The Ergonomics Of Homework
Like a landmine, the backpack is deposited in the front hall after school.
“How much homework do you have?” I ask, after the welcome home. Careful to keep the stress out of the question, I smile and hope fervently for a fleeting hug, some carefree chatter, a lighthearted entrance.
Most days, her shoulders can barely shrug, pulled as they are by the weight of the load as the backpack slips off and lands with a resounding thunk. The reverberations often resonate right through to bedtime.
A preliminary online search using the words the weight of school backpacks reveals websites from Canada, New Zealand, the United States and the UK all showing studies, articles and reports about oversized, overweight backpacks. Our kids are struggling under too heavy a load.
The weight of the backpacks is not only a physical load - my kid walks like a top-heavy hermit crab when carrying her padded-strapped, two shoulder wearing, sensibly designed school backpack. Including textbooks, binders and water bottle it weights almost half her own mass and if the wind blows too hard, I am certain she’ll tip over – the contents of the backpacks are an immeasurable burden on home life.
While schools and their administrations recognize the value of straight spines and down time, overburdened teachers and full classrooms result in schoolwork that needs to be accomplished at home in order to meet learning outcomes. At our high school parent information night each teacher said, “I don’t give too much homework”. Eight teachers in eight subjects not giving too much homework has resulted in over-full backpacks brimming with misery.
If the target weight of the backpack is no more than 10 to 20 percent of the child’s body weight, I would set similar guidelines on the contents. Homework should occupy no more than 10 to 20 percent of the student’s available after school hours. How else is there time to eat together as a family, to get to baseball practice or the pool? When is there room for aimless skateboarding, for being with friends or walking the dog and processing the day?
Heavy backpacks mean kids go straight from classrooms to kitchen tables with little time for a break. Loads of homework means the time at home is spent at work on various school tasks. Which leads to stress. Which leads to arguments. Which drastically affects home life.
Selfishly perhaps, I want to be the Mum. Not the tutor, taskmaster and agenda strategizer. I want to stir the dinner, set the table together, not do algebra. I sucked at algebra then, I am worse now. Of course our kids should do their own homework, but I do believe they need help with finding enough popsicle sticks to build the model of Tutankhamen’s tomb and some assistance with preventing electric shocks while doing the science fair project; we should be guiding them to the dictionary instead of Wikipedia and helping them find some context for understanding ancient history in feudal Europe. These things take time and a generous portion of patience for everyone.
I resent the extra weight on our family’s spine.
This is an original post by EarnestGirl for Canadamomsblog. EarnestGirl's further musings on family life and motherhood can also be found at The West Coast Chronicles.
