There are upsides and downsides to homework. Some people believe that it helps reinforce lessons from school and create good study habits for kids, but it can also pose problems for families, especially when the kids are young.

Educators and parents aren't sure if the benefits are worth the trouble for elementary schoolers, and they wonder if allowing kids to play after school is a better idea. There are so many other important things that kids have to learn, not just the academics, and homework might cut into that.

One school system in Ireland has decided to go a different route with homework, focusing on a lesson that will truly last for the rest of their lives. The teachers aren't sending kids home with math worksheets and writing assignments. Instead, they are encouraging students to display kindness for their homework during the entire month  of December.

Last year, the school challenged kids to journal about what they are grateful for during the holiday season, and this year they took a more active approach, according to the Irish Post. They are asked to record all of the acts of kindness that they perform during the month.

Their actions can vary from opening a door for a stranger to giving a cookie to a friend. They can rake the leaves for a neighbor or volunteer at their grandmother's nursing home. Kids need to know that they can be kind in small ways and in big ones. It doesn't have to cost money, as long as there is a generosity of spirit.

And the kids can log their action with pictures or with words, which adds a little bit of an academic element to the task.

Classes are working together to plan community projects, and the school started a project for kids to write positive notes about each other that will be read in assembly, boosting people's self-esteem.

These sweet sentiments and acts of kindness are the perfect way to mark the holiday season. On top of that, kids are learning that they can make a difference in people's life and in the community. These skills aren't necessarily going to raise test scores, but they will definitely develop better kids, and that is the most important lesson of all.

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