Answer: Here is an essay I wrote in 4th grade:
Elementary School Should be Homework-Free
By: Hershveer Singh Ahuja
Did you know that homework in elementary school makes no difference? Therefore elementary school should be homework-free because homework was invented as a punishment, leading countries have limited homework, and mostly because homework tires kids out. Read more for the history of homework.
One reason elementary schools should be homework-free is that it was invented as a punishment. In 1905 an Italian named Roberto Nevilis invented homework to punish his students. Nevilis was a very strict teacher and was disappointed with the performance of his students. Do you really think we should be punished for something we didn’t do?
Another reason elementary schools should be homework-free is that leading countries such as Finland have none to very little homework. 93% of Finnish students graduate every year, while in the U.S.A. only 75% graduate every year. Homework should be limited as it barely makes a difference in elementary school. Much like Finland, South Korea only has 2.9 hours of homework a week. Yet somehow this country is ranked #2 for their reading knowledge.
Even though elementary schools should be homework-free because homework was invented as a punishment and because leading countries have limited homework, elementary schools should also be homework-free because homework tires kids out after a long day. Students have homework to complete even in their free time at home. It’s almost like school all over again, children have things to do, places to go, sports to play. Why homework?
I understand homework can be a learning experience. However homework doesn’t make a difference in elementary school, since homework was invented as a punishment, leading countries have limited homework, and mostly since homework tires kids out.