Things
Teachers Relish: Quiet. Order. Denim skirts. Lounge arguments about homework.

It's
an evergreen topic, without much concurrence in the field. A recent discussion
on the Teacher Leaders Network uncovered distinct contrasts in beliefs and practices
around homework. Some of us have students who are motivated by grades. They
have their own high-speed computers, a quiet place to work, parents with
college degrees who expect a teacher to assign (and grade) homework. Some of
our students have none of the above--and find homework assignments somewhere
between meaningless and impossible. Their homes are not set up as a place to
extend school learning. And punishing them gets you nowhere.

Homework
policies begin as assumptions: grades motivated me so they will motivate my
students,  homework teaches kids responsibility,
students choose not to do their homework. Policies are usually shaped by compromise,
as teachers hit on a reasonable amount of homework--what the culture will bear.
The key is assigning something important, that will add value to the learning,
and perhaps become a habit. Something that can't be cranked out in school. Fun
is a bonus.

"Homework"
in my class usually meant practicing an instrument. Unlike many of my
band-teacher colleagues, I was never big on mandated, graded home practice
records. Too easy to fake, too many parents who would sign off on practice that
never happened--and too unstructured, with no clear learning goal and no
feedback.  And too inequitable. Some
kids' parents hated their blasting away during the cocktail hour or when
second-shift dad was sleeping. And one day, I discovered that militant bus
drivers were not allowing bigger instrument cases on the bus, because they took
up as much space as a small child. And you never cross bus drivers, in a
district where 90% of the kids have long bus rides.

I
finally hit on a few ideas that made home practice more desirable and flexible.
It strikes me that most of these ideas could be adapted to other kinds of
school/home work.

• First,
  I made it possible to get an A or A- without home practice records. Structured
  practice could be used to improve your grade, but you didn't have to have it.

• Second,
  for kids who could get rides, the band room was open for practice virtually
  every day after school and during lunch and homeroom. Practicing with friends
  or the likelihood of your teacher noticing you and listening for a minute
  provided incentive to work hard for a short burst of time (which is an
  excellent model for homework).

• Third,
  credit was granted for students who played "mini-concerts" for the
  folks at home. What constituted a credit-worthy mini-concert varied from rank
  beginners to more advanced players. When mom signed off on a mini-concert, she
  had to explain what she heard and offer comments and suggestions; this had the
  added benefit of providing parent feedback (usually glowing, but not always)
  and an audience for new musical learnings.

• Fourth,
  Monday became "humanities day." We didn't rehearse using instruments
  on most Mondays. With administrative help, I negotiated with bus drivers to
  allow kids to take horns home on Fridays only, and bring them back Tuesday
  morning--which gave kids four days to practice at home. And believe me--most middle
  school band teachers would be thrilled if their students practiced four days a
  week.

• Finally,
  I started promoting other opportunities for kids to play--at church, solo
  festivals, for the kindergarten class next door. The 7th grade social studies
  teachers helped cook up a "history of America in song" opportunity
  where our students could learn an American folk tune and get credit in both
  classes for researching its place in American history, delivering a short commentary,
  then playing the tune for their class. A win-win.