We aren't allowed to take grades on homework. We can count it against their conduct grade. If a student is out for an excused absence are not allowed to send make up work home. It has to be done at school.
This is because parents were "helping" students by doing the work themselves.
Yeah-- I've got juniors who are shocked/ "totally freaked out" that I assigned any homework at all, and that I require them to study on their own time instead of right before the quiz or test!
I am Simon Legree! And none of them know who THAT is, either!
This is a tough one. I teach at an alternative school where many of my students arrive with wrecked transcripts as a result of this very issue. When assigned appropriately, homework is an important extension and reinforcement tool. We often forget, however, that students often lack the motivation, time management skills and appropriate environment to make the most of homework assignments. This is especially true with students who have LD and/or AD/HD. If a child has difficulty keeping up with his pencil, how can we expect him to remember to take his book home, know what the assignment is, focus long enough to complete it, and then transport it back to class the following day (assuming it wasn't done on the bus)? I've come up with my own system of holding students accountable. They have two options: do the homework on your own time at your own pace, or take a short quiz at the beginning of class. They both carry the same weight. This keeps kids accountable and gives them a choice.
It seems to me like the only appropriate solution is every student does every assignment. If students know that doing work is not a choice, and not doing it leads to making up work outside of school hours, students will get it done.
Lack of completing homework is a HUGE problem at my school. In fact, a lot of students fail classes because of not completing homework.
I give homework in all my classes (I teach 9th grade World History and an elective class about local History that included 10-12 graders).
The kids that want to do well in school do the homework and the kids that just ride out their time in high school don't do the homework. They don't see the value and importance of it. I tell them repeatedly that they need to do homework or they might not pass the class.
Some kids lack a work ethic and just don't see to "get it" -
I've tried everything from calling home, keeping them after school, talking with them, etc. Nothing works.
Some of my colleagues have stopped giving homework and I find that a problem because it sets up the rest of us to fail.
FYI: My homework assignments tend to only take 10 minutes.
Commenting by HaloScan
