Opinion
Teaching Opinion

What’s the Point of Turning in Homework?

By Richard Whitmire — February 01, 2010 1 min read
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That’s what I hear from boys, who in many cases do their homework but never bother turning it in. Sometimes they forget; other times they just think it’s cooler to not turn it in.

Now there’s a new book about straightening out the disorganized lives of boys, That Crumpled Paper Was Due Last Week. Great title.

Here’s the book description on Amazon:

Missed assignments. Lack of focus and enthusiasm. Falling grades. For too many boys and their frustrated parents, these are the facts of life. But they don't have to be. Top academic counselor Ana Homayoun has helped turn even the most disorganized, scattered, and unfocused boys into successful young people who consistently meet their personal and academic challenges. She does this by getting back to basics- -starting with a simple fact: Most boys needs to be taught how to get organized, how to study, and-- most important--how to visualize, embrace and meet their own goals. With an accessible and no-nonsense approach, Homayoun shows how to:
•Identify their son's disorganizational style •Help him set academic and personal goals he cares about •Design and establish the right "tools of the trade" •Complete assignments without pulling all-nighters •Help him tune out social pressure and fend off anxiety Much more than a study guide, this insightful, user-friendly book provides a roadmap for the success too many boys have trouble finding--in school and in life.

Nobody disputes that boys are disorganized. And nobody disputes that boys get lower grades as a result of their refusenik attitudes about homework. So that’s the solution to the boy troubles -- just get them more organized?

Well, it would improve their grades, but in my book, Why Boys Fail, I argue that the homework issue can’t explain the boy troubles.

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The opinions expressed in Why Boys Fail are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.