Lawmakers Have Filed A House Bill Called The "No Homework On Weekends Act" And Teachers Could Face Up To 2 Years In Jail For Breaking It

MANILA - If Quezon City Rep. Alfred Vargas and House Deputy Speaker Evelina Escudero will have their way, homework for students could be a thing of the past. Vargas has filed House Bill 388, which he wants to be passed as the “No Homework on Weekends Act of 2019". The proposed law seeks to ban all elementary and high schools from allowing teachers to give homework or assignments over the weekend. Violators will face a fine of P50,000 and jail time of up to 2 years.

So I know this seems like it's a 4th grade Social Studies project where the kids came up with an idea for a new law, but this actually is a real bill that has been filed by the house in the Philippines. And I think it's a no brainer.

From my first-hand school experience, I'm not sure there's a more universally agreed upon statement than the fact that homework absolutely sucks. Kids hate it because they just sat in school the entire day. Parents hate it because they need to help their kid with it. And teachers hate it because they have to grade it. And that doesn't even mention the fact that literally every single person that's ever been through a public school system knows it's completely useless.

I mean, remember when your math teacher would give you questions 1 through 50? Evens only of course, because the answers to the odd numbered questions were in the back of the book. But 99% of this country would do one of three things:

1.) Not do it

2.) Copy down someone else's answers

3.) Pull out an old homework paper and change the date when your teacher walked around to check it

The fact of the matter is that homework does not make you any smarter. The only reason people do it is because it's for a grade, and you find a way to cheat anyways. If you really did your Math, Science, Social Studies, English, and electives homework every single night, it would take you four hours. I'm not sure I took a book home my entire high school career, but I still got all of my homework done. Do that math.

So yeah, these lawmakers are certainly onto something. Especially because they're not even asking for too much. While their goal is to ultimately end homework, they're going with a simple foot in the door technique and only asking to abolish homework on the weekends. Let me be very clear:

If you don't agree with getting rid of homework on the weekends, you are a loser.

This has nothing to do with millennials being snowflakes (don't tell Doug Gottlieb that though). This doesn't even have to do with the proposed bill's plan: to increase bonding time at home. I don't care about that. Use this extra free time to bond with your family or lock yourself in your room and play Fortnite, doesn't matter to me. The point is that homework is stupid, no one likes it, no one benefits from it, and it needs to become a thing of the past. I hope this bill gets passed and makes its way over to the United States. For the kids.

I will say this though: while I am all for the bill, I could see some people thinking the punishment for breaking the law being a little harsh. A fine and up to two years in jail for assigning homework over the weekend? I mean, that would certainly deter the teachers from assigning a take home worksheet. Don't do the crime if you can't do the time. But maybe if these lawmakers want the bill to feel more legitimate than a elementary Social Studies project, they might want to come up with something more realistic. "What are you in here for, aggravated assault?" -- "Nah, I assigned reading questions on a Friday".