As I was reading, and being prompted for, an earlier piece, my eye was caught by a nearby headline about customers of a restaurant complaining about its menu. Apparently they went to a restaurant, either because they liked it or because they had heard good things about it, and then complained becasue it did not have the menu they wanted. This reminded me of two experiences of my own, one concerning homework, the other recess.
I was the founding Principal of what had quickly become one of the leading PK - 5 schools in the state with Middle School aspirations. The main reason for the school`s success and its popularity was its clear Mission and the principles which came from this Mission, and which were clearly laid out on the school`s website, in faculty handbooks and in parent handbooks. In other words, what we did and why we did it, was widely and freely available.
One of these principles concerned homework. We began assigning homework in Grade One, with the goals of student responsibility and autonomy, and of reinforcing the need to reinforce a previous lesson or to prepare for a future class. In fact, we specifically stated we wanted parents to play no role in student homework other than providing a quiet, well-lit space. Visitors to the school inevitably commented on student interest, motivation and participation. Our teams won regional and national academic competitions, performed at least two grades higher in standardized tests, and in a trial experiment we even had four fourth graders pass the math and English tests for entry to the local community college. (I was looking at dual enrollment in the coming Middle School.)
In my final year at the school, two or three new parents who had been attracted to the school because of its low-pressure student-centered academic success, demanded I drop homework. I pointed out that they had come to the school knowing that we had a homework policy, and that it had been in place since the school`s inception, and that we wanted students to be self-motivated and autonomous before Middle School rather than having then to try and inculcate such habits.
I said no, but their griping did not stop and the following year, my replacement stopped homework. One year later, and subsequently, the school has not won any regional or national academic competitions, their standardized test scores are "at level" rather than above, the Community College dual-enrollment has not happened, and the school`s reputation is good for caring, but academic achievement is not mentioned. I don`t think that removing homework alone caused this crash, but I do think it was a major factor since its primary, or arguably its only message, was one of student responsibility for learning.
My second experience, which occurred at the same school, concerned recess which I discuss fully in "School jenga". Essentially, a parent had come to the school because it was boy-friendly, then lobbied to remove one of the main features which had made it so, and subsequently left when the entirely predictable results meant the school was no longer what it was.
I have every sympathy for the restaurant owner mentioned in the story. It is his place and his success and it was he did which make it a success. The complaining customers do not have to go there, they can go elsewhere to a place with a different menu. I am old enough to remember when France was exotic because it did not have McDonalds, Burger King or Safweway. Now it does and it is not as good as it was. We laugh at the Soup Nazi, but he has a point.
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