What is the purpose of homework? According to most good teachers (the ones who actually care about making sure their students actually learn something in their classes), homework helps to build students' skills in the subject. It is to act as practice for the tests. So why must my practice be graded? Why must I be penalized if I choose not to practice. I can ace the test! What's the point in wasting my time doing work that will not improve my skills in any way?
Is it merely an attempt to boost your own ego? Is it a bureaucratic maneuver to impress the administrators? Do you enjoy wasting my time? If so, then apparently you need a new career in something where sadism is more acceptable. I'm sure there are some openings for prison guards somewhere in the world. Maybe you could get a job as an FBI interrogator? maybe then you could derive your cruel pleasure from the pain of others in a way that has at least a tiny bit of potential for doing good. Lay off my case and drop the homework. It is making your teaching ineffective and burdensome, so either change your style or get off my case.
Tests are the true measure of what a student can do. The question of how much you have taught is in how well your students perform on the test. While I will admit that tests cannot cover everything, they are the best known way to evaluate skills, so just give up this rather foolish and backward idea of assigning and grading homework and do something about the fact that you have honors students failing your tests and quizzes!
A rant about the pointlessness of math homework.
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