The problem with homework: A letter to my younger brother

Dear Dylan,

I write this letter with a heavy heart because, as you prepare to finish 8th grade, I already know where things are headed: Once you finish this final year of middle school, you’re going to lose your independence. I know everyone has told you the opposite, and that high school will be your “gateway to independence,” but they are wrong. Your freedom will be held in check by all the homework you’ll have to do.

I was in your shoes not long ago, and I know how you’ll operate this year. Eighth grade is all about social development. You’re making new friends and going through puberty, and schoolwork is the least of your worries. You’ll probably just go through the motions of completing your assignments, like I did. But things will change next year. From watching you do your homework today, I would say you complete about 30 minutes of homework a night. As you begin high school, that will increase exponentially. Each of your teachers will give you hours of homework every week, and then they’ll just tell you to flip through the pages to show them you completed it. They’ll never look closely at it to see if you actually understood it, and they’ll never reference that material again.