.” Mr. Scelly endorsed these remarks, holding that on arriving home children needed time for recreation. Some had to work on the farm and it was generally 8 p.m. before they settled down to homework, after which some of them had three hours’ work to do. Need for System in Homes.

Mr. Banks thought that a hit more system in the homes would often help matters. This matter had been thrashed out and it had been laid down that a child of 11 in the 4th standard should receive half an hour, which was increased to two hours at 17 years of age. A clever child would of course do the work set quicker. This was the standard set for New Zealand, and they could not very well ask teachers to depart from it. Mr. Wright endorsed the remarks of Mr. Banks. His child was always finished at 8 p.m. and had shone in his work. He thought there was a tremendous amount in the system adopted at home. Mr. Scelly stated that where sharemilkers were employed a system might be easy, but the majority of farmers were on one-man-farms. Uniformity Among Teachers. Mr. Mockridge: I should like to ask if there is a uniform system of homework with teachers This is because of remarks made by children themselves at home that they would like to he in a certain class because they only got a small amount of homework. Mr. Wells explained that there was a uniform system. They had to remember that a teacher setting homework was setting work for himself, as he had to correct it. In his experience it was the good conscientious teacher which set homework, and he was sorry to hear them referred to as if they were criminals, f homework could be abolished he felt that every teacher would shout

“ hooray.” If they wanted an alternative they must strjke at root causes when the whole thing would be abolished on its own account. Complaints General. Mr. Mockridge stated that while not disagreeing with Mr. Wells he would like to ask whether there was not a possibility of an extra keen teacher over-reaching himself on the question of homework ? Mr. Wells replied , there might be, but he would not blacken the teacher for that. Mr. Wilson held that they were trying to push children too quickly, 1 r.d there were useless subjects, such as science for girls. “ I’d like to know what good that does them ? ” he concluded, amidst laughter. Mr. Banks: Domestic science is all right. Balance Needed. Mr. Mockridge pointed out that it was a question of keeping a balance all round. For instance, they had heard of the influence of outside labour on the home circle, but he thought the home circle should influence outside labour. In further remarks, Mr. Wells minted out that he had to submit to the “ tyranny of the teacher ” as much as anyone, and had been told in regard to expression, that Miss So-and-So had taught a certain method and of course that was the end of it so far as he was concerned. A little homework was a good thing, and a child was keen on it. Continuing, Mr. Wells stated that it was not homework but the excess of homework that was the trouble.

Dad Worried. Mr. Scelly again disagreed, remarking that a child would say “ How do you do this, dad 7 ” “ How do you do that, dad?” just when dad was trying to read the paper. Dad would reply, “ Doesn’t the teacher teach you anything at school?”, (Loud laughter). f Mr. Wells stated that it was a very interesting problem. Whatever a teacher said was law to the child. Mr. Scelly: Don’t you think it’s fear of the teacher ? I consider a parent should be in a position to say to the child “Go to bed and leave your homework.” j Mr. Wells replied that he quite agreed with this latter view, but the parent should send a note with the child else other children would also be too tired to do homework. (Laughter). There was also the other side of the question: that some children were too tired because they had been to the pictures, and some others ruled the house. It took all sorts to make a world, and they had to try to take the happy medium.