who invented homework

Who Invented Homework?

Do you also wonder how easy our lives would be if there was no homework given by schools? Homework is an integral part of education, especially for children in high schools, who do assignments and project work at home to ensure that they have understood the subjects that are being taught at school. But at some point, all of us have wondered who invented homework, because we were having a hard time doing it. Almost every other student hates the person who invented it. But do you even know who did it and why?

Roberto Nevilis: The Man Who Invented Homework

Roberto Nevilis, a strict teacher from Italy, invented homework as a form of punishment for the lazy students in 1905.  He took this initiative because the performance of his students disappointed him. After spending hours in school too, there was no positive impact on the knowledge and skills of these children. So, he decided to invent a way to punish them without involving physical violence, which was against the law.

With increasing educational trends, the need to improve teaching methods became compulsory. Homework is a matter of research, and students have to get acknowledged with it. So, Nevilis kept several hours of work after classes to embrace the actual meaning of his lessons. 

Until the 20th century, homework was hardly prevalent in the United States. Then in 1901, the legislature based in Calfornia passed an act to abolish homework for students ranging from Kindergarten to 8th grade. Eventually, Americans got aware of the term ‘homework,’ and it got prevalent throughout the country.