Nattering Naybob: Did you see that the new President of France (the appropriately first-named Francois Hollande) has proposed that schools discontinue the practice of assigning homework to students? His reasoning is that students should be educated in school, not during the evening or weekends at home, especially since students who come from higher-class homes will wind up having an advantage over less fortunate students, who may not enjoy the same advantages at home.
I am all for a no-homework policy. In fact I condemn homework. I denounce it. I hated every minute of school. When I got home from a hard day at school, I wanted my time to be my own. I did not want to have to worry about the Civil War (or was it the Silver War?) I applaud the French President, who just happens to be a Socialist, by the way. A real Socialist, not the Trumped-up Socialist that some on the Fanatical Fringe Right would label our President.
Red Ranger, I know first-hand that you were such an efficient student, that you did not even have to bring homework home, and in fact had time left over to throw rocks at the windows of abandoned buildings on the way home from school, with some of our more unsavory classmates, despite my admonishments to cease and desist from this anti-social behavior (you never listened to me, though.) This might have been the very first hints that you were headed to an irresolute adulthood of Republicanism.
The Red Ranger: Being the proud parent of a seventh grader, I too believe that homework should be banned. Okay, maybe not banned but at least toned down. My seventh grader usually has several hours of homework a night. I believe that homework should be limited to one hour a night which I think is reasonable (just like his sports practices which are usually one hour in length). Also, I think that homework should be organized so that each night is dedicated to one subject. Monday: Math, Tuesday: English, etc. At a young age most kids do not have the organizational skills necessary to keep track of all the various assignments that are due. This leads to frustration on the part of the students. Also, by assigning so much homework I believe that it is a way for teacher’s to bypass some of their responsibilities.
While my sage-like abilities allowed me to escape the tedium of homework I do not think that just because one does not complete their four hours of homework they should be labeled a dotard.
My rock throwing was a protest of the failed liberal policies of the sixties that led to the explosion of abandoned buildings marring the landscape.
Nattering Naybob: So you further degraded the urban blight left over from the 60’s, by breaking what few windows were left in those abandoned buildings. Sounds totally logical to me. No wonder I scored 10 points higher on the SAT’s in High School than you did.
One of the few criticisms I have about my upbringing is that my parents ignored my daily pleas to be home-schooled, instead they made me actually go to a public school and interact with other people in the outside world. That reckless disregard for my well-being has scarred me for life.
The Red Ranger: I always felt that society would be better served by keeping you out of the mix.
Second Grade Minds 