On Homework

There are many things that we feel we should make our kids do that indeed we likely should.  Teeth brushing is a good idea, doctor’s appointments come to mind.  But many of these shoulds are just knee-jerk reflexes, repetition compulsions.  Things we just feel like we’re supposed to be doing, even though we’re not always quite sure why, which means they’re driven by tradition, conformity, social fear, and peer pressure.  Not much in that list of motivators to be too proud of really.  And even though I’m a teacher by trade, I’ve gotta admit, one of the most sadly over-burdened shoulds is homework.