As we slowly approach the end of the school year, it seems that homework assignments are piling up each day closer to summer. Most students want to enjoy the warm weather by swimming at the pool, going to the beach, and hanging out with friends. But instead, they are stuck inside, desperately trying to finish a trigonometry worksheet.
Throughout the beginning of the twenty-first century, society has begun to realize the importance of mental health. Unfortunately, this realization has led to few shifts in the education system. The amount of homework the American school system assigns has been taking a drastic toll on the mental health of students. It’s like students are working full-time jobs without being compensated. This is not to criticize teachers, who are doing the best they can in an unsupportive environment with insufficient pay. This is a criticism of our education system as a whole. We have an education system that does not prioritize work-life balance, whether it comes to teachers, or students.
High school students are the future, and we have plenty of time to be adults and spend all day working. But right now we’re still kids who need to be able to spend time with our families, go outside, spend time with friends, have time for extracurricular activities, and have personal time for ourselves and our own hobbies. We live in an era where colleges are so focused on extracurricular activities during high school, so it only makes sense to give students the proper time to focus on their extracurriculars. Students are already extremely stressed with school and extracurriculars, and homework on top of that. Banning homework would take a huge load off, and would allow students and teachers to have much more time.
Opponents will argue that homework teaches students discipline and allows for extra practice after school. However, according to Stanford News, senior lecturer Denise Pope co-authored a study that found that 56% of students find homework a main source of stress. They also found that many students stated that homework led to sleep deprivation, headaches, exhaustion, and even stomach problems. Pope states that, “the findings address how current homework practices in privileged, high-performing schools sustain students’ advantage in competitive climates, yet hinder learning, full engagement, and well-being,” (Pope 2014). Carolina Caetano, an assistant professor of economics at the University of Georgia and co-author of a study for the National Education Association argues that homework contributes to overscheduling of kids as young as elementary school, stating that “teachers should engage parents on this issue, educate them on the research that demonstrates that a lot of homework is not useful or healthy, and everyone- colleges, schools, and parents- needs to understand the value of non-cognitive skills and how emotional well-being affects future success and happiness,” (Caetano, 2024).
From a student’s experience, focusing on rigor in the classroom during the school day and eliminating distractions and free time in class, the need for homework would likely decrease, and all of those changes could greatly benefit and improve our education system. By making the changes necessary to be able to ban homework, we can create a new generation of educated and well-rounded citizens.
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