Many students know the stress of homework, but is it really necessary? Homework can be helpful, but not every class should require homework and not every class can give homework in the first place. For example, tech theater is a class that can’t give out homework because it is a physical project-based class.
Some classes should have homework, like core classes or AP classes. Homework can be a helpful tool to retain information and can be an extra practice when studying. Homework is helpful for everyone but is better for older students because they are able to focus/self-motivate to do homework.
However, there are also negatives to homework. If students are given too much homework, then it can cause stress and take away free time. A large workload can also make students have to stay up late and lose sleep trying to get their work done.
“[Large amounts of homework is] really stressful especially when I get behind on it,” said freshman Channing Eichelberger.
There is also the aspect of extra circular activities or other after school activities like sports. A heavy workload on top of commitments made outside of school can cause students to lose sleep because they take time from work. Because of this, it is difficult for students to spend time with their family and friends.
In high school, students get a heavier work load and have harder classes; this means they have harder homework that takes longer. This means they don’t get as much time to socialize, making them more distant.
“I do a lot of after school activities, and sometimes I just need a break. But I have to do homework, so it can prevent social time with friends in a fun way because I have to get my homework done before it’s too late,” said junior Clara Biasi.
Students need time to socialize with friends and just be kids, but they can’t always do that with the sheer amount of homework they receive.
“I personally don’t get enough time to have social time with friends because the limited free time I get is taken up by either sleep or homework. I barely get to talk with them outside of school,” said junior Sawyer Bley.
All of these variables can cause students to stress about school and can result in burnout, thus lowering students’ grades. The stress can also cause headaches, exhaustion, sleep deprivation, stomach problems and muscle tension.
A study by Crown Counseling said that females report homework as a stresser more than men do, with 57% of female college students reporting overwhelming anxiety compared to the 40% reported by males. They also found that college students have the highest stress percentage, with a reported 94% of them reporting experiencing stress, followed by high school students with 75%, then middle school students with 50% and lastly elementary with 30%.
Having too much homework can also negatively affect students and their health. Crown Counseling recommends students have two hours maximum for homework in all classes. Most, if not all, students are spending more than that on one class.
“For some subjects [my homework takes] 30 minutes and for others two hours, but the only homework I really have this semester is math and depending on how many problems it could be an hour to two hours. Chemistry would take me three hours, and sometimes I wouldn’t finish because I’d be so stressed out about it,” said Biasi.
So yes, homework is helpful, but it is also stressful. It’s ultimately up to what matters more: students’ health or a numerical grade? That is up to teachers and schools to decide.
