Reading through some of the comments here... Do people not realize the ed system is utterly broken? I'm in Canada, where it might be a wee bit better... but not by much. (We don't have the bizarre number of standardized tests wasting everyone's time.)

My grandmother was a teacher in the 1920s. Even then, she said that if as a teacher she could not reach the kids by three o'clock, it wasn't going to happen after that. She didn't give homework.

I did an Ed degree after teaching post-secondary as an adjunct. That year was almost the most strange of my life; I was appalled at most of the thinking--or lack of. I was in my mid-40s, working with the 20-somethings. I ended up homeschooling my youngest after that experience. (His choice, but I was immediately on board.)

This is a solid post--thank you for sharing. I'm in 100% agreement. Abolish homework. Let kids live lives. Children need time to understand how to live an examined life.