Can We Do Something? A Letter To The Principal

Dear Xxxxx,

I just read a blog of an Illinois principal Tim McDermott whose daughter started high school this year. It's titled Overwhelmed By Homework. It is personal, well articulated, and real.

I would love to share it with staff, but you may the more appropriate person to do so. Also, I think it may be time to raise the question of what homework is effective and aids in learning and what is just busy work for the sake of work or maintaining status quo. I think many teachers give homework believing they are required to and rarely reflect on the impact it has on students' lives outside of school.

We know that there are many stressed out kids in our school as well. Many suck it up and only talk about it in real terms if they trust the teacher and the latter prods. High school teachers often have this notion that we should prepare students for the real world by treating them as if they were adults. No one's gonna baby them out there. We call it tough love. But, they are kids and we need to validate this fact with respect and compassion.

I know, because I've been there myself. I made mistakes. I gave homework with no feedback. Students did not always know if they were learning, and neither did I, because worksheets and busy work are impossible to keep up with. Sadly, this is as true in our building as it is in many classrooms across the US.

See if this resonates:

Overwhelmed By Homework

Can we do something?

Oskar