assigning homework over break

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The Tyranny of Homework: 20 Reasons to Stop Assigning Homework Over the Holidays

M any students agree that assigning homework over the holidays really is a form of cruel and unusual punishment.

Upon returning from winter break, you’ll probably have a handful of students saying the dog ate their homework or it got blown away in a winter storm. But you’ll probably be surprised to learn that some research suggests assigning too much homework can be a bad thing.   A 2009 article in the Los Angeles Times , suggests that some districts have cut back on the amount of homework in the effort to consider children’s social development. In fact, the San Ramon Valley district modified its homework policy and no homework is allowed over weekends and holiday vacations, except for reading.

The US   National Education Association   recommends no more than ten minutes (of homework) per grade level, per night.

Homework has fallen in and out of favor over the decades. California even established a law in 1901 limiting the amount of homework teachers could assign. Assigning homework is highly in favor now a days. With recent trends of information overload, packed activity schedules, and childhood obesity, it’s no wonder educators are reconsidering their stance on homework.

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Here are 20 reasons why you shouldn’t assign homework over the holidays. Perhaps one of your students will print this list and encourage you to reconsider your ideas about homework.

• Students are learning all the time in the 21 st   century.   According to a   recent article   in MindShift traditional homework will become obsolete in the next decade. Thanks to computers, learning is occurring 24/7. With access to software programs, worldwide connections, and learning websites such as the Khan Academy, learning occurs all the time. According to Mindshift, “the next decade is going to see the traditional temporal boundaries between home and school disappear.” Try to see if you can bridge the gap between school and home by getting students interested in doing their own research over holiday break. Rather than assigning homework, create a true interest in learning. They will often pursue learning about topics they like on their own. After all, this is the way of the 21 st   century and information is everywhere.
• More homework doesn’t necessarily equate to higher achievement . Yes, too much homework can actually be a bad thing. A 1989 Duke University study that reviewed 120 studies found a weak link between achievement and homework at the elementary level and only a moderate benefit at the middle school level. In a similar recent review of 60 studies,   researchers at Duke U   found assigning homework was beneficial, but excessive amounts of homework was counterproductive. The research found homework was more beneficial for older students than younger ones. The study was completed by Harris Cooper, a leading homework research and author of “The Battle over Homework: Common Ground for Administrators, Teachers, and Parents”. Cooper suggests that teachers at the younger level may assign homework for improving study skills, rather than learning, explaining why many studies concluded less benefit for younger children. Many teachers do not receive specific training on homework. Cooper suggests that homework should be uncomplicated and short, involve families, and engage student interests.
• Countries that assign more homework don’t outperform those with less homework.   Around the world, countries that assign more homework don’t see to perform any better. A   Stanford study   found that in countries like Japan, Denmark, and the Czech Republic little homework was assigned and students outperformed students in counties with large amounts of homework such as Greece, Thailand, and Iran. American and British students seem to have more homework than most counties, and still only score in the international average. In fact, Japan has instituted no homework policies at younger levels to allow family time and personal interests. Finland, a national leader in international tests, limits high school homework to half hour per night. Of course, there are other factors not taken into account in the study, such as length of the school day. But in itself, it is interesting to see this issue from a world perspective.
• Instead of assigning homework, suggest they read for fun.   There are great holiday stories and books you can recommend to parents and students. If you approach the activity with a holiday spirit, many students   will be engaged . They may want to check out the stories on their own. You can start by reading the first chapter in class and leaving them intrigued. For instance, you can read the first chapter of   The   Gift of the Magi   and suggest students read it over winter break. With younger students, you might promise roles in a play for students who read over break.
• Don’t assign holiday busy work.   Most academics agree that busy work does little to increase learning. It is best to not assign packets of worksheets if they do nothing to add to student learning. You also don’t want to waste valuable time grading meaningless paperwork. Some studies show that much homework may actually decline achievement. Assigning excessive amounts of homework may be detrimental. In fact, a 2006 study by Yankelovick found that reading achievement declined when students were assigned too much homework. Actually, interesting reading such as   Harry Potter   produced higher reading achievement.
• Have students attend a local cultural event.   You can let parents know that instead of assigning homework, you are suggesting students attend a particular event that relates to your classroom. For instance, if you are reading Shakespeare, they might attend a related play or ballet.
• Family time is more important during the holidays . Assigning less homework makes it easier for families to have time together. Family studies at the University of Michigan, show that family time is extremely important to achievement and behavior. Studies on family meals, suggest that students who have dinner with their family have better academic scores and behavioral outcomes. Perhaps this is only a correlation, but family time is undeniably important to child development. Students spent most of their days at school while parents are at work. When all is said and done, remember what it was like being a kid. The things you remember most about the holidays aren’t the assignments you took home, but the time you spend with family and friends.
• For students who travel during the holidays, assigning homework may impede learning on their trip . The Holiday time is the one time of year that many families reconnect with distant family members or travel. I remember having to pack hoards of books over some holidays to Spain and it was not fun. I wanted to enjoy the time with family and experience the country fully. Traveling in itself is a learning activity. Let students experience their travels fully.
• Kids need time to be kids.   A recent article from Australia’s Happy Child website,   “What is the value of Homework: Research and Reality”   considers this issue and explains how children need unstructured play time. Homework can have a negative influence on early learning experiences. Suggest students use holiday time to do physical activity, such as ice-skating or sledding. Many kids don’t get enough exercise. Childhood obesity is a major problem in the United States. Suggesting students play outside or participate in a sport is a good way to get them to value physical activity. The holidays are a great time for kids to go sledding in the snow or play with friends outside. If no one has homework, classmates might exchange phone numbers to play together. You can suggest this to parents. If the teacher thinks physical activity is important, students will too.
• Some education experts recommend an end to all homework . Etta Kralovec and John Buell, authors of   The End of Homework: How Homework Disrupts Families, Overburdens Children, and Limits Learning ,   controversially suggests that homework may be a form of intrusion on family life, and may increase the drop-out rate in high schools. The authors blame homework for increasing the achievement gap due to socio-economic differences in after-school obligations. Consider challenging your own views of the benefits of homework and try to create a level playing field when considering assignments.
• Send a letter to parents explaining why you are not assigning work.   You might want to take the Christmas holiday as a chance to engage parents to play a learning game or do some art with their kids. If families know there is an intentional purpose to not assigning work, they may take the chance to spend more one-on-one time with their child.
• You can make the holidays a time for an “open project” for extra credit.   Students might take this time to do something related to the curriculum that they would like to explore on their own terms. Before the holidays, you might talk about topics or provide books students for students to take home. Learning for fun and interest, might produce more meaningful engagement than assigning homework.
• Suggest they visit a museum instead.   With families at home, the holiday time is a great time for students to see an exhibit that interests them or do a fun activity at a nearby museum. Sometimes encouraging these field trips may be more beneficial than assigning homework. You might want to print coupons, a schedule, or a list of upcoming exhibits so that families have the information at their fingertips.
• Encourage students to volunteer during the holiday time.   The holidays are a great time for students to give back. Students might volunteer at a local soup kitchen or pantry. Volunteer organizations are often at their busiest during the holiday time. Plus, students learn a lot from the experience of doing community service. I remember visiting a group home during the holiday time in high school and helping kids wrap Christmas gifts for their families. This is a great alternative to assigning homework, especially for Generation Y who highly values civic involvement.
• Develop a class game.   You might have the class play a   learning game   the week before vacation and have them take it home to show their family. My fourth grade teacher had hop-scotch math. We often drew with chalk outside to replicate her game at home. Try to think of a holiday-themed game or one that the whole family can get involved in.
• Students might learn more from observing the real world.   Learning isn’t just about paper and pencil activities. Teachers should also inspire students to seek ways to learn from real-world experiences. They might cook with their parents and practice measuring. Or tag along with a parent who is putting up holiday lights or building a shed. Ask students to observe a job around the house or ask their parents about their job over holiday break. They might be enlightened to learn more about the real world and different jobs they might pursue in the future. Perhaps some students might be able to go to work with their parents instead of a formal assignment.
• Go on a hike.   Students learn a great deal from nature. Tell students to go outside on a walk and be ready to share their experience when they get back. Did they observe natural phenomena you talked about in science class or different types of rocks you discussed in geology? Or can you tie their walk into a discussion of poetry?
• Tell students to visit an amusement park.   If you are teaching physics or math, amusement parks give ample room to explain the laws of physics and mathematical probability. This outing would allow students to think about the real world implications of science. You may want to even plan a lesson beforehand that ties this idea in. On another level, it allows students to create a lasting memory with their own families.
• Kids need rest!   Everyone needs a mental breather and the holidays are the best time for students to play and take a break from school. Kids need a full ten hours of sleep and adequate rest. The vacation time is a great time for students to take a mental breather from school. With many family outings and vacations during the holiday time, they will have less time to complete homework. They will come back to school feeling re-energized.
• Many parents and students dislike holiday homework.   You want parents to buy-in to your classroom community and support your endeavors with students. Assigning homework over the holidays is usually unpopular with parents because it may the one time of year they have to give children their undivided attention. Instead, you might want to take a survey to see if parents agree with the idea. You can then send a letter with the survey results. Taking parents’ perspectives into account shows you value their opinions and feedback. Students prefer some free time too. Not surprisingly one student created a Facebook page, titled, “Why do teachers give us homework over the holiday.” If the students know you are giving them a break over the holidays they may work harder for you when they get back.

If you’re still not convinced, check out this   fact sheet   based on   The Case Against Homework: How Homework Is Hurting Our Children and What We Can Do About It   by Sara Bennett and Nancy Kalish. If you still plan on assigning homework over the holidays, at least keep in mind some guidelines.

The US   National Education Association   recommends no more than ten minutes per grade level, per night. If you must assign homework make sure it is meaningful and doesn’t take away from time with families. And most of all, remember what it was like being a kid during the holiday time. Homework is generally not a part of those memories, nor should it be. Those days playing outside and spending time with family are lifelong memories just as important as school.

Childhood is over in the blink of an eye.

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Should teachers assign homework over school breaks?

Most students in school – whether public, private, or international –  can relate to the feeling of looking forward to a lovely break only to have a mountain of homework to complete.

The more diligent will complete it during the first few days so they can enjoy the holiday, but there are several who will wait til the last minute!

But should there really be homework during a school holiday? One teacher known as Sarah recently wrote on BoredTeachers how she believes that it is a mistake to assign homework over the break, even though she used to do it herself.

She wrote, “It’s taken a lot of experience and personal reflection, but after seventeen years of teaching high school students, I am firmly in the “not to assign” camp.”

She said that there was a time when she felt differently, especially when she couldn’t finish teaching a particular unit before a major break or felt like she wasn’t challenging her students enough, so she would assign some short papers or reading over the holidays.

“This was especially true when I personally wasn’t doing anything special over the break except staying at home. I guess I selfishly reasoned that if I was going to be spending part of my time off grading the work that I had already assigned, then they could be spending part of that time off doing homework for me.”

Are students spending the bulk of their school holidays finishing homework? Source: Shutterstock

But what Sarah realised is that she wasn’t the only teacher assigning homework, or who felt pressed to finish teaching what they’re supposed to before the break, which leads the homework to pile up for the kids.

“I was trying to do “all the things”, and assigning work over short breaks allowed me to fit more learning into each semester. Instead of focusing on increasing the quality of what I was assigning, I became more concerned about the quantity, convincing myself that the more I assigned, the better a teacher I became.”

Is homework just busy work?

When Sarah went on to become a Graduate Teaching Assistant at university while studying for her Master’s, she found herself on the other side of the desk and began to realise what was really expected of college students.

“All of my years of telling my students “in college you will need to be able to do this” felt like a lie. Yes, there were skills that I expected from my students that they did need to master to be successful in college.”

“However, skills were more important than me imparting all of the knowledge that I could and having them read everything that was humanly possible, in a single school year. In the end, cutting out a novel or short story was not going to break them, something I slowly realized as I made my return to the high school classroom.”

Both kids and teachers should be allowed to enjoy their breaks and use it as a time to relax and recharge. Source: Shutterstock

Becoming a mother also altered her views on children and the pressures they face in school. She wrote, “Parenthood changed the way I viewed my students. I no longer saw them as just students. They were sons and daughters with parents who were watching their babies grow into adulthood.”

Reality really hit home when her daughter started bringing home homework from kindergarten which seemed more like busy work rather than encouraging real learning.

“When she could have been playing or we could have been reading together for fun, she had to do homework for which I saw no academic value. More than before, I started to critically consider the homework that I assigned and reconsider the value and importance of each assignment.”

“These are the questions I have started to ask myself through every unit: Is this worth my students’ time? Is grading that assignment worth my time as well? What is the ultimate benefit of a given assignment and does the benefit outweigh the cost to both teacher and student?”

Sarah urged other teachers to realise that they are allowed to take well-deserved breaks, and in turn, allow students to enjoy those same, well-deserved breaks.

“We have to ask ourselves how much of a difference that extra work is going to make in the end. I know that some of my fellow educators, especially those teaching high stakes courses in a single semester, will struggle to cut back, and that is understandable.”

“But maybe the rest of us can take a moment to invite our students to enjoy the quiet, teaching them to practice the self-care that so many of us struggle with so that they can return to us after a break renewed and refreshed with hearts and minds open for learning.”

Homework can be good, but not too much 

This week’s homework for parents is making an Easter bonnet and a garden shoe box. What homework has your school set you? pic.twitter.com/Qw1NJcuvGj — Becky Allen (@profbeckyallen) April 1, 2019

However, in a study done by Duke University, researchers found that homework does actually have a positive effect on student achievement, especially for younger children.

Harris Cooper, a professor of psychology and director of Duke’s Program in Education, said, “With only rare exception, the relationship between the amount of homework students do and their achievement outcomes was found to be positive and statistically significant.”

But it is noteworthy to mention that despite the findings, the analysis also showed that too much homework can be counter-productive.

He said, “Even for high school students, overloading them with homework is not associated with higher grades.”

“Kids burn out. The bottom line really is all kids should be doing homework, but the amount and type should vary according to their developmental level and home circumstances.

“Homework for young students should be short, lead to success without much struggle, occasionally involve parents and, when possible, use out-of-school activities that kids enjoy, such as their sports teams or high-interest reading.”

Therefore, assigning homework over breaks is not necessarily a bad thing. But teachers should re-evaluate if students are really learning through them, or they would be better off enjoying a rejuvenating holiday with some light reading or a fun project instead of hours spent poring over difficult homework.

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Why We Should Give Students a Homework Break Over the Holidays

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I have so many fond memories from holiday seasons growing up: the smell of delicious food being made by my Mexican and Filipino families, warm light on the faces of my relatives, and lots of laughter. As I got older, though, things changed—mostly because I had so much homework to do.

Instead of joking with our relatives at the holidays, my brother and I would often sequester ourselves at the edge of the room, thick textbooks open and pens in our hands. Sometimes, we’d miss events altogether. When we did attend, the ramifications could be intense. During one spring break, I chose to go to an Easter party with my family. But by midnight, I was stress-weeping because I had so much work to do by the next day.

As a teacher, I now understand the temptation to give work over school breaks. There never seems to be enough time to do the projects or read the texts I’d like to with my kids, and asking students to work or read during breaks eases that crunch. I also worry that my students will lose some of their learning in the weeks they are gone.

Recently, though, my school created a new homework policy that, among other things, encourages us to avoid giving students work over extended school breaks. Our administration cited studies that raise questions about the benefits of hefty doses of homework.

I worried about how this new plan would affect my curriculum pacing, and about what my students might “lose.” But I realized that my concerns were really about my desires, not what was best for my students.

The new policy led me to re-evaluate my assignments and timing, and I ended up being able to make adjustments so my kids could complete necessary projects without working when they should be recharging. I’d worried about my students’ learning, but recent research challenges our long-held belief that students’ learning “slides” significantly over long breaks.

Taking the stress of homework out of my students’ holiday breaks is important. They deserve an opportunity to relax and rejuvenate as much as I do—particularly if they are overscheduled to begin with. Young or old, we all need rejuvenation time. In addition, more studies are demonstrating the benefits of down time for students. Having unstructured time recharges them, but also allows their brains to build connections that strengthen and improve their executive functioning.

We need to be mindful of other factors that complicate homework assignments over holiday breaks. We don’t always know what our students’ lives are like outside our classrooms. Do they struggle with access to the resources necessary to complete assignments? Do they have stressful home situations?

Here are a few ways we can send our students off on a positive note when they leave us for holiday breaks. I’m trying them myself this winter!

Provide activities that support students reconnecting with themselves, their loved ones, or their community.

While we want to avoid giving mandatory work to students, we can offer opportunities and ideas for learning-friendly activities they can do during their break. Maybe that’s an optional/extra credit project that asks students to interview a family or community member (though we should also provide time after break for those who couldn’t work over break). Or maybe we can offer students some ideas about how they could use their time to take care of themselves or their communities. We could provide reflection questions once they’re back from break, to help them find meaning in the experience. Encouraging students to use their time to volunteer or take care of themselves allows us to help our kids grow not just as students, but as people.

Offer opportunities to find a new passion, set goals, or reflect.

While some students may travel or connect with family, some of our kids may have a lot of free time over their break. We can encourage them to use the time to set goals for the year, dream big and draw or write their five-year plan (remind them this is for fun and plans will change!), or reflect on their year or life so far. We can also encourage students to discover something they’re passionate about, or use the time to pursue something they love.

Deepen your relationships with students and allow them to open up to you.

Sometimes, our kids are simply not given the space to dive deeply into something that lets them tell us who they are. Give students a project that allows them to explore their identity or have them write a story about their lives. This will not only provide some critical thinking, reading, or writing enrichment, but more importantly will provide valuable insight into our students’ lives and help us build deeper connections with our students. We can return the favor by completing the project ourselves or writing a story and sharing it with them.

After the break, see what stuck with students.

Instead of returning from break with the mindset of what was “lost,” give students a chance to share everything they remember from the last unit. Instead of assuming they all had a great time they want to share, welcome kids back with an opportunity to celebrate the experiences that stuck with them from their breaks. Help students generate a class-created study guide so they can review what they learned before the break. This gives them space to support one another and remind each other what they learned, as well as gives us an opportunity to praise students for what they’ve retained. It also provides important feedback for us on what stuck over the break and what we need to reteach.

Ultimately, our students look to us not just for academic growth, but to support their growth as human beings as well. Taking away homework stress over break may cause us to change our short-term plans, but providing them with opportunities and resources instead can have some long-term benefits that can change their self-perception and their lives more than a packet of homework ever could.

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The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/2018/11/25/despite-being-strongly-discouraged-faculty-can-still-assign-work-over-breaks/)

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The faculty handbook discourages faculty from assigning work to students over holidays, but they are technically allowed to do that.

November 25, 2018

Despite being ‘strongly discouraged,’ faculty can still assign work over breaks, by rochelle li | november 25, 2018.

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Cornell’s faculty handbook asks professors to refrain from assigning work to students over the break. “Framing assignments in such a way that necessitates academic work over Fall Break, Thanksgiving Break or Spring Break is strongly discouraged,” writes section 6.1.

But unfortunately, if students think they can finally catch up on sleep or bond with family, they might be disappointed as that clause lacks enforcement power, according to Dean of Faculty Charles Van Loan. Faculty in fact have “tremendous autonomy” in how they schedule their assignment due date, he said.

As a result of this autonomy, Van Loan said the best way to convince faculty to abide by the resolution is by telling them that “it’s really important and worthy of their consideration.”

“I have two basic messages to my colleagues with respect to the work-over-break issue. First, announce due dates early so that students can plan. Second, recognize that your syllabus may have been overstocked if you feel pressured into giving sudden work over an upcoming break. Try to be relaxed about dropping a topic or two,” Van Loan told The Sun.

Each semester, Van Loan receives three to four emails from students about assignments they felt violated the resolution. Van Loan then typically emails a reminder to that faculty member about the resolution. When the first version of the work-over-break resolution was proposed in 2011, faculty senators acknowledged intent behind the resolution, but debated the clarity of language in the proposal.

“It says ‘strongly discouraged,’ [so] I think will be inviting a lot of our colleagues to basically disregard this resolution, because I don’t understand it. I’m not required, so what?” said Prof. Wojciech Pawlowski, plant breeding and genetics, in a 2011 faculty senate meeting where this resolution was first discussed.

On the other hand, Prof. Shawkat Toorawa, who taught at Cornell from 2000 and 2016, said in the same meeting that he stopped assigning work over break even before the, recognizing the mental health issues students face.

“[Not assigning work over break] has played havoc with my syllabus, but that’s just life. And it seems to me it is entirely reasonable to expect students to take a break,” Toorawa said. “We should probably take a break. And we should stop calling them breaks if they are not breaks, if they are just long extended reading and working sessions.”

Amidst the debate, Van Loan says that school breaks should not be defined by whether or not someone needs to work. Rather, breaks are a time for a “change of pace” and faculty just need to clearly layout the syllabus in advance and pace the amount of material covered in the class, he said.

Students are also responsible for dividing up their work schedule in the way that suits them best, Van Loan said. Whether they finish their work before break or catch up on assignments during it, he says is up to the students.

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Why Do Some Professors Assign Homework Over Spring Break?

Professor David Bates teaches in the classroom on April 28.

Anna Kuschel May 3, 2023

As the bus left the hotel in Minnesota at 6 a.m. on day seven of the Wind Symphony’s Spring Break tour, freshman Kierra Mohalley took out her iPad to work on assignments due the Monday after break. 

Though the exhaustion from the tour was overwhelming, Mohalley knew that if she didn’t put time into her homework while on the bus, she wouldn’t have it finished by Monday morning. The Wind Symphony wasn’t scheduled to return to CUC until late Sunday evening, leaving little time for homework. 

“I had art projects for my 3D Basic Studio class I had to do in person once we got back to CUC,” said Mohalley. “This motivated me to keep doing my homework despite feeling tired and a bit carsick.”

Many CUC students don’t go home over spring break, as athletes travel for games or stay on campus for practices, and musicians in Wind Symphony and Kapelle go on their spring tour. Though students choose to be part of these activities, it can be difficult to return to school after break without getting the chance to relax.

“For students, I see break as a time to take a breath, rest, regroup and make a mental plan for how they want to push to the end of the semester once they get back to campus,” said assistant professor of business Donald Grenholm. “Students have a lot to juggle during the school year, so break allows them to reconsider their priorities and time management while there is still time to improve their standings in the course.”

Having homework that is due either over break or on the first day of classes following break is challenging as well, as students may not have time to complete these tasks. 

“I see students struggle to get back into things after break,” said David Bates, Ph.D., an associate professor of history. “I have always found March to be the most difficult month in the spring semester, because everyone is dragging a bit.” 

Historians trace the origins of spring break all the way back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, according to a 2013 article in The Atlantic. They dedicated three days during the spring to honor Dionysus, the god of wine. They celebrated the arrival of spring, the season of fertility and awakening. 

The idea of the modern spring break was introduced when swim coach Sam Ingram from Colgate University in New York brought his swim team to Fort Lauderdale to train at an Olympic-size pool there. The city saw this as a great economic opportunity, and hosted the first College Coaches’ Swim Forum in 1938. From there, the idea of a modern spring break grew, one that we are still observing today.

Though CUC students have a spring break, it can often be a time filled with tests, papers, and other assignments that distract from the idea of taking a break from school work and relaxing. Additionally, students who are on school trips are often following a very demanding schedule that leaves little time to do homework. 

“I think spring break should be a time for students to recharge without assignments hanging over their head,” said Bates. “I’m not sure how students would be able to get additional work done anyway, if they are traveling the whole time.” 

Senior percussionist Adam Schweyer had to complete a midterm for his Lutheran Teacher Vocation and Methods course while on Wind Symphony tour over spring break. 

“I usually try to get homework done before spring break, but that didn’t work for me this year,” said Schweyer. “I would say this was a reasonable amount of work, though it was especially stressful because we were on the Wind Symphony tour.” 

Though Schweyer found time to finish the midterm on the bus, he said the lack of quality internet connection while on the road could have been a big problem if he had more homework to complete. 

Schweyer’s midterm was assigned by Professor Jared Stiek on Tuesday, Feb. 28, before spring break began. Students had until the end of the day on Saturday, March 4 to complete the assignment. 

Stiek set this deadline to give students flexibility and allow them extra time to complete the essay exam. He hoped to alleviate stress, and did not want students to have to work on this assignment over break. 

“Every student has to balance their schedule to accomplish their schoolwork,” said Stiek. “If a student waits to complete this work until hours before the deadline, then the work can be stress-inducing.” 

Stiek understands the demands of tour, as he was a student musician as well at Concordia University Nebraska. Because of this, he aims to set deadlines for assignments in a way that gives students the chance to avoid last-minute stressful situations. 

Even when teachers assign homework over break, many are conscious of what students have going on in their lives, and try to make it manageable for them. Some teachers avoid giving work over break, while others choose to assign a bit more homework than usual the week before spring break. 

“This means the week before spring break can be stressful, but that is the nature of midterms,” said Mary Goetting, Ph.D., a professor of mathematics.

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LESSON PLAN

Should schools give summer homework.

Analyzing Authors’ Claims

Read the Article

YES: Harris Cooper, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University NO: Nancy Kalish, co-author, The Case Against Homework

Analyze the debate.

1. Set Focus Frame the inquiry with this essential question: What factors should officials take into consideration when creating curriculum?

2. R ead and Discuss Have students read the debate and then answer the following questions:

• What is the issue being debated? How does it relate to current events? (The issue is whether schools should assign homework to students over the summer break.  The issue is timely because disruptions to education stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic have resulted in significant learning loss for many students.)
• Evaluate why these two authors might be interested in and qualified to comment on this issue. (Harris Cooper is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University. Nancy Kalish is the co-author of a book that argues against assigning homework.)  
• Analyze Cooper’s view. (Cooper argues in favor of schools assigning summer homework. He says that a long summer vacation without schoolwork leads to forgetting and results in teachers having to waste time reviewing old material in the fall. He says summer homework can minimize these negative results the way summer school has been proven to.)
• Analyze Kalish’s view. (Kalish argues against assigning homework over the summer. She says that doing so might result in more harm than good, such as by stealing time away from play and other forms of learning, reducing time spent on being physically active, and turning reading into a chore. She says students should start the year refreshed.)

Extend & Assess

4. Writing Prompt In an essay, evaluate one of the debaters’ arguments. Assess whether the reasoning is valid and whether it’s supported with evidence. Point out biases or missing information.

5. Classroom Debate Should schools give summer homework? Have students use the authors’ ideas, as well as their own, in a debate. 

6. Vote Go online to vote in Upfront ’s poll—and see how students across the country voted.  

Download a PDF of this Lesson Plan

Do We Really NEED to Assign Homework Over Breaks?

by sarahstyf

It comes up a couple times a year. After being assigned summer reading and papers and a non-stop flow of reading and writing assignments since the first day of school, as we approach any set of extended days off my students will ask:

Mrs. S, do we have any homework over break?”

It is a legitimate question. I know fellow teachers occasionally assign homework that is due right after scheduled breaks and it is a question that I see all over social media with educsators, especially in the AP/Dual Credit world: to assign or not to assign.

It’s taken a lot of experience and personal reflection, but after seventeen years of teaching high school students, I am firmly in the “not to assign” camp.

There was a time when I felt differently. During those times, when I couldn’t neatly wrap up a unit before a major break (Thanksgiving, Spring Break, or Easter) or when I felt like I wasn’t challenging them enough, I was more than happy to assign short papers and reading over the breaks. This was especially true when I personally wasn’t doing anything special over the break except staying at home. I guess I selfishly reasoned that if I was going to be spending part of my time off grading the work that I had already assigned, then they could be spending part of that time off doing homework for me.

Except chances are, they weren’t just doing homework for me. I wasn’t the only teacher on staff that felt my classes were important and who felt pressed to fit everything into the limited time we are given during the semester. Since my third or fourth year teaching, I have struggled with the balance of finding more things that I want my students to do and deciding if I was assigning too much. I was trying to do “all the things”, and assigning work over short breaks allowed me to fit more learning into each semester. Instead of focusing on increasing the quality of what I was assigning, I became more concerned about the quantity, convincing myself that the more I assigned, the better a teacher I became.

I’m not sure what started to change my mind about assigning homework over breaks. I think I started to change my mind about break homework when I temporarily left teaching high school to start working on my Master’s degree in English. After eight years of teaching high school, for two years, I worked as a Graduate Teaching Assistant, teaching freshman composition classes to incoming college freshman. Suddenly, I was sitting on the other side of the desk and began to realize what was really expected of college students.

All of my years of telling my students “in college you will need to be able to do this” felt like a lie. Yes, there were skills that I expected from my students that they did need to master to be successful in college. However, skills were more important than me imparting all of the knowledge that I could and having them read everything that was humanly possible, in a single school year. In the end, cutting out a novel or short story was not going to break them, something I slowly realized as I made my return to the high school classroom.

At the same time that I was starting graduate school, I was the mother of a toddler and pregnant with my second child. While my experience as a college instructor changed the way I looked at college preparation, parenthood changed the way I viewed my students. I no longer saw them as just students. They were sons and daughters with parents who were watching their babies grow into adulthood. This reality hit home when my daughter was in kindergarten and started bringing home homework assignments that seemed more like guided busy work than meaningful learning. When she could have been playing or we could have been reading together for fun, she had to do homework for which I saw no academic value.

Our quality family time was stolen by meaningless schoolwork. If I felt that way as an educator, how did parents who weren’t educators feel about it? If I wanted that precious time with my own children, perhaps the parents of my high school students also wanted the opportunity for valuable family time before those family dynamics drastically changed when their children headed off to college.

More than before, I started to critically consider the homework that I assigned and reconsider the value and importance of each assignment. These are the questions I have started to ask myself through every unit: Is this worth my students’ time? Is grading that assignment worth my time as well? What is the ultimate benefit of a given assignment and does the benefit outweigh the cost to both teacher and student?

My dear teaching colleagues, we are allowed to take breaks and we are allowed to give our students those same, well-deserved breaks. While I still assign summer reading to my Pre-AP and AP students, I make it perfectly clear that if they give me their all during the times that we are meeting together as a class during the school year, I will respect their time during planned breaks. In return, I ask that they also respect my time during breaks so that I can spend that time with my own family (when I’m not grading or lesson planning, that is).

We have to ask ourselves how much of a difference that extra work is going to make in the end. I know that some of my fellow educators, especially those teaching high stakes courses in a single semester, will struggle to cut back, and that is understandable. But maybe the rest of us can take a moment to invite our students to enjoy the quiet, teaching them to practice the self-care that so many of us struggle with so that they can return to us after a break renewed and refreshed with hearts and minds open for learning.

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Students call for less homework over break

By Minqi Kong Photo Editor [email protected]

College life includes intellectual development, socializing, and fun. It also includes midterms, research papers and other stressful projects. Built-in vacation days like our fall break are a time for students to recuperate, to regulate a busy period of schooling, and to relax. However, many students say that too much homework is piled on during these breaks and takes away the time that they should be resting. Break is the time that students can actually relax, so we want professors to know that we need our break, instead of assigning overwhelming assignments. Based on the data from the American College Health Association Fall 2018 Undergraduate Reference Group Data, it shows that overall 69.6% of students felt depression and anxiety from college or university. No homework or light will be better for students’ mental health.

Breaks and holidays are essential times when people can be freed from the stresses of work and built up anxiety of studying since the beginning of the school year. It’s for relaxation, it’s for fun, it’s not for using all the vacation time to write all the homework. Willow Schaefer ‘24 said she was assigned a lot of homeworks during the Fall Break. “For one class, I had to write an essay and also had to read like 70 pages, and that was for one class. And for another class, I had to do like it wasn’t a lot of work for say, but it was like really tedious work. So, I had to do like, I think 30 something questions out of textbooks, but it’s like forever, because it’s tedious,” Schaefer said. “It took me the entire weekend to finish it. Because we have Thursday and Friday and I spent Saturday and Sunday all just doing homework for these classes.”

Schaefer also said many of her professors do not put all of the assignments on the syllabus at the beginning of the semester. This can make it hard for students to plan ahead. “Most of my professors don’t put specific works on the syllabus. They have what we are going to do on the syllabus, but they don’t have the specific assignments, so we can’t predict what assignments we’re going to get at what time,” Schaefer said. Professors should clearly state on their syllabus if there are any assignments that need to be turned in, or prepared and completed, around the holidays. This would decrease stress for students.

Jenna Walker, ’24 echoed Schaefer’s concerns. “If I use Thursday as a break and I had to spend all of Sunday and some of Saturday to catch up on the work that I missed. Because I use my break as a break. So I technically didn’t really get a break. So, I only have two days off which is a normal weekend,” Walker said. “I personally think that there should be no homework during the break at all, like professors should not be allowed to assign homework over any sort of break.”

Jeffery Trumbower, the vice president for academic affairs said there is no stated policy for professors assigning work that is due or just after a school break, like the fall break we just had and the coming Thanksgiving break. “Professors can give an exam or make things due just after a break if they want. If a student doesn’t want to do school work during the break, then they would need to plan ahead to get the project done or study before the break begins,” Trumbower said.

Tim Mackin, associate dean of the college, is aware of student’s concerns and anxiety. It’s hard for schools to adjust the assignments from different classes. “We should always be listening to students’ concerns. It’s always a balance between all the material you need to get done for a particular class to prepare for the next class. The nice thing is after this semester there are a lot of breaks over the summer, so I think that’s one way people look at it. There are a lot of breaks built into the semester. But, I guess that we should always be listening to students who are worried about those things.” Mackin said.

Students need a full break to adjust to the stress and fatigue they have experienced since the beginning of the school year. The purpose of giving students a break from school is to give all students a mandatory rest time for working so hard for so long. This vacation is what all students deserve, and it defeats the purpose of a vacation if it is filled with a lot of homework and takes the same amount of time or more than usual to complete.

The Thanksgiving break is coming, professors should reconsider the assignments they will be going to assign for students and allow students the opportunity to fully rest and recuperate before final exams.

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Please Don’t Assign Homework Over Winter Break

It sends the wrong message, period.

“Seven more school days til break!” Teachers and students alike have been counting down the minutes until holiday break. We are all ready for a rest from the stress and daily 5:30 am wake-up calls. Students are all looking forward to sleeping in, seeing friends, watching TikTok, and generally resting from the pressures of one thing: homework. Yes. Homework. Schools across the country still give homework over winter break, but here’s my take: Students need a complete break from all school work, and teachers do as well. Why?

Breaks increase productivity and creativity

Teachers need to take a break over the holidays. This has been one of the most stressful years, and we are all suffering from burnout or considering leaving the profession . A true break will hopefully replenish you while also leading to more creative ideas. Once you detach from the daily grind, you can spend time finding inspiration from the world again: through things you read and see for fun, cultural traditions and events, and conversations with family and friends. In addition, b reaks increase productivity in the long run for students and teachers.

It creates space for pleasure reading

Ask high school students when they last read a book for fun, and many will name something they read in junior high or even late elementary school. This isn’t necessarily because the student doesn’t like reading or prefers to play video games. Often it’s because books have become another thing to study in English class and not something to pursue on their own time. English teachers around the country have a great opportunity to “assign” reading for pleasure, without the obligation to take notes, annotate, track pages, and do other school-like tasks. When they return, converse with any students who  read over break, and you may be surprised by the authentic conversations that came with the opportunity to read for fun.

The final product isn’t worth it

Homework, in general, has come under fire in the past few years as not only unnecessary, but possibly harmful. Harris Cooper writes in The Battle over Homework : “Too much homework may diminish its effectiveness or even become counterproductive.” If this is the norm during the school year, we can infer that homework over winter break is going to be even less productive than normal, as students and their families are pursuing rest, relationship-building activities, and preparing for the holidays. Let’s think ahead a few weeks to what type of essay, worksheet, or project quality you will receive in those early weeks of January.

Start fresh for renewed motivation

Some schools use the holiday break as a natural space between the two semesters, as finals have just ended for many high schools and quarter three begins in January. Students are well aware that this break between quarters means you are not in the middle of a teaching unit, so assigned work can come off as extra or unnecessary busywork. They are called finals, after all, and students need a clean break between the successes or failures of the first semester and the beginning of the second. Work assigned between the two may be given without much context (are you really going to be able to present a fresh unit on their way out for break to contextualize homework you are giving?).

It sends the wrong message about work-life balance

Assigning work over break tells students and families that you don’t value their time together, learning outside of the classroom, or cultural traditions. Most teachers don’t feel that way, so don’t let your potential zeal to make it through the curriculum map create that perception. Model balance yourself by talking to your students about your plans over break and asking about theirs. Discussing the power of sleep, exercise, breaks, and quality time with loved ones both in this season and throughout the year might be the most important thing you teach them.

We’d love to hear—will you assign homework over winter break? Why or why not? Come and share in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

Plus, why we shouldn’t assign work on snow days, either..

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Teachers give homework over break, cause outrage

Winter break is called a “break” for a reason, to give students a break from the daily stress of school and homework, but some teachers decide to assign work over break anyway.

Homework should not be assigned to be completed over break because it interferes with students’ days off from school. Students look forward to breaks because, “break is supposed to be time with family and friends and not focus on school,” sophomore Connor Koch said.

Spending quality time with family over breaks benefits students’ academics. According to opencolleges.edu, “Assigning less homework makes it easier for families to have time together. Family studies at the University of Michigan show that family time is extremely important to achievement and behavior.”

Students do not want to have to worry about completing lengthy homework assignments over break since they might lack the time to complete all of them, especially if they are traveling. “Whenever I go on vacation over the holidays it’s stressful to worry about homework,” sophomore Anela Trakic said.

Over holiday weekends or breaks scheduled around a holiday, families may be focused on religious activities, not school. Even if they aren’t going on vacation, students may not have time to complete assignments, therefore making it unfair for teachers to assign work. “Teachers shouldn’t give out homework over three-day weekends because a lot of people celebrate the holiday and don’t have time to do work,” junior Gabi Giro said.

Another common reason assigning homework over breaks should be avoided is to give students a chance catch up on lost sleep. Students often stay up late to finish homework they have procrastinated on or haven’t had time to finish. This leads to loss of sleep, which is detrimental to students’ learning. Being able to go to bed earlier than usual will positively affect students. According to opencolleges.edu, “They will come back to school feeling re-energized.”

Teachers may think that assigning homework over winter and spring breaks will ensure that students retain information they are currently learning in class. Forgetting information over break could be avoided if units and unit tests were all done before these breaks, and students wouldn’t have to worry about studying during their time off. “I have unit tests in some of my classes right before winter break, which helps me make sure I won’t forget things for the test over break,” Giro said.

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Why not to assign work over breaks [episode 52].

Click below to hear why I don’t like to assign work over breaks:

Confession time: One of my biggest regrets from my time spent in the classroom is assigning homework over school breaks.

Not only did I assign homework over breaks, but sometimes I would even assign projects to cover things we couldn’t get to in class (cringe!) . As I spent more time in the classroom, I started to really reflect on my teaching practices and realized assigning work over breaks was not beneficial to me or my students. Today, we’re digging into why you should not assign work over breaks. 

Are you assigning work over break because everyone else is, or do you have a legitimate reason to be assigning work? If you are doing it because everyone else is, I challenge you to reflect on your motivations to see if it is really helping your students.

I have some things for you to consider when reflecting and I am sharing them with you today. In this episode, we are digging into what the goals are behind assigning work over breaks, if homework over break is beneficial, ways you may be assigning work over breaks without realizing it, how allowing yourself and students to rest over break benefits everyone, and practical ways to apply a “no work over break” policy. 

Don’t forget to grab your FREE winter activities for high school science . The last few days leading up to break can come with crazy schedules and unengaged students. These activities are sure to keep your students attention as we head into winter break!

I LOVE hearing from you! Send me a DM on Instagram and let me know how you unplug or truly take a break during school breaks.

Topics Discussed in This Episode About Not Assigning Work Over Breaks:

• Why assigning work over breaks is one of my biggest regrets from my time in the classroom
• What the goals of assigning work over breaks are, and whether or not these goals truly serve your students
• How having work over breaks hurts students more than it helps them, and why students need a break from school work 
• How you may be assigning work over breaks without realizing it
• Ways both you and your students will benefit from not assigning work over breaks
• Practical ways to unplug and give you and your students a mental break over school breaks

Resources Mentioned:

• FREEBIE: Winter Activities for High School Science
• Genetic Disorder Research Project
• Grab your FREE Classroom Reset Challenge!
• Follow, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts.

Related Episodes and Blog Posts:

• Why I Don’t Assign Homework in High School
• Decrease Grading Time: 4 Practical Ways to Cut Your Grading Time in Half

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Secondary Science Simplified is a podcast specifically for high school science teachers that will help you to engage your students AND simplify your life as a secondary science educator. Each week Rebecca, from It’s Not Rocket Science, and her guests will share practical and easy-to-implement strategies for decreasing your workload so that you can stop working overtime and start focusing your energy doing what you love – actually teaching!

Teaching doesn’t have to be rocket science, and you’ll learn exactly what you need to do to simplify your secondary science teaching life so that you can enjoy your life outside of school even more. Head to  itsnotrocketscienceclassroom.com/challenge  to grab your FREE Classroom Reset Challenge.

More Podcast , Pedagogy Posts

End-of-Year Resource Audit [Episode 131]

First Year Teaching? 5 Things I Wish I Had Known [Episode 130]

4 Things I Learned From Other Teachers That Changed How I Teach [Episode 129]

Admin Appreciation – The Best Ways My Admin Ever Supported Me [Episode 128]

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