One of students most hated words- HOMEWORK!!

When I was in elementary school, like many of my classmates I hated homework! Especially Math!! To me it felt like math worksheets with 50 of the same problems on them were just drills, and whether you understood it or not, it was going to be graded. However, I have learned over the years that homework is essential for teachers to assign. Students may understand the work when the teacher is guiding them, but the only real way to know if they understand it on their own is to let them practice it by themselves. Now whose to say that parents or older siblings aren't completing the work for them or giving them the answers, no one knows for sure. That's why the way homework is assessed and what it is counted as is just as important as assigning homework in the first place. When I become a teacher, I don't want homework to be a stressful chore that puts so much pressure on my students. Whatever is assigned for homework should be completed by everyone, however if a student understands something in class but is totally lost when they try it on their own I don't want them to get discouraged and think everything they learned in school doesn't count. Homework shouldn't count as a grade in my opinion. It should count towards participation but used more as an extension and helpful learning tool rather then a letter or number grade. Homework is a good way for teachers to see what the students need help on and if the lesson got through to them. This type of formative assessment is used for teachers to know where the students are in their learning before they move on to the next topic, as well as how the students are progressing and what they need to work on. Students should not be bombarded with homework on a daily basis. Often times when a student is given so much homework they either don't get to it all, or don't put as much effort in each assignment because they are trying to get it all done. Homework should be kept short enough so that students don't feel the need to rush through it. If used correctly, homework can be a great assessment tool for teachers as well as a great reinforcer for students!