A Homework Ban Is A Bad Idea

Thinking Something Does NOT Make It SoCon says "If...versa." Yes, they would actually THINK that. That doesn't mean they are right. Everybody CAN be wrong. That is possible. Everybody used to think the Earth was flat. Now they think it's round. That doesn't mean that our thoughts caused the Earth to become round. It means back then everybody was simply wrong. Similarly, everybody can be wrong about what is or is not a good idea or a bad idea. A better example does anyone think that before World War II it was actually a "good idea" for Germany to be run by the Nazis and it just magically became a "bad idea" when the German people decided it was? That's absurd, and demonstrates my point that just because someone thinks something is a "good idea" or "bad idea" even the majority, or even almost everybody for that matter doesn't make them right. Con's redefinitioning from the commonsense definition of "bad idea" is an underhanded ploy.Good Equality v. Bad EqualityCon says there is no such thing as good/bad equality. I beg to differ. For instance we could pass a law that everyone must always have an "equal" amount of money completely destroying any incentives to work harder. Con is basing his argument on the assumption that "equality" is good. Equality is NOT always good. Con must demonstrate why this sort of "equality" in this particular case is something good rather than assuming it's good because it's "equality". As it is in some ways this is less equality.Students Who Care About Academics v. SocializingMy point was simply that there will be exceptions. It's not very equal to ignore these people's needs is it? Furthermore, in the case of students who care more about academics than socializing this is a matter of choice and self-direction. Hence, it's an option to all students to focus more on their homework and not let themselves be distracted. Which leads to my next point.Difference In Personal Responsibility Merits InequalityOne person takes responsibility, starts a business, and comes to make lots of money because of it. Another person doesn't take responsibility and just continues to work at a dead end job. Should we demand these people be "equalized". That some students will fall behind because of their choice to focus more on socializing than on their studies is their fault and things that are one's fault are fair game for inequality. In fact trying to equalize these things would be unfair.College HomeworkMy point was homework assignments are common in colleges. Many degrees require foreign language and that WILL involve homework. Many classes especially in the social sciences or anything that has to do with english or literature will have you write essays.Foreign LanguageYet the homework is necessary so that you do practice. Even if you aren't required to have the right answers and even if it's a very small portion of the grade, the point is to make sure you are thinking about the language out of class. A homework ban would prevent even that homework. Homework regulations that make sure classes give out the right homework would be better.Homework Needed For Essays For Deeper Subjects Than Just "Writing Skills"Maybe in-class assignments are a great way to strengthen writing skills. But what about thinking about and preparing a good essay for specific subjects? I'm in college and have taken challenging courses related to political and social topics that couldn't have been done properly if they were only done in class. The mind can't come up with a quality essay in that short period. For a quality essay one needs to begin thinking and discussing the topic in class but needs to rest the mind for long periods and come back to it. "No homework" doesn't work for deeper, more involved subjects where writing is more than "strengthening writing skills". Some of these essays were 10 pages but doing them greatly enriched by understanding. You can't assign a 10-page essay if you are bound by law to make the students complete it all in a single period. This one problem alone is enough for why a homework ban is bad. I'll grant it's unlikely most students would be taking such involved courses before college, but a homework ban prohibits this, leaving the most gifted to have to take less involved, more boring classes.Homework Reduction Equalizes Students in Terms of Workload In Everyday LifeIn this case in the big picture of things this is equalizing. The student is putting more work in their everyday lives than the other students if they do the same amount of homework. Reducing their homework load helps to level this. The "unequal" aspect here is good, because it's done in service of making something more important than homework load, general workload more equal. There's no reason to only consider school things for equality. Students have lives out of school and considering the needs of a kid as a whole in their everyday life is the only way to advance equality. As to the missing a question on the test problem the homework reduced could be reduced in a way that prevents this. Some homework students have to do is repetitive and covers content they are going over in other homework. So we'd reduce that sort of homework.Poor Students Have to Put In More Effort Even in Schoolwork Assignments As I Pointed OutPoor students on average will have to put in more effort whether we have homework or not. If you want to uphold "equality" here then we'd have to force the poor parents to motivate their kids to learn academic subjects a little bit outside of school the same way that many more well-off families do. But that would be too intrusive and difficult to implement. Some inequality here is a fact of life.Asking the teacher is hard as students tend to have self-esteem issues. If a kid was taunted for being "stupid" in the hallway they're not going to want to ask the teacher a question. The NCLB Act doesn't guarantee anything if the kids don't talk to the teachers.If the kid is given an assignment that must be done at school and doesn't understand it that student is SOL. If a kid is given an assignment and it's homework that student has the opportunity to go home and study over the points that they missed and do great on it. Whether the student uses the opportunity is up to the student but that goes back to my point about personal responsibility.StressCon says "Nobody...stressful." Yes, they are. If you can only work at school and school is a stressful place for you then the educational environment as a whole (which would include doing homework when it was allowed) has become more stressful.Con says "Schoolwork doesn't leave room for things like this in the classroom". As a former K-12 student myself I can guarantee you that being in a classroom does NOT stop thoughts about distractions encountered just before going into the classroom. If you were just bullied, you're still thinking about it. If you just saw the girl you have a crush on you're still thinking about her (and it's even more distracting when she is sitting right in front of you in class). And yes, it does impact whether or not you can follow along with the material in class.It's true students can be distracted at home, but at home they have more choice. A student can't choose not to be bullied or not to be distracted by his crush. A student at home can choose to tend to his homework rather than play video games or go on Facebook. This goes back to "personal responsibility" with homework the student has a choice about being distracted, with schoolwork the student does not.Missing the PointMy point wasn't being able to spot poor ability/laziness, my point was being able to spot whether or not the student's real problem is related to the classroom environment rather than general poor ability or laziness. Without homework they have nothing to compare performance with and are likely to think a student is just generally lazy or generally lacking in ability when the problem stems from the classroom environment.