CHILDREN AND HOMEWORK.

Southland Times, Issue 21101, 5 June 1930, Page 3

CHILDREN AND HOMEWORK.

To the Editor. Sir, —I note the report of the Education Department re corporal punishment in school and was pleased to note that the tail was not going to be allowed to wag the dog. Another thing that needs the serious attention of the board is the amount of homework given to children to do. Seems to me as if the parents have to teach the children and the teachers examing them next day. This is very hard on both children and parents in dairying districts (I speak of one not 100 miles from Invercargill) who try to carry this out conscientiously. It is nothing for children to fall asleep almost over their lessons at night. The walk to school and back in most cases is tiring enough. Of course, some poor devils are made to help with the cows night and morning, but the cases are not common.’ (The parents should be made to sit up for that). One teacher was heard to remark, “Just tell me I’m giving you too much home-work and I’ll put you back a class,” which goes to show that the children are being forced along willy-nilly just to keep the grade of the school up or something like that, or is it to have quite a lot leaving school at 13 ? The idea of home-work is utterly wrong. Another thing that needs attention is the time of commencing school. Should it be 9.0 a.m. or 9.30? I maintain that if a school day of, say, 9.30 a.m. (as it should be) to 3.30 or 4.0 p.m. is no sufficiently long to teach the children everything (without any home-work whatever) then there is something radically wrong, and I don’t believe it’s all the children’s fault nor the parents, either.—l am, etc., “LOVER OF CHILDREN.”