Lesson 99 Homework
"Finished!" Sandy cried.
"Me too!" Sue cried.
Gretel has often noticed that Sandy and Sue don't have very much homework. She raised the subject at dinner the other evening and Mr Clark tried to explain. "In some countries," he said, "children are made to do a lot of homework from the moment they begin school. They're often obliged to learn their lessons by heart and they are tested each day by their teachers. The children learn from exactly the same books and follow a strict state programme. It' quite the opposite in England. Teachers rarely make very young children do any homework. They rarely get their pupils to learn lessons by heart. The teachers themselves are usually free to choose the books they will use. Some teachers don't use books at all! After the age of 11 or 12, of course, children are generally made to do some homework, but never very much, From the age of 14 onwards, they usually heve quite a lot, as they will be taking important examinations. But even then, the question of homework is largely their own responsibility."
Gretel thought English children were very lucky, but Sandy and Sue didn't agree-which is hardly surprising! |