Dec. 14, 2018
By Sebastian Cabrera
Editor
Starting as early as first grade, children receive homework, and as they grow older, they have to do more and more of it. Homework can be so difficult and time-consuming that it stresses students out to the point where they just give up.
So, why is homework required? Many would say homework reiterates what is taught in class and gives students extra practice. I agree that it reinforces what has been taught in class and has the potential to lead to improved grades on tests and quizzes. However, in most cases, homework ends up being nothing more than busy work, and that it is a shame.
If homework is meant for extra practice, why does it matter if I do it or not? Shouldn’t my test and quiz grades speak for themselves? We all know those people who can, without studying, crush a test or quiz without breaking a sweat. Why do they have to spend hours on various homework assignments, stay up late and stress themselves out just to get extra practice which is not necessarily needed?
All mandatory homework assignments do is add extra pressure to a student’s life. With all of the responsibilities and obligations teenagers have outside of school, it can be extremely challenging to find the time to do homework on a daily basis. Instead of completing the busy work I am assigned, I could be wasting my time doing other things like spending time with my family.
Students also have necessities to worry about like, I don’t know, sleep?! For me, homework has sometimes helped prepare me for tests and quizzes, but its abundance has also forced me to stay up well past midnight. Because I have stayed up late, I am sluggish and fatigued the next day in school and have trouble focusing on what I am being taught in class. This creates a vicious and destructive cycle, not to mention my resulting coffee addiction.
Some aspects of our lives are the way they are simply because that is how they have always been. Many people don’t question if something is necessary or has good reason behind it. However, that is a silly explanation for why teachers continue giving time-consuming and unnecessary homework assignments.
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