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American Morning

The Big Question: Do Your Kids Have Too Much Homework?

Aired April 10, 2002 - 09:39   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Our "Big Question" this morning, do your kids have too much homework? Although studies are inconclusive about just what kind of home workload is effective, students across the country seem to be voicing that age-old complaint more and more, that teachers are piling it on.

Here is Kathy Slobogin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATHY SLOBOGIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Pace is only 11, and Homework is swallowing up his life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was up until 10:15. I got him back up at 5:30, and then he worked until probably 7:00, and the night before that, he was up until midnight working and hoe got up early. You know, I mean, I go to bed before he goes to bed.

SLOBOGIN: Pace, an A student in Atlanta, Georgia, has 3-4 hours of homework a night. Things like playing with friends after school are a distant dream.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Probably wouldn't get to, because I have too much homework.

SLOBOGIN: His mother says he gets stomach pains and headaches from the stress.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now I'm sending him to school with my Tylenol to take when he gets -- during the day, it probably builds to a certain point, and all this homework is on his mind. I look forward to the end of the school year already.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You need to draw your line and then add the two totals together.

SLOBOGIN: In millions of kitchens across America, homework is causing kids stress and parents outrage.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think that homework is just plain frustrating. I cannot say how many nights I found my child in tears, how many times I've yelled at her for silly things because I'm mad that the homework isn't done.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's a hard one. You did great.

SLOBOGIN: Susie Walsh (ph) says homework is a chore for parents as well as kids. Sixth-grader Tina needs help every night, often with projects that are beyond the ability of an 11-year-old to do herself.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We based our lives on homework when school had started, and I don't think that if it was cut in half would make any difference to her learning.

SLOBOGIN: Homework -- is it a hallmark of higher standard in academic rigor, or an unreasonable nightly trauma for America's time starved families. The debate goes back at least a century.

(on camera): One hundred years ago, "The Lady's Home Journal" launched an anti-homework campaign, claiming it damaged children's health. Now with the push for standards in testing, schools are loading kids up with more and more work to take home.

One study found that for younger students, homework has nearly tripled in the last 20 years, but that's exactly the group of students it doesn't seem to help.

(voice-over): Dr. Harris cooper who reviewed homework's relationship to achievement says young elementary students should get, at most, half an hour of homework a night.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the earliest grades, there's little relationship, but then as children grow older, the relationship becomes stronger and stronger, until they get into secondary school, and the relationship becomes quite strong.

SLOBOGIN: But even high school students can get too much. According to many parents, it's not unusual for their teenagers to get three or more hours a night.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If that's how much is actually being assigned, parents should say something about it.

SLOBOGIN: Experts worry about what happens to children who face an unmanageable load of homework on a regular basis.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You get really frustrated, and then I usually just give up.

SLOBOGIN: Kathy Slobogin, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: And joining us now to talk about that is the author of the book "Adolescence Isn't Terminal, It Just Feels that Way," Dr. Kevin Leman. He is in Phoenix, Arizona this morning. We'll also be taking your phone calls on the subject of homework. That number is 212-643- 0077.

Good morning. Nice to see you again, Kevin.

KEVIN LEMAN, AUTHOR, "ADOLESCENCE ISN'T TERMINAL": Good morning, Paula. How are you?

ZAHN: How is the doctor doing? Probably hearing an earful from American parents about homework. I wanted to start off our segment with an e-mail that was written by Skip Wood, and we are going to put up on the screen right now.

He writes, "No, children don't have too much homework. It is a matter of priorities. Students spend less time at academics today than ever. How is it that time is supposed to be made up without homework? Homework also gives parents an opportunity to observe and participate in their children's academics."

LEMAN: Well, that's an interesting e-mail to say the very least, because a lot of what he says is exactly true. That kids do need to expect to perform in the classroom, but outside the classroom by way of homework. It's a great way for the parent and the child and the teacher to know that what's been taught in the classroom is really being received and learned. So I think the problem becomes when parents become too overly involved in the homework situation, Paula.

ZAHN: Yes. And the length of the homework is just, I think, a little bit obnoxious. You are talking about a kid who that has to go to school with Tylenol in his pockets because he knows he faces 3-4 hours of homework at night. Isn't that a little crazy?

LEMAN: Oh, absolutely, absolutely. I'm a one-hour a night man. I think that's enough. Two hours absolutely max. But what happens is, you have got these kids who are budding perfectionists, that just have to do everything perfectly right. On top of that, you have got parents today who are pounding on administrator's desks demanding that the child get an A in everything when the child might be a C student. So, the kid has pressure on them, not only in the classroom, but sometimes from their own parents.

ZAHN: Sure. Let's take our first phone call now. This one comes from Virginia from Texas. Good morning, Virginia.

VIRGINIA, CALLER: Good morning, Paula. How are you?

ZAHN: I'm fine, thanks. Carry on.

VIRGINIA: Well, I just want to somewhat agree with your guest and somewhat disagree. Houston is quite a big city and with the commute that I have going back and forth to work, by the time I get home, it is quarter to 7:00, and by the time we try to get the homework done, it is usually 9:30, 10:00 before I get my 8-year-old third grader to bed, and the problem I have is he has some assistance at the after school day care to do homework, but I still have to spend an hour a night.

ZAHN: Yes. So it becomes your work, right?

VIRGINIA: It does, and what's really frustrating are the projects. I agree quite a bit with what Susie said. They're way over his head in many cases, and I wind up having to do half the work in order just to get it completed, let alone be sufficient. ZAHN: All right. So, Kevin, being the hour a night man, you probably agree with Virginia, right?

LEMAN: Here's a couple of things to think about. Think about the science fair. Everybody think about the science fair. Going down to school. Can you find the one project that was actually done by the student himself? There is usually one there. And what happens, again, so many times is the parents get overly involved. I think there's so many more things to do in American life between 7:00 and 10:00 at night, or 7:00 and 11:00 at night, than homework.

Kids need to be able to read on their own. Kids and parents who are stressed for time to begin with, I think, need down time. Play time. It's crazy what we're doing. All in the name of, "it's good for kids." It is not good for kids. It's too much pressure.

ZAHN: Before we take our next e-mail, I wanted to quickly put up on the screen the survey done by the nonprofit Public Agenda that says 50 percent of all parents in America have had a serious argument with their child over homework. 34 percent say homework has become a source of stress. And 22 percent say they have done the child's homework because it was just too difficult to get it done or they just didn't want to struggle with their kid any longer.

LEMAN: Exactly.

ZAHN: All right. Let's move on to Christopher Viapiano's (ph) e-mail.

He writes, "It is not a young person's job, from ages 5 to 18 to learn as much as possible. As anyone who has gone on to get an undergraduate or even a graduate or professional degree knows the work only increases. When better to prepare for the future than in the present?"

LEMAN: Well, it's true. You have got to give kids homework. One of the reasons why I like homework for young kids is it teaches them a sense of responsibility about getting the homework in on time and all that. But for every parent, you mention those parents who are having hassles with their kids about homework. Hey. "In Adolescence Isn't Terminal," I say, give you teenager a three by five card. Yes, they'll look at you with a blank stare like, "what's this?" I'd say, "It's your key to the weekend." I want this signed by all of your teachers and I want it home on Friday with no excuses. And if it is not signed by every teacher that your homework is current and you are doing okay, the weekend doesn't start. I call that reality discipline, and it works.

ZAHN: Yes, I bet it does. Sounds pretty effective. All right. We are going to take another phone call. Good morning. Who do we have on the line this morning?

RICHARD, CALLER: Hi, this is Richard from Old Bridge, New Jersey.

ZAHN: Welcome. RICHARD: How are you?

ZAHN: I'm fine, thanks.

RICHARD: Great. What I wanted to share was -- because this is a hot topic in our home is my daughter goes to a private school in our town, and what I've been noticing is they are loading up the children with so much homework, and not only homework, but projects on top of it. So you've got projects and homework coming in at the same time. What's happening is they're literally spending about four hours on doing homework assignments and project-related work.

Now, what also happens is the child doesn't have a chance to be a kid.

ZAHN: Right.

RICHARD: Because they're not out having a chance to play, et cetera, and it creates an environment of stress for the parents, for the children. I'm all for homework. But I think what they should do is reverse the element of where homework should take place. They should add an extra period in the school environment and let them do the homework in the classroom.

ZAHN: You know what, that's a pretty good suggestion. I know some schools here in New York have done just that. Dr. Kevin Leman, a final thought for all of us parents out there struggling? You know, my daughter did three and half hours last. Do I think that is ridiculous? Yes. You know, an hour or two, fine.

LEMAN: It is ridiculous. It is ridiculous. I thought our last caller really nailed it. You know, kids need to be kids, and kids today in America are cocooning. That is to say they're not playing out in the street. They're not playing in their neighborhoods. They are staying in their house too much, and they're too -- much into themselves, and it's really important that kids learn to relate to other people, especially those they love the most. Hopefully that's their mom and dad and their siblings.

ZAHN: Well, we appreciate your insights as usual. Dr. Kevin Leman, good luck with the new book. Adolescence is an odd time, isn't it? But it isn't terminal. That is what he writes in his book. Good luck.

LEMAN: Thank you.

ZAHN: Thank you for getting up so early this morning.

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