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posted by Fnord666 on Monday July 24 2017, @10:56PM   Printer-friendly
from the a-book-a-day dept.

Instead of worksheets, elementary students will be required to read for 20 minutes each night.

One Florida school district is taking a radical stance on homework. Starting in fall 2017, the Marion County public school district has decided to replace all traditional homework with 20 minutes of mandatory reading time for its elementary school students. This goes against the current practice of sending students home with worksheets and assignments based on their daily lessons in the classroom.

The driving force behind this unusual decision is Heidi Maier, the new superintendent of the district. She told the Washington Post that she has based her decision on research that clearly shows the benefits of reading, both silently and aloud, for young children, whereas the benefits of nightly homework have yet to be backed up by legitimate studies, despite the fact that many schools and parents act as if it is.

A retro move, or a smart one?


Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by cafebabe on Tuesday July 25 2017, @07:08AM (2 children)

    by cafebabe (894) on Tuesday July 25 2017, @07:08AM (#544053) Journal

    Bill Hicks had some observations about reading [wikiquote.org]:-

    You know I've noticed a certain anti-intellectualism going around this country ever since around 1980, coincidentally enough. I was in Nashville, Tennessee last weekend and after the show I went to a waffle house and I'm sitting there and I'm eating and reading a book. I don't know anybody, I'm alone, I'm eating and I'm reading a book. This waitress comes over to me [mocks chewing gum] 'What you readin' for?' Wow, I've never been asked that; not 'What am I reading', 'What am I reading for?' Well, goddamnit, you stumped me. I guess I read for a lot of reasons - the main one is so I don't end up being a fuckin' waffle waitress. Yeah, that would be pretty high on the list. Then this trucker in the booth next to me gets up, stands over me and says [mocks Southern drawl] 'Well, looks like we got ourselves a readah.' Aahh, what the fuck's goin' on? It's like I walked into a Klan rally in a Boy George costume or something. Am I stepping out of some intellectual closet here? I read, there I said it. I feel better.

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  • (Score: 5, Interesting) by nobu_the_bard on Tuesday July 25 2017, @01:12PM (1 child)

    by nobu_the_bard (6373) on Tuesday July 25 2017, @01:12PM (#544150)

    When I was out in Rural Nowhere awhile ago, I had a tablet with me with a book loaded on it. It was one of the Dune books - I think the second one, awhile ago. I had just gotten off work and was extremely hungry. I stopped at the first place I saw - which turned out to be an old country pub / diner sort of deal. I sat at the bar. The locals had a little bit of a drawl.

    Anyway, I ordered some food and was sitting there reading. The waitress came up and asked, what was I reading. I told her the title; she asked what it was about. I summarized it. She said it sounded interesting- she'd never heard of any sci-fi but Star Wars. She went into the back for something. Later she came back and wanted to talk about space stuff. Said she'd never met anyone that knew much and she was curious.

    Some farm worker guys, who had just sat down, had heard the last bit of our conversation. I knew they were farm workers because I overheard them talking about farm vehicles when I walked in (or maybe they were mechanics?). They came over - huge guys, all in flannel, strong serious drawl, said they heard that thing I was talking to the waitress about. They wanted to know more too. One of them ordered the book I was reading on his smartphone and started reading it while we talked. He was like, this is great! Why hadn't anyone mentioned this before on TV? I suggested he read the first book first, he ordered it too. The other guys were interested and wanted to talk about Star Wars. They also asked for my opinions on various books (they had decided I was an expert?) and had said they hadn't found any interesting ones lately.

    There's more but I've rambled long enough. My experience didn't mesh with the above story.

    • (Score: 2) by krishnoid on Tuesday July 25 2017, @08:45PM

      by krishnoid (1156) on Tuesday July 25 2017, @08:45PM (#544311)

      I knew they were farm workers because I overheard them talking about farm vehicles when I walked in (or maybe they were mechanics?). They came over - huge guys, all in flannel, strong serious drawl, said they heard that thing I was talking to the waitress about. They wanted to know more too.

      I bet they were all CHOAM [wikia.com] spies. You never can tell with those types.