Homework is an Oxymoron

Oxymoron = a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction

Homework is an oxymoron.  Home and work are two separate places. Do I have plenty of work to do at home? Absolutely, things like laundry, dishes, cleaning.  I have plenty of home work to do... so why would I want to bring more work home?  And do I bring my work from home to school? Absolutely not!  That would be unprofessional, so why is it ok that work can infiltrate my home life?

As a parent, I have a new level of loathing for homework.  After being in a classroom all day, the last thing I want my girls to do is sit at the kitchen table working on homework.  I want them outside playing with their friends, climbing trees in the woods behind our house, riding bikes around the neighborhood... Actually my youngest daughter figured out that if she does her homework on the 30 minute bus-ride home, she won't have any work to do at home. Smart cookie! I do check it over, but rarely does she need to redo her buswork. She learned rather quickly to do it right on the bus or she would get stuck inside at home.

I want the same opportunity for my students.  After being confined to an uncomfortable desk for eight 43-minute periods, the last thing I want for my students is be stuck to a seat at home doing more work.

Homework for my students is finishing what they were not able to complete in class.  I make sure that students have plenty of time to complete their work in class, but not all students are studious in class, so they must bring some work home to finish.