Texas Teacher Defends Her Controversial No-Homework Policy: 'Eat Dinner as a Family, Read Together, Play Outside'

No homework? No problem!

One Texas teacher is causing a stir with her controversial no-homework policy, which she shared in a letter that has gone viral.

Brandy Young, a second-grade teacher at Godley Elementary School in Godley, Texas, wrote that after "much research over the summer," students will not be assigned any homework other than any school work that was not finished during the day.

"Research has been unable to prove that homework improves student performance," Young wrote in the letter, which was given to parents during a Meet the Teacher night on Aug. 16. "Rather, I ask that you spend your evenings doing things that are proven to correlate with student success."



Samanatha Gallagher, whose 7-year-old daughter, Brooke, is in Young's class, shared the letter on her Facebook page, in a post that has since been shared more than 70,000 times.

Gallagher tells PEOPLE that she and her husband were "taken back" by the letter, but "in a good way."

"I think at the age Brooke is, 8 hours of school is enough. While reinforcing what they learn at school is important, the things they learn at home through creative play and family time are equally as important," Gallagher says.

"This will allow more time in the evening for her to just be a kid," she continues. "She loves to read and do gymnastics and this will allow more time for those activities."

And since starting school on Aug. 22, Brooke is loving it as well.

"She is super excited about the policy and absolutely adores Mrs. Young," Gallagher says. "She says her classroom is a lot of fun!"

For her part, Young says is "blown away by the response" her policy has received.

"I'm excited that we're having this conversation," Young, 29, tells PEOPLE. "Every decision I make is in the best interest of our learners."

Young also says she has the full support of her school's administration.

"It wasn't anything I had to seek approval on, I shared my idea with them and they gave me their support," says Young, who has been a teacher at Godley for 8 years. "The administration trusts its teachers."

But just because her students aren't going home with assignments every night, that doesn't mean they're totally off the hook.

"They're excited, but they do understand that not having a homework packet doesn't mean learning ends when they leave classroom," she says. "I'm encouraging them to develop new skills and spend time with their families and find something that engages them.

Young also says that she thinks she herself would have benefited as a young student with this policy.

"I think it would have been tremendous, it would have been nice to develop non-academic skills," she says. "But I don't think I had nearly as much homework as kids do today."

And she says she's received nothing but positive feedback from her students' families.

"All of my parents have been really enthusiastic and supportive," she shares. "We're partners in educating our children."

Young says she hopes her policy will start a larger conversation about homework in all grades.

"Any homework that's given just needs to be meaningful. The kids are so busy and they work hard days, and when they go home, they don't need busy work, let's just make sure we're not giving busy work," she adds.