Homework, what a crock! The most hated word in the student language. Every teacher knows that grueling sigh of “ahhh” following an assignment. Students hate receiving homework. I being one of them completely agree. Teachers hate grading homework. Parents hate helping their children on their homework (especially when it makes them feel stupid). So really, if you think about it, all American society loathes homework. So the real question regarding this ridiculous concept of “learning” is: “Does homework actually help students learn or just memorize?”
I know from experience that in studying for an exam or reading a book for a paper, I tend to memorize the material. I do not spend my precious time absorbing all the information being provided. There is just too much information going on all at once. And for those in college, watch out! You will encounter books that range from $50 to $500 all for the sake of memorization. What’s worse, is that after reading textbooks students are left with confusing sentence structure and insane vocabulary. To a point that you have to re-read a whole paragraph just to grasp its meaning. What would have taken you 30 minutes to read, now took you 2 hours.
Aside from the textbooks, let’s discuss the classes. Most students do not take one class. Most register for two to six classes a semester depending on their availability. That equals out to six or eight textbooks that one has to read in order to pass the class. So not only do I not want to spend my time absorbing all this information, but I don’t have the time. Therefore, I am only left with one option—memorize the sucker!
What is the difference between learning and memorizing? They both involve reading and studying. However, there is one key component which separates them. No long-term memory. When I memorize, it’s for my short term memory. Whether some material slips by and gets transported to the long-term memory, that was just an unintended outcome. The real intentional result I want is to get a good grade on the test. So when one semester ends and another begins, I have forgotten most of what I memorized. I think that is somewhat of a good thing, because otherwise, I think my brain would explode.
Although I find myself extremely bitter towards the word “homework”, and although I am biased towards research that explains homework doesn’t actually teach, I do find in my own experience, after a semester, that I do feel a little smarter. I think perhaps that some information I memorized escaped my short-term memory and implanted itself in my long-term. Or at least that’s what I am hoping for.
Furthermore, I do have to argue that homework does more than aggravate me; it prepares me for the future. Especially now today in the economy, the workforce shows no mercy. Your boss will give you more work to do over the weekend, and either you do it by the deadline or guess what, bye-bye birdie. So in a manner of speaking, homework does prepare a student for their future career.
Unfortunately, there is a divine purpose in writing endless papers and taking countless exams. It prepares a student for the workforce. But who cares about tomorrow, what about today? I don’t feel like doing homework. What a crock!
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