who founded homework

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The Homework Dilemma: Who Invented Homework?

The inventor of homework may be unknown, but its evolution reflects contributions from educators, philosophers, and students. Homework reinforces learning, fosters discipline, and prepares students for the future, spanning from ancient civilizations to modern education. Ongoing debates probe its balance, efficacy, equity, and accessibility, prompting innovative alternatives like project-based and personalized learning. As education evolves, the enigma of homework endures.

Table of Contents

Who Invented Homework?

While historical records don’t provide a definitive answer regarding the inventor of homework in the modern sense, two prominent figures, Roberto Nevelis of Venice and Horace Mann, are often linked to the concept’s early development.

Roberto Nevelis of Venice: A Mythical Innovator?

Roberto Nevelis, a Venetian educator from the 16th century, is frequently credited with the invention of homework. The story goes that Nevelis assigned tasks to his students outside regular classroom hours to reinforce their learning—a practice that aligns with the essence of homework. However, the historical evidence supporting Nevelis as the inventor of homework is rather elusive, leaving room for skepticism.

While Nevelis’s role remains somewhat mythical, his association with homework highlights the early recognition of the concept’s educational value.

Horace Mann: Shaping the American Educational Landscape

Horace Mann, often regarded as the “Father of American Education,” made significant contributions to the American public school system in the 19th century. Though he may not have single-handedly invented homework, his educational reforms played a crucial role in its widespread adoption.

Mann’s vision for education emphasized discipline and rigor, which included assigning tasks to be completed outside of the classroom. While he did not create homework in the traditional sense, his influence on the American education system paved the way for its integration.

The invention of homework was driven by several educational objectives. It aimed to reinforce classroom learning, ensuring knowledge retention and skill development. Homework also served as a means to promote self-discipline and responsibility among students, fostering valuable study habits and time management skills.

Why Was Homework Invented?

The invention of homework was not a random educational practice but rather a deliberate strategy with several essential objectives in mind.

Reinforcing Classroom Learning

Foremost among these objectives was the need to reinforce classroom learning. When students leave the classroom, the goal is for them to retain and apply the knowledge they have acquired during their lessons. Homework emerged as a powerful tool for achieving this goal. It provided students with a structured platform to revisit the day’s lessons, practice what they had learned, and solidify their understanding.

Homework assignments often mirrored classroom activities, allowing students to extend their learning beyond the confines of school hours. Through the repetition of exercises and tasks related to the curriculum, students could deepen their comprehension and mastery of various subjects.

Fostering Self-Discipline and Responsibility

Another significant objective behind the creation of homework was the promotion of self-discipline and responsibility among students. Education has always been about more than just the acquisition of knowledge; it also involves the development of life skills and habits that prepare individuals for future challenges.

By assigning tasks to be completed independently at home, educators aimed to instill valuable study habits and time management skills. Students were expected to take ownership of their learning, manage their time effectively, and meet deadlines—a set of skills that have enduring relevance in contemporary education and beyond.

Homework encouraged students to become proactive in their educational journey. It taught them the importance of accountability and the satisfaction of completing tasks on their own. These life skills would prove invaluable in their future endeavors, both academically and in the broader context of their lives.

When Was Homework Invented?

The roots of homework stretch deep into the annals of history, tracing its origins to ancient civilizations and early educational practices. While it has undergone significant evolution over the centuries, the concept of extending learning beyond the classroom has always been an integral part of education.

Earliest Origins of Homework and Early Educational Practices

The idea of homework, in its most rudimentary form, can be traced back to the earliest human civilizations. In ancient Egypt , for instance, students were tasked with hieroglyphic writing exercises. These exercises served as a precursor to modern homework, as they required students to practice and reinforce their understanding of written language—an essential skill for communication and record-keeping in that era.

In ancient Greece , luminaries like Plato and Aristotle advocated for the use of written exercises as a tool for intellectual development. They recognized the value of practice in enhancing one’s knowledge and skills, laying the foundation for a more systematic approach to homework.

The ancient Romans also played a pivotal role in the early development of homework. Young Roman students were expected to complete assignments at home, with a particular focus on subjects like mathematics and literature. These assignments were designed to consolidate their classroom learning, emphasizing the importance of practice in mastering various disciplines.

READ MORE: Who Invented Math? The History of Mathematics

The practice of assigning work to be done outside of regular school hours continued to evolve through various historical periods. As societies advanced, so did the complexity and diversity of homework tasks, reflecting the changing needs and priorities of education.

The Influence of Educational Philosophers

While the roots of homework extend to ancient times, the ideas of renowned educational philosophers in later centuries further contributed to its development. John Locke, an influential thinker of the Enlightenment era, believed in a gradual and cumulative approach to learning. He emphasized the importance of students revisiting topics through repetition and practice, a concept that aligns with the principles of homework.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau, another prominent philosopher, stressed the significance of self-directed learning. Rousseau’s ideas encouraged the development of independent study habits and a personalized approach to education—a philosophy that resonates with modern concepts of homework.

Homework in the American Public School System

The American public school system has played a pivotal role in the widespread adoption and popularization of homework. To understand the significance of homework in modern education, it’s essential to delve into its history and evolution within the United States.

History and Evolution of Homework in the United States

The late 19th century marked a significant turning point for homework in the United States. During this period, influenced by educational reforms and the growing need for standardized curricula, homework assignments began to gain prominence in American schools.

Educational reformers and policymakers recognized the value of homework as a tool for reinforcing classroom learning. They believed that assigning tasks for students to complete outside of regular school hours would help ensure that knowledge was retained and skills were honed. This approach aligned with the broader trends in education at the time, which aimed to provide a more structured and systematic approach to learning.

As the American public school system continued to evolve, homework assignments became a common practice in classrooms across the nation. The standardization of curricula and the formalization of education contributed to the integration of homework into the learning process. This marked a significant departure from earlier educational practices, reflecting a shift toward more structured and comprehensive learning experiences.

The incorporation of homework into the American education system not only reinforced classroom learning but also fostered self-discipline and responsibility among students. It encouraged them to take ownership of their educational journey and develop valuable study habits and time management skills—a legacy that continues to influence modern pedagogy.

Controversies Around Homework

Despite its longstanding presence in education, homework has not been immune to controversy and debate. While many view it as a valuable educational tool, others question its effectiveness and impact on students’ well-being.

The Homework Debate

One of the central controversies revolves around the amount of homework assigned to students. Critics argue that excessive homework loads can lead to stress, sleep deprivation, and a lack of free time for students. The debate often centers on striking the right balance between homework and other aspects of a student’s life, including extracurricular activities, family time, and rest.

Homework’s Efficacy

Another contentious issue pertains to the efficacy of homework in enhancing learning outcomes. Some studies suggest that moderate amounts of homework can reinforce classroom learning and improve academic performance. However, others question whether all homework assignments contribute equally to learning or whether some may be more beneficial than others. The effectiveness of homework can vary depending on factors such as the student’s grade level, the subject matter, and the quality of the assignment.

Equity and Accessibility

Homework can also raise concerns related to equity and accessibility. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds may have limited access to resources and support at home, potentially putting them at a disadvantage when it comes to completing homework assignments. This disparity has prompted discussions about the role of homework in perpetuating educational inequalities and how schools can address these disparities.

Alternative Approaches to Learning

In response to the controversies surrounding homework, educators and researchers have explored alternative approaches to learning. These approaches aim to strike a balance between reinforcing classroom learning and promoting holistic student well-being. Some alternatives include:

Project-Based Learning

Project-based learning emphasizes hands-on, collaborative projects that allow students to apply their knowledge to real-world problems. This approach shifts the focus from traditional homework assignments to engaging, practical learning experiences.

Flipped Classrooms

Flipped classrooms reverse the traditional teaching model. Students learn new material at home through video lectures or readings and then use class time for interactive discussions and activities. This approach reduces the need for traditional homework while promoting active learning.

Personalized Learning

Personalized learning tailors instruction to individual students’ needs, allowing them to progress at their own pace. This approach minimizes the need for one-size-fits-all homework assignments and instead focuses on targeted learning experiences.

The Ongoing Conversation

The controversies surrounding homework highlight the need for an ongoing conversation about its role in education. Striking the right balance between reinforcing learning and addressing students’ well-being remains a complex challenge. As educators, parents, and researchers continue to explore innovative approaches to learning, the role of homework in the modern educational landscape continues to evolve. Ultimately, the goal is to provide students with the most effective and equitable learning experiences possible.

Unpacking the Homework Enigma

Homework, without a single inventor, has evolved through educators, philosophers, and students. It reinforces learning, fosters discipline and prepares students. From ancient times to modern education, it upholds timeless values. Yet, controversies arise—debates on balance, efficacy, equity, and accessibility persist. Innovative alternatives like project-based and personalized learning emerge. Homework’s role evolves with education.

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Who Invented Homework, and Why Was Homework Invented? Let’s Explore!

If you are or have ever been a student, you have probably asked this question multiple times, and it hardly was to thank the person who invented homework personally. We all know that feeling all too well—the deadline is looming, you’re staring at a blank page, and there isn’t a single viable idea in your head.

Sounds familiar? Then you’re likely curious to investigate the history of homework and the cruel, cruel people who stand behind this centuries-old tradition. It’s quite fascinating, actually, and you will most certainly be surprised at how long and turbulent the history of giving learners homework is.

When, How, Why, and Who Invented Homework

To answer the question of who the title of the inventor of homework belongs to, we will have to go all the way back to the first century, then jump to eighteenth-century Europe, and finally move domestically to explore the trials and errors of the homework tradition in the U.S.

Some of the names we will address here include:

• Pliny the Younger —The Roman lawyer and author credited with the “invention” of homework,
• Johann Gottlieb Fichte —The German philosopher who developed the ideological justification of homework,
• Horace Mann —The first known American educator who made homework the norm in the U.S., and more.

Let’s dive in.

Who Created Homework and Why—How Everything Started

So, who started homework? The simplistic answer would be the Roman lawyer Pliny the Younger, who we’ll discuss in more detail below. However, it’s not that simple. It never is when it comes to homework, a tradition that could have existed long before it was linked to any historical artifacts and, therefore, lost to history.

After all, as much as almost every student despises homework, its number one purpose (or, at least, what we perceive as its number one purpose today) is self-evident. Most teachers genuinely care about their learners’ progress and academic achievements, so it’s no wonder they give home assignments to help students improve their learning.

However, as you will soon find out, this is only one of the many homework goals. Historically, it hasn’t even always been the most important one. Societal events, dominant philosophical schools, and individual educational reformers have always affected the mainstream view of homework and its perceived functions.

We invite you to join us on a journey through centuries (and then back again), where we will try to understand the origins, evolution, and current state of the homework tradition. If nothing else, you might have a chance to impress your friends at a trivia night.

Pliny the Younger

Have you already thought of the Roman Empire this week? If not, now’s your chance. The first name historians come across when looking for the origins of homework is Pliny the Younger, a Roman magistrate, lawyer, and brilliant orator in the first century A.D.

Pliny the Younger had students like many other distinguished authors and public speakers in Rome. He taught rhetoric and public speaking and—you guessed it—tasked his students with practicing their speech composing and public speaking skills even outside his classes. Also, Pliny actively encouraged them to put their newly acquired skills to practice in appropriate settings.

Johann Gottlieb Fichte

Here comes a huge time jump—to eighteenth-century Germany. Sure, homework probably existed between the Roman times and the eighteenth century. However, nothing groundbreaking happened to it during all those centuries, so there’s no point in retelling every little step.

Johann Gottlieb Fichte was a German philosopher in post-Napoleon Europe who advocated for a uniform national education system, similar to other voices of German idealism. He emphasized that teaching the youth was as much about instilling a sense of national identity in them as teaching them traditional disciplines. For Fichte, homework was one of the strategies for achieving that.

Horace Mann

At this point, you might wonder, “What about the U.S.?” Well, the title of the pioneer of homework in the New World belongs to Horace Mann, otherwise known as “the father of the American public school system.” In the nineteenth century, education for children was still not compulsory, and Mann advocated for changing that.

Mann was the first educator to emphasize the role of parents in every child’s learning journey. He believed homework could reinforce the lessons taught in school, teach the youth self-discipline and improve their relationships with parents. He added a new layer to why homework was invented and made mainstream.

Roberto Nevilis: What Was His Role in the Origins of Homework?

The first thing you need to know about Roberto Nevilis is that he didn’t exist. A popular myth suggests that Nevilis invented homework at the beginning of the twentieth century as a form of punishment for students who didn’t work hard enough in class. That’s completely untrue.

Here are a few facts about Roberto Nevilis. According to the legend, Roberto Nevilis was an Italian teacher who lived at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century in Venice, Italy. He was supposedly the first educator to give homework to his students, which allegedly happened in 1905. If you look up his (more or less fictional) “story” online, you will find that he initially only gave home assignments to students who failed to understand the material in class or weren’t diligent enough.

Why did Roberto Nevilis create homework? As you can probably guess by now, the more accurate question would be, “Why would someone bother to invent the person named Roberto Nevilis and credit this semi-fictional character with inventing homework?” Sadly, though, there’s no clear answer. Whoever did this wanted students or the general public to believe that the number one purpose of homework was punishment for poor performance. That’s not the case.

Was the History of Homework in the United States Any Different?

Now, let’s move beyond Horace Mann’s name and explore homework history in the Americas or, more specifically, the U.S. One of the first questions people curious about the topic ask is, “What year was homework invented in the United States?” There’s no straightforward answer to this, either. All we know is that homework started becoming a standard practice somewhere on the cusp of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries—largely thanks to Mann’s effort.

The U.S. wasn’t any different from other countries in that the mainstream views on homework evolved with societal norms (which, in turn, shaped educational priorities). For example, by the beginning of the twentieth century, the idea became more or less universal: homework promoted students’ growth beyond learning the material taught in class. Educators believed it was also helpful for building character and applying the knowledge gained in practical contexts.

However, the beginning of the twentieth century was also when the progressive education movement grew increasingly popular. Among other things, its proponents advocated against homework because they believed that it contracted the fundamentals of child-centered learning. The opposing views on giving home assignments coexisted side by side; to an extent, they still do.

The Ban on Homework in the 1900s

The 1900s was the first time in American history since homework origin when it became very popular to reject the need for homework. The progressive movement grew more influential by the day, eventually culminating in the homework ban.

From being the underdogs of sorts, homework’s progressive critics turned into the loudest voice in the education system, and their demands were eventually met, albeit not everywhere.

Their arguments were straightforward and understandable, at least to an extent. They claimed that homework got in the way of students’ socializing after school hours, interfered with the family dynamics, and strained students’ physical and mental health.

The Need for Children’s Domestic Labor in the 1930s

The 1930s wasn’t a good time for the first homework advocates. This was when the Great Depression hit the U.S. severely and put the economic crisis at the forefront of basically everything happening in the country, including education.

More and more parents came forward demanding the end of homework because they needed their children to help at home—be it with domestic labor, farming, or anything else.

Parents’ demands were fruitful. The educational practices of the 1930s stemmed from the idea that outside of school hours, students should be able to focus on their lives at home without the additional burden of homework.

The Post-World War II Shift in the Views on Homework

The situation changed drastically after World War II. If you’re wondering how old is homework the way we know it today, that’s when it started.

First, the nation was thriving economically, which made it possible to focus on the importance of education. Also, as the Cold War started, the value of education became more apparent than ever. The U.S. needed well-educated citizens who could contribute to technological advancements and effectively protect the nation’s security.

For example, when the Soviets launched Sputnik in 1957, one of the main debates in the American media was about young people’s readiness to remain competitive on a global scale.

How Homework Looks for Americal Children in the 21st Century

Today, we can still see some of the dilemmas surrounding the topic over a century ago. For example, there are two clear camps: educators who believe homework is necessary for academic achievement and their colleagues who don’t think that to become a well-rounded and successful individual, a child must spend hours daily completing home assignments.

Still, the most popular view is quite well-balanced. The main idea behind that is maximizing the educational benefits of homework while minimizing its potential drawbacks. This implies setting reasonable limits on the amount of homework, designing meaningful assignments, and prioritizing students’ holistic development.

What’s the Purpose of Homework?

Even a child knows the number one reason they must do their homework (even if they don’t necessarily agree). Obviously, the main purpose of homework is to help students better digest the material they learn in class.

But that’s not the only one. Other goals of homework include:

• To teach students how to work independently and think critically;
• To motivate students to prepare for upcoming lessons (thus making the teacher’s job a little easier);
• To encourage responsibility and organization;
• To cultivate collaboration skills (via group assignments);
• To strengthen the child-parent bond, and more.

What’s the Impact of Homework on the Quality of Education

So, how does homework improve the quality of education?

• Promotes understanding and reflection.
• Improves study habits and time management.
• Makes it possible for teachers to give anonymous and personalized feedback to each student.
• Prepares students for standardized assessments (such as SATs).
• Supports diverse learning needs.

The Pros of Homework

The complete list of the advantages of homework would be too long to include here, but here are some of the undeniable benefits of giving the students at least some work to do at home:

✅ Reinforces learning

✅ Promotes independent learning

✅ Develops positive study habits

✅ Increases retention

✅ Facilitates parental involvement

✅ Enables customized learning, and so on.

The Cons of Homework

At the same time, even the most adamant proponents of homework recognize that the tradition does have its flaws. The drawbacks of homework include the following:

❌ Causes extra stress and anxiety

❌ Gets in the way of students’ relationships with family members and social lives

❌ Might get in the way of healthy extracurricular activities, such as sports

❌ Creates additional pressure on teachers.

Who made homework a thing?

Why was homework invented have the reasons changed since then, is homework really necessary for effective learning, when was homework first invented did it look the same, how does homework look today who writes the rules.

As you can see, homework history—both in the U.S. and worldwide—has been quite turbulent. Much to today’s students’ envy, there were times when it was illegal, at least in some places.

However, now is not one of those periods. While some non-mainstream educational systems and paradigms deny the need for homework, most educators believe that the benefits of homework outweigh its flaws. The key is to design genuinely stimulating and engaging assignments and avoid overdoing things. Students should be able to relax after school hours without the risk of falling behind.

If you ask an average teacher these days, they will probably tell you that the optimal amount of homework per week is roughly 7-10 hours. That’s enough to practice what was learned in class and engage with the material critically. At the same time, it’s not too much, so the risks of causing students extra stress and harming their social lives are very unlikely.

What matters the most is not how much homework a teacher gives but how creative and stimulating the assignments are. Ideally, students should be excited to complete them.

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Who Invented Homework? The Origins and Development

October 18th, 2023 — 5 min read

The origins of Homework dates back to ancient Greece and Rome. It is said that Roberto Nevelis, an Italian teacher, invented homework in 1905, but so far there is no credible historical evidence to support this, which makes it become an Internet myth. Pliny the Younger, Johann Gottlieb Fichte, and Hausmann are the most likely true inventors of homework.

I. Introduction

When it comes to homework, what is on your mind? Excited or struggling？Some people enjoy doing homework and challenging themselves with hard questions; Others dislike homework and struggle with it, considering that homework deprives them of their spare time. Whether you like it or not, homework is an essential part of our learning and growth.

For teachers, homework is a way to help students to consolidate knowledge, develop critical thinking skills, and improve problem-solving ability etc. As students, we might not view homework like our teachers, and maybe just complete homework to avoid punishment.

So we've all been doing homework since we were kids. Have you ever wondered who invented homework? This blog will elaborate on the origins and development of homework. Let's take a look at who started the journey of homework, and who made homework became a daily task for students.

II. Historical Background

Before tracing the origins of homework, let us ponder a question: was homework born at the same time as education? The answer is no. Education has a long history that can be traced back to ancient times. In the early stages, homework is not a part of educational system. Before writing was invented, people mainly passed on the values, traditions and life skills to the next generation through oral teaching. However, the advent of writing further developed the spread of civilization and diversified the ways of education.

There is no homework in early education, so how do students consolidate their learning? In the ancient Greek city-states, private education was prevalent. Students in Athens discussed, debated, and thought in study groups organized by philosophers or scholars to further reinforce knowledge. Students would participate in various public presentations to access their learning outcomes and broaden their horizons and thinking. In addition, by participating in all kinds of practical activities, such as museum visits, art exhibitions, and sports activities, students can apply what they have learned to real-life situations. Therefore, although there was no homework at that time, students could enhance their understanding and application of learning in a variety of ways.

With the continuous development of society, education gradually developed from social and family education to formal schooling, with professional people specialized in teaching subject knowledge and skills. So who invented homework? When did homework appear?

III. Inventors and Key Figures of Homework

1.roberto nevelis.

2.Pliny The Younger

3.Johann Gottlieb Fichte

So who invented homework? Johann Gottlieb Fichte,the German philosopher, was probably the true inventor of homework. He was not only the father of German nationalism, but also contributed and influenced the education of Germany. He helped develop people's schools, making mass schools and compulsory education an innovation at that period. The state provided education for students and also infiltrated patriotism into students' lives and encouraged them to contribute to the country.

Fichte's educational ideas had a profound influence on German education at that time. His ideas were widely adopted and implemented in the German education system, so that homework became an important part of students' learning.

4.Horace Mann

Horace Mann, a 19th-century American educator and politician, was often credited as a key figure in the development of homework. After graduating from Brown University, he actively supported education reform while serving as the state education secretary. He was regarded by many historians as the "father of American public education" and devoted himself to the educational system.

Mann not only engaged with teachers, but also participated in many public education presentations and visited other schools in and out of the state. While visiting schools in Europe, he was inspired by the Prussian education system and decided to reform education in Massachusetts, one of which was homework. He believes that homework can help students consolidate what they learn in class and develop the ability to learn independently and solve problems.

So, what about the future of homework in the United States?

IV.Brief History of Homework in the US

Early 20th century: the rise of the homework ban.

In the 19th century, while economic development was limited, most children in the United States dropped out of elementary school to ease the burden on their families. With the increasing development of society, more and more children can receive basic secondary education, but some problems about homework appear at the same time. Many parents are tired of helping their children with homework and even think that school work has no meaning.

1920s and 1930s: The Ban was Intensified

Under the influence of the homework ban, primary and secondary schools in big cities in the United States have made a series of reform measures to protect the physical and mental health of preschool children. Public schools in New York are prohibited from assigning homework to students in grades one through three. San Diego, California, bans homework for elementary and middle school students in grades 1 through 8. Chicago bans all public elementary and secondary schools from assigning homework to students at any grade level.

1950s: In response to the Cold War, Homework Returned

In 1957, the launch of the Soviet Union's Sputnik satellite brought a huge shock to the United States, and also changed the American concept of education. For 50 years, the United States had little homework, putting it at a competitive disadvantage against the Soviet Union. However, the incident galvanized the urgent need for educational reform in the U.S. government and educational institutions, including a reevaluation and reform of homework. Teachers began to provide students with targeted assignments to meet each student's learning needs. Assignments have also become more challenging and practical to help students consolidate what they have learned and expand their thinking and application skills.

Early 2000s: Homework Attracted Great Attention

In the early 1980s, the United States government organized a special committee to investigate the learning level of American students, and the survey results were very painful for Americans. That is, the basic education in the United States is poor, 23 million adults do not have enough literacy. The results of the survey triggered wide attention and discussion, and the US government and educational institutions took a series of measures to improve basic education, including improving the salary and training level of teachers, requiring teachers to assign more personalized tasks, and ensuring the improvement of teaching quality and student learning outcomes.

Looking at the history of homework in the United States, we can see from the introduction of homework to the promulgation of homework bans, to the re-strengthening of homework. The homework not only had a positive impact, but also triggered negative voices. Around the world, homework has been a controversial topic. Does it do more good than harm? Or does it do more harm than good? Let's look at the advantages and disadvantages of homework.

V. Homework: Pros and Cons

When we talk about the pros and cons of homework, we should focus on the amount of homework assigned.

Proper Amount of Homework

1.Improve the quality of school education By assigning homework, students can consolidate the knowledge learned in class, deepen the understanding and application of knowledge, enhance the learning effect, and the quality of school education will also be improved.

2.Expand students' knowledge and improve students' learning skills Through homework, students can further expand their learning, accumulate more knowledge, and improve learning skills such as reading, writing, problem solving etc. 3.Promote students' independence and sense of responsibility By completing homework independently, students can improve their self-management skills and independent thinking. At the same time, the completion of homework also requires students to have a sense of responsibility and complete the task on time, which is very important for the growth and development of students.

Excessive Homework

1.Lead to lack of sleep and affect students' health Long hours of assignment writing will leave students without enough time for rest, which is bad for students' physical and mental health.

2.Putting too much pressure on students Students need to bare academic pressure under heavy homework tasks, which may lead to anxiety and boredom of students.

3.Deprive students of their spare time Students need enough time for rest, recreation and other interests, which are very important for their well-rounded development. Too much homework may leave students no time to participate in other activities and limit their room for development.

4.Lead to cheating Too much homework may lead to cheating. When students are faced with too much homework pressure, they may look for other ways to complete the homework, such as copying or having someone write it for them. Such behavior not only violates academic ethics, but also weakens students' learning effect and ability

VI.Conclusion

You may not have thought and explored who invented homework, but I believe you have been crazy about homework. From birth to development, homework has experienced the baptism of the long river of history, and also continues to develop from time to time. Although homework once aroused the resistance of parents and students, it has to be admitted that homework plays a key role in consolidating knowledge and improving ability in our learning process. What do you think of homework? Do you think homework should be born?

With the rapid progress and development of science and technology, many countries continue to combine science and technology with education, and launch a variety of educational products to meet the learning needs of students in the new era. When it comes to homework, the use of technology has also opened up many new possibilities. While you may still be used to writing your homework with a pen and paper, or typing your answers on a computer, now is the time to try StudyX , a tool dedicated to providing a whole new way of doing homework. What is the innovation in it? Try it and you'll see!

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Who Invented Homework and Why

Who Invented Homework

Italian pedagog, Roberto Nevilis, was believed to have invented homework back in 1905 to help his students foster productive studying habits outside of school. However, we'll sound find out that the concept of homework has been around for much longer.                                                                                                                                                              

Homework, which most likely didn't have a specific term back then, already existed even in ancient civilizations. Think Greece, Rome, and even ancient Egypt. Over time, homework became standardized in our educational systems. This happened naturally over time, as the development of the formal education system continued.                                                        

In this article, we're going to attempt to find out who invented homework, and when was homework invented, and we're going to uncover if the creator of homework is a single person or a group of them. Read this article through to the end to find out.

Who Created Homework and When?

The concept of homework predates modern educational systems, with roots in ancient Rome. However, Roberto Nevilis is often, yet inaccurately, credited with inventing homework in 1905.Depending on various sources, this invention is dated either in the year 1095 or 1905.

The invention of homework is commonly attributed to Roberto Nevilis, an Italian pedagog who is said to have introduced it as a form of punishment for his students in 1905. However, the concept of homework predates Nevilis and has roots that go back much further in history.

The practice of assigning students work to be done outside of class time can be traced back to ancient civilizations, such as Rome, where Pliny the Younger (AD 61–113) encouraged his students to practice public speaking at home to improve their oratory skills.

It's important to note that the idea of formalized homework has evolved significantly over centuries, influenced by educational theories and pedagogical developments. The purpose and nature of homework have been subjects of debate among educators, with opinions varying on its effectiveness and impact on student learning and well-being.

It might be impossible to answer when was homework invented. A simpler question to ask is ‘what exactly is homework?’.

If you define it as work assigned to do outside of a formal educational setup, then homework might be as old as humanity itself. When most of what people studied were crafts and skills, practicing them outside of dedicated learning times may as well have been considered homework.

Let’s look at a few people who have been credited with formalizing homework over the past few thousand years. 

Roberto Nevilis

Stories and speculations on the internet claim Roberto Nevilis is the one who invented school homework, or at least was the first person to assign homework back in 1905.

Who was he? He was an Italian educator who lived in Venice. He wanted to discipline and motivate his class of lackluster students. Unfortunately, claims online lack factual basis and strong proof that Roberto did invent homework.                                                                                                        

Homework, as a concept, predates Roberto, and can't truly be assigned to a sole inventor. Moreover, it's hard to quantify where an idea truly emerges, because many ideas emerge from different parts of the world simultaneously or at similar times, therefore it's hard to truly pinpoint who invented this idea.

Pliny the Younger

Another culprit according to the internet lived a thousand years before Roberto Nevilis. Pliny the Younger was an oratory teacher in the first century AD in the Roman Empire.

He apparently asked his students to practice their oratory skills at home, which some people consider one of the first official versions of homework.

It is difficult to say with any certainty if this is the first time homework was assigned though because the idea of asking students to practice something outside classes probably existed in every human civilization for millennia. 

Horace Mann

To answer the question of who invented homework and why, at least in the modern sense, we have to talk about Horace Mann. Horace Mann was an American educator and politician in the 19th century who was heavily influenced by movements in the newly-formed German state.

He is credited for bringing massive educational reform to America, and can definitely be considered the father of modern homework in the United States. However, his ideas were heavily influenced by the founding father of German nationalism Johann Gottlieb Fichte. 

After the defeat of Napoleon and the liberation of Prussia in 1814, citizens went back to their own lives, there was no sense of national pride or German identity. Johann Gottlieb Fichte came up with the idea of Volkschule, a mandatory 9-year educational system provided by the government to combat this.

Homework already existed in Germany at this point in time but it became a requirement in Volkschule. Fichte wasn't motivated purely by educational reform, he wanted to demonstrate the positive impact and power of a centralized government, and assigning homework was a way of showing the state's power to influence personal and public life.

This effort to make citizens more patriotic worked and the system of education and homework slowly spread through Europe.

Horace Mann saw the system at work during a trip to Prussia in the 1840s and brought many of the concepts to America, including homework.   

Who Invented Homework and Why?

Homework's history and objectives have evolved significantly over time, reflecting changing educational goals. Now, that we've gone through its history a bit, let's try to understand the "why". The people or people who made homework understood the advantages of it. Let's consider the following:                                                  

• Repetition, a key factor in long-term memory retention, is a primary goal of homework. It helps students solidify class-learned information. This is especially true in complex subjects like physics, where physics homework help can prove invaluable to learning effectively.
• Homework bridges classroom learning with real-world applications, enhancing memory and understanding.
• It identifies individual student weaknesses, allowing focused efforts to address them.
• Working independently at their own pace, students can overcome the distractions and constraints of a classroom setting through homework.
• By creating a continuous learning flow, homework shifts the perspective from viewing each school day as isolated to seeing education as an ongoing process.
• Homework is crucial for subjects like mathematics and sciences, where repetition is necessary to internalize complex processes.
• It's a tool for teachers to maximize classroom time, focusing on expanding understanding rather than just drilling fundamentals.
• Responsibility is a key lesson from homework. Students learn to manage time and prioritize tasks to meet deadlines.
• Research skills get honed through homework as students gather information from various sources.
• Students' creative potential is unleashed in homework, free from classroom constraints.

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Who Invented Homework: Development in the 1900s

Thanks to Horace Mann, homework had become widespread in the American schooling system by 1900, but it wasn't universally popular amongst either students or parents. 

The early 1900s homework bans

In 1901, California became the first state to ban homework. Since homework had made its way into the American educational system there had always been people who were against it for some surprising reasons.

Back then, children were expected to help on farms and family businesses, so homework was unpopular amongst parents who expected their children to help out at home. Many students also dropped out of school early because they found homework tedious and difficult.

Publications like Ladies' Home Journal and The New York Times printed statements and articles about the detrimental effects of homework on children's health. 

The 1930 child labor laws

Homework became more common in the U.S. around the early 1900s. As to who made homework mandatory, the question remains open, but its emergence in the mainstream sure proved beneficial. Why is this?

Well, in 1930, child labor laws were created. It aimed to protect children from being exploited for labor and it made sure to enable children to have access to education and schooling. The timing was just right.

Speaking of homework, if you’re reading this article and have homework you need to attend to, send a “ do my homework ” request on Studyfy and instantly get the help of a professional right now.

Progressive reforms of the 1940s and 50s

With more research into education, psychology and memory, the importance of education became clear. Homework was understood as an important part of education and it evolved to become more useful and interesting to students. 

Homework during the Cold War

Competition with the Soviet Union fueled many aspects of American life and politics. In a post-nuclear world, the importance of Science and Technology was evident.

The government believed that students had to be well-educated to compete with Soviet education systems. This is the time when homework became formalized, accepted, and a fundamental part of the American educational system. 

1980s Nation at Risk

In 1983 the National Commission on Excellence in Education published Nation at Risk:

The Imperative for Educational Reform, a report about the poor condition of education in America.  Still in the Cold War, this motivated the government in 1986 to talk about the benefits of homework in a pamphlet called “What Works” which highlighted the importance of homework. 

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Who Invented Homework: The Modern Homework Debate

Like it or not, homework has stuck through the times, remaining a central aspect in education since the end of the Cold War in 1991. So, who invented homework 😡 and when was homework invented?

We’ve tried to pinpoint different sources, and we’ve understood that many historical figures have contributed to its conception.

Horace Mann, in particular, was the man who apparently introduced homework in the U.S. But let’s reframe our perspective a bit. Instead of focusing on who invented homework, let’s ask ourselves why homework is beneficial in the first place. Let’s consider the pros and cons:

• Homework potentially enhances memory.
• Homework helps cultivate time management, self-learning, discipline, and cognitive skills.
• An excessive amount of work can cause mental health issues and burnout.
• Rigid homework tasks can take away time for productive and leisurely activities like arts and sports.

Meaningful homework tasks can challenge us and enrich our knowledge on certain topics, but too much homework can actually be detrimental. This is where Studyfy can be invaluable. Studyfy offers homework help.

All you need to do is click the “ do my assignment ” button and send us a request. Need instant professional help? You know where to go now.

Frequently asked questions

Who made homework.

As stated throughout the article, there was no sole "inventor of homework." We've established that homework has already existed in ancient civilizations, where people were assigned educational tasks to be done at home. 

Let's look at ancient Greece; for example, students at the Academy of Athens were expected to recite and remember epic poems outside of their institutions. Similar practices were going on in ancient Egypt, China and Rome. 

This is why we can't ascertain the sole inventor of homework. While history can give us hints that homework was practiced in different civilizations, it's not far-fetched to believe that there have been many undocumented events all across the globe that happened simultaneously where homework emerged. 

Why was homework invented? 

We've answered the question of "who invented homework 😡" and we've recognized that we cannot pinpoint it to one sole inventor. So, let's get back to the question of why homework was invented. 

Homework arose from educational institutions, remained, and probably was invented because teachers and educators wanted to help students reinforce what they learned during class. They also believed that homework could improve memory and cognitive skills over time, as well as instill a sense of discipline. 

In other words, homework's origins can be linked to academic performance and regular students practice. Academic life has replaced the anti-homework sentiment as homework bans proved to cause partial learning and a struggle to achieve conceptual clarity.

Speaking of, don't forget that Studyfy can help you with your homework, whether it's Python homework help or another topic. Don't wait too long to take advantage of expert help when you can do it now. 

Is homework important for my learning journey?

Now that we've answered questions on who created homework and why it was invented, we can ask ourselves if homework is crucial in our learning journey. 

At the end of the day, homework can be a crucial step to becoming more knowledgeable and disciplined over time. 

Exercising our memory skills, learning independently without a teacher obliging us, and processing new information are all beneficial to our growth and evolution. However, whether a homework task is enriching or simply a filler depends on the quality of education you're getting. 

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Homework is a part of life for children, parents, and educators. But who came up with the concept of homework? What happened to make it a standard in education? Here’s a quick rundown of homework’s history in the United States .

Homework’s Origins: Myth vs. History

Who was the first person to invent homework? We may never know for sure. Its history has been shaped by a variety of persons and events. Let’s start with two of its key influencers.

The Dubious Roberto Nevelis of Venice

Homework is typically credited to Roberto Nevelis of Venice, Italy, who invented it in 1095—or 1905, depending on your sources. However, upon closer examination, he appears to be more of an internet legend than a genuine figure.

Horace Mann

Horace Mann, a 19th-century politician and educational reformer, was a pivotal figure in the development of homework. Mann, like his contemporaries Henry Barnard and Calvin Ellis Stowe, was passionate about the newly unified nation-state of Germany’s obligatory public education system.

Mandatory tasks were assigned to Volksschulen (“People’s Schools”) students to complete at home on their own time. When liberals like Johann Gottlieb Fichte were striving to organize support for a unified German state, this demand highlighted the state’s authority over the individual. While homework had been established before Fichte’s participation with the Volksschulen, his political goals can be considered a catalyst for its adoption as an educational requirement.

Horace Mann was a driving force behind creating government-run, tax-funded public education in America. During a journey to Germany in 1843, he witnessed the Volkschule system at work and brought back several of its ideals, including homework.

The American Public School System’s Homework

Homework has not always been generally embraced, despite being a near-universal element of the American educational experience. Parents and educators continue to dispute its benefits and drawbacks, as they have for more than a century.

The 1900s: Anti-homework sentiment and homework bans

A homework prohibition was enacted in the Pacific state of California in 1901, barely a few decades after the idea of homework crossed the Atlantic. The restriction, which applied to all students under the age of 15, lasted until 1917.

Around the same period, renowned magazines such as the Ladies’ Home Journal and The New York Times published remarks from parents and medical professionals portraying homework as harmful to children’s health.1930: Homework as Child Labor

A group called the American Child Health Association deemed homework a form of child labor in 1930. This statement represented a less-than-favorable view of homework as an appropriate educational method, given that laws barring child labor had recently been implemented.

Early-to-Mid 20th Century: Homework and the Progressive Era

Teachers began looking for ways to make homework more personal and meaningful to individual students throughout the second half of the 19th and 20th-century modern educational changes. Could this be the origin of the enduring essay topic, “What I Did on My Summer Vacation?”

The Cold War: Homework Heats Up

Following WWII, the Cold War heightened tensions between the United States and Russia in the 1950s. The flight of Sputnik 1 in 1957 increased Russian-American enmity, particularly among their youngsters.

The best way to ensure that American students did not fall behind their Russian counterparts, especially in the extremely competitive fields of science and mathematics, was for education officials in the United States to assign demanding homework.

The 1980s: A Nation at Risk’s Homework

What Works, a 1986 publication from the US Department of Education, listed homework as one of the most effective instructional tactics. This followed three years after the groundbreaking study 

Early 21st Century: Homework Bans Return

Many educators and other concerned individuals are questioning the value of homework once again. On the subject, several publications have been published.

These include:

• The Case Against Homework: How Homework Is Hurting Our Children and What We Can Do About It  by Sarah Bennett and Nancy Kalish (2006)
• The Battle Over Homework: Common Ground for Administrators, Teachers, and Parents  (Third Edition) by Duke University psychologist Dr. Harris Cooper (2007)
• The End of Homework: How Homework Disrupts Families, Overburdens Children, and Limits Learning  by education professor Dr. Etta Kralovec and journalist John Buell (2000)

Homework is still a contentious topic nowadays. Some schools are enacting homework bans similar to those enacted at the start of the century. Teachers have varying opinions on the bans, while parents attempt to cope with the disruption to their daily routine that such bans cause.

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Who invented school homework?

Homework is a term that can stir up a spectrum of emotions among students worldwide. Some view it as an opportunity to reinforce classroom learning, while others perceive it as a chore. Regardless of these differing perspectives, the significance of homework in our education system is undeniable. But where did it originate? Let's delve into the intriguing history of school homework.

.css-26rqae{font-weight:500;} The ancient roots of homework

Our journey begins not in the 20th century, but much earlier, in ancient Rome. Pliny the Elder, a philosopher and naval commander, advocated for self-study among his pupils, fostering an early form of homework. He held a belief that independent exploration allowed students to delve deeper into their interests and broaden their knowledge beyond the confines of the classroom.

Debunking the myth: Roberto Nevilis

There's a common myth that an Italian educator named Roberto Nevilis invented homework in Venice around 1905. However, this claim lacks solid historical evidence and is widely debunked by historians and educators. The concept of homework, as we understand it, evolved gradually over centuries, shaped by educational philosophies and societal needs.

Horace Mann and the American education system

In the United States, Horace Mann, often hailed as the "Father of American Public Education," played a crucial role in shaping the nation's education landscape. While he didn't invent homework, Mann's emphasis on a structured and systematic approach to education likely influenced the incorporation and acceptance of homework in American schools.

The evolution and global perspective of homework

Homework has evolved significantly over the centuries, adapting to societal changes and advancements in technology. It's also interesting to note the variations in homework culture across different countries, reflecting diverse educational philosophies and practices. For example, in Finland, a country renowned for its high-performing education system, students have comparatively less homework and shorter school hours. In contrast, South Korea's rigorous education system is known for its heavy emphasis on homework.

Benefits of homework: A balanced perspective

While the debate over the effectiveness and necessity of homework continues, there are some benefits to consider. Homework can reinforce learning

The ongoing debate: The pros and cons of homework

The effectiveness and impact of homework is a subject of ongoing debate. Here is a breakdown of the pros and cons of homework.

Pros of homework:

Reinforces learning: Homework provides an opportunity to practice and consolidate classroom learning, leading to better retention of knowledge.

Develops time-management skills: Completing assignments within a designated timeframe can instill valuable time-management skills in students.

Encourages independent thinking: Homework allows students to think critically and independently, fostering creativity and problem-solving abilities.

Cons of homework:

Increased stress and burnout: Heavy homework loads can lead to increased stress, anxiety, and burnout among students.

Inequity in access: Homework may create an uneven playing field for students from disadvantaged backgrounds who lack resources or parental support.

Limitations on free time: Excessive homework can limit a student's free time for extracurricular activities, family time, and leisure.

From the early advocacy of self-study by Pliny the Elder to the structured educational approach of Horace Mann, the journey of homework has been long and complex. Its evolution and global perspective continue to shape the education systems worldwide. While opinions on homework may differ, its undeniable impact on students' academic performance and development cannot be ignored.

So boo for homework, but yay for its potential benefits! It all depends on the individual learner.

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Debunking the Myth of Roberto Nevilis: Who Really Invented Homework?

• By Emily Summers
• February 18, 2019

For those of us who have attended a formal education setting, you might remember the frustration of getting homework from most of your teachers. Before class ends, your teacher instructs your class to answer a certain page of your book or to write an essay about the topic you had just discussed.

Some of us really didn’t like doing homework. It was very time-consuming and, on top of extra-curricular activities, house chores, and other tasks you needed to do, you had very little time to yourself and your hobbies before having to go to sleep.

If you’ve ever been curious enough to find out who to thank for inventing homework, Google and several websites will tell you that it’s a man named Roberto Nevilis. That he invented homework as a form of punishment for underperforming students and, almost a thousand years later, billions of students are frustrated both at school and at home because of him.

But that, like a lot of things on the internet, simply isn’t true. In fact, Roberto Nevilis doesn’t even exist.

Who Invented Homework? Not Roberto Nevilis.

The nail in the coffin, a brief history on the education system, the father of modern homework, is homework still effective.

Online, there are many articles claiming that Roberto Nevilis was the first educator who came up with giving students homework. But if you look at the websites that claim this, you’ll find that it’s mostly forum websites or obscure educational blogs. No credible website or news source even mentions the name Roberto Nevilis. And for a guy who has affected the educational career of anyone who has had a formal education, you’d think a credible website would mention him at least once. Or some of the less-credible websites would confirm his contribution without saying the word “allegedly” or a vague “scientists believe” or the like.

Nevilis was supposedly a teacher based in Venice, Italy when he invented homework. Some claim that he invented it in 1095, while others claim he invented it in 1905 before it spread to Europe and to the rest of the world. It was said to be a form of punishment for students who underperformed in class. Students who performed well in class were spared from homework.

Either way, this claim is dubious. In 1095, education was still very informal around Europe and an organized education system in the continent didn’t start until 800 years later. In the 1500’s, English nobility were still being taught by private tutors.

Around 1095, the Roman Empire had long fallen and the Pope was still organizing the very first crusade and education was still informal, so it would be impossible for Nevilis to not only hold a class and give out homework, but to also spread out his idea to the rest of Europe when there was still no organized educational system.

And it couldn’t have been 1905, either. In 1901, California passed an act that banned homework for students younger than 15 years old before the law was revoked in 1917. That means Nevilis – assuming he does exists and isn’t the work of some internet trolls – couldn’t have invented it in 1905 in Europe if it already made its way to California and probably the rest of the world four years earlier.

And if that’s not enough evidence, just take a look at all the information you can get on him online. The only websites that mention his name: Quora, WikiAnswers, clickbait articles, and blogs for websites that help you write your homework (though if they can’t do their research properly, you might want to stay away from their services).

There’s no credible website mentioning him anywhere. And the websites that do mention him are very vague in describing his contribution. “Scientists believe” becomes a very sketchy claim when a website doesn’t cite a credible source. And if you try to search “Roberto Nevilis,” only the same handful of websites show up.

The truth is, homework existed dating back to the earliest civilizations and the first forms of education. In feudal times, education was reserved for the wealthy men. Those who weren’t rich had no time to study reading or philosophy and were busy making a living. Wealthy young women were trained in the more womanly arts, though princesses and nobles were expected to know a few things and were tutored as well. While they weren’t given workbooks and links to online quizzes, their tutors had expected them to read literary pieces during their free time.

The earliest evidence of a formal school comes from the Sumerian civilization. They had Edubas, which were houses of clay tablets were scribes practiced how to read and write. Archaeologists found student exercises etched into the tablets. Not much is known if they followed a schedule or were all taught by one teacher like the education system today.

During these times, however, homework did not involve answering questions or writing down essays as we’ve come to know it today. If we look back at history, there were other forms of educational methods that students and teachers at the time would have considered the homework of their time.

While we can’t pin the invention of homework to a certain teacher, we can trace back who was responsible for making homework that way it is to this day: Johann Gottlieb Fichte, a German philosopher known as the founding father of German nationalism.

In 1814, Prussia had a problem stirring nationalism among its citizens. Instead of serving the country after the war, citizens could choose to go back to whatever they were doing without thinking of dedicating their time and sacrifice to the country. There was no sense of pride or nationalism.

And so, Fichte conceived the Volkschule – a mandatory nine-year education similar to primary and lower secondary education provided by the state – and a Realschule – a secondary school available to aristocrats. Those attending the Volkschule were given the homework we know today as a way to demonstrate the state’s power even during personal time.

The system spread across Europe, but not in a totally dominating way. Some countries continued with their own system, which is why countries such as Finland don’t impose homework on their students. However, in 1843, back when the United States still practiced private tutors or informal lessons, Horace Mann reformed public education after travelling to Prussia and saw their education system and adapted it into the American education system. Thus, homework eventually evolved into a global practice.

Homework, therefore, is the result of nationalism and getting students to understand that “me time” actually falls on government time if they want to get their education. Contrary to what many websites would say, it wasn’t invented as a punishment for academically failing students.

However, over 200 years had passed since homework’s evolution into what we know it is today. So, is it still necessary to keep our students burdened with extra assignments? On one hand, it can be a good way to teach students time management skills. We like to think that work stays at work and personal life stays out of work, but as working adults, we know this is not the case. Homework at an early age teaches students to use their time wisely.

And while homework can still be helpful in students’ education, it’s only helpful to a certain extent. When plenty of teachers pile on homework, they’re depriving students of time to focus on their extra-curricular activities and personal life.

For those of us who have graduated with high grades, we’ve learned the hard way that a spotless report card can get our foot on the door, but if we have poor interpersonal skills and lack the skills you can only get outside of academics, you can’t achieve total success. Homework is good, but only to an extent. Then, it just becomes an unnecessary burden on students.

In fact, if you look at Finland and Japan – countries that don’t practice giving out homework – you can see that homework is unnecessary if the educational system favors it. Finland has shorter school days, longer summer breaks, and have an educational system where students aren’t required to start school until the age of seven. However, their students have always ranked high in terms of exams.

It’s because in Finland, a teaching career is at the same league as doctors and lawyers. Compare that to our current education system, where teachers are underappreciated and harried in public schools. Finland’s education system allows students more leeway, showing how it is possible to produce bright students without putting too much pressure on them.

We’ve all been frustrated with homework back when we were studying, but homework is actually more than just a nuisance we all have to face in our educational career. It’s actually an important factor which can shape productivity and the time students have for other factors of their education.

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Who Invented Homework?

Written by Fredrik

Modified & Updated: 29 May 2024

Reviewed by Sherman Smith

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Homework is the bane of many students’ lives. Many would rather see it disappear as it takes away precious time that people would rather use for hobbies or family time. “Who invented homework ?” is something a student may have exclaimed at some point. And we understand the frustration.

For all the hate that homework gets, its origin is surprisingly unclear. If you search for “who invented homework?” online, you may see many results. Some claim that a specific person invented it, but these sources may not be very accurate. In this article, however, we will uncover the truth about homework’s origins. We’ll also dive a little bit into the age-old question of whether or not homework is actually effective.

The Origins of Homework Are A Bit Disputed

As mentioned earlier, homework has a bit of a mysterious history . The concept of asking students to do work after school may have been around as long as school has existed. On the other hand, it might not be that old. Its history may even depend on exactly how you define “homework”. What is sure is one thing. Like many things, it’s possible that homework doesn’t have a single inventor. Instead, the concept has many progenitors , some of whom thought of it independently.

Now you may be wondering: don’t some sites claim that homework has a single inventor? Don’t they credit homework to a certain Roberto Nevillis? Well, that’s what we’re going to discuss next.

Roberto Nevillis, the “Inventor” of Homework, May Not Have Actually Existed

If you search for “homework inventor” on Google, you may see several hits for a certain Roberto Nevillis. He was supposedly an Italian teacher, whom many websites claim invented homework. However, if you do some deeper research, you will realize that this information may be inaccurate.

The first warning sign is that the Wikipedia article for homework makes no mention of this Nevillis person. While it’s true that Wikipedia can be edited by anyone, it does have standards. Notably, important claims need sources; otherwise, editors will remove them. If he indeed invented homework, surely the article would mention him, with references even. But nope, no mention of him at all.

Another warning sign is that the sources that mention Nevillis even disagree on when he came up with the concept. Some claim he invented it in 1905, which seems really recent. Other sources claim that he instead invented it in 1095. That makes little sense either considering how different education was at the time. Formal education was still a rarity in Europe in that era, especially among the lower classes. Since most lower classes who did receive education got them at home, technically all their studies were homework!

Indeed, if Nevillis did exist, information about his life seems almost non-existent. It’s entirely possible that no such person ever lived. In any case, if anyone did invent homework, it probably wasn’t Nevillis.

Homework Existed As Early As The Roman Empire

In reality, early concepts about “homework” may have already existed for centuries. Of course, this may not necessarily mean the homework we know today. However, this idea still encompasses activities like practicing or studying at home.

According to some writers, Pliny the Younger may have espoused an early form of “homework”. He encouraged students to improve their speaking skills outside formal education centers. For example, if the students were at home, they could hone their skills there. Obviously, speaking is more of physical activity than writing or reading . As such, practicing at home may not exactly be “homework”. Still, this shows that the idea of doing education-related work at home has been around for so long.

Johann Gottlieb Fichte May Have Invented Homework As We Know It

As for the “title” of the true inventor of homework, there are two people who have a good claim. One of them is Johann Gottlieb Fichte. Many historians consider him to be the father of German nationalism. Apart from his political life , he made some contributions to education. And unsurprisingly, these contributions happened because he wanted to promote a united German state.

Fichte’s innovation was Volksschule , a form of compulsory education. The state would support students and provide them with education. In exchange, the state would become part of people’s private lives . Homework began as a way for education to have a place in home affairs. By extension, this also extended the state’s role to the home. His ideas continue to influence German education to this day.

Horace Mann Helped Popularize The Concept In The United States

Another person who can claim to be the inventor of modern homework is Horace Mann. Mann was the first president of Antioch College, an Ohio-based institution that still exists today. Mann visited Europe and found the European methods of education to be inspiring. Upon returning to America, he decided to implement what he observed back in his native Massachusetts. Among the things he introduced was, you guessed it: homework.

His ideas weren’t limited to homework, however. Today, teachers and others praise Mann for his efforts to make education more accessible to the masses. Some even consider him to be the progenitor of common schools in America. Through his efforts, many reforms took place in Massachusetts. Among these was the establishment of a proper school board. He also strived to ensure that teachers had proper training and were effective in their jobs. Apart from his education career, he also served in the US House of Representatives. There, he advocated not just for good quality education but also for women’s rights.

Centuries after his death, Mann’s efforts to promote public schooling are still felt today. Homework-hating students may want to curse him for helping popularize homework. On the other hand, it would probably be better to thank him for allowing students to have the chance to have formal schooling at all.

Homework Was Unpopular At First

Considering homework’s ubiquity these days, you might think that the American education system embraced it from the get-go. But actually, it was not popular at first. Reasons varied, including people being skeptical about the need to do school-related activities at home. Many even thought that the idea would be harmful to the well-being of students.

Notable efforts against it included California banning homework in 1907; a ban which lasted for over a decade. Many prominent publications also questioned the practice. In the 1930s, the American Child Health Association, a government agency, even claimed that homework was a form of child labor !

How did the education sector warm up to the idea of homework? It comes from an unlikely source: the Cold War. At the time, the United States believed it had the lead over the Soviet Union when it came to education and science. However, events such as the launch of Sputnik 1 dampened this enthusiasm. This led to the so-called Sputnik crisis of the late 1950s. Homework was actually one of the ways the US thought it could close this perceived gap with the Soviets. By making students study at home, the US hoped that this could give them an edge in education.

Some Countries Ban or Discourage Homework

Even to this day, homework’s existence is controversial. Many education experts remain skeptical about its worth. Others also criticize it on the grounds that it gives students less time for hobbies, family time, or other free time. Indeed, homework (among other factors) has been linked to increased anxiety among students.

A number of countries either limit or even ban homework outright. One notable example is Finland . Finnish education is quite different compared to the rigid forms of education in other countries. Notably, students have shorter school hours, and even at school, they have plenty of free time to do hobbies or interact with classmates and friends. Schooling is also less competitive, as there’s less emphasis on grading and instead an emphasis on the student’s learning.

You may think that the Finnish system would make students lazy, given the lack of pressure. But actually, Finland’s education system ranks among the best in the world. Not only that, but Finns in general are also happier than many of their peers. It’s gotten to the point that many other nations are taking inspiration from Finland when discussing education reforms .

Meanwhile, contrary to what you may see in some sources, Japan does have homework. Indeed, it’s actually a bit of a cliche in Japanese media for students to do homework during their summer breaks. Given Japan’s education system is very competitive, it’s probably no surprise that homework is a facet of a student’s life there.

Schooling Itself Has a Long History

While we’re here, it may be worth having a short recap about the history of formal education. That way, we can contrast between homework and schoolwork, and put things into context better.

How old is schooling? It may depend on how you define “education”. If schooling means one learning from another, it’s probably existed since the dawn of humanity. If schooling means formal education, as in some kind of classroom setting, that’s somewhat more recent but still ancient.

The Mesopotamian civilization , the world’s oldest, already had schools. So did many of the ancient civilizations you may be familiar with, such as the Egyptians , Greeks, Romans, Chinese, Indians, and so on. One notable thing was that, during those days, it was mostly boys who received formal education. They would learn how to read, write, do activities, and learn skills. Women usually did not attend school as societies then believed that they should focus on household and family work. Some women did receive education, but they were exceptions and not the norm.

Education gained more significance during the Middle Ages, mainly for religious reasons. Many centers of learning, such as Oxford in Britain, date to this time.

In the United States, schooling began almost as soon as the first colonies appeared. Boston Latin School was the first public school to open in 1635; incredibly, it’s still open after all these years. Eventually, schools popped up across the country, often in the form of single-room schoolhouses. A few of these still exist today, but most schools in the US are now much bigger than that.

So What Have We Learned Today?

Here are our takeaways: Homework as a concept dates back centuries, depending on how you define homework. Roberto Nevillis, whom some websites claim to have invented homework, probably didn’t even exist at all. Two people, Johann Gottlieb Fichte and Horace Mann, helped popularize the concept. And finally, even today, there’s debate as to whether or not it’s necessary at all.

The next time you’re doing your homework and want to curse someone for your extra work, don’t blame Nevillis. After all, it’s hard to blame a person who may actually be the figment of the imagination of some internet writer.

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Origin and Death of Homework Inventor: Roberto Nevilis

Roberto Nevilis is known for creating homework to help students learn on their own. He was a teacher who introduced the idea of giving assignments to be done outside of class. Even though there’s some debate about his exact role, Nevilis has left a lasting impact on education, shaping the way students around the world approach their studies.

Homework is a staple of the modern education system, but few people know the story of its origin.

The inventor of homework is widely considered to be Roberto Nevilis, an Italian educator who lived in the early 20th century.

We will briefly explore Nevilis’ life, how he came up with the concept of homework, and the circumstances surrounding his death.

Roberto Nevilis: The Man Behind Homework Roberto Nevilis was born in Venice, Italy, in 1879. He was the son of a wealthy merchant and received a private education.

He later studied at the University of Venice, where he received a degree in education. After graduation, Nevilis worked as a teacher in various schools in Venice.

Table of Contents

How Homework Was Born

The Birth of Homework According to historical records, Nevilis was frustrated with the lack of discipline in his classroom. He found that students were often too focused on playing and not enough on learning.

To solve this problem , he came up with the concept of homework. Nevilis assigned his students homework to reinforce the lessons they learned in class and encourage them to take their education more seriously.

How did homework become popular?

The Spread of Homework , The idea of homework quickly caught on, and soon other teachers in Italy followed Nevilis’ lead. From Italy, the practice of assigning homework spread to other European countries and, eventually, the rest of the world.

Today, homework is a standard part of the education system in almost every country, and millions of students worldwide spend countless hours each week working on homework assignments.

How did Roberto Nevilis Die?

Death of Roberto Nevilis The exact circumstances surrounding Nevilis’ death are unknown. Some reports suggest that he died in an accident, while others claim he was murdered.

However, the lack of concrete evidence has led to numerous theories and speculation about what happened to the inventor of homework.

Despite the mystery surrounding his death, Nevilis’ legacy lives on through his impact on education.

Facts about Roberto Nevilis

• He is credited with inventing homework to punish his students who misbehaved in class.
• Some accounts suggest he was a strict teacher who believed in disciplining his students with homework.
• There is little concrete evidence to support the claim that Nevilis was the true inventor of homework.
• Some historians believe that the concept of homework has been around for much longer than in the 1900s.
• Despite the lack of evidence, Roberto Nevilis remains a popular figure in the history of education and is often cited as the inventor of homework.

The Legacy of Homework

The legacy of homework is deeply embedded in the educational landscape, reflecting a historical evolution that spans centuries. From its ambiguous origins to the diverse purposes it serves today, homework has played a pivotal role in shaping learning experiences.

While its effectiveness and necessity have been subjects of ongoing debate, homework endures as a tool for reinforcing concepts, fostering independent study habits, and preparing students for future academic and professional challenges.

In the contemporary educational context, the legacy of homework is a complex interplay of tradition, pedagogy, and evolving perspectives on the balance between academic demands and student well-being.

The Complex History of Homework

Throughout history, the evolution of homework can be traced through a series of significant developments. In ancient civilizations, such as Greece and Rome, scholars and philosophers encouraged independent study outside formal learning settings.

The Renaissance era witnessed a surge in written assignments, marking an early precursor to modern homework. The Industrial Revolution further transformed educational practices, as the need for a skilled workforce emphasized the importance of individual learning and practice.

The purposes and perceptions of homework have undergone substantial transformations over time. In the 19th century, homework was often viewed as a means of reinforcing discipline and moral values, with assignments focused on character development.

As educational philosophies evolved, particularly in the 20th century, homework assumed various roles—from a tool for drill and practice to a method for fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Perceptions of homework have fluctuated, with debates arising around issues of workload, equity, and its impact on student well-being. The complex history of homework reveals a dynamic interplay between societal expectations, educational philosophies, and changing perspectives on the purposes of academic assignments.

Conclusion – Who invented homework, and how did he die

Roberto Nevilis was a visionary educator who profoundly impacted the education system. His invention of homework has changed how students learn and has helped countless students worldwide improve their education.

Although the circumstances surrounding his death are unclear, Nevilis’ legacy as the inventor of homework will never be forgotten.

What is Roberto Nevilis’ legacy?

Roberto Nevilis’ legacy is his invention of homework, which has changed how students learn and has helped countless students worldwide improve their education.

Despite the mystery surrounding his death, Nevilis’ legacy as the inventor of homework will never be forgotten.

What was Roberto Nevilis’ background?

Roberto Nevilis was the son of a wealthy merchant and received a private education. He later studied at the University of Venice, where he received a degree in education.

After graduation, Nevilis worked as a teacher in various schools in Venice.

What was Roberto Nevilis’ impact on education?

Roberto Nevilis’ invention of homework has had a profound impact on education. By assigning homework, he helped students reinforce the lessons they learned in class and encouraged them to take their education more seriously.

This concept has spread worldwide and is now a staple of the modern education system.

Is there any evidence to support the theories about Roberto Nevilis’ death?

There is no concrete evidence to support the theories about Roberto Nevilis’ death, and the exact circumstances surrounding his death remain a mystery.

What was Roberto nevilis age?

It is believed that he died of old age. Not much information is available on his exact age at the time of death. Born: 1879 Died: 1954 (aged 75 years)

Where is Roberto Nevilis’s grave

While many have tried to find out about his Grave, little is known about where he is buried. Many people are querying the internet about his Grave. But frankly, I find it weird why people want to know this.

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How Homework Became A Thing In The US

For many U.S. students, homework is an unfortunate certainty — the childhood equivalent of death and taxes. But the truth is that it has been controversial since it was introduced. A major player in the initial spread of homework in the U.S. was 19th-century education reformer Horace Mann, Study  explained. Mann was inspired by the developing public education system in Germany, which had recently become unified as a single nation-state. The Volksschulen , or "People's Schools," assigned students work to be completed at home. Mann, who helped develop a state-funded public school system in the U.S., adopted the homework concept from the German system. 

As school attendance became mandatory in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, homework became a reality for more U.S. families, Slate explained. This led to a rising backlash against it. In 1900, Edward Bok wrote in the Ladies' Home Journal that forcing children to complete homework rather than play was a "rank injustice." His editorial received support from parents and teachers and, by 1901, 2/3 of U.S. city school districts had limited homework. California went so far as to ban homework for any child under 15. In the 1930s, the American Child Health Association listed homework with child labor as a cause of tuberculosis and heart disease in children, according to The Washington Post .

The rise of homework

Attitudes toward homework shifted in a big way during the Cold War , according to History . The Russian launch of Sputnik in 1957 led to concerns that U.S. students were falling behind their Russian counterparts, and homework became an important part of revamping the high school curriculum. In 1948, only 8% of U.S. students studied for two or more hours a night. By 1962, 23% of high-school juniors studied that long.

Since then, feelings about homework have gone in roughly 15-year cycles, Slate explained. There was another backlash during the counter-cultural 1960s and 1970s, followed by another pro-homework push in the 1980s. The 1983 government report "A Nation at Risk" argued that high schoolers should be doing more homework to compete with students in South Korea, Japan, and Germany. The 1990s saw another period of anti-homework sentiment, with articles like "The Homework Ate My Family" appearing in Time . Today, homework is being assigned to children as young as kindergarten. Yet other schools are experimenting with homework bans, according to The Washington Post . The future of homework in the U.S. is as controversial as its past.

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Who Invented Homework?

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Answer: The idea of homework was popularized by Italian educator Roberto Nevilis, who is often credited as the “inventor of homework.”

The origin of homework is unclear and it has likely been assigned to students in various forms throughout history. However, the modern concept of homework, as regular, outside-of-class assignments to be completed by students, can be traced back to the late 19th century in the United States.

Objectives of Homework are to:

• Reinforce and deepen understanding of class material
• Promote independent learning and critical thinking
• Prepare students for upcoming lessons and exams
• Develop study habits and time-management skills
• Provide opportunities for students to apply and practice what they have learned.

Features of Homework Include:

• Assigned by teachers to reinforce classroom learning
• Typically completed outside of regular class time
• Can be individual or group work
• Can include a variety of tasks such as writing, reading, problem-solving, or research
• Often graded or evaluated as part of a student’s overall academic performance.

There have been numerous studies and articles on the topic of homework, covering various aspects such as its effectiveness, impact on student well-being, and approaches to assigning and completing homework. Some related resources include:

• The National Education Association’s recommendations for homework, suggest a maximum of 10 minutes of homework per grade level per night
• The meta-analysis “The Relationship Between Homework and Academic Achievement: A Synthesis of Research, 1987-2003” by Harris Cooper and colleagues, finds a positive correlation between homework and student achievement, particularly for older students
• The article “Too Much Homework Is Bad for Kids” by Sara Bennett and Nancy Kalish, argues that excessive homework can lead to negative effects on students’ health, well-being, and family life
• The book “The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing” by Alfie Kohn, critiques the assumptions and practices surrounding homework and proposes alternatives.

Ways Forward to Improve Exams and Assessment Practices Include:

• Incorporating a variety of assessment methods, such as projects, presentations, and performance tasks, to better evaluate students’ knowledge and skills
• Providing timely and detailed feedback to students to support their learning
• Allowing for open-book or open-note exams encourages students to use their resources and apply their knowledge
• Implementing technology-enhanced assessments, such as online testing and automated grading, to increase efficiency and fairness
• Incorporating formative assessments, such as quizzes and progress checks, to provide ongoing evaluation of student learning. For example, a school might use a mix of traditional exams, class projects, and self-reflection assignments to assess student learning in a history course.

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Who invented homework?

• Sun Reporter
• Kieran Davies
• Published : 4:17 ET, Feb 13 2023
• Updated : 11:31 ET, Sep 4 2023

FOR any child, they are the three words they dread to hear at the end of any class in school, here's your homework.

Love it or hate it, we all have to go through it and homework is an integral part of our learning.

Homework has been such a big part of many of our lives, but have you ever stopped to think why we do it, and who invented it?

There are many names associated with its invention.

The first mention of homework appears in ancient Rome, in the writings of Pliny the Younger, in 1AD.

Pliny, a teacher of oratory, is thought to have asked his students to practise their public speaking at home, to help them build confidence.

Homework became common as schooling became compulsory for many people across the world, towards the end of the 19th century.

Who is Roberto Nevelis?

Roberto Nevelis is often accredited with being the most loathed person associated with education, as the person who created homework.

The claims are not true and if you look at them more carefully they are quite laughable.

Quite a few of the articles that can be found online cannot even decide when he allegedly invented homework, in 1095 or 1905.

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Those two dates are very different and considering they include photographs of the man they claim to be Roberto Nevelis, that is some achievement considering the technology only became available in the mid 1800s.

It is even questionable as to whether this figure existed at all, let alone leading the life of a teacher based in Venice , Italy .

Was homework meant to be a punishment?

When you look into its origins, many suggest that it was created as a punishment to ensure that underperforming students caught up with the more gifted pupils.

The myth itself was probably dreamed up by children begrudgingly doing homework set by their teacher rather than playing with their friends.

If homework were ever used as punishment, it would create such a negative mindset that when it was an actual necessity, it would make it impossible to get students to apply themselves to it.

The reality is, there is only so much class-time that teachers can offer their pupils so it is important that they put in the hours at home to aid learning.

Who invented school?

Education was first developed in ancient Egypt , Greece and Rome.

Literacy and education became more important as scholars tried to impart their knowledge to others.

In ancient Greece, they had an academy, with the word stemming from the Athenian hero Akademos.

This was where Plato passed on his teachings to others.

Rome introduced a formal tuition-based system but this was only available to those who could pay for it.

In Britain, it is widely believed that St Augustine started the first school in AD 597, when he founded King's School in Canterbury .

Schooling was primarily the responsibility of the church at this time.

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It was only after the industrial revolution in 1750, that education was extended to those outside of the upper classes, teaching basic numeracy and literacy.

The Education Act of 1918 made school compulsory for children aged five to fourteen and saw a transformation within the country.

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Homework has been the topic of much debate for all teachers and students. While students are completely against it, teachers believe that it is an important part of academic life. Therefore, a tug-of-war is always the result. Is homework helpful or harmful is the topic of a different discussion.

Who invented homework is something we will look at in this piece. But before we move on, let’s look at some of the perceptions of homework students and teachers have. 

Who Invented Homework: A Teacher’s Perspective

According to a majority of teachers and educators, homework is very important for a student’s academic growth. It helps the students practice and at the same time reinforces their classroom learning. Invariably, teachers contend that unless students practice at home what they learn at school, their learning will be incomplete. In general, there are a variety of reasons that the homework helper supports your request to pay someone to do my homework :-

• Better learning
• Continuous improvement
• Reinforcement learning
• Practice 
• Deeper understanding
• Conceptual clarity
• Doubt generation
• Constant revision
• Self-motivated learning

Keeping in mind these major benefits, teachers argue that homework is an essential part of learning.

Who Invented Homework: A Student’s Perspective

Students, on the other hand, despise homework on most occasions. They view it as an additional burden that circumvents their free time. More often than not, students argue that homework is given in excess and is a part of what the teacher is unable to finish in class. Invariably, there are some strong points students use to illustrate their stand. Stanford Research shows pitfalls of homework for the following reasons-

• Wastage of time
• Additional burden
• Lack of consistency
• Lack of motivation
• Inability to add value to grades
• The extreme level of difficulty
• Absence of holistic growth
• Excessive time commitment
• Health-related problems
• Stress and frequent episodes of anxiety

The above list clearly indicates that homework is not all rosy. There are demerits to it that students explicitly claim. However, to completely negate the importance of homework in light of a few disadvantages is not the right approach.

Who Invented Homework: Walk into History

We can debate whether homework is helpful or harmful for hours without a break. However, it might be a good idea to pause and understand who invented homework and what was its objective. Going back in time, we see that homework was invented by Roberto Nevilis, an Italian pedagog. The idea behind homework was simple. As a teacher, Nevilis felt that his teachings lost their essence when they left the class.

Disappointed by the fact that students failed to outperform themselves despite his hard work, he decided to take different measures. Therefore, homework was born. Homework, as we understand it today, was not the objective of Nevilis. He rather saw it as an alternative means to punishment as physical punishment was not an option. 

Digging Deeper

With the advent of formal schooling, the idea of homework also took a formal shape and form. It became a means to make learning more effective and ensure retention. The practice of giving homework is said to have existed before Nevilis in the ancient Roman and Greek empires.

However, it was only with Nevilis that it became formalized. Homework came to be seen as a means of motivation for students to engage in classroom learning post-school hours. In the absence of such motivation, students hardly made any effort to indulge in learnings from school. 

Historically, thus, homework came around as a means to improve student learning and was seen in two lights. As an alternative way to punish students and make them pay close attention to learning post-class. Secondly, as a motivation for students to indulge in greater learning after school hours.

Irrespective of the approach, the objective was to ensure that students do not leave behind classroom learning. Rather they carry it along and work upon it after school to perform better in the longer run.   

Who Invented Homework: The Objectives

Let us take a brief look at the objectives with which homework was invented. Invariably, the earliest objective of homework was not to burden students with unnecessary work, but rather to add to their learning. Some of the objectives include-

Reinforcement of learning

There was a common conception that students seldom paid attention to classwork once they left the premises, An out-of-sight, out-of-mind phenomenon was taking place. In such a situation, students came to class the next day with a clean slate, and almost no connection to the previous class.

In such a situation, establishing a connection between lessons of two consecutive days became difficult. Therefore, the first objective of homework is to reinforce learning. The idea is simple, if students practice what they learn in class, it will establish a strong foundation. Consequently, students will recall it easily in the next class, facilitating their learning.

Considerations of Time

Whether desirable or not, each class and lesson with a time limit. This means that a teacher has to complete his or her syllabus within that time frame. However, at times, some topics and students require more time than that. Inability to dedicate extra time results in partial learning.

Here comes the second objective for those who created homework. The idea is to encourage students to look back on their lessons and achieve conceptual clarity when they have no time to bind them. Thus, homework is a way to facilitate learning which is not within the confines of time, like classroom learning. 

Practice and Application

In addition to facilitating inter-class linkage from one day to the next, homework also enables practice and application. There are several facets to this claim. Firstly, in the absence of an obligation, students seldom practice. Despite the fact that practice has proven time and again its ability to score better grades, it is underutilized by students.

Homework plays an important role in reversing this trend. As a formal obligation, homework encourages students to practice their lessons and learning. Secondly, it also enables students to apply their learning in real life. Some of the best homework assignments are the ones that require the practical application of theory learned in class. 

Who Invented Homework: What Went Wrong?

The final section of this discussion will focus on what went wrong with homework. It is clear from the above points that those who invented homework were well-intentioned. However, its use and application have some major flaws. This is what has made students despise homework.

Firstly, contrary to helping students practice and create a connection in class the next day, teachers assign irrelevant sections of work. Mostly these sections have not been touched in class and thus, seem very difficult to students. Secondly, the amount of homework often surpasses the maximum threshold.

In an attempt to facilitate maximum learning, teachers go overboard and burden students with more than what they can handle. In such a situation, students feel mental pressure and often succumb to depression and anxiety. These are but a few reasons that online homework has been unable to achieve its true objectives.

But nowadays, the circumstances have changed as some sites like Instasolving Homework Help USA are coming to the forefront with homework assistance. It ensures students improve their knowledge base and their academic performance gets better.

Whether we like it or not, homework is an important part of student life. Unless the education system is overhauled, there is no way out of homework. Therefore, it might be a good idea to embrace its benefits and view it as a way to improve one’s grades. Owing to the technological revolution, students can now shoulder the burden of their homework with online homework help platforms.

Such interventions like TutorBin help students to complete their homework by seeking assistance from global subject matter experts and skyrocket their grades.

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Who Invented School: the Who, What & Why of Our Modern Education System

Crystal Bourque

Have you ever stopped to consider: who invented school?

In many places around the world, school is something students take for granted. It’s a free, compulsory system that is available to everyone.

But how did we end up with the modern school systems used today? And why is school so important?

The History of School & Education

• Who invented School System

Standardized Education and Tests

What’s the point — why invent school, why school is important, 7 fun & quick school facts, school and kids today, the inventor of school.

Let’s begin by answering the big question: who invented school?

If you’re wondering who created school, you’ll find the answer a bit complex! Let’s start with history.

«Plato and Aristotle». Credit: images.squarespace-cdn.com

We need to look way back to 283 BC. At this time, libraries, like the one founded in Alexandria, Egypt , focused on improving literacy. The creation of libraries offered an essential educational tool for many schools.

Later, in ancient Greece, groups of people would meet with a tutor to learn. The Greeks named these first gatherings academies. The word’s origin is credited to a philosopher named Plato, who founded his school of philosophy in 387 BC.

During the Byzantine Empire in 425 AD, Emperor Theodosius II founded a more formalized school system. As a result, he created the University of Constantinople .

This school offered a more structured learning environment than the academies of ancient Greece. Students studied law, medicine, mathematics, philosophy, and more at this university.

Between 780 AD and 1260 AD, Islamic culture began focusing on education and more formal school systems, known as Islam’s ‘Golden Age.’ Political and cultural elites created schools called Madrasas to provide learning opportunities for everyone.

Who Invented School System

«Bust of Horace Mann». Credit: digitalcommonwealth.org

In many circles, Horace Mann is considered the inventor of school.

In general, he’s credited as the father (or creator) of the modern school system in the United States, even though many school systems existed at the time.

Born in 1796, Horace was a lifelong scholar. He became a lawyer and librarian at Brown University. Horace also tutored Latin and Greek. In 1827 he was elected to the Massachusetts legislature, where he became very involved in advancing education.

Horace believed several things about providing quality education to students:

• First: schools needed public funding.
• Second: schools should be free of religion (non-sectarian).
• Third: only hire well-trained, professional teachers.

By 1837, Horace was appointed Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education.

In this position, he helped develop the modern school system. He based this new curriculum on his core beliefs: that any student should receive an education, no matter their background or social class.

smolaw/Shutterstock.com

One result of Horace’s work is that schools across North America (and the world) attempt to offer standardized education. One way to achieve this is through standardized tests.

Standardized tests measure what students within a school or school system are taught and learn. For example, some standardized tests measure IQ (intelligence), while others like the SATs and ACTs discern whether a college should accept a student.

For many, standardized tests only prove that a student can memorize information. They don’t believe that these types of tests measure progress, nor should the scores indicate a student’s success rate.

However, others believe that standardized testing shows students areas for improvement and offers an objective way to measure education.

Either way, it looks like standardized test systems are pretty ingrained within the modern school system. For example, it took until 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic to allow states to cancel standardized testing .

So what’s the point? Why did those ancient Greeks discuss philosophy? Why did Horace Mann create a modern education system?

Since time began, human beings have needed to pass down information to survive. From generation to generation, skills like hunting, farming, cooking, and more, family units provided the necessary information children needed to survive.

However, as the global population grew, societies developed. People began to see how easy it was to have a few adults teach a bigger group of children.

It wasn’t until much later that schools focused on specific subjects like science, mathematics, literature, and creative arts.

ESB Professional/Shutterstock.com

Although some students might disagree, school is an important invention for many reasons.

One reason why school is so essential is that it helps children develop critical thinking skills and make good decisions.

Another reason school is important is that it introduces children to different subjects. Through these subjects, children can explore the things that interest them.

For example, when introduced to computer science, a child might want to further their studies and become a software programmer. For this reason, students take tests and exams and are given homework and essay assignments.

School is important for many other reasons too, including the fact that it:

• Fights Gender Inequality: In many places in the world, girls get much less education than boys, which means girls are more likely to get caught up in human trafficking or violence. Getting an education and school helps girls get better jobs and increase their income.
• Reduces Poverty: Educated children can earn better jobs. Better jobs lead to higher incomes for people in general. As a result, this reduces poverty for entire families.
• Builds Communities: For many children, a school is a place where they can explore, play and be themselves. School is also a space where parents can feel like they’re a part of something special too.
• Provides Opportunities: Schools offer unique opportunities to learn not only a variety of subjects but also to join extracurricular activities. For example, sports, music, or debate clubs provide scholarships and other beneficial options.
• Builds Confidence: School helps children build confidence in their skills. When children don’t feel confident, it affects how they move through the world. As a result, many children develop anxiety, preventing them from attaining goals and moving forward.
• Improves Socialization Skills: Children must socialize with their peers because it teaches them to listen to others, think critically, and solve problems.

When students go to elementary and high school and participate in post-secondary education, it benefits everyone on an individual and community scale. Therefore, schools benefit entire countries, which is why it’s so essential.

Did you know that there’s more to school, education, and the invention of school than meets the eye?

Here are seven exciting and fun, quick facts about school.

• During the Han Dynasty, officials used standardized tests to determine which citizens could become government members.
• The Aztecs made school compulsory in the 1400s.
• Mann visited Europe to learn more about their school system and how they taught children. He also created a Common School Journal (1838). Both helped to form a more standardized teaching system.
• Harry P. School is a man also credited with the invention of school. In 1369, Harry gathered up misbehaving children and locked them in a room! Other adults didn’t seem to mind, so it’s often believed that the modern idea of teaching children in a single room came from this incident.
• Developed in 1914-1915, by school director Frederick J. Kelly, The Kansas Silent Reading Test is the first known multiple choice test.
• Education in Denmark doesn’t stop after post-secondary education. One out of three adults between 25-64 is involved in a continuing education course.
• The oldest school in the world is in Chengdu, China. Shishi High School was formed in 194 AD and became a modern school in 1902.

Akkalak Aiempradit/Shutterstock.com

While it’s difficult to credit one person, or even one society with the invention of school, it’s interesting to note just how long we’ve used education to pass on crucial information.

Better still, despite how people might feel about standardized education or tests, there’s no doubt that school systems benefit children all over the world in many ways.

Excited about school, education or learning? Get involved! Tell us what you think about the history of school, who invented school, or why you think school is important. See you in the comments.

The picture on the front page: ESB Professional/Shutterstock.com

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Wonder of the Day #1268

Why Was School Created?

SOCIAL STUDIES — History

Have You Ever Wondered...

• Why was school created?
• Who invented the first school?
• Have kids in the United States always had to go to school?
• American Revolution ,
• attendance ,
• Boston Latin School ,
• curriculum ,
• education ,
• elementary ,
• Father of the Common School Movement ,
• Horace Mann ,
• invention ,
• knowledge ,
• Massachusetts Bay Colony ,
• mathematics ,
• New England ,
• schoolhouse ,
• Secretary of Education ,
• tradition ,
• United States ,
• Attendance ,
• Curriculum ,
• Education ,
• Elementary ,
• Father Of The Common School Movement ,
• Invention ,
• Knowledge ,
• Mathematics ,
• Schoolhouse ,
• Secretary Of Education ,
• Tradition ,

Today’s Wonder of the Day was inspired by Rebecca from AL. Rebecca Wonders , “ who created school? ” Thanks for WONDERing with us, Rebecca!

Why was school created? We're sure that's a question that every student asks from time to time. Especially on tough test days, many students WONDER exactly why they're being subjected to such cruel and unusual punishment!

If you're honest with yourself, though, you know what a great place school is. You have fun, learn all sorts of interesting things, and get to spend quality time with your friends. Sure, tests can be stressful, but think of how boring life would be if you didn't get to learn new things and see other people so often!

Schools are not a new invention. You may have seen some old one-room schoolhouses that have been around for a couple hundred years or more. The earliest schools, though, date back thousands of years!

In fact, education dates back to the very first humans ever to inhabit Earth. Why? To survive , every generation has found it necessary to pass on its accumulated knowledge , skills, values, and traditions to the next generation . How can they do this? Education ! Each subsequent generation must be taught these things.

The earliest human beings didn't need schools to pass along information. They educated youngsters on an individual basis within the family unit. Over time, however, populations grew and societies formed.

Rather than every family being individually responsible for education , people soon figured out that it would be easier and more efficient to have a small group of adults teach a larger group of children. In this way, the concept of the school was born.

Ancient schools weren't like the schools we know today, though. The earliest schools often focused more on teaching skills and passing along religious values, rather than teaching specific subject areas like is common today.

In the United States, the first schools began in the 13 original colonies in the 17 th century. For example, Boston Latin School , which was founded in 1635, was the first public school and the oldest existing school in the country.

The earliest schools focused on reading, writing, and mathematics . The New England colonies led the way in requiring towns to set up schools. The Massachusetts Bay Colony made basic education a requirement in 1642. However, many of the earliest schools were only for boys, and there were usually few, if any, options for girls.

After the American Revolution , education became a higher priority . States quickly began to establish public schools. School systems were not uniform , however, and would often vary greatly from state to state.

Credit for our modern version of the school system usually goes to Horace Mann. When he became Secretary of Education in Massachusetts in 1837, he set forth his vision for a system of professional teachers who would teach students an organized curriculum of basic content . For this reason, Mann is often called the “Father of the Common School Movement."

Many other states quickly followed Mann's system he instituted in Massachusetts. More and more states began to require school attendance . By 1918, every state required students to complete elementary school . Educational improvements grew by leaps and bounds during the 20 th century, leading to the advanced systems we enjoy today.

Wonder What's Next?

We wouldn’t TRADE tomorrow's Wonder of the Day for anything!

School is in session and it's time to grab some friends and family members to help you explore the following fun activities:

• Field trip time! Ask an adult friend or family member to take you on a driving tour of local schools. Sure, you're familiar with your current school, but what will your next school look like? What do the schools in other nearby towns look like? Have fun driving around and comparing the different schools in your area.
• How much do you love your school? Make a list of the top five things you love the most about your school. Share your thoughts with a teacher or administrator. Then make a list of five areas where your school could improve. Instead of sharing those ideas, brainstorm some things that YOU could do to make things better. When you have some solid ideas for improvements, ask a teacher or administrator for help implementing one or more of your ideas. Have fun being the change you want to see in your school!
• Up for a challenge? You're in charge of public education in your city. You don't have to do anything like the way things have always been done. You just have to make sure that children receive the education they need to succeed in today's society. What system would you put in place? Would you create schools? Or would you do something completely different? Give it some thought and write a short description of what system you would create and why you would make the decisions you'd make. Have fun thinking about education from a new perspective!

Did you get it?

Wonder contributors.

We’d like to thank:

kamea , Claire , Caleb , Katherine and perise for contributing questions about today’s Wonder topic!

Keep WONDERing with us!

Wonder Words

You might find in the future that you will appreciate the education you received! Thanks to your education, you can explore Wonderopolis and learn new things.

You is a boy

You are wrong girl I’m biggest brain ??????‍???‍?

What a positive way of looking at things, Kay! There are a lot of things in life that many people around the world would be happy to do, and we see them as something we have to do. 

Thanks for sharing. We're sorry you're struggling with school. We urge you to talk with a trusted adult.

Hi ronahe! 

The author is Wonderopolis. We don't publish the date, so you can use the day you accessed this website. 

WS Inspection

Thanks for sharing your opinion, madicyn! 

Conner Blumkin

Hi Conner. Thanks for sharing your experience. We suggest talking with your parents about this, and then possibly approaching your teachers. They should be able to make your work a challenge for you. 

Cones Are VERY Cool

maybe its time you move up a grade ask about testing out of your grade level start with your parents and have them figure out your next move

Thanks for the WONDERful advice, teresa. 

Hey, Cones! 

1. We suggest making sure you have your work all turned in and done correctly. 

2. Ask your teacher for an extra project to work on when you have your other work done. 

3. Learn more about the topics you're studying in school to 'extend your learning'. 

4. Learn other stuff at home with your parents. 

Keep Wondering!!!!

Thanks for sharing your opinion, kaylaT! We agree that there is a lot of pressure from high-stakes testing. 

This is very true.

this is so true!

Thanks for sharing your opinion, Danny. It seems you don't like school much. We're sorry to hear that.

We thank him--and your family--for his service. We also understand why spending time with your dad would be important, Rohnen. 

you're right, Homer.  Are you a great philosopher?

chuu’s slave

Thanks for sharing your opinion, chuu's slave.

school is slvery

Jade Mcclenin

We're sorry to hear that, Lucas. 

He can teach you what he does, but there are other things you need to learn in school. 

I hate wonderopilis

We're sorry to hear that. Everyone that visits Wonderopolis is our Wonder Friend!

This is a lie lots of people have written mean and bad comments are you sure EVERYONE is your friend?

Hi Cheez! 

We prefer to be positive. Have a WONDERful day! 

Bruh I not trying be rude but ur phone or iPad can teach u

Tyler Sieger

Collage is school my guy

That's a great way to look at it, Jacob! What are some of the things you like about school?

You're welcome, Zack.

If u didn’t have WiFi u wouldn’t be able to go on here and I don’t like school NOT BECAUSE FORTNITE FORTNITE IS A GOOD GAME BUT I DONT LIKE SCHOOL BECASUE I CANT TALK I NEEED TO Use the bathroom and I can’t sleep and can’t play with my friends

Hey, Zack! 

We don't really have an opinion, but thanks for sharing yours!

Eh.. Okay. but can you make a wonder about monopoly?

That would be a great suggestion for our Wonder Bank --where we get inspiration for our Wonders! 

? But...school is such a WONDERful place to WONDER!

School is not a wonderplace. The world is, but not School. School is just somewhere your forced to go, and accept things you dont really care for

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Joniel. 

Kendra Beeson

Hi, Kendra! You might also like  Wonder 1765: How Does a Train Work? Let us know what you think!

I like trains is a meme.. no affence

WHY DO YOU HAVE TO SPOIL EVERYTHING GOD

There, there, WHY. It's okay. You're only required to go to school for 13 years. 

? We had no idea. Thanks for having our back, Zack!

Hi wonderopolis!

I Love school but at the time time I don't. I hate having to get up in the mornings and I hate we are at school longer than we are at home home. It will be that way until I am 18 years old.

Thanks for sharing - and we agree that sleep is very important! Check out  Wonder 1775: Do Kids Need More Sleep Than Adults? to learn more about why kids need more sleep than adults!

I’d love it if this were true but it does sadly get worse. You see this day and age, school focuses on scores when it originally started out ases on learning, actual learning. Now it is just memorization, and a game to see who can obtain the most A’s. Most of the people we look up to today, inventers of many things, didn’t finish or go to school. Not only this, but school deeply impacts mental health. The school system is not made to handle all sorts of people together at once. School is flawed; however, it is somewhat useful. It does help us learn basic knowledge such as, how to properly form a sentence, or how to add chairs. Because we learn this basic information, we are more likely to make more discoveries further on in time.

Hi, Meg! Thanks for stopping by. We're sad you have this view of school. What is your favorite thing to do at school? 

i hate school never ever try to get me to like it ill only like highschool and im 9

That is great advice, Anna Beth! Thanks for sharing it with us! We hope that you are getting enough sleep each night!

POTATOES ARE AWESOME

Thanks for sharing, Anna Beth! Have you seen  Wonder 435: Do Potatoes See With Their Eyes?

We have a Wonder about potatoes!  Wonder 435: Do Potatoes See With Their Eyes?

That is a WONDERful attitude to have a bout school, issac! It is always important to try your best and have fun learning new things at school!

Hi, Camilla! We LOVE that you love school - there is so much to learn and WONDER about! You definitely fit in here at Wonderopolis - thanks for being an awesome Wonder Friend!

I dont like it

Why cant u just create your own planet if i could it would be video game universe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

thank you video game awesome

your awesome boi

We're sorry that you don't like school.  It sounds like, with all of that technology on your new planet, you may need school there, too, though!

i hate wonderopilis

We're sorry to hear that, Wonder Friend.

Thanks for sharing, Oscar! There is so much information to WONDER about at school :)

do you hate school cuz i do :)

We're sorry to hear that, catman.  It can be so much fun to learn new things at school. Hopefully your experience at school gets better soon.

NO IT IS NOT ARE YOU PAID TO SAY THAT

Hi, Donovan! It sounds like you are a hard worker! Homework can be difficult sometimes, but keep doing your best, and ask your teacher if you have specific questions!

SunlitSaucer600

IDK I Don't Know?...

Thanks for asking, Nicki!! Since we do not list the publish date for our Wonders of the Day, you may put the date you accessed this page for information.  The following is how you would cite this page:  

"Why Was School Created?"  Wonderopolis.  https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-was-school-created .  Accessed 13 Nov. 2017.

BEN10FAN a.k.a Katie

Those sound like really fun classes, BEN10FAN a.k.a Katie!! ?

We think so, too! There is so much information to WONDER about at school!! ?

When you mean wonderful you mean stuff we won't use in life and help me pay my taxes tax's some stuff I will use but when I need to find x on my math quiz how is this going to help?

We're sorry to hear that, Bob.   Wonder #1534: Why Do I Need to Learn Algebra? may help you find that answer, though!

i agree with you 100% i hate school, sometimes i wish i could do things to it that i shouldn't, and yes there are some cool teachers at my school. and even though i wish i could drop out i just can't. for both my future and my family name.

What a WONDERful outlook on going to school, GoldMa!! It sounds like you have some amazing goals that you are determined to reach!! What are some of your future goals?

Sasuke Uchiha

I love School

Sorry you are feeling that way, Sasuke.  School can be rough - lots of work, trouble with peers, teachers who don't understand you.  But hang in there!  The lessons you are learning are making you smarter and stronger to face the world as an adult.  We hope things get better for you!

DoughnutPanda

Reid Keller

That's great!  What do you like to read, DoughnutPanda?

Art is great!  Thanks for sharing your thoughts, DoughnutPanda!

That's too bad, Kid.  Hang in there - summer break is coming!  We hope you keep WONDERing with us!

Nolan James

Boi di was pretty factual (DABS)

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Olivia.  We know school can be frustrating at times and some content might not seem to easily connect to modern day life.  We would, however, like to share a quote with you from Confucius: "Study the past if you want to define the future."  He saw great value in understanding what had already happened and how that can impact the future.  We love your passion, Olivia and your desire to make the world a better place!  Don't lose that!  We hope you keep on WONDERing with us, too!?

yeah! that would be really helpful

Thanks for sharing, Bonnie!  Just follow the format below in our response to Georgia.  Just swap out the title, link, and date anytime you need to reference a Wonder of the Day. ?

Thanks for asking, Georgia! We ask that Wonderopolis be listed as the author. Since we do not list the publish date for our Wonders of the Day, you may put the date you accessed this page for information. The following is how you would cite this page ---> "Why Was School Created?" Wonderopolis , https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-was-school-created . Accessed 4 April. 2017.

Hejekoeiwkqkksmdmejaklskdms

So you can learn new things!  And Wonder more!  

Why does school have to be 8 hours

Not every school does it that way, but that does seem to be pretty standard for getting a "full day's work."  Hang in there, Nya!  It takes some hard work but it's worth it!

I don't like school

Clever. ?  You should explore our Wonders and find something that interests you.  Happy WONDERing!

boi school sucks 7 crapy hours of bull crap

Sorry you feel that way, Jim.  But if you keep an open mind, school can be beneficial.  Sometimes just learning how to try when you don't feel like it is a great skill that will help you in life.  Hang in there, Jim and keep WONDERing with us!

? (We are just going to slow-clap that response, Liam). 

Or "murky absolutely to haters."

Dun With life

Oh, Dun, that sounds really tough. Don't give up, though! We encourage you to talk to an adult about what's going and hopefully they can help. Your situation does sound very stressful, but by talking it out, maybe you can come up with a plan to handle the stress. So glad you are one of our Wonder Friends - don't be a stranger!

Kay-Kay Is Here

Sorry you aren't enjoying school right now, Kay-Kay! We hope it gets better for you. It can be so fun to learn new things!

The Meaning Of School

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Wonder Friend. We're sorry you aren't enjoying school right now. We hope you find ways to make the most of it while you're in school. :)

Thanks for sharing your connection to this Wonder, Liila! We're really glad to be WONDERing with you! Pop quizzes aren't the most fun, but being prepared for them by keeping caught up on school work certainly helps! :)

We're really sorry you are struggling with depression right now, Nathan. We did some searching online and found a website with a list of hotlines you can call, depending on your particular situation. (Click the blue text of our comment to view the list.) We encourage you to talk with someone. Doing so will help you get the help you need to feel better!

crazy gymnast

We're sorry you are having such a hard time right now, crazy gymnast. We have sent you an email with more information to help you.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Ethan! The value of homework is debated by many. You can check out the benefits and drawbacks at Wonder #1385. We're glad you are WONDERing! :)

roblox player

We're sorry you feel that way, roblox player. We hope school gets better for you soon. It can be a lot of fun to learn and discover new things! :)

We're sorry you're having such a tough time at school, User. We hope it gets better for you. Thank you for WONDERing and learning here at Wonderopolis. We are glad you are here. :)

Agree on that school is dumb

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us, c. We believe that parents are excellent teachers for their children. In fact, Wonderopolis was created as a way for families to WONDER and learn together. We're glad you are WONDERing and we hope you'll continue learning with us. :)

Adeja Hairston

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Adeja. It can tough waking up so early! It might help if you get to bed a little earlier. Maybe you could try it this week and see if it helps you in the morning! :)

Thank you for sharing your feedback, Emilia. We hope you'll continue WONDERing by finding how schools have impacted American society! We'd love to hear what you find out! :)

Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Elena. We're so glad to hear from you! :)

We're glad you shared what you learned, Oscar! Your family and teachers want you to learn new things so that when you grow up, you can get a job, contribute to your community, and have a good life. All of those things take education -- when you have knowledge, you can be the best you! :)

It can be hard to get up for school, Titanium--especially at the beginning of the school year! If you Wonder about the things you're learning, hopefully school won't be so boring for you!

We're sorry to hear that, Dawson. We hope you tell your teacher. We hope things get better. Thanks for sharing your story. We're glad you're WONDERing with us! :)

teachers do nothing about bullying. If fact they think you are a liar if it's against a "popular" kid. I pulled my kid out of public and into online because of bullying. they never stopped it or even tried to. Instead of Fs she use to get, she gets As, Bs and Cs.

We appreciate you joining the conversation, c. We don't think it's fair to say that all teachers do nothing about bullying, because many teachers do try to help. We're sorry your child was bullied but we are happy to hear she is doing so well in school now! We hope you and your daughter will keep WONDERing with Wonderopolis! :)

Reading Class

We're glad this Wonder was helpful and informational, Wonder Friends! Keep up the GREAT enthusiasm for WONDERing and learning! :)

schoolhater

We're sorry you don't like school, Wonder Friend. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. We hope you this Wonder shared reasons why school was created! :)

We're sorry to hear that, cassy. We hope this Wonder helped tell why school is important! :)

Hello, Kymani! We're sorry to hear you're not liking school. We're sure it can be tough sometimes, but keep working hard. It will pay off in the end! :)

Hi, Rayn! We're sorry to hear you don't like school. It's a great place to learn and hang out with your friends. We're glad you think it's important! :)

hey if you go to duryea or any school with cfisd there is no tag because of me i was playing then got knocked down i got a brain bleed and a conccusion and was in the hospital for over two weeks so sorry

Oh goodness, crazy gymnast! That sounds really bad. We hope you are better now!

Hello, Ryan! Thanks for sharing your thoughts about school. We're sorry to hear you don't care for your school. They're just trying to keep you safe. We hope things get better at school! :)

We're glad you liked this Wonder, sarah! We hope your school year gets better! :)

Welcome, fie! We hope you're having fun WONDERing today! Visit again soon! :)

Hi, tia! We're sorry you're not having fun at school. Hope the year gets better! :)

Yes I love school

Me too because I can see my best friends everyday. I also get to see my AWESOME teacher!!!

That's AWESOME, luisa! We're THRILLED to hear you're having fun and learning at school! :)

That's GREAT to hear, kanh! It's a GREAT way to learn and hang out with friends, too! :)

We appreciate you sharing your opinion, austin! We think school is SUPER important, too! :)

Hunterthedog

Hi, Hunter! Technology has helped us expand our learning outside the classroom, school is still important, too! :)

That's right, krisha! It's very important and a GREAT opportunity! :)

Hi, Mia! We hope this Wonder was helpful! We encourage you to keep learning about this Wonder topic at your library and online! :)

Hi, Wonder Friend! We're sorry to hear you're not liking school! School is a GREAT place to learn and have fun with friends! :)

landocommando

Hi, Wonder Friend! We're sorry to hear that! School has so many cool opportunities and is a GREAT place to WONDER! We hope you change your mind! :)

Thanks for sharing your opinion, Wonder Friend! Try to think about all the good times, too! :)

billybobjones

Welcome, billybobjones! We appreciate you sharing your thoughts about the Wonder question! We're sorry you are not having fun at school! We hope it gets better! :)

That's a GREAT question, zach! It would be cool to learn the answer! According to the National Center for Educational Statistics there are 132,656 schools just in the US in 2008! We hope you keep researching and let us know what you find out! :)

Hi, zach! We're sorry to hear you don't like school. We hope things get better because school can be lots of fun! :)

Ishaan Shetty

Hi, Ishaan! We hope this Wonder helped you answer why school is important. Thanks for WONDERing with us! :)

Trinity Goebel

Thanks for sharing your opinion, Trinity! School is GREAT for so many reasons. We hope you start to like it better! We appreciate you stopping by Wonderopolis! :)

Thanks for sharing your opinion, Angel! We're glad you're WONDERing with us! :)

Hi, Celia! Thanks for taking time to stop by Wonderopolis! We know exams can be stressful, but try to stay positive. Math is a necessity for so many things. Check out Wonder #9: How Can Math Help You Cook? and Wonder #1534: Why Do I Need To Learn Algebra? . We hope your week gets better! :)

Thanks for sharing your opinion, Vadim! We're glad you are part of our Wonder Community! :)

try your best

Great advice, bob! Thanks for being a supportive Wonder Friend! :)

We're sorry to hear that! Exams can be stressful sometimes, but they will be over before you know. Try to stay positive and always keep WONDERing! :)

Welcome, Alex! We hope this Wonder was helpful and you learned some information you can include in your essay. You can also continue researching the history of school at your library and online. Don't forget to cite your sources you use. The official Wonderopolis Permissions Policy states: Wonderopolis materials may be cited or excerpted in periodicals, books, and educational materials under the following stipulations: 1. A URL of the material referenced is provided so that readers may access it online 2. Inclusion of the following branding information: “Wonderopolis is brought to life by the National Center for Families Learning.” Since our Wonders are sometimes updated, the proper way to cite the publishing date is to list the date you consulted our page for your research. Good luck on your essay! :)

Welcome, AJ! We're sorry to hear you don't like school. That makes us so sad. There is so much to learn about and it's a GREAT time to spend with friends. We hope your year gets better! Thanks for visiting Wonderopolis and WONDERing with us! Have a WONDERful day! :)

Hi, Morgan! We're sorry to hear you don't like school. School is a GREAT place for learning, WONDERing, and having fun with friends. We hope as the year continues things get better. Thanks for commenting and always keep WONDERing! :)

Great question, a! It's always important to know why we need to know what we're learning and it helps to make a real world connection. According to Khan Academy , "algebra is handy anytime you need to solve something but you don't have all the components to do it like basic math. " For example calculating sale discounts and tips at restaurants. Keep up the great thinking! :)

Wonderopolis

We think it's pretty neat too, Dylan! We're so glad you visited Wonderopolis today and left us this great comment! :)

Thanks for WONDERing with us, Trevon! We're really glad you shared a comment with us! Have a WONDER-filled day! :)

We're sorry you didn't like this Wonder of the Day, J.J.! But we've got loads of other Wonders waiting for you - we bet you'll find one you like! (https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonders/) :)

We're all smiles today too, MSF! Thanks for commenting! We hope you have a WONDER-filled day! :)

elijah h jordan m

We love the extra WONDERing you're doing, Elijah H and Jordan M! We encourage you to embark on a Wonder journey of your own to explore your question! When you find the answer, we hope you'll come back and share it with us! :)

Amelia L. and Torrance H.

We're so glad you came to Wonderopolis today, Amelia L. and Torrance H.! For a while, girls did not attend school because it was customary for women to take care of the household instead of working outside the home like men did. We're sure glad schools eventually opened to girls as well! Like the creators of today's video, some people feel a longer school day would give students more time to master important skills and expand their knowledge. Thanks for WONDERing with us, you two! :)

Thanks for sharing your opinion, Jaclyn S! Sometimes the school day can seem pretty long, but there's just so much to learn! Have a WONDERful day! :)

Macey &amp; Carson

Thanks for stopping by Wonderopolis and commenting, Macey and Carson! We can't wait to see what the future holds for school! We bet it includes LOTS of WONDERing! We want to know what you think! :)

Emmaleigh S.

What an interesting question, Emmaleigh S.! We're not sure what will replace computers in the future, but we're excited to find out! What do you think? :)

That's right, Zech! One-room schoolhouses were common in rural areas of the U.S., where populations of people were smaller. :)

What a great question, Gabe M! Humans from very long ago were curious about the world around them, just like we are today! They WONDERed how things work and how to make things better and all that WONDERing helped them to learn new things! :)

Hi there, Nikita R.! Thanks for asking for a bit more clarification! Education is SO important to every part of our lives - whether you're reading a prescription label, selecting food at the grocery store or following a recipe for a tasty meal, just think about all the times you or your parents have needed to read something! We don't just need to read and write in our day-to-day lives, but also for our jobs. Eventually, you'll grow up and need to get a job to help pay for your food, home, clothes and more. School is a way to teach you the skills you'll need to be good at your job. School not only teaches us reading, writing and math, but also MANY more skills that will help us be successful in life! :)

Abi and Emma

Thanks for stopping by Wonderopolis, Abi and Emma! We're not sure how long school days would be if they were lengthened. This is a hot debate! Some people propose one hour extra and some propose up to 3 extra hours! Still others suggest not lengthening the school day, but increasing the number of days students attend school throughout the year. What do you think sounds best? We hope books will be around for a very long time! We just love curling up with a good book! Don't you? :)

I want longer days because then we would have a longer summer!

That's true, Hunter! Thanks for joining the discussion and sharing your opinion! :)

Thanks so much, Kaedyn B! We're so glad you paid a visit to Wonderopolis today and left a comment! :)

I HATE school is hard and the teachers wont help me in anything they worry about other less and more of me so i cant never have freedom cause they always in my back staed of others

Welcome, WONDER Friend! We're so sorry to hear you don't like school. Thanks for sharing your story. We encourage you to talk to an adult at your school about your concerns. We hope the year gets better! Always keep WONDERing! :)

Hello, jack! We are sorry to hear you don't like school. School is a great place for WONDERing! We hope you'll keep an open mind and hopefully it will get better! :)

Hello there, Landon A. and Lance H.! They focused on reading, writing and math because those were the skills needed for the jobs available back then. But when you think about it, a lot of what we learn in school still revolves around these basics even today! :)

Hi, Daija G.! One-room schoolhouses were used in rural (country) areas, where the population of residents was quite low. Children would have been a variety of ages and there might not have been enough students to fill just one grade, so all the children would gather together and a teacher would teach the basics of reading, writing and math to them. Often older children would be helpers for the teacher and help younger children understand the lessons. Do you like helping your teacher now? If you lived back then, do you think you'd want to help younger kids learn? :)

Dani K and Genevieve V

We love that you're WONDERing, Dani K and Genevieve V! A couple hundred years ago, the subjects of reading, writing and math taught the skills needed for the jobs that people had back then. But as science and other newer fields have advanced, schools have broadened the range of subjects that are taught in order to prepare us for new kinds of jobs. At first, schools were for boys only because it was normal for only men went to work outside of the home and for women to take care of the household (doing things like raising their children, cooking, and cleaning). At one time, it was thought that girls didn't need the skills of writing and math. We're really glad that thinking changed, and that now our schools are for boys and girls! Aren't you? :)

Claire Washburn

I don't know, but if a teacher sees this, were in trouble!

School troughs away our play time =( =(

Hi, kaitlyn! We hope you're having fun in school, too! Thanks for sharing your thoughts! :)

Heehee, Claire! We bet your teacher is glad school was created, so that he or she gets to do what they love -- help you learn! :D

Thanks for WONDERing with us today, Brody H! When Horace Mann became Massachusetts' Secretary of Education in 1837, schools in the U.S. had already been established for about 200 years, so the idea of going to school was not a new concept for him. He worked to make schools more organized and improve public education. :)

Im at school right now and I am bored out of my mind

We're sorry to hear that! School is a GREAT chance to learn new things and hang out with friends! Keep trying your best and we hope it gets better! :)

We are undergoing some spring clearing site maintenance and need to temporarily disable the commenting feature. Thanks for your patience.

Related Wonders for You to Explore

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Question 1 of 3

Who is considered the Father of the Common School Movement?

• a Thomas Jefferson Not Quite!
• b George Washington Not Quite!
• c Roger School Not Quite!
• d Horace Mann Correct!

Question 2 of 3

<p class=\"FreeForm\">Which of the following is NOT a subject that was a focus of the earliest schools?</p>

• a reading Not Quite!
• b writing Not Quite!
• c mathematics Not Quite!
• d psychology Correct!

Question 3 of 3

<p class=\"FreeForm\">By what year were all students in the United States required to complete elementary school?</p>

• a 1800 Not Quite!
• b 1861 Not Quite!
• c 1642 Not Quite!
• d 1918 Correct!

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12-year-old Russian boy alleged as founder of TapSwap

A 12-year-old Russian boy has been reported as the founder of TapSwap , a popular cryptocurrency app that allows users to tap on a game and earn coins that can later be turned into real money.

In a series of posts on social media, the boy, whose real name isn’t yet known, has been rumored to be the creator of TapSwap .

However, at the time of writing this report, there is no concrete evidence to prove or show that the boy, whose picture is displayed in this article, is in any way linked to TapSwap.

Nevertheless, he has gone viral on social media as individuals have continued to trend and publicize the claims that he is the owner or founder of the platform.

@Babafella2: “So the boy who created the TAP SWAP App is a 12-year-old Russian boy. What could you create when you were his age?”

@itzclarkson: “Breaking News: 12-year-old Russian Boy creates Tap Swap app, gains popularity in Nigeria. OYA, make una continue tapping.”

@AkinBamTips: “TapSwap was created by a 12-year-old Russian boy who did it for homework.”

@sparkle_akoga: “So it is a 12-year-old Russian Boy who created the Tap-Swap App. What is happening to our innovation and creative act?”

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12-year-old Russian boy claimed to be the founder of TapSwap

A 12-year-old Russian boy has been reported as the founder of TapSwap , a popular cryptocurrency app that allows users to tap on a game and earn coins that can later be turned into real money. Despite the widespread rumors circulating on social media regarding his alleged connection to TapSwap, the boy's real identity remains undisclosed at the time of this report.

While there is no concrete evidence to substantiate the claims linking the boy to TapSwap, his image has gone viral on social media platforms. Individuals have continued to amplify the speculation surrounding his involvement with the platform, contributing to the ongoing trend.

@Babafella2: “So the boy who created the TAP SWAP App is a 12-year-old Russian boy. What could you create when you were his age?”

@itzclarkson: “Breaking News: 12-year-old Russian Boy creates Tap Swap app, gains popularity in Nigeria. OYA, make una continue tapping.”

@AkinBamTips: “TapSwap was created by a 12-year-old Russian boy who did it for homework.”

@sparkle_akoga: “So it is a 12-year-old Russian Boy who created the Tap-Swap App. What is happening to our innovation and creative act?”

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Emory students won a $10,000 prize for their AI tool. Then the university punished them.

• Emory University suspended students who created a celebrated AI-driven study tool.
• The students won $10,000 last year from a school pitch competition for the product.
• One of the students just sued the school, saying there's no evidence anyone used his product to cheat.

Emory University students created an artificial-intelligence-driven study tool last year.

Professors and students praised the program, called Eightball. The student newspaper wrote about it. The founders won a pitch competition sponsored by the school and took home $10,000. The business school highlighted them on social media .

Then at least two of the students were suspended for Eightball, which they'd already scrapped. Emory said the duo violated the school's honor code because students could use Eightball in ways that would breach it.

Benjamin Craver, a junior and history major who led marketing for the platform, sued the university on Friday. His complaint said there's no evidence any students used Eightball improperly, including to cheat.

The case highlights the tensions between universities eager to foster young entrepreneurs and administrative rules that haven't caught up to new tech.

After publication, an Emory spokesperson declined to comment, saying the university is not able to discuss pending litigation.

Expulsion, suspension

Craver, who said he had never been in trouble at Emory, partnered with a student developer last year to promote Eightball. The premise was simple: Students could upload materials to a private server not accessible to other users, then use AI to generate study materials.

Related stories

He and his cofounders won a business-school pitch competition last year, and the business school's website spotlighted them — until this week, when the page was removed, per a comparison with the archived page .

Eightball's founders marketed the program as a study tool — not something to "do their homework or be a cheat sheet," one founder said on the now defunct business-school page.

But in October, Emory told the developer that he may have violated the honor code, per Craver's lawsuit. In November, Emory told Craver that it was weighing five honor-code violations for him. He said he asked the developer to immediately shut Eightball down, which the developer did.

Craver was put on disciplinary probation for a semester by the Office of Student Conduct, and he submitted a formal written apology. At a January honor-council hearing, a Spanish professor and four undergraduates weighed a bigger punishment for Craver.

Writing that the founders built Eightball with the intent to cheat, they recommended a one-year suspension for Craver and expulsion for the developer, the lawsuit says.

They heard no evidence Eightball was used for cheating, Craver said in the lawsuit.

Craver was ultimately suspended for a semester and summer, while the developer's yearlong suspension was later reduced to a semester, he said in the lawsuit.

While Craver was preparing an appeal, Emory's venture program reached out, asking whether he'd like to participate in an accelerator for Eightball.

He lost his appeal last week. His lawsuit said the disciplinary record could stymie his plans to apply to law school: "Emory willfully and self-servingly deviated from proper Honor Code procedures to make a public example out of Ben."

Craver is seeking a jury trial and damages of at least $75,000, per the complaint.

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