EPAHS - Opinion

Opinion

Editorial: Should students be assigned homework?

by Khushi Patel, freshman ▪ November 12, 2024

At the end of the school day, many students don’t get to go home and wind down. Instead, they pull out a pile of homework. Students often find themselves overwhelmed with homework and studying for tests after school, leading to a long period of stress.

This is impacting their mental and social well-being in and outside of school. This raises the question, “Should homework be banned?”

In my opinion, yes.

School has become more of a full-time job with homework for high school students. It stresses students, messes up their sleep schedules, and causes stomach problems.

The burden of completing numerous assignments has appeared to be a major cause of anxiety and stress for students affecting their well-being. Oxford Learning published an article and found that students considered homework a primary source of stress. Research has shown that an overload of homework can result in significant mental health challenges, such as depression and anxiety disorders.

Additionally, research has indicated that the amount of homework assigned to students can significantly disrupt their sleep schedules. It has been widely established that teenagers require between 9 to 10 hours of sleep each night to support their overall well-being and academic performance. However, due to the outrageous amount of homework, the average amount of sleep that teenagers get falls short with many of them only managing to get around seven hours of sleep per night.

Surprisingly, sleep deprivation and stress aren’t the only outcomes of too much homework. The doctors at Stanford Medicine found that students were experiencing health issues like headaches, weight changes, and stomach problems. Through proper research, they used to think homework was always good, but now they realize it can sometimes be bad for students.

Many educators believe homework is necessary to teach skills like problem-solving and independence. However, issues like sleep deprivation, mental health challenges, and medical problems are more serious than independence and problem-solving skills. Activities such as extracurriculars, group projects, and life experiences can successfully teach students independence and problem-solving skills. For example, volunteer work teaches independence, social skills, and teamwork.

A solution to this problem could be having homework-free days. There could be two or three days selected each week where students don’t receive any homework and have the chance to recharge and enjoy extracurriculars. These days would allow students to relax, spend time with family and friends, and enjoy their hobbies without stressing about an 11:59 PM deadline. This would reduce a massive amount of stress and help students feel refreshed and more focused, which could improve their performance at school.

In conclusion, the negative effects of homework are extremely high whether it’s sleep deprivation, stress, or physical health problems.

Sources:

“Infographic: How Does Homework Actually Affect Students? -.” Oxford Learning, 4 October 2016, https://www.oxfordlearning.com/how-does-homework-affect-students/. Accessed 3 October 2024.

Breitenstein, Leona. “Homework Takes a Toll on Students' Physical & Mental Health.” The Scituation, 3 June 2023, https://www.scituation.net/opinions/2023/06/03/homework- takes-a-toll-on-students-physical-mental-health/. Accessed 3 October 2024.

Senior Voices: What advice would you give to the freshmen now?

Sofia Morill

" Do your work and don't procrastinate it goes by really fast. Have fun."

Niko Thalassionos

" Be yourself don't take anything for granted, time flies by."

Lily Estright

" It goes by fast, so just have fun. Enjoy being with your friends."

Lucas Martz

" Who cares what people think. Just be yourself."

Matthew Mcgugian

" Don't do anything crazy, do your work, listen to advice, and get through school easy."

Abby Muthersbaugh

"Involve yourself in as many activities as you can. Make good memories!"

Maddie Druckemiller

"Do your homework. As much as you don't want to, it will help you in the long run."

Delaney Gillis

" Be mindful in the halls. #staydemure."

Junior Voices: Compared to last year, what is the hardest part of junior year?

Christan Amilcar

"I'd say the classes are more advanced and you have to start prepping for college and the SAT."

Aiden Bressler

"Getting work done in time."

Jelie Williams

"Since last year I have felt like there is a lot more academic work, so probably that and the tests are more difficult."

Rihanna Canclelario

"The expectations everyone has on you."

Jazzlyn Diaz

" Maybe the stricter due dates the teachers have on us compared to last years. And they rely on us more to reach out in order to get our grades up. Evrything in school isn't handed to you since you have been in highschool for 3 years now."

Damian Clouser

" The need to find a job after graduation."

Kiley Alleman

" Keeping the same friends is honestly the hardest part so far."

Chloe Panagakis

" The hardest part of junior year has to be the fact that my work has double. Which caused me to become much more of a procrastinator."

Sophomore Voices: What was your favorite freshman memory and why?

Nadjima Toudjani

"It wasn't so serious, and I had fun. The workload wasn't terrible. I met some great people, and I became best friends with Ms. Roeder."

Lucas Swidler

"Being able to be here on the first day of school, and just being able to leave middle school."

Weston Zulli

"My favorite part of freshman year was Jones scoring all the game winners."

Mylee Elkburger

" Probably track season. I say track season because I had all my friends with me."

Daimon Ragin

"Keystone kick-off. There was many fun activities."

Re'ne'e Wouna

"Definitely the keystone kick-off because you get to walk around with your friends for the majority of the day, and it was mostly fun to see people get sprayed with water and hit with water balloons."