Calgary family, school sign deal to halt homework

CALGARY – A Calgary family caught between busy careers, hectic school schedules and extracurricular activities has sought relief by signing a contract with their school to ban homework.

The compromise is part of an ongoing tug of war between parents and educators over the value of homework, and how much is too much.

A Calgary-based homework critic says it could spark similar requests from other families struggling to meet homework demands.

For the Milley family, the homework load simply became too much.

As Tom and his wife Shelli shuttled their children to speed-skating practice and music lessons, then raced to put dinner on the table, the Calgary family was filled with dread for the hours of homework still ahead.

"The general (homework) policy of the school was 10 minutes per grade per night, and I think each teacher took that quite literally to mean each teacher should assign 10 minutes per grade per night," a frustrated Tom recounted.

Eleven-year-old Spencer and his younger sister Brittany, 10, could spend up to three hours a night completing math problems and word lists with the help of their parents.

Homework hung like the "sword of Damocles" over his children as they tried to enjoy extra curricular activities– until last week, when the family signed a contract with their school to ban homework for their kids.

The contract is the result of two years of lobbying the school and district by Shelli to resolve the nightly homework dilemma.

Having watched their eldest son Jaye, now 18 and finished school, these parents knew the homework situation would only get worse.

The homework ban — signed by the students, their parents and their teachers — states that Spencer and Brittany will not be asked to complete, or be marked on, formal assignments sent home after class.

It’s not as if the children are completely off the hook, thanks to their new deal, said Tom Milley.

His wife still quizzes Spencer at night to prepare for an upcoming science exam while he works with Brittany to improve her spelling.

The difference is the family can choose when and how it studies at home.

"Instead of blithely completing homework sheets we thought were of dubious value, this allows us more time to concentrate on their weaknesses," said Milley.

Many parents work with their teachers and principals to determine how much homework is too much for their child, said Calgary Catholic School District spokeswoman Tania Younker.

"Parents are the primary educators. Their role when it comes to homework, in engaging and supporting the child in homework, supports the notion of them as the primary educators," said Younker.

The district created its own homework regulation in 2000 which talks in general terms about homework being an integral part of the student experience.

But a committee has been struck to examine research and best practices when it comes to homework, said Younker.

This homework on homework was launched independent of the Milley compromise.

Recommendations should be prepared by this spring, with the new homework guidelines to be implemented in September 2010, said Younker.

The homework debate is hardly new to Calgarians.

Parents are largely divided on the issue, with some wanting more homework for their children and others calling for less, said Laura Shutiak, president of the Calgary Association of Parents and School Councils.

Keeping after-school projects and assignments to a minimum is seen by many parents as most important in the early years.

"Kids need to learn to like school. If everything becomes a chore, then they’re not creating an environment where kids are going to love learning," Shutiak said.

Homework demands on to-day’s students are increasing and even kindergarten children are coming home with daily assignments, said Vera Goodman, a retired teacher and author of Simply too much Homework! What can we do?

Goodman praises the Calgary Catholic School District for moving forward with the Milley family homework agreement, which she says could lead to more families coming expressing their homework concerns to schools.

"It’s a real step forward for getting people to talk about the issue," said Goodman.

"Parents should have the right to choose how their children spend their free time at night. Children already spend seven to eight hours a day at school, including riding the bus, why should they have to face hours of homework on top of that."

smcginnis@theherald. canwest.com