Boston.com has an article on how parents feel that long term papers are too much work for high school students.
...But Laurie Mokriski, also a PTSO member, said she worries because the papers contribute significantly to students' already-heavy academic loads. Newton parents met earlier this month to discuss homework and agreed their children have too much, Mokriski said. They also need time for sports, theater, music, and academic teams, she said. ''They're trying to enjoy their high school years," she said.Denise Clark Pope, author of ''Doing School: How We Are Creating a Generation of Stressed Out Materialistic and Miseducated Students," argues that today's high school students are overworked. [boston.com]
Is it me or does this just seem like too much whining. I remember having term papers that were at least 10 pages long in High School. I thought everyone had to do that kind of thing. I like how because the kids have so many extra-curricular activities, we have to give them less academic work.
Actually, I'm the exact opposite as you. I think The State gets their allotted amount of time to teach "What They Need To Teach" each day, and *that* is the time that should be used for classwork, papers, etc., etc. If it can't be done "in school", then the State has no legal right to demand school work be done outside of those hours.
There was a case in New York a couple years ago where some kid (or rather his parents, obviously) sued the school district for giving their son a failing grade because they wouldn't let him do homework. The kid won... wish I could find a reference to the case, though, so I could prove it's not apocryphal (or however you spell that)
Posted by: Derek![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.ezoons.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at November 1, 2004 01:44 PM