Texas second-grade teacher Brandy Young drew a lot of attention this year when she implemented a no-homework policy for her class.
"Research has been unable to prove that homework improves student performance. Rather, I ask that you spend your evenings doing things that are proven to correlate with student success. Eat dinner as a family, read together, play outside, and get your child to bed early," she wrote in a letter to parents at the beginning of the school year at Godley Elementary in Johnson County.
The policy has drawn praise from some who say homework is little more than repetition of information already taught in the classroom. They say it is of little practical use for younger students. Family time, outdoor play and socialization are much more important at a young age, they contend.
However, some educators say homework is a vital part of the learning process, likening it to practice for music and athletics. They say it's important to reinforce skills at homes as well as in the classroom so students will learn.
They also say giving homework assignments teaches children responsibility and accountability.
We want to know what you think. Should young students be assigned homework? Or is this Texas teacher correct in her new approach?
Send your response (50 words maximum) to [email protected] by Wednesday, Aug. 31. You can also mail your response to the Texarkana Gazette Friday Poll, at P.O. Box 621, Texarkana, TX 75504. Be sure to include your name, address and phone number. We will print as many responses as we can in next Friday's paper.
Last Week: Hate Crime
Last week's question was about police attacks and hate crimes. Should attacks on police and other first responders be classified as hate crimes? Or are you against the idea?
Yes, attacks on police officers lately should be considered as hate crimes. We know the last three years, since Ferguson, officers have been the target of bitter people and to most of us it appears to be a form of getting back at the police. There is little doubt that because of a few bad officers a certain group of people are attacking first responders. I do believe this should be dealt with by law, some way, somehow.-B.J., Texarkana, Texas
Yes. In most cases the hatred is directed at America because our country enacts the laws that the police enforce. The policemen stand for what we as responsible, patriotic Americans want. Again, police haters are America haters and should be dealt with accordingly.-J.P., Texarkana, Texas
From www.facebook.com/texarkanagazette
- Yes they should! If people only knew what those in the professions listed have to deal with, they would understand. There is hatred being spread towards these professions and crimes being committed towards those who serve and protect due to that hate, so yes it is a hate crime and should be treated as such.
- All attacks should not be classified as such. This degrades the meaning of hate crime. It should only be considered a hate crime if the attack is based on hate for the police as a unit. If someone attacks an officer because his girl cheated with the officer that's not a hate crime, still punishable, but it should be classified differently.
- People do not rape, rob or kill out of love. It is all hate.