Late Night Thoughts

It’s 11:20 in the evening and I couldn’t sleep. I had a full day despite being a holiday. Hence, I should be snoring my way to dreamland by now but alas! I couldn’t sleep despite my repeated talks to the Shepherd. Several social issues keep running inside my head. First on the list is the “No Homework Policy” by two lawmakers. I couldn’t begin to imagine where these ideas for a law came from. Did these lawmakers go to school? Didn’t they experience doing their homework and appreciating the works of their hands? Back when I was a student, homework is a way of learning and discovering new things. It served as a bonding time with family and sometimes with friends. I recall going to the library with my friends during recess or lunch break to browse the Encyclopedia because the one we had at home did not provide the answer to our homework or the information wasn’t enough. Homework were conversation starters among classmates and not just to copy but to discuss how we approached a certain problem or question. Also, why do learners need to leave their books in school? The functional literacy of our learners is declining every second because they no longer read. Even if teachers require them to read in school, it is always a battle of wills before they read a sentence aloud. Leaving their books in school would imply that they do not need to study at home and that learning stops when they leave the school grounds. Is that what we want to communicate to this generation? As far as I know, it takes a community to educate a child. By prohibiting the giving of homework, we are excluding the community in contributing to the education of this generation. What is happening to our country? We are moving backwards and not forward. These House Bills, if they become a law will mark the death of the Philippine’s future because it would mean that our youth will no longer learn how to be resourceful or creative. They will expect that everything will be handed to them ready. I refuse to contribute to our country’s demise but I also need to live and Php 50,000 fine is almost 3 months’ worth of late nights and tons of patience inside the classroom. Our dear lawmakers, before you approve of this policy, think of your promise to your constituents to make their lives better – this (no homework policy) does not make lives better and I hope that you’ll reconsider.