I found this article to be very interesting. I love how Orson Card engages you from the very beginning by describing the daily life of a student in a different perspective than I have ever thought of before. Personally, I have never been a big advocate of a lot of homework and I want to be an effective teacher that does not have to give homework. I believe as Orson does, that a child's "childhood" and playtime are very important parts of their lives. It is also interesting that it is almost impossible to create a fair study regarding homework and he points out some very valid reasons. I agree with his opinion of standardized testing because as the opposite of Mr. Card I have horrible anxiety about tests and usually don't do well on them even if I know the material.
"When the most-quoted "proof" that homework is "good" states that it can't be shown to have any benefit for elementary school kids, why do we still have teachers sending kids home with work to do from those grades?" This is a great quote from the article because it directly questions why we are continuing to do this when it does not benefit our students?
Even though I think Orson Card points out some very valid and interesting points when it comes to homework, I do think some of his opinions are quite strong. For example when he says, "Homework wrecks families". Even though I understand some of his points I think this is a little to harsh. I am sure homework at times can be a burden to parents and family members but I am not sure if that one thing alone could wreck a strong family?
On one final note, there is a part in the article where he talks about when homework should be given and this is exactly how I feel about this subject, "So that when there is homework, it's special. It's important. It's something so major that it really can't be completed on school time." I think if I can strive as a teacher to have great time management and have effective teaching strategies then hopefully homework will fall into the special category.
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