We live in an era where mental health is a top priority and has its fair share of pros and cons. However, some cases lie more in the gray area, like the story you’re about to read.
A mom recently went viral on TikTok after claiming to have emailed her son’s kindergarten teacher that he would opt out of doing homework. According to her, the assignments have caused her child both mental and emotional stress.
The woman says she wants her son to love and appreciate school, which led her to make the drastic decision. Scroll down to read the full story.
Many children go through a tough time with their schoolwork
Image credits: Ksenia Chernaya/Pexels (not the actual photo)
A mom went viral on TikTok after calling for the cancellation of her son’s homework assignments for an entire year
Image credits: cayleyxox
"This is a little PSA for any parents that might not know this. You can actually opt out of homework for your children. I didn't know that until recently. And I just sent my son's kindergarten teacher a cutesy little email saying ‘I'm sorry, based on the stress, mental and physical anxiety it's causing my kid, we are done. We are opting out for the rest of the year.’
On the first week of school, maybe the first day, he got this package for August. It doesn't look like it's all that bad, but it's about 15 to 20 pages double sided. You do the math. We have been working on it and trying to work on it to the best of our abilities and it is causing him so much mental, physical stress."
Image credits: cayleyxox
"This morning I had him sit down. I felt so guilty for this. We were sitting down, I told him, you can't even watch a show this morning. You can't do anything. It's gonna be radio silence until you sit here and eat your breakfast and finish at least one or two pages of this cause you're way behind. This is so much work for him.
I started crying. He started crying. It was an emotional mess. I felt so guilty dropping him off at school. He didn't wanna be there. For the last two weeks he's told me he doesn't even like school and doesn't wanna be there anymore. Which hurts my mama heart cause you are 5. You are in kindergarten. The only thing that you should be worried about is learning and what time snack time is. I don't know."
Image credits: cayleyxox
"Anyways, what are we teaching kids? What are we teaching them? That here you go, you're gonna go to work and you're gonna be paid salary. But it doesn't matter if you don't finish your work in the 8 to 10 hours that you're there Monday through Friday. You're gonna bring that work home and you're gonna do that on your own time. No, not up in here"
Image credits: cayleyxox
"We are not teaching our children the ‘work to live.’ We don't live to work. Yeah, I don't know if you all knew that, but I sent her the email. I hope it's well received. I don't know. He goes to a charter school, but still. Doesn't matter. In this household we're done doing homework. I want my kids to love school. I want him to love to learn. I want him to have fun. I want to enjoy it. Yeah, I just think y'all should know if you didn't know that."
Image credits: cayleyxox
Watch the full video below
Opting out of homework has become a trend among parents of kindergarteners
Image credits: Pixabay/Pexels (not the actual photo)
Cayley, the mom in the video, isn’t alone in her decision to have her young child opt out of doing homework assignments. Parents have been doing the same for years, and some shared their experiences in a 2016 interview with The Washington Post.
Chicago-based mom Sara Youngblood-Ochoa found it absurd to have her six-year-old son do more work after school.
“If there’s something our son is struggling in, we’ll absolutely do the work. But after eight hours at a desk, to make him sit down and do more seems silly,” she said.
Jeanne Hargett echoed a similar sentiment regarding her youngest son in kindergarten. Describing the six-year-old as an “active child,” Hargett deemed it unfair for the school to assign more tasks after a full day. She would rather have her kid “go outside and exercise” instead of doing another load of schoolwork after class.
Hargett brought up an important point that experts emphasize: having ample playtime for kids. Speaking with the Post, psychologist and author Dr. Erica Reischer described playing as a “cornerstone for learning,” adding that “parents need to protect that space.”
However, Dr. Reischer admits that the challenge lies in longstanding educational traditions on the outlook of doing homework.
“It’s what we do. So it feels a little scary to let that go,” she said.
Parents must carefully assess their child’s approach to homework
Image credits: cottonbro studio/Pexels (not the actual photo)
Parents tend to feel stressed when their young children struggle with homework assignments. However, experts say they can do something to lessen the tension for everyone involved.
Veteran educator and author Jessica Lahey suggests parents examine how their kids deal with schoolwork. In an interview with CNN, Lahey advised removing distractions like gadgets and other household activities.
Lahey also urges an approach that solves the problem collaboratively instead of being defensive. Have a dialogue with the teacher, if necessary.
“What you can do is [say to the teacher], ‘Look, this is supposed to take 30 minutes, but it’s taking me an hour. Can you help me figure out why,” Lahey said.
Homework can become a dreadful chore when parents impose it. Lahey says this is one of the biggest mistakes they can make and instead advises giving the child control over their tasks. One suggestion is to ask the kid what their perfect homework looks like.
Lahey says parents intervening with homework assignments may hinder the child's feeling of competence, which could affect their growth and development. The mom may have been too drastic with her decision, but ultimately, she knows what is best for her son.
We’d love to hear your thoughts, dear readers. What do you think of Cayley’s decision to opt her child out of doing homework?
Commenters had mixed reactions, but most agree with the mom's sentiments
