Homework: Students, Parents, Families, and Teachers

Abstract

The arc of Spectral Educational Trauma builds with this chapter on homework. Homework monopolizes the time of students, teachers, parents, and families to the detriment of health and well-being. There is a discrepancy between what homework does and what it is intended to do. When well-intended educators and parents reinforce the fact that students need to practice, study, and memorize for hours and hours on end, every day, they reinforce the fact that learning is laborious. This is another example of “poisonous pedagogy” and Educational Trauma because it contributes to stress. It’s an Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) that ties students to school, even after school hours. Homework reduces the time spent on other activities required for the healthy development of young people.