Let’s picture for a moment a teacher
with two students: Student A and Student B. Student A is the ideal student who
completes assignments on time and to the best of his/her ability. The
assignments reflect the student’s learning. Student will ask questions for
material that is unclear and seek help for assignments to ensure accuracy.
Student meets success on quizzes/tests thanks to completion of various
classroom homework assignments. Because of this student’s hard work and dedication
to his/her work, the student receives an A.
Student B, on the other hand, may
complete part of an assignment but does not strive for accuracy or timeliness.
Student B’s assignments do not accurately reflect his/her potential. Student
seeks no help and, if student falls behind, student chooses to take a lower
score than complete the work. Student B does not meet success of quizzes/tests
due to their lack of homework assignments collected and graded. Because of this
student’s disregard for their work, Student B receives an F.
Now, stepping away from that picture
for just a second, we must understand how homework assisted Student A. The homework
assigned in class was not a massive pointless
assignment, but rather a reinforcement activity that solidified concepts taught
in the classroom. Student A did these assignments and, thanks to this, was able
to retain enough of the information for the assessment. Student B did not do
the assignments; Student B did not retain the information.
I am not for a second saying that
homework is the answer to a successful classroom. Quite the opposite, I feel a
teacher’s job is to provide students an opportunity to continue learning even
after leaving the room. That is what homework is. Homework allows students to
continue their learning independently. It serves simply as a tool for the
teacher. However, I hate assigning something knowing my students will receive
nothing for doing it. I try to give them points for anything they do.
In my 7th and 8th
grade English classes, I have to teach grammar. The students hate it. I don’t
enjoy it. But it must be done. I came up with the idea at the beginning of the
year to make grammar a gradual assessment and every week, we would cover one
grammatical concept. Be it Subject/Verb agreement or Direct Objects, the
students only focus on one concept for a week and then the next week, their new
concept builds off the previous. (Grammar is like the English version of math –
it’s cumulative.) However, as Stephanie said during the class session, how can I
punish a kid for not knowing something as fast as the other kid? That isn’t
fair. Learning how to identify a Compound-Complex sentence for one 8th
grader may be a cinch; for the next, it could be near impossible. That is why I
don’t grade on their mastery of that skill. I grade on their attempt. My packets are graded on completion. They
have been all year. The question, “Do I give 0s?” is an absolute YES! If a
student is not even going to try to complete the work, I am not going to reward
them. I will, of course, take the assignment late, but they will receive a
deduction in their score.
I believe that, as in the assignment
example above, homework (and as a result, grades) is a necessary evil in the
classroom. The grammar packets I give are not my student’s most favorite part
of the day, but it is a part they have come to be used to. That is why, when
Friday rolls around (and they are due), I feel little for a student who doesn’t
have it done. I provide time in class to complete the work. Yes, every
now-and-then, the student has six problems to do independently. When they are
scrambling on Friday to get the first page done because they forgot, I don’t pity them. How hard is
it to complete six questions? When it’s not done, why should I still give them
all the points? I would offer to grade on their knowledge of the concept, but
they did nothing to prove to me they understand.
Of course, the argument that “they
did not understand the material and, as such, could not complete the assignment”
may come up. When I am at the school from 7:30am-6:00pm most nights, I want to
say that excuse doesn’t work. Students do not realize that the teacher is only
the vehicle in the learning process.
They have to do the driving and navigating themselves. I provide the
opportunity to receive points in the classroom, but it is the student who must
earn them. I do not just give points
away.
At this point, I believe in homework
and 0’s. I feel that, in order for a student to understand their role in the
educational world, they need to know what happens if they don’t contribute.
Yes, it’s harsh and yes, it’s mean, but it’s also the way they learn to
complete their work. Eventually, in the real world, there are no chances for “I
just didn’t feel like it” or “I forgot I had to.” Students need to learn to
step up and take control of their learning.
