I have recently become appalled at the amount of homework our schools are giving young people.

My unofficial survey of over a hundred teens found that the average amount of homework is 2-3 hours a night. None of the teens I talked to were lying, this shocking statistic is true! Even one 12-year-old I spoke to agreed with this.

What are we doing to our children - are we taking away their childhood because we as adults have decided that passing exams is THE most important thing in the world and that having fun and being a child is second on the list?

It infuriates me!

Imagine doing an eight-hour day at work and then coming home with an extra three hours work every day - would you be happy? Now, I am not saying that this does not happen sometimes, but every day, and lets not forget that we are choosing this, our children have no say in the matter.

Work/Life Balance is such a big buzz-word at the moment, with businesses now having work life balance policies and actually encouraging their employees to take time out for themselves and to spend time with their families.

The government is always harping on about work/life balance and how important it is for our welfare to get the balance right. As a nation we are doing everything we can to stop adults working all hours God sends and take some time for them. However, are we not missing the root cause, actually forcing our children to work three extra hours after a full day at school?

Now, maybe I have an idealistic view here, but I can never remember other than studying for exams, working that hard (and studying hard was my choice).

What has happened? Perhaps this can be put down to a system that increasingly awards merit and achievement over who a person is and their contribution to society.

Sure, grades are important, but there is more to life than getting good grades and I can certainly say that my degree is of no use to me at all! I have a dream of schooling systems that awards grades for qualities such as Commitment, Perseverance, Enthusiasm and Compassion.

Schooling systems that really prepare children for life (whatever that means to them), systems that award ingenuity and innovation. A school that strives to transform all the problems in modern day society and gives our young people a choice and a mind of their own.

Imagine been given a homework assignment that actually asked you to go out and find a piece of history in your town and write about how it is affecting the community rather than write an essay on the 1066 invasion - who cares about 1066 anyway?

Oh, how blissful this would be; I personally would pay any amount to give my child an education that encouraged individual thought and creative problem-solving.

Until then I am doomed to try to explain why spelling is the be-all and the end-all to my 7-year-old when her teacher continues to preach how important it is and anyone who fails may most likely end up sweeping floors.


© Sarah Newton. No content to be reproduced without written approval of the author.

Sarah Newton is Britain’s best-known Teen Coach, and Author of “Help! My Teenager is an Alien”.

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