Right now there is some debate on whether or not homework is necessary, and there are even some that argue the point that it is harmful to an education. While I definitely don't think it is harmful, it is fair to say that there is definitely the possibility of "cons", because no secular thing can be perfect. But I would say it is situational. I am a supporter of the principle of homework, but I recognize that if a student has no desire and puts forth no effort, most of the benefits will not be sown. With that said, here are ten things I believe homework does teach you. Be sure to read
BecKyle's post on the subject as well! She has the perspective of a teacher as well as student!
1.
Responsibility
I'm sure this is the most popular and common point to argue why homework is beneficial, and I agree with it. Had I not been given certain due dates and tasks to accomplish through homework, I would not be as responsible. You either give up as a whole, or learn to get things done and on time. Which brings me to my next point...
2.
Time Management
Whenever you are in a situation that has a deadline, you are practicing time management. Whether it be getting out of the door on time, or turning in a big project..you must learn the skill at some point in time. Homework helps to teach that at an early age. Managing all other aspects of life (especially in a more busy High School setting) while completing independent tasks with a deadline, is an important skill.
3.
Repetition
Remember learning your "times tables"? Or any other memorization of a product in math? Well if there weren't various programs and tools, that would be a very hard task to undertake. But because of the constant repetition of which you were given, you now know them. Repetition is very important. If you learn something, and then reinforce it within your mind several hours later, it is much more likely to be stored as long term memory.
4.
Perseverance
When that near impossible concept comes up and you are struggling immensely with understanding it, perseverance is a handy quality. Even if you get it wrong (and learn from your mistake-bonus), you can learn to persevere through difficulties and deal with them anyways. Tackling that homework to the best of your abilities and continuing even through failure is what brings that about.
5.
Confidence in the Area
If you are given the task of completing a sheet of homework in a subject that you are "iffy" about, and complete it to the best of your abilities..chances are you will feel more confident about it when you're done. Now of course sometimes you hand work in with the feeling of impending doom, that you got each answer wrong..but generally if you are forced to independently do something, you will grow more confident and become better at it.
The last 5 of my list will be more personal lessons that I learned from doing homework myself...
6.
Failure is OK
You are reading the work of an obsessive student. But really..I have had to learn to let go of perfection because I simply cannot obtain it. My younger years in school (and especially public school) I was the one who wanted that A, and wanted it fiercely. I grew to learn that failure is OK, and in fact, it's necessary. When the math concept came up that I could not understand, I would spend hours pouring over my homework and becoming more and more frustrated, consuming myself with the issue...to return to school the next morning and get a simple and sensical answer from the teacher. After a while I realized that my messing up and failure, taught me more than the concepts that I understood easily. When something takes you longer to learn, you generally end up learning it in more depth at the finish. My obsessiveness is definitely not something I miss, but it did help show me that failure is a great teacher.
7.
To Dig Deeper
When you just can't find an answer and you are working hard towards attaining it..you can also end up uncovering other knowledge that you missed before. When one is spending extra time devoted to practicing something, they gain a deeper understanding of the subject.
8.
Without Effort, You Will Fall Behind
Once in a blue moon when I would let go of my obsessiveness..I would just let go altogether. Certain seasons of the year, or times in my life have put me to the point where I didn't care at all anymore. I think everyone has a funk like that sometimes. And those situations taught me that if you don't try, you will fall behind. Now yes that is quite self explanatory...but it is an extreme case. Homework can also teach you that if you start to slowly let go..such as "zoning out" in class, or just circling a few random answers to a question when you get too tired..the slow fade of falling out will happen in a blink of an eye. You must stay on top of things for it all to make sense and fit together. Homework taught me to not allow, and start to recognize a sense of laziness or apathy.
9.
To Challenge Myself
When you start to really understand something, it can become much more enjoyable to learn. I remember once I got the hang of basic algebra (before it started getting all "wacko" on me), it was fun, because it felt just like a puzzle and I enjoyed challenging myself to see how far I could go. I think that if you are never challenged or never step out of your comfort zone, you won't grow. So, one way that growth can happen is through homework and self-challenge.
10.
Self Teaching
If you truly care about completing the homework, and have the drive to seek answers that you don't understand or know..you can practice self teaching. That is an important skill as well, because there won't always be a teacher giving you the information-sometimes you will have to learn it on your own, and in many situations I found myself thinking I understood, but going home to an assignment to realize I did not. Those were the times when I developed the skill to learn independently, which I use more often than not.
At the risk of further redundancy...Homework is important. I am thankful for the skills I learned through it and had never fully appreciated it until challenged to write this post! I hope it can bring about the same realization to you as well.
Well...there have been those days...anyways..
Thanks for reading, and Happy Tuesday! :)
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