Mon, 21 Sep 2009 21:46:20 +0700WeeblySun, 30 Nov 2008 09:44:53 +0700http://hodgedv.weebly.com/2/post/2008/11/homework.htmlFor the last couple of months I have been struggling with my beliefs about the benefits of homework in the elementary classroom.  Last January I attended a lecture at the Trinity School where Alfie Kohn discussed his book The Homework Myth: Why children get to much of a bad thing.  Since this time I have been evaluating what homework has to offer our children and what policies our school system has in place that I am obligated to abide by that are associated with how much homework our children are to be assigned during the educational day.  I would like to engage our community in a discussion about the practice of assigning homework to our children.  Below you can find some websites that have also addressed this topic to help you see where my curiosity began.

A podcast from Alfie Kohn's lecture at the Trinity School.

Sara Bennett and Nancy Kalish's homepage from their book The Case against Homework: How homework is hurting our children and what we can do about it.

Sara Bennett's blog about The Case against Homework

Marzano and Pickering's article in Educational Leadership
"The case for and against homework."

The Slate blog by Emily Bazelon

Time Magazine article by Claudia Wallis

Jay Mathews from the Washington Post

Please in your own time take a look at the above sites and let me know your thoughts on this issue.

]]>Sun, 30 Nov 2008 07:57:23 +0700http://hodgedv.weebly.com/2/post/2008/11/my-endorsements.htmlLast month Esquire magazine published its endorsements for the 2008 elections.  The letter from the editor was interesting because it talked about how his staff took it one step further to discuss things that they endorse in their day-to-day lives.  The endorsements ranged all the way from Old Spice deodorant to Limes.  After sending around an e-mail to my friends with my day-to-day endorsements I decided to pen five things that I see as educational endorsements.  These are things that I feel are important to the development of children both emotionally, physically, and cognitively.  Here we go . . . .

Good Books-  Everyone knows how important it is to read to and with their child on a daily basis, but many people do not stress the importance of what they are reading with their children.  There are many different types of literature for children at this stage of development.  The books that I am addressing at this time are classics.  Many children are still learning to read and are stuck in the rut of "The fat cat sat on the mat," type of literature.  I know that some research finds value in this for developing readers, but when this is all that they get to experience, I feel that they are missing out on so much of what the literary world has to offer them.  Follow this link to a wonderful webpage that lists children's books by the awards that they have received. 

Creeks-  I grew up with a creek in my back yard and I can not tell you what a wonderful thing it was for both myself and my mother's development (for the hours I was there she was actually able to watch Oprah in peace, or so she said).  I spent hours at that creek building damns, looking under rocks, racing leaves, and sometimes just jumping around in what my mother deemed my "creek shoes".  Now I know that not everyone has a creek in their back yard, but next time you go to the Green Way, or any other public park, let your little ones wear an old pair of shoes so if they want to venture out a bit it will not hurt them.

Dinner Table Conversation-  I know everyone and his brother fusses about this one, but it is for a good reason.  Having genuine conversation with a child is one very important piece of your child's development.  In the past experts claimed that the television was the demise of this cultural past time, but now I am interjecting that one of the other things that causes less families to eat together might be organized sports.  I know how difficult it must be taking two or three children to different sports practices each day, but I still cannot stress the importance of this endorsement for a child's educational development.

Bicycles-  I loved my bike more than anything in the whole world when I was little.  I remember when I learned to ride my bike, I felt more free than when I was given my drivers license.  Put air in those tires and grab the helmets and let your children loose on the streets.

Sets or Kits-  I saved the best for last.  Of all of the things I mentioned above this one was my favorite.  Too many of today's toys are already a product.  They have a use or a purpose already.  Children do not have anything to offer to the toy.  When I was little I had a Wood Burning kit, an Erector Set, a paint set, and a set of colored pencils.  I also remember when Legos were just Legos and didn't come with an already planned end result in mind.  Sets and kits encourage creative development in a way that computers, coloring books, and plain pieces of paper cannot.

So remember, this is a blog.  The purpose of this is to encourage conversation amongst a community.  If you can think of an endorsement from your childhood that helped shape who you are today then add a comment below.  I would love to hear about what shaped who you are as a person. 

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