Since elementary school, students have been assigned homework. Now in high school, students come home with multiple assignments and extra work that they didn’t have time to finish in class, creating hours worth of homework. Students should not be assigned homework.
High school students spend eight hours of their day in the classroom learning and receiving multiple assignments per class. Every day, students spend an hour and half in each class, learning important information then they’re expected to do the homework given. Psychologists and therapists from Crown Counseling, a mental health agency, specialize in juveniles and explain that over 60% of students feel stressed daily over the amount of homework assigned, and 74% of students consider homework as a major source of stress. With limited time in high school, students should prioritize their mental health by focusing on what matters most. Many students participate in multiple extracurricular activities including sports, band and Key Club, along with taking on multiple Advanced Placement classes that require harder work and mental load during the day. Therefore, when students go home they want to relax, not sit at their desk and work on homework until practice or when it’s time to go to bed.
Most Texas high schools start class around 7:30 a.m., and don’t get out until around 3 p.m., giving students about seven hours at home before they go to bed. However, many student athletes dedicate a significant amount of time for practice and games weekly, and statistics show that teenagers spend almost 10-12 hours a week practicing, meaning about two hours daily. A poll was conducted for the amount of hours students at Legacy spend daily doing homework, and out of 33 responses, most answers ranged between two and four hours. The Mayo Clinic Q and A states that teenage melatonin levels don’t rise until around 10-11 p.m. For teenagers, it’s recommended to get at least eight to 10 hours of sleep, but with all of the work they’re expected to do, there’s simply not enough time in the day to complete it all. Teenagers become so burnt out because of homework. There’s no time to be with just themselves and enjoy hobbies. Teenagers will work the rest of their lives, they should be allowed to take time off when they get home from school and take a break instead of doing homework every hour they can.
However, proponents who support having homework would argue that it gives necessary practice for students. An article from National Society of High School Scholars states that students assigned homework will gain the necessary skills of time management, preparing the student for tests and quizzes along with encouraging independent learning. While homework offers valuable practice and test preparation according to proponents, other arguments address its potential drawbacks. Several reasons why homework isn’t necessary and can even have negative impacts on learning and students mental health. These include a lack of sleep, limited access to helpful resources and a loss of precious time spent with family and friends.
Students spending hours on their homework isn’t healthy, it can cause them to lose sleep, and burn out quicker than if there was no homework. Students already worry about the class work that they still need to finish at home, and adding homework on top of that adds more to their plate. Students in high school should focus more on themselves and not worry about homework assignments.
