Unhealthy Homework: How Not To Overload Kids

Imagine spending one hundred and twenty non-stop days doing homework! No time to eat, sleep or play. A very significant number of people will spend that long on homework, in high school alone. Unknowingly, teachers are giving ridiculous, unhealthy amounts of homework, and it is harming students.

Many teachers will argue that homework gives students a way to relearn and reinforce what was taught in class. Repeating and practicing what has been taught has been said by many that it is the best way for students to effectively learn the material. Sadly, much of the homework given is busy work and serves little to no purpose at all. Work such as coloring and drawing (when done in middle and high school), writing unnecessary papers and poems (when the main point of them isn’t to write them well), and other minimally useful assignments are almost always considered busy work. Most homework isn’t helping students learn enough for the time and effort spent to be worth it. Denise Pope, Ph.D., and senior lecturer at Stanford University, and a co-author on the study of homework, has stated that her “findings on the effects of homework challenge the traditional assumption that homework is inherently good” (Pope). Pope also said that a teacher that she worked with experimented on homework. Beginning the experiment, she cut the homework load by thirty-three percent and noticed that the test scores didn’t change. She later decreased the original amount of homework by fifty percent, which, also, resulted in no change in test scores. By the results of this study, it can be concluded that at least fifty percent of homework is unnecessary to students’ success. Although it is believed that homework always helps students, in reality, less homework is actually more beneficial.

Time spent doing homework could be time spent doing other important activities. According to choosemyplate.gov, children and adolescents need eight to ten hours of sleep every night. From their studies, only fifteen percent of interviewed students slept even eight and a half hours per night. Lack of sleep can lead to many different health issues, such as difficulty concentrating, lack of self-control, forgetfulness, and more prone to illnesses. All of these characteristics are important to quality education and learning, so by assigning so much homework that students aren’t able to get the right amount of sleep, learning actually slows down. Although sleep deprivation can lead to many problems, the absence of activity can as well. When lacking the proper amount of activity, children and teens can become obese, lazy, or develop other health concerns. Obesity is a significant issue in many countries, and by getting enough exercise every day, this problem can be diminished. According to choosemyplate.gov, children and adolescents need 1 hour of exercise per day. Finally, time spent doing homework could be time spent with family and friends. Family conflicts can be very stressful for all members, but by bonding with family members regularly, many conflicts can be resolved easily, removing the extra stress from students (and their families). Too much homework leads to not enough time for students to have healthy and enjoyable lifestyles.

Motivation is a very necessary part of learning. Having piles and piles of homework every night can lead to a loss of motivation in students. When students have outrageous amounts of homework many, if not all, nights a week, they will likely rush through it, not doing it well, learning, or reinforcing the material. Sadly, as a student, I can definitely attest to this. When I have significant amounts of homework, I won’t be motivated to actually think through it, which helps me remember and relearn what I learned in class. Recalling and applying what I learned in class can be very difficult without this active thinking, and I know that many other students have this problem as well. This issue can be fixed, simply by lessening the amount of homework given to students and increasing the quality of the work that is necessary to give.

This loss of motivation might be just towards homework, but it could turn into burnout. Students may decide that they are tired of school, and don’t want to bother with college, or in some cases, even finishing high school. Going to college is a great opportunity. Not only can it shape students as human beings, but it can also give students the tools (and certification) to have a successful (and probably more enjoyable) future. Many jobs require at least some college-level education, so if a student chooses not to go to college, they won’t be eligible for these jobs. By simply giving minimal and thoughtful amounts of homework, and only giving homework that will truly help all students learn and advance, you can change lives.

Undoubtedly, too much homework is harmful to students. Only about 1 in 6 students get anywhere close to the amount of sleep that they need, many teenagers aren’t getting enough activity, and many students are experiencing burnout. There is a better way to do homework. Although this method may require some effort from teachers to think, evaluate, and change, it will change the course and quality of life. Do you want to be part of giving students a healthy and successful life, or do you want to prevent them from living that?