Homework Considered Harmful

(Written circa 2011)

I was do have this habit of re-reading my blog/diary entries written a few years ago. And there’s this rant on how homework sucks on the conceptual level. I always instinctively knew that it sucked 0, but couldn’t put a finger on the precise reason(s).

Today, with my new perspectives after working in the “real world”1, I’m pretty convinced that the institution of “homework” actually discourages learning, innovation, dedication to excellence, self improvement, and holding oneself to high standards – all the things that employers (at least claim) to value.

I’m not exaggerating one single bit.

With the homework system as we currently know it 2, rational students would never have the time to focus on any of the virtues above, and instead are forced to learn how to complete a task in the lowest (time) cost possible. The process is one where they must cut corners, write things they know nothing about, even cheat, etc, to complete in reasonable time. The end result is usually mediocre at best and often crappy.

The problem with “homework” is not the work itself. I love meaningful “work” and exercises. I love learning generally. Yet all my high school teachers know me by name[3], in part due to my infamous habit of not handing in any homework at all.

For me, it’s not the work itself that’s problematic, but the expectation that you either have to spend all your free time perfecting it, or pull together random shit the night before the deadline. It is a horrible dilemma for those who like to be sort of free to pursue other interests, yet are sort of perfectionist in their work4. It’s tough enough to spend almost 8 hours a day in school attending classes, the rest of the time, I reckon, would be much more profitable if it were spent on pursuing the individual interests of the student, which, predominantly, is not “doing homework”.

And it’s not just about the well-being of the student in his/her early years. It’s about employment and employability of whole generation(s). Employers love to say that they look for “self motivated” individuals with a strong passion in their work. Often, characteristics like “creative”, “professional” etc are asked for too.

Yet how many managers had their staff turn in “B-“ work on their assignments, because that’s what they’ve been trained to do for so many years? As an employer, how would you expect “passion” from young people, when all they know is to curse “oh sh!t” silently as the teacher announces another round of homework? Where does “creative” come from, when much of it is marked against a rigid set of marking schemes? “Professional”, when students are trained to write up whatever crap they could think of just to hand in something on time?

We see all those news about employers complaining about the “low quality” of young hires. But after realizing the extent of brain damage homework did to these people5, it’s really a miracle that things eventually work out… at least sort of. I mean, it must have been a huge cultural shock that employers don’t want “B-“ work, and that you have to actually know what you’re doing really well to do the job. That it’s a really bad idea to sit on an assignment just because you got stuck, and then complain after the deadline that you don’t know how to do it. That deadlines are actually negotiable (both ways!).

Yet employers are still wondering why people they hire aren’t the type they want. In retrospect, everything is so goddamn obvious.

Perhaps in those “aptitude” tests that some corps like to administer to fresh graduates, they should add a “did you often do your homework? why?” line. It probably speaks volumes more than whatever stupid questions they are asking there.

DISCLAIMER: I do not endorse the risky practice of outright refusing/neglecting to do your homework. Academic grades usually do mean something, unless you’re somehow able to pull a stunt of working in a totally different field where your employer doesn’t give a shit on how many times you’ve failed International Trade Law or something.