All Work No Play Makes a Dull Student
Posted on 15 October 2012
The saying "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy," may have been one of the most famous lines in "The Shining," but it's also become applicable to kids around the world. Kids these days are busy. When they aren't in the classroom or at extra curricular activities, in most cases, the majority of their time is spent doing homework. However, all of that may be changing, in one country at least.
French president Francois Hollande has reportedly been considering a measure that would ban homework in his country. Various news sources have revealed that President Hollande believes that "work should be done at school, rather than at home."
The main reason the president feels this way is because not all French students have the resources at home to help them with after-school work. That means kids with involved parents are likely to get the help they need while those whose moms and dads are unavailable are left struggling.
It's important to note, however, that Hollande isn't advocating allowing French kiddies to come home and watch television when they're out of the classroom. Instead, he'd like to extend the school day. In most cases, boys and girls are in class for four days a week and don't get out until 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. Hollande says, instead of homework, students would potentially spend another half-day at school every week.
Although this idea might sound a bit extreme, studies have shown that loads of homework can actually have damaging effects on a child. All that time spent hitting the books takes away from after school activities and socializing with their peers.