Not turning in your homework because your “dog ate it” is such a 20th-century excuse. Get with the times, man! Evolve your excuses like this mom who went viral on TikTok did when she explained to her child’s school that her kid would simply not be doing any homework. Thanks, but no thanks.
The Arizona mom named Cayley said that her 5-year-old son, who attends a charter school, received a double-sided 15-to-20-page packet of homework assignments on the first day of school. The packet was supposed to be an entire month’s worth of homework. She said that when faced with the prospect of having to do that much work, her son fell apart as he was wracked with stress and anxiety. So she emailed her son’s teacher to say he won’t be doing any of it because she is opting him out of homework for the remainder of the school year.
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And it worked! Her reasoning is sound. She says she firmly believes in a separation between work and home. She does not want her son to be raised in a world where he is being taught that your work life should come home with you. She wants her son to love learning rather than feel overwhelmed and crushed by it. Her message caught on. The video racked up over 250,000 views and prompted a ton of discussion from moms and teachers alike.
Scrolling through the TikTok comments, there’s a shocking amount of levelheaded responses from parents who think homework for kindergartners is excessive. Several teachers in the comments responded by sharing stories of how they eliminated homework from their classrooms and found their students were much more engaged with the work in class.
The no-homework movement isn’t new. It’s a debate that’s been waging among teachers and parents for years. While no research has reached a consensus on the effectiveness of homework, some theories suggest it’s not the homework itself that’s the problem but the type of homework assigned to students.
The homework debate is further complicated by students’ varying home environments. Some children have supportive homes with ample time and resources for completing assignments, while others face more challenging circumstances. This disparity in home situations can create an uneven playing field once students leave the school environment.
As for Cayley, she released a follow-up video in which she said the teacher responded positively to her request and took steps to reduce her son’s homework. Now, the packet is just one page, including interactive assignments like creating a reading log.
