A Prescription for Peace

The

English and French met memorably on the battlefield of Agincourt. During the Civil War, the North and South shed fraternal blood at Gettysburg. For many parents and children, the encounter over homework bears the mark of a similar armed struggle: Who is in control? What weapons should be used? What are the spoils of victory, the costs of loss? And the ultimate question of warfare: What is it all for?

I've had to ponder these questions as a child psychologist, an educational reformer and a father of four. I've got the battle scars to prove it. Perhaps the chief lesson I've learned is that homework is but one chapter in the lengthy book of parenting. The tensions can be reduced if the family's approach to homework echoes the broader relationship between child and parents that has unfolded over many years. Moreover, if families see homework as an occasion for energized action rather than angry reaction, homework can become a far more productive and even enjoyable activity.

We have many desires and expectations for our children, some explicit, some tacit. I hope my children will become responsible people who meet commitments; are generous to others; and are knowledgeable about the world, their heritage, the beautiful objects and experiences of life, the discoveries of today, the challenges of tomorrow. It's important to be clear about such goals. It is equally important to lead lives that embody these goals. I can hardly expect my children to want to study, to love music, to be responsible and helpful if those around them don't model such behavior.

In short, education is not just what happens in school; it takes place at home, on the street, in the wider community and especially nowadays as a result of daily exposure to the mass media. And yet, of course, we allocate certain facets of education to schools. We expect teachers to foster the basic literacies; to convey important insights and practices from our own society; to introduce youngsters to crucial bodies of knowledge and to the ways in which scholars have approached them--the "mental habits" of the historian, the mathematician, the scientist. We hope as well that teachers will serve as role models. As the longtime East Harlem school principal Deborah Meier, now in Boston, has declared with respect to teachers and students, "We need to be their Joe DiMaggios."

Enter homework. While much education takes place from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., it's valuable for students to do additional work at home--perhaps an hour or so in the elementary years, two to three hours at the secondary level. There's so much to be mastered that most students can't do it all in school. Practice is best done in the hours after school. Some projects need the reflective periods that can't be provided in the classroom. And of course it is valuable for youngsters to learn to work on their own, to monitor their own learning, to be able to use guidance and suggestions from parents and peers.

I believe the major problem surrounding homework is that it is seen as an intrusion from outside, to which parents and children must react. Youngsters value their "out of school" time; they would rather be playing with friends or watching TV than sitting alone at a desk. Parents are afraid that unless their children do homework, they will not get into a good college or will not develop good work habits. So at the first sign that the youngster is not performing well, homework becomes the central battleground of the after-school hours.

Let's say instead that homework were seen not as an intrusion but rather as a daily occasion where major tasks and opportunities of growing up could be worked through. Homework can serve as an occasion where one acquires a sense of responsibility. We should act--not react. And let me propose a meaning for each of these three key letters:

AMPLIFICATION. Homework can amplify what one already values as a parent or child. If one wants to know more about what a tax is, or how to read a poem, or how steady practice with conjugations can allow one to be understood in a faraway country, homework provides a wonderful means to reinforce these endeavors. Homework seems less problematic in Asian societies because families and schools are already in accord on the need for home study. Indeed, when Asians move to America, parents often purchase their own copies of textbooks so they can learn along with their children.

COUNTERING. Not every aspect of homework is wondrous. Some homework is boring drill. As a parent, I tried not to criticize the homework, since that causes tension. Instead I tried to complement it by providing alternative experiences or encounters. If the school insists on having students memorize mountains of information about, say, Central Asia without giving them a sense of the place, I would bring out a book or rent a movie that brings the region to life. If the school requires a lesson on rocks, one can spend an afternoon at a science museum, or for that matter on a neighboring lot or hill.