Homework; Student’s Biggest Nighmare

I remember times when I was in a higher institution, compared to elementary school, and I thought things would be way different. But I was just so wrong then. Nothing was different, just that there were a few changes, and they came in an advanced way.

There is an aspect of freedom to what you can wear, when you can attend classes, if you like, you can skip all classes for the whole session, no one is concerned about that, it all falls back to your determination to succeed. But some of the aspects that didn’t change are those of exams and assignments.

I was in a conversation with a friend some time ago that we should just imagine how interesting schooling would have been if we were not to have any exams, just get to class, take lectures, and then head back home. But why do they still have to examine us after they already taught us? That is, they don't trust us, and even their method of teaching is too.

Homework in our elementary school is one of our biggest nightmares. One thing I like about doing homework is when they are simple things, like drawing a cat and coloring it. No one reminds me before I take it out from my bag and have it.

But when it’s mathematics, I am always so reluctant, but why homework? My happiest days are when our class teacher announces that there is no homework today, or maybe they forget to give us any homework.

I know that evening is a full-time play session for me. So, homework is like a control for students not to feel too relaxed after school hours, it also serves as a reminder of what was taught in class. The funniest part is that even though it won't take students a couple of hours to finish up their homework at home, some will still come to school the next day without doing it.

That will tell that such a child has been exposed to too much freedom at home and has little or no control and guidance from parents or guardians.

There was a time in my early elementary days. We were given homework to do, but because our cousins came to visit us that day and it had been a long time since we saw them. That was an avenue to catch up with the latest gist and have fun. Mum asked us several times if we had homework from school, and that should be our priority.

I said No! She repeated it like she didn’t trust me. It appeared odd that we would not be given an assignment over the weekend. She left us to play and enjoy ourselves. Not until next Monday, and we have to prepare for school. She carried my bag and realized that I had books in it. Then, automatically, there is homework.

My mind came to the right place after the play was over. I remembered how we were bombarded with homework. Mum smiled and said she won't even touch it, she wants it to serve as a lesson for us. So I should go to school and receive a few strokes of the cane as punishment.

I will never accept being punished in front of my mates, especially for homework, so I decided to sacrifice getting to school late for it. I hung around somewhere and made sure I finished up the assignment before I entered the school premises.

In conclusion, homework is a good thing for students; it will surely improve their knowledge by adding more to what was taught in the four walls of the classroom, and also serves the purpose of cautioning their playtime when they are off school. The system has worked well, and I think there is nothing wrong with it if it continues.

My take is that teachers try as much to avoid overwhelming the students with bulky and hard assignments at home, this is because they need some time to relax at home from the stress they had at school, and also prepare their brain for the next day.

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This is my response to the HIVE LEARNERS weekly prompt in the hive-learners community for the Week 164 Edition 2, and the topic to be discussed is **NO MORE HOMEWORK **

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