Below are screenshots from a mass-solicitation email that showed up in my school email inbox yesterday from Schoology.

“Are you ready to protect learning from the weather…?”

Really? How about we protect kids from the inanity of compliance culture. It’s a snow day, a day off, a day that will be made up. We don’t need to control every minute of every day of kids’ lives. Let them be kids. Let them build a snowman, build a fort, have a snowball fight. Or maybe just let them sleep in. Whatever. It should be out of our locus of control. School can stay at school. It should stay at school.

Of course, my bias is seeping through here. I am a proponent of no homework. I have not assigned homework for a number of years now, believing that learning happens best in the classroom, where the kids and I come together as learner and teacher. Thus, our work is only ever schoolwork.

There are many reasons behind my approach–more than I can write about this morning, but the biggest reason is to minimize stress for my kids. They have way too much going on, and I choose not to add anything to their plates. I have the privilege of having a fifty-five minute slice of their days, and I believe our work should be limited to that time. My class is a fraction of their lives, and I act accordingly.

Yes, there are many who disagree with me. And no, the homework debate is nothing new in American public education (see http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/119001/chapters/The-Cult(ure)-of-Homework.aspx). It’s been debated and will continue to be debated for years to come. In the meantime, in my little corner of the world, the debate’s done. No homework. That’s a storm I can protect my kids from.

Today’s Trail

Along today’s trail we will experience…

…connecting through Smiles and Frowns.

…reading to remember.

…reflecting in our Journey Journals.

…hearing a Sappy Sy Rhyme.

Happy Thursday, all.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.