Listen up, everyone.
I hereby nominate Brandy Young of Fort Worth, Texas, as teacher of the year. She’s trying something quite extraordinary, in my view. Young has declared her class to be a homework-free zone … mostly.
Young sent a note home with her students declaring that during this academic year, which began on Monday in Texas, she will assign homework only to those students who didn’t finish their work in class.
The note she sent has gone viral.
What a novel notion.
My sons are long finished with school. They’re in their 40s now and have carved out successful careers and lives — and they have become upstanding men. My wife and I beam with pride at both of them.
Did the homework they lugged home each day during their time in school make them that way? I doubt it very much.
Brandy Young seems to believe that homework might actually be a detriment to young people’s development and growth.
The best part of the note is the advice she gives Mom and Dad. Do things together as a family, she says, and make sure the kids get to bed early.
Will this strategy work? Will it allow her students to perform better in class? Time will tell.
Here’s hoping it does.