The Case Against Homework

CBS Evening News: Fifth Grader Issues Manifesto Against Taking Schoolwork Home

(CBS)  Even though he's just a fifth grader, 11-year-old Ben Berrafato is challenging - seriously challenging - one of this country's most enduring and widely held beliefs: The belief that kids need homework.

"Where has it been proven, in these many centuries of this work, that it has been good for anyone?" Ben said.

Ben's crusade against homework began with a simple assignment, CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman reports. For English class at New Lane Elementary in Selden, N.Y., Ben had to write about something he was passionate about - and since Ben hates homework he wrote about that. And he did so quite creatively.

Part of his essay reads: "Homework is assigned to students like me without our permission. Thus, homework is slavery. Slavery was abolished with the passing of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. So every school in America has been illegally run for the past 143 years."

On a whim, Ben sent a copy of his essay to the New York Daily News.

"And I got like this humongous section of the op-ed page," he said.

It then circulated on the Internet, Ben started doing talk shows, and a monster was born.

"School should stay at school," he said. "When it is brought home in a backpack, it causes problems."

For teachers and school administrators, Ben's whole argument borders on blasphemy. Certainly most would dismiss it as wishful propaganda - if not for the simple fact that the kid may be right.

"He's really onto something here," said Nancy Kalish, who co-authored a book called "The Case Against Homework."

"As he pointed out, there is almost zero connection, correlation between homework and any type of achievement in elementary school," Kalish said.

In researching his essay, Kalish says Ben really did his homework, so to speak, citing the very latest studies.

"Kids who do 60 to 90 minutes of homework in middle school and over two hours in high school actually do worse than average in standardized tests," his essay read.

How far is Ben going to take it?

"As far as I can," he said. "As far as possible."

---

Read more about Ben's quest on Couric & Co.

---

"I have a petition and I'm going to try and get a law abolishing homework," he said.

Ben plans to send the signatures to Congress.

He says just about everybody's been supportive. Except … his principal.

"You know, a famous historian once said, 'I may not agree with what you say, but I'll defend to the death you're right to say it,'" the principal said. "You know who that was? I believe it was Patrick Henry. I could be wrong. I learned that a long time ago in homework and I've forgotten it."

Ben says she just proved his point right there.

"If you're going to do homework then forget what it is, then why even do it?" Ben asked.

Of course, now he's probably got homework and detention.

"It's an interesting thought," the principal said.

Not that it would deter him anyway. To paraphrase what Patrick Henry actually said: Give me liberty from homework or give him … extra credit, at least.

[killertoua]

Go kids go pwn the law :P also the 2rd below comment on me is totally wrong we get homework and force to do it :P the parent and teacher are forcing you to do it but you don't want trouble so you just go along with it but those who refused....GO For It and Pwn Them.Also your wrong jerk!

[homeworkiscool]

This kid just didn't want to do his homework. Don't you know that if you push not doing homework then your teachers will just try and fit it all into the school day just causing stress to the kids to hurry. When its at home they at least have a few hours to do it. Also, I doubt they would be able to easily do essays all at school, and forget about interviews. If you can't do school work out of school then you would have to invite them to come to your school for the interview. That would just be a waste of time and money. So kid, guess what my advice is to you... JUST SUCK IT UP AND DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Ayla87]

"You know, a famous historian once said, 'I may not agree with what you say, but I'll defend to the death you're right to say it,'" the principal said. "You know who that was? I believe it was Patrick Henry."

Is anyone going to tell this fool thats Voltiare's quote and not Patrick Henry's?

The principal just proved this boy's point right there. As well as anyone else who's against forced government indoctrination.

[xKiyohime]

Homework, as far as I am concerned is only useless in a useless class.
Honestly, why must I read the odyssey? Will I EVER be escaping sirens, or cyclops in REALITY? Why not have an accounting class be a necessary class for everyone to take? I mean, we will have to manage our money in REAL LIFE, right? Why is it necessary to take Algebra? Where the hell am I ever going to use the substitution method, or use variables such as x and y? I mean, unless you plan on being a mathematician.

I enjoy science, yes, unless you plan to be a scientist-- is it needed?
And honestly, US History? That class is useless. Everyone we learn about is deceased. We have our future to plan for; Not our past. And don't even give me that that bullcrap that 'we learn from our past, and we oughta not do it again.' Tell that to someone who wants to be leader of our country. They can study history on their own time.

I agree with this kid when he calls it "Slavery." School is MAKING us learn useless information without us having a say in what we want to learn.

I would like take an accounting class; learn how to manage money. I would like to take an auto-mechanics class; learn how to fix a car. I would like to take a computer class; learn how to fix a computer. I would also like to be a musician.

Unfortunately, I have to go through four more years of stressful and useless ******** of learning crap that has nothing to do with THE REAL WORLD. All I am asking is "why are we learning this, if it won't help me in the future?"

I say we go back to apprenticeships. We start when we're young and train in one thing and we do that for the rest of our lives; You want to be a technician, go for it. You want to be a doctor, go for it. You want to be a scientist, go for it. You take what's necessary for you to SUCCEED in your choice. Not what everyone SAYS you MUST learn and DO when it won't actually help you later in life.

[Indigo1299]

I'm a mother of 5 (two are mine and 3 are my husbands), the amount of time we send our kids to school isn't long enough for children to get all the information they need which is why they give homework to students, And there are plenty of students that can't get the alotted classwork done in time and have to bring it home. I have gone to school in japan and they attend school alot more then our kids in the US do. they also go to school on saturdays and year round AND STILL GET HOMEWORK. Take one of their average students vs one of our average students and see who does better on an exam. If homework was "slavery" they would get whipped for not doing it. Homework isn't against our constitutional rights because they have a choice and a right to not do it. If you want a good future and good grades then you do it. If you don't then flunk and get a deadend job for the rest of your life. Either way you have a CHOICE. Nobody likes homework, just like there is alot of jobs out there that you have to bring your work home. It's part of life, get used to it or move to a 3rd world country that doesn't have homework let alone school. I'm so sick of ppl whining these days about everything.

[Danielle325]

I am a mother of 3 and I don't think homework is as bad as everyone is making it out to be. My oldest has trouble with some of his subjects so his homework gives him more practice with writing, reading, and math. Maybe instead of trying to get rid of it all together, everyone could work together and discuss the amount of homework. Parents and students alike should be able to talk to the school and their teachers and find a common ground. I can see the point Ben is making, but on the other hand, homework can be very helpful. The schools and teachers shouldn't expect their student to go home in one night and write a 10 page report. Then again students that need the extra help or extra practice with some subjects should take it upon themselves to do some work at home. There are plenty of adults out in this world whoe get paid a certain amount for their work, but there are some who take their work home with them to go over it again and don't get paid extra for it. Most teachers take their work home with them. Like the reports, essays, tests that need graded that the teachers didn't have time to grade because they were teaching all day. That goes to show that students aren't the only ones with homework. Then as far as homework goes... what about all the mothers who stay home everyday to take care of their children? That is a 24 hour job that they don't get paid for at home. Wouldn't that to some degree be considered as homework, since it is work done at home? I could come up with a lot more examples, but I'm sure everyone gets my point. Thank you.

[Jeffrey1983]

Homework may be a form of slavery, but then again if you take homework out of schools. Then maybe we should extend the amount of time for school or even make it all year round. That way you can still get the benefits of that homework and the teachers can have enough time to teach you all the information you get out of doing homework . I might have hated to do homework but it did give me some great education on topics that i love today and didn't like then. So in a way homework has helped me out a lot and to that i should say thank you to my teachers for giving it to me.

[southernsenior]

sorry, Kid! You have to catch up with the rest of the world!

[jdlc9215]

I agree with this kid 100%. As a high school student, I get homework from all of my classes. I get out of school at 4:15 and because I walk 35 minutes to get home, I start my homework at 5:00. At 6:00 my mom calls me down for dinner. And because I'm still not done, after dinner I go straight to my computer to do it. I don't finish until 10:30. Homework is more school work and school work should stay in school. When we get out of school, we go upstairs and do more work in our books. We don't have time to spend with our parents. What's even worse is that we get homework on the weekends, when we want to relax. It is like slavery because teachers are forcing us to work and we don't get paid for it. At least pay the parents because they usually help their kids with their homework. Homework is not needed!!!!!

[pylon4]

well the quote is usually attributed to Voltaire, not Patrick Henry and there is even more to the story. (http://www.classroomtools.com/voltaire.htm)
However, neither Patrick Henry or Voltaire were historians they were people you learn about in history, at least they are if you do your homework ;)

[r_parish]

I have to agree with alot of the comments on here. My biggest problem with my kids having homework is that right now they have a 2 hr bus ride to and from school.
Add this to a normal school day and my kids already have a 12 hr day.
Add homework and they don't have time to eat, drink or bathe.
I do think that homework is wrong, we pay teachers to teach, why do we have to spend what little time we have with our children doing the teachers job.
If I wanted to home school my kids I would. But I dont feel qualified to teach my kids, I did not go to school to get a teaching degree, but I am paying someone who did to send work home with my children that I have to understand in order to help them with it.
Most of the things that I learned I dont use anymore so to help my kids I have to relaern this stuff, is this fair to parents or children. NO! It just creates stress and arguements at home over what....HOMEWORK.

[bigclarinet0719]

I do not think that Ben is saying this just to get out of homework. If you would listen to him speak, he is way more advanced than most of the kids in my high school! I think he sees something as wrong and is trying to change it. He is not a slacker by any means.

[Art_C]

The issue here is homework slavery. Permission was granted by his parents by sending him to school. There is a contract. Business Law 101. So slavery doesn't exist. Would he complain if his parents asked to take out the trash. I didn't see the sources of his statistics. Many people in the working world and college student do work at home. Sometimes the best inspirations come from doing things at home in familiar surroundings.

You never know how one subject relates to another. I learned drill bit sizes 1/2 " = .5" and 1/4" = .25" and so on. up to 1/16 " = .0625" This is helpful in many other industries. I learned this at home.

Try to get a job without using correct grammar or spelling both written and verbal.

Practice makes perfect ask actors/actresses who practice all the time. Some do this more than others.

Just because you don't like something doesn't mean you can call it slavery to get out of doing it. From a famous speech "We don't do something because it's easy , but because it's hard" JFK

Homework teaches one other thing responsibility.

While I haven't seen how much homework he has to do, but I would be curious to see both typical and atypical assignments. Neither has been published so I can only conclude he just doesn't want to work.

[bigclarinet0719]

I think Ben has a good point. Homework is draining the students of America. More than ever, everybody expects everyone to be involved in everything. Between meetings and extracurriculars before school and after school activities and jobs, students are having a hard time finding time to do the enourmous amount of homework shoved in students' faces. I start my school day at 7:15 every day and go to work right after school until 5. I then have duties at home to get finished along with homework and practicing for music lessons that take up most of my weekend. Where is there time to be a kid? If you are thinking, "Why don't you cut something out?" tell me what to cut out. To get scholarship money and to get in to the college you desire, you must have volunteer hours, well-rounded background, and test scores to match. Many kids also have religious obligations to attend to. I am not suggesting to get rid of homework completely, but at least lighten the load. Kids have the rest of their lives to work; let them enjoy their prime years in life.

[burdick4]

pfhirsch - thank you for your post. I could try and come up with excuses for why I neglected to proofread, but I won't fall into that trap - I stand corrected. I've made note of the misspelled words and incorrect punctuation. One of my sentences should have been stated in this manner - However,don't blow it or waste your time not doing something that is at its core designed to benefit your "brain". Brian

[ecoliateme]

I understand the point of homework TO A CERTAIN DEGREE. However, when people like me (I am a sophomore in high school) get hours of homework all in one night it is almost impossible to finish it. I know people who are in sports don't get home until five or six at the earliest. They then have to eat dinner and do chores, and oftentimes before they finish their homework it is 10:30 or 11 at night, sometimes even later. Sometimes they also have tests to study for and do not have time to do that. My school starts at 7:30. 10:30 to 6:30 is 8 hours of sleep. That is the earliest time to go to bed and latest time to get up for most people involved in extra-curricular activities. Homework should be kept to a minimum so that we can be awake and focus during school. This would also help teachers to get more done during the school day.

[pfhirsch]

The Evening news staff was lazy, not bothering to look up the true source of the principal's quote, Voltaire. She should have been called on it, and you dropped the ball by not doing so. I think Ben has a point. What did homework do for the Pennsylvania educator with 20 years' experience who posted a comment here? He misspelled "its", "necessarily" and "discipline" in his comment, and he split "overabundance" into two words. And then there is this curious, and revealing sentence: "What you really need to take into consideration is to learn respect with those in authority over you?" Why the question mark at the end? His main qualification as a teacher seems to be a fondness for his own words. I am glad I was never his student.

[arnoldbowers]

This boys pea size brain has over loaded his alligator size mouth, and it needs a size 10 shoe shoved into it as well up his rear end. When and where was it ever written that 10 year old children ever has a say in any school, heck I bet if one asked him school would start at 11 AM and get out at 11:15 AM. They are to attend and do as told to do so long as it is not a criminal act nothing less.. He is a blooming idiot and his parents were without a doubt blooming idiots that beget him. Frank Bowers

[tcopland]

Stick to the issue!! Republican, Democrat, Parents%u2026 you are angry and looking for an opportunity to lash out. Shame on you! Stop pointing fingers.

I am a college graduate, full time working mother of a 7 year old in first grade. The amount of homework that is expected from children these days is way out of line. I understand it gets worse as they get further along in their education. A working adult is expected to spend an 8 hour work week. My daughter goes to school for 6.5 hours and has an hour of homework to do when she gets home. Why? The school has her for 6.5 hours and still has to send her home to squeeze in one more hour with homework. That's a long day for a young child and they need their down time. I believe, just like an adult's work week, that time away from school is down time, family time, bath time and dinner time (a real home cooked sit-down family dinner-at a table) and children shouldn't be stressed out with packed schedules at such a young age. The teachers are paid to do a job and should get it done at school not sending it home for the parents. Maybe the teacher should dedicate the last hour in the day to do a recap (class work) for younger children and two hours at the end of the week for Middle & High School.

[user168-2009]

Wonder if little Ben and parents think practice playing piano after a piano lesson is "slavery".