Marblehead students protest homework

MARBLEHEAD – A group of Glover School third graders may have lived the fantasy of every elementary school student: they came before the School Committee Thursday evening to protest against homework.Grader 3 teacher Sally Shevory’s class didn’t just protest; they took turns reading a Declaration of No Homework that they wrote in class – calling homework “unfair” – and then discussed the matter with the committee members. As Shevory said, “The end result was very impressive for a third grade class.”The Marblehead schools seek to teach children critical thinking and the ability to write persuasive essays – and the School Committee members and school officials were obviously proud of the way those efforts are working.The third graders also wrote a companion essay, a Declaration of More Recess, pointing out that play is good for a student’s health. In recognition of their efforts, Principal Mary Devlin awarded each child a homework pass and gave the entire class 15 extra minutes of recess. When they asked for more, arrangements were made for them to come before the School Committee to discuss homework. The state sets recess policy.The homework declaration said in part:”This homework issue is unfair! We do not want homework because it is taking away our Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness. Meanwhile, with homework we do not have time to spend with our friends and family. Our country is based on freedom, so why aren’t we getting it?!””We don’t think homework is fair because we have 61/2 hours of concentrating and hard work in school. Our brains get tired, we need a rest. We are only 8-9 years old. Adults don’t like to bring home extra work, why would kids? If we must have homework we should have extended time in school to work on homework. Then if we are having trouble, the teacher can help us so we don’t have to stay up late.””Also a reason why we should not have homework is because every child should have the freedom to choose what they want, when they want to do it. If we didn’t have homework we could be outside playing. Then, when we got to school the next morning we won’t be energetic, we would be calm and ready to learn. Homework generates a lot of paper waste, we are environmentalists and believe in being ‘Green.”School Committee Chairman Patricia Blackmer pointed out that School Committee policy approves of homework for elementary school students, at the rate of 30-60 minutes a night.The students told the committee their homework takes two hours a night “sometimes.”They assured committee member Dick Nohelty their stand was no reflection on their teacher, suggested some homework assignment preferences to Eurim Chun and suggested that the last half hour of school each day could be a study hall where they could do homework.Glover Principal Mary Devlin offered one conclusion after the presentation. “They are critical thinkers,” she said.