"'People don't go to school to learn. They go to get good grades, which brings them to college, which brings them the high-paying job, which brings them happiness, so they think (qtd in Vatterott 19). 

Are educators creating learners or workers? As I wrestle with this concept of homework and its many facets, this is the question I keep coming back to, and it is the question that Vatterott proposes on page 15. I have two primary responses to that question. 

First, yes.  Ideally, education and educators should produce life-long learners. But under our current system, the institution of school cannot produce life-long learners in more than a few cases. Creating learners requires an environment in which learning is valued over all else, including grades, test scores, and class ranks.  A learner is driven by his or her own passion--he is not mandated to attend classes he hates with teachers he finds boring who use methods that don't connect with him. A learner seeks information and knowledge; they are not spoon-fed to him.  A learner often isn't valued the way a worker is. Imagining solutions is far different than doing one's part to implement them.

I wish I could produce learners. I hope I do in some small way.  But I'm realistic too.  The majority of the students enrolled in my classes is there because it is a requirement for graduation--not because they have a passion for writing and reading. I try to ignite what little intrinsic desire they may have, but how can I be sure?  What I think I "do", and what students "get" may be two very different things.  I would love to create a way for my colleagues to give me real feedback about what they see and hear if they would sit in my room for a day or two.  This kind of observation and feedback would be invaluable!

Second, what is the role, if any, of homework in the creation of learners?  I think that homework does have a role in learning, especially in a college course. If I didn't have students write essays outside of class, I don't believe they would be ready for college work the following year.  When I see my students for three hours and forty-five minutes in a normal week, there is no possible way for me to meet the demands of standards, colleges, and society if I don't require that some things be done outside of class. That said, I try hard not to assign work that isn't relevant. I always try to explain my purpose behind an assignment, no matter how small.  However, sometimes I assign work that we simply don't get to during class. For example, today I was lecturing about rhetoric. We got into a discussion about audience. That discussion was valuable, I think.  But that left little time to finish the notes. Instead I asked the kids to summarize three keys points from the reading for their notes for tomorrow. I expect them to do it, but I also know some will forget, choose not to do it, or something similar.  Is that bad?  Not necessarily, but I wouldn't trade our class discussion for it either.

Homework must have purpose. Homework should be differentiated when possible. But homework is NOT inherently bad. Neither, I believe, is holding kids, in my case, seniors, accountable for their work. I would expect that is helping them prepare for their future educations and employment. But, as a learner, I resolve to keep my options and eyes open. I want feedback because I know that's one of the best ways to learn. 

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