French President, François Hollande, announced that he wants to get rid of homework in an effort to reform education in his country. Other changes include:
- Increasing teacher presence in disadvantaged areas
- Cutting down on students who are consistently absent
- Reducing the number of students who fail and repeat grades
- Pledges to hire 60,000 teachers over the next five years
“Education is priority,” Hollande said at Paris’s Sorbonne University on Wednesday. “An education program is, by definition, a societal program. Work should be done at school, rather than at home.”
Those who support a “no-homework” school say it helps students unwind after school. It encourages teachers to teach what is necessary during classroom time. Students who don’t have to worry about homework are more able to play a sport or learn an instrument.
This is definitely a topic that gets parents to speak out. As mom to a 4th grader and 1st grader, I definitely see why homework is needed. My kids definitely need to practice their handwriting, if only to get a good grade in the subject. They need to read outside of the classroom, because the classroom reading time isn’t challenging enough. They participate in Cub Scouts, music lessons, and gymnastics after school. Sometimes homework takes up too much time.
What do you think about eliminating homework?
