Moms Talk: How Much Homework is Too Much?

It's no secret that kids dread doing homework. But your kids' complaints and reluctance to write that 10-page essay may be within reason.

The recent documentary film Race to Nowhere looks at the sobering downside of academic pressures on kids today. The film began stirring recent debates and discussions about just how much is too much.

We decided to ask our Tri-Cities Moms Council to take on this stressful topic and share their tips for keeping life sane when the work gets to be too much.

, Union City, mom of three sons:

As both a mother and a teacher, I think that homework should be minimal and be tied into what the child is learning at the time. It should not be teaching new concepts, but rather reinforcing what is done in the classroom. I think that most teachers do not want to assign more homework, but must do so nowadays to keep up with the standards that are out of our control. The California standards are not developmentally appropriate. What I was doing in third grade is what children are doing in first and second grade now, and it is not because we've suddenly gotten smarter. Elementary-aged children should not have hours of homework to do a night. They should be allowed to be kids, and enjoy spending time with their families.

Jennifer Hill, Editor of Fremont Macaroni Kid, mom of four (two teens and two toddlers): 

I have mixed feelings about all this. My own philosophy has always been that homework is the child's responsibility and we've set up rules and guidelines. To begin with, the kids sit down to work on homework immediately after school while I fix them a snack to eat. They get busy and get it done quickly that way. When they were younger, I often sat at the table and read or worked on something while they worked, offering help when needed. We did a practice spelling test each afternoon, working on the missed words for a few minutes. Each day the number of missed words went down, and by Thursday afternoon they were getting 100 percent on their practice tests and went to school on Friday knowing they knew those words.

As for projects, we had more rules! I was to be informed of any projects when they were assigned. We'd look at a calendar together and figure in when they'd work on this "extra" work around sports and family commitments. If they wanted me to proofread or help type something (when they were younger), then it had to be at least two days before it was due. I never helped with it the night before it was due—they knew not even to ask me! The printer is always out of ink the day before a project is due or it jams or we're out of paper! That doesn't become a problem if they are focused on it before then. And the final project rule, which worked the best: every minute they stayed up late to work on something the night before it was due, they owed me every night for the next week, even weekends! So if their bedtime was 9 p.m. and they stayed up till 10, the next week they went to bed by 8, every single day. Only have to do this once to never again have a child staying up late!

Anyway, I dislike "busywork" homework. They have a book report? Great! Let them read the book and write an essay on it. But why do they need to create an entire scene out of marshmallows from the book too? What is this teaching them? And often these sorts of projects are completed by parents anyway!  

I don't mind the homework that is reinforcing the skills learned in class: math worksheets, spelling words, grammar worksheets, etc. But when they bring home something they haven't even taught in class yet? Yikes!  

Because my kids get right down to business with the daily homework, they really don't seem to have as much as other kids (I know they must have the same!). There isn't any fighting or stress. They just do it. Because I expect it from them.