The History of Homework

Homework is the bane of my life. I always end up sitting in my study every day trying to work through a mountain of it, only to find that I get another hundred pieces when I turn up at school the next day. So, naturally, I decided to write a blog entry about it. I was a little disappointed when I couldn’t find anything about the history of homework in the UK, so I’m afraid that you’ll have to settle for how homework came about in America.

Traditionally, homework was frowned upon in America as few people went into higher education and their parents wanted them to do chores instead (I still have to do chores anyway). This caused California to abolish homework in 1901 for anyone in kindergarden (Year 1) to the eighth grade (Year 9). However, America’s involvement in the Cold War managed to bring back this form of mental torture. Oh yes, in order to keep up with their Russian counterparts, homework made a comeback in the 1950s and by the 1990s, homework was seen as a good thing for students of all ages.

So as you’ve all probably guessed, I’m now wishing that I was born in the 1900s in California so that I no longer have to procrastinate because of my homework (apart from History homework of course).

P.S. If you're wondering where the excuse 'The dog ate my homework' came from, here's your answer!

JG