SOMWaD: Two Hours, Too Much?

Our town has an excellent school system; there is no doubt in my mind on this topic.  My son has and continues to have excellent, caring teachers.  But yesterday afternoon he came home with a backpack that weighed close to 20 pounds (I'm NOT kidding) and had homework in all 5 subjects.  From the time he got home (3:20 or so) till the time I got home, a little over two hours later, he was at the kitchen table working.  And I'm not calculating the extra time he needed to study for today's Social Studies test, trumpet practice and his regular required evening reading (which has to be logged).  For a 10 year old/fifth grader, I think two hours is too much!

Having said that, I'm happy that the above experience was the exception and not the norm.  I've heard and read horror stories from other parents about homework nightmares.  Thankfully, for the most part, my son does not have an unreasonable amount of homework to do.  Also, since the weekly homework schedule is for the most part posted on line, I try to keep an eye on what is to come, so that we don't get any nasty surprises like last night.  (In all fairness, I KNOW that every Thursday he will have to write a reading response for his Literacy class.  Perhaps I should have had him work on that earlier in the week.  I know I definitely would have if I had known that there was going to be assignments in every other class as well that night.)

I am not anti-homework.  I believe in using homework to reinforce what is being taught in the classroom.  Homework CAN be a way to expand a student's interest.  But, in my opinion, too often homework has become a chore that not only tears down a child's interest in the subject/school, but it erodes family life.  (How stupid do YOU feel when you can't help your child with his/her homework?)

Somewhere out there, I've read that the norm "should be" 10 minutes per grade level.  (So in 5th grade a student "should" have approximately 50 minutes of homework per day.)  I'd like to know if there is anyone out there who meets that norm.  My guess-timate for my son's daily average is 90 minutes.  (And again, this does not include the daily required reading, which is at least 20 minutes at night.)  I will also admit that my son is painfully slow when it comes to doing homework.  He writes slowly and is a terrible speller which means that work needs to be checked and "redone" as necessary.  (We run through pencils and erasers as if they were water!)  Homework can stress him out too.  (I'm sure it stresses out quite a few people; parents as well as students.)  He wants to get it done right when he comes home from school; something as parents we also agree to.  He knows that once he's done he is "free."  He can do what he wants:  play with Legos, go outside and play with friends.  (There's nothing sadder than having to turn a kid away from the front door when your child is still doing his homework.)

We do need homework, but we also need balance.  Thankfully, for the most part, we DO have balance in our home and school.  Days like yesterday make me appreciate the balance more (and feel for those who DON"T have it).  It also makes me appreciate the fact that the weekend is almost upon us.  While that doesn't eliminate homework (quite frequently he does have homework on Friday afternoons), it does give him more time to "just be a kid."  And that's definitely something ALL kids need more of.