LORIS, SC (WBTW) – Parents are excited about new homework practice expectations at Loris Elementary School this year.
The school issued a letter to parents stating that students will not be sent home with any written, graded homework, but instead, they are required to practice reading and studying for upcoming tests for allotted amounts of time each day, depending on the grade level.
Two of Whitney Miller’s three children attend Loris Elementary. Miller was excited when she first learned of the new homework practice requirements at the elementary school.
“The first week, normally they’ll have some kind of homework, and I kept asking my son, ‘What’s your homework for tonight?’ and he was like, ‘Mom, we don’t have homework,'” Miller said.
According to Miller, on any given night, her children could spend up to a couple of hours on homework after an eight hour school day. She says the new expectations will give her children more time for sports and other after school activities.
“Even (my) little five-year-old, she can just come home and relax, aside from the reading, obviously, and still some of the stuff they do have to do, but they’ll have a lot more of a break which is good,” Miller said.
Loris Elementary is not alone in the change, either. According to Horry County School District Spokesperson, Lisa Bourcier, Ocean Drive, Carolina Forest, and Waterway Elementary Schools all have a similar homework practice policy.
“They may look a little bit different from last year compared to this year, but there is still homework that needs to be completed. A lot of it is a little bit different, again, in elementary, really emphasizing the reading part of it,” Bourcier said.
According to Bourcier, students will also need to study for upcoming tests, especially spelling tests at the elementary level each night, along with completing any work they may not have finished during school hours.
Miller says the new homework practice load is less than in year’s past, and will mean less written work and more free time for her children.
“(The homework used to be) just repetitive stuff, which I know helps them learn and grow,” Miller said. “But if they can complete it in school, that’s pretty awesome.”
