Do you feel that homework assigned when you were in school helped you learn or was it more of an annoyance that taught you nothing new?

[Ez-Bri-Z_v2]

This question is inspired by my daughter who refuses to do her homework and said I should ask people here whether or not she should do her homework lmao

(Ps. She is going to do it anyway, but she still wants to know so she can prove me wrong)

It definitely helped me

It didn't help at all

[Chazmatazz269]

Homework isn’t intended to teach you anything. The lesson, usually in a classroom, teaches the principles and homework is how we prove that we can apply what we learned. If you’re completely confident in your ability to apply what you’ve learned, homework is a waste of time. Unless you’re planning to go to college. In college, you’re constantly being tested for your willingness and ability to abide by the rules. They don’t care if you’re smart. They want you obedient and productive.
I was a C student because i never did homework once i was confident in my knowledge of the materials. Then i aced the tests anyway. I had to take a few tests over because teachers thought i was cheating. Once i proved myself, they brow beat me for my laziness but mostly left me alone.
I didn’t go to college. I went through an apprenticeship program and became an electrician. Where effective application of knowledge is valued above the willingness to do busywork. Ironically, i almost always did my homework in the apprenticeship, and i studied diligently for the exams. When poor application of knowledge and skills can get people hurt or killed, as well as cause catastrophic damage to property, overconfidence is a liability.

[Master_Debator]

School is some bullshit. Literally a 6am to 3pm job that basically does nothing but waste your time all day and then hand you a bunch of bullshit to go home and do it from whenever you get home to forever and then come back and do nothing in school again.

Put her in a charter school... serioulsly. You want her learning things or just learning how to be a Democrat? Do nothing in school all day and then do all the work on your so called "off time"... You're kid should get paid for that much work and that's how they program you.

Listen... I did regular High for a bit... it was just social BS with more BS. Time waster. It has become a daycare instituation for the kids while Mom goes to work to make more tax dollars. I finally changed schools. I was in Burbank even though I lived in Hollywood (this is all California). Burbank was my charter school. Movie star kids don't have the fucking time for your bullshit High Schools, I'm not a movie star kid, but I went to school with them... we didn't talk to each other... we picked up our work and went home. I went for 1 hour on TU and 1 hour on TH... take tests and go home. Waste my fucking time and I will charge the school for wasting my time. I wasn't the best student...3.8 GPA. But you know what...

Listen to your child... get them the fuck out of that bullshit. They're calling bullshit and that's probably because it's bullshit.

[Ez-Bri-Z_v2]

They were in a charter school back when we lived in Texas and they still got homework so not sure about the correlation there.

[Master_Debator]

Home work = time. Going to school and then coming home with the same ammount of homework = a lot more time.
I'll let you do the math. Forcing them there is probably wasting your kids time.

[RandomGirl42]

Sorry, but I am so siding with your daughter on this one. Homework taught me that school was a huge prison system that forced me to be inside doing homework when I really wanted to be outside.

I think if it had been presented different somehow I might actually have wanted to learn instead of feeling like I just wanted to get it done and over with.

And things are changing so fast these days I do believe our whole education system is pathetically outdated and needs to be entirely reworked. So, yes, she is right. It isn't teaching her anything new.

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

If it wasn’t for the repetition of homework, there was a lot of algebra that I wouldn’t have been able to remember now. And now that I’m an adult, I’m grateful to have an existence where homework is not the norm at my job so it makes you excited to grow up lol

[AI Opinion]

I’ve seen homework from three angles: as a student, a parent, and an educator.

When it was thoughtfully assigned—short, clear purpose, tied to what we did in class—it absolutely deepened my learning: practice with math, reading, languages, and writing made me faster and more confident.

When it was busywork or excessive, it mostly taught frustration and time‑management under stress.

Your daughter’s right that *some* homework is pointless, but she’ll benefit from:
- Practicing core skills
- Building discipline and habits
- Learning to manage deadlines

So yes, she should do it—but you’re also right to question the *quality* of what’s assigned.

[Zack-Bann]

When I was young I felt it taught me precisely nothing.
All irrelevant and random information that I wouldn’t need in my life or work


But now I realize that the whole idea is to have a repetitive exercise in responsibility and management of both time and energy


It’s a skill in of itself


The alternative of not doing your homework is being lazy and that’s also a habit. One that’s hard to break when you’re older


So now I would say homework was a blessing in *many* disguises

[MrChinaski]

What works in schooling?

Homework : moderate impact for very low cost, but weak evidence base...

https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit

That sounds about right.

Perhaps depressingly, when you do survey-based analysis, the number one strongest predictor of academic achievement is whether the child grew up with 100 or more books in the house. Who they are, who their parents are, the overall values they grew up with encapsulated in that one datapoint swamp any tinkering with teaching techniques.

[OneViewpoint]

Ah, the utter lack of perspective in young people who think they know it all. Yeah, the repetition and working through the lessons on your own outside the classroom help you internalize the material and teach you critical thinking skills.

Also a typical class is what, 45-60 minutes? If you spend an hour on homework for that class you've basically doubled the amount of time you spend on it.

Tell your daughter something she isn't going to want to hear. She's not capable of knowing what she doesn't know yet. She's just gonna have to trust people with more experience until she hits about 22-25.

Will everything you learn in school be of practical use in life? No. But the critical thinking you develop from learning how to learn will benefit you for the rest of your life.

[NathanDavis]

the thing is... every kid is different, and they all learn in different ways

the other thing is... homework might be more for grades, rather than learning, so even if they don't learn, they still need it for grades in school

personally... I hated homework, but I was that kid that learned all of the six grades... in two years, so by the third grade... "I had nothing to learn anymore"

but I still did my homework... because I had nothing else to learn from at home and well... I had to do something or go crazy, lol

[NathanDavis]

by the way... many of the kids who don't like their homework, dislike it because it is too easy, and not challenging at all... so it feels like a chore and a very annoying one

they literally see no value in it

so... as a parent, it might be a great idea if you look into that and find them exercises that might be way more interesting for them

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37meAwQqPsE

[Orion84]

I hated homework, when I was in school, and I never did any of it.

I would still get A+ on every single one of my tests, and I obviously knew the material. My teachers would always ask me why I didn't just do the homework, because I could be a straight A student.

My response was that homework was for practicing the lessons, so you could learn the subject matter. Since I aced every single test, I obviously didn't need the practice. The homework was redundant and boring, so I didn't do it.

They eventually concluded that school wasn't challenging enough to keep me interested, and stuck me in all the advanced classes, hoping it would make me work harder. It didn't. I still aced every test, and never did my homework.

[FunkyMonkee]

A little of both. If you understand it and you aren't given tons of it, it's helpful. If you don't get it or are given loads of it, it's no help at all and you're only doing it to get through it and because you HAVE to!
I think part of the problem is that some teachers feel their class is the ONLY ONE you have homework in so, they load you up with a nearly impossible task!
Besides, you're IN SCHOOL 6 hours a day!! WHY do you have to spend another 3 to 5 hours at home doing more school work?

[VioletHaze]

I was a straight A-student, but hardly ever did my homework. Just studied independently and could never remember my homework. If I did it, it was right before class. For me, it was just an annoyance as I learn best through long focused intervalls.

Why isn't she isn't doing her homework?

[Ez-Bri-Z_v2]

She is one of those types that if she doesn't get it right away, she gets frustrated and calls herself dumb which makes her not want to do it. We encourage and help her of course, but it's a nasty trait we need to help her with.

She did do it though.

[VioletHaze]

To add to that, the only value I see in typical homework is the bonding it provides to kids learning to read and do math. The parents should be involved at a young age. Otherwise, I wouldn't give my students homework, unless the school mandates it. Projects are different and I expect the students to put in some extra work. But small menial tasks (like reading this page or doing these tasks) I avoid.

[VioletHaze]

Ahh glad she's got supportive family. Another reason I am not a fan of homework is that some kids lack that at home. And they're just left with feeling stupid as they fall further behind.

[Ez-Bri-Z_v2]

That's fair and I get it. I was the type that would just ask for my homework at the beginning of class and generally have it done before thet finished teaching it. I hated having homework myself tbh

It's cool of you to be considerate of those students.

[MissSunshine2]

I was smart, I generally do well at academics, when it interests me. I was bored in high school. So I didn’t pay attention until senior school. When my HSC grade was a B. Good enough for uni if I’d wanted to go. But there was nothing I wanted to be there, so I went to community college, instead.

[7Phoenix7]

For me it was definitely more of an annoyance… and I was a “good kid.”

I would have preferred if they would give us practice worksheets, or things to study without having it affect our grades. That way, if someone has actually mastered the subject, they aren’t forced to do busy work.. and then students who actually need the extra practice still benefit.

[Still-alive]

I'll be real, homework never really made me feel like i got a subject. for me it was more during lectures particularly when the teacher is very passionate about it. those were the classes i felt like i was learning the most in.

so your daughter has a point lol

[Tiptoetamm]

It definitely helped me be a better woman know how to take care of a home know how to take care of myself know how to take care of other people absolutely was it a fucking pain in my ass of course it was

[Sunnyrjs]

It depends on the homework and the schooling style.
I used to teach part time when I was a student and that time I learned that not everything being taught to us in school in going to help us in real world.
So homework should be given to students keeping in mind what would help them in the real world.
But also something that will help them pass the exams.

[Bricealan]

@Ez-Bri-Z_v2 For homework in Geometry (plane) I had a tutor who live next door, and she got me through Plane Geometry, but I also needed a tutor in Algebra which I did not have. Homework in other classes, did not pose a problem for me

[AngryCarl3]

I always thought homework was bs. They could have assigned us work to do in class and it wouldn't have ruined our leisure time. Most time in class was completely wasted as far as I remember. One teacher had us stand on the desks.

[Phoenix98]

More it gave me framework to build upon as being naturally curious I devourer information and knowledge useless and valuable like a termite goes through wood.

[andreasderjuengere]

I was and am 'gifted'.
"Homework was a nuisance, Less blessed persons may depend on it.
In any of both scenarios "we" need to prove it by performance, though.
To obey for the sake of obedience makes "us" sheep.
Now ask: do YOU want to raise a sheep?

[WhitneySnow]

Homework rarely helped. The exception was writing essays and term papers, which really did help prepare me for college.

[AgentG111]

50/50 Most homework was because I couldn't finish it in class and at times it was in purpose to see if you were actually understanding and doing the work when the teacher wanted to test you.

[jahaims]

I didn't do homework. Just did tests and quizzes because they were weighted. I still got A's and B's without doing hw.

[WonderingManII]

I think teachers assign homework because they can't teach.

[Shrimpenjoyer]

It mostly didn't help me learn more, I think it's mostly a waste of time

[noohair]

Anything that promotes thinking and problem solving is good. Busy work is not.

[liorax]

Homework is helpful, although I would prefer not to do if I had a choice.

[Dullie]

She should certainly do it, that is only in her favour

[fonduegirl]

Depends on the subject. I hated math lmao

[exitseven]

some of it helped me. It depends on the course.

[Kelly6]

@Ez-Bri-Z_v2 It helped

[Mastergirl]

It taught me absolutely nothing

[Pterodon]

I hated school and everything associated with it.

[msc545]

It helped me a lot.

[msc545]

My biggest problem with homework was that there was usually not enough of it, and it wasn't interesting enough. I solved those problems by asking for more of it and being very specific about what was interesting and what they had given me. My teachers paid attention to those comments, and before I knew it, I had a lot of material that was absolutely fascinating. I have a really hyperactive sense of curiosity, and it served me well to have that amount of homework at that time in my life. I continue to have almost uncontrollable curiosity, and I go down a lot of rabbit holes looking at things on the internet or at my local library that I really can't put down.

[Gexuoo]

It helps