Brandy Young Update: Why Texas Teacher Doesn't Give Homework To Students

Brandy Young is sure to be voted favorite teacher by the second graders at a Texas elementary school, thanks to her new no-homework policy.

As previously reported, the Godley Elementary School teacher in the northwest town of Godley informed parents of her incoming second grade class that she will not be sending kids home with homework this school year. Instead she would allow students to finish up any leftover classwork from the day.

Samantha Gallagher, mother of one of Young’s new students, shared Young’s note regarding the no-homework policy on Facebook, and it went viral instantly. Since Gallagher’s post, plenty of parents have not only reposted the note (it’s been shared nearly 70,000 times so far), but they’ve also expressed their support of Young’s progressive curriculum.

"We moved from Florida where she had homework beginning in preschool," Gallagher said to PopSugar. "I'm really happy that at the end of a long school day, [Brooke will] have time just to come home and be a kid, play outside, and make new friends. I believe it will enable us to spend more time in the evening together!"

One of the reasons Young, a math and science teacher, decided to implement a no-homework policy for the 2016-2017 school year was because she couldn’t find any research proving that assigning homework had any real benefits.

“I’m just trying to be innovative – I really want to be a leader of my classroom. As a mom and as a teacher, [I found that] a lot of homework just wasn’t necessary, and it wasn’t the right thing for my students,” Young said during an interview with PopSugar. “Lower elementary school students are here all day with us, so I think it is our job to educate them here and when they go home they have other things they need to learn there.”

While many of the parents who’ve been affected by Young’s new policy have shared their excitement to spend more quality time with kids after work and school, other parents whose kids don’t have the luxury of no-homework have hinted their desires for more teachers to adopt Young’s practice.

However, that’s something Young says can be achieved as long as parents continue to communicate and make recommendations to schools and administration.

“Share your values and your concerns with your teacher if you feel like your child is doing too much homework, and ask the purpose of it. Meaningful assignments are great outside of school but there needs to be a meaning,” Young explained. “Teachers need the freedom to be in charge of their classrooms and that’s something that my district has given me that not a lot of teachers have.”