Vizon 1

Lara Vizon

Storer

English 3H

16 December 2019

A Student’s Enemy: Homework

A student’s bed or desk is full of scattered papers, notebooks, and many more supplies.

They have music in the background as they attempt to finish their homework. The time then

strikes to one in the morning and their body starts drifting in and out from sleep. At this point

they contemplate, “Is it really worth finishing homework?” or “Will I be able to get enough

sleep?” Homework should be lessened throughout the week and there should be close to none on

the weekend.

As a student there are many things that are on my plate; tests, projects, personal events,

friends, and homework. All these things take time, effort, and can bring lots of stress upon not

only my life, but many more students’ lives. As much as all of those things can be time

consuming, homework is the top tier out of the whole list.

I agree, homework can help students and further practice whatever they may be learning

in class. However, too much and irrelevant work can be really harmful. Throughout the years

teachers have assigned me homework that, yes, is useful and can supply me practice, but it is

work that cannot be done in a night. Having multiple classes in one day does not help the fact the

amount of homework is going to be doubled. In one day one of my teachers assigned a practice

quiz, then another teacher assigned questions #1-6 plus notes, and then another teacher assigns a

packet. The list can go on and on. All of these assignments can take hours and consume much

time.
 Vizon 2

Many people tell me to use my time wisely and not procrastinate, which I agree to, but

even if I “use my time wisely” the amount of work does not lessen and neither does the time.

Another example includes one of my classes where my teacher requires us to take notes and do

id words. Each section has about 8 vocabulary words and the notes are 5 or 6 pages long. Even if

I did not procrastinate, this assignment could take hours. In addition to that homework, I have

much more to do. In total it could take me until maybe 12 or 1 in the morning. So, not only is it

time consuming, but it can hinder my attention during the next day because of my lack of sleep.

Sleep is important for physical health, but also mental health. With homework hindering

the amount of sleep I get, it also affects my mental health. The constant pile of homework that is

place upon me, can give me stress and anxiety. There are multiple occasions where the same

night I had tons of homework, there was a test, quiz, or presentation I also had to prep for. The

stress that I would constantly get because I had so much to finish in little amount of time, but

during that same time I needed to study or make note cards. Then the anxiety of not being able to

finish everything in one night and not being fully prepared for the test or presentation the next

day because of the other assignments that are needed to be done.

This is not only affecting me, but other teens around the world. The University of

Phoenix curated a survey that showed how much homework is assigned and how that affected

each student. They stated, “… ninth to twelfth graders have 3.5 hours per teacher, meaning a

high school student with five teachers could have 17.5 hours of homework a week.”

(“Homework Anxiety: Survey Reveals How Much Homework K-12 Students are Assigned and

Why Teachers Deem It Beneficial”). That is only for five teachers, almost every school has 7

teachers for each period. Although homework improves students’ grades, test results, or

attendance into college it affects their physical health. Clifton B. Parker did a Stanford research
 Vizon 3

on the “Pitfalls of Homework”. Their results indicate those students who aim higher have “sleep

deprivation and other health problems such as headaches, exhaustion, weight loss, and stomach

problems” (Parker) because of the amount of homework they have to get done. To even test this

Healthline took another survey asking students if they have experienced any of these issues.

They stated, “More than 80 percent of students reported having at least one stress related

symptom in the past month, and 44 percent said they had experienced three or more symptoms”

(Levy). This shows how much homework really is affect students’ health and how this can affect

them while being at school the next day. Homework is not only affecting personal health, but

also students’ social life and means of distraction.

Being able to participate in social activities can help relieve stress. However, a research at

Stanford proved that, “students were more likely to forgo activities, stop seeing friends for

family, and not participate in hobbies. Many students felt forced or obligated to choose

homework over developing other talents or skills.” (Parker). Because of this, the outcome can

result in students becoming depressed, antisocial, or start pushing away everything and everyone.

They can start lacking skills they need because they feel like homework is priority rather than

self-care. Another research was conducted at a University in New York. They found out alike

results stating, “They also faced pressure to take college-level classes and excel in activities

outside of school… they reported having little time for relaxing or creative activities.” Many

students do not have an outlet for relaxation and a time to recharge, because of this, the same

university also found out “more than two-thirds of students said they used alcohol and drugs,

primarily marijuana, to cope with stress.” Students are now turning to illegal ways to unwind

and find relief from the stress. Not only should homework be lessened, but also the teachers who

have projects due the next day should not assign homework as well.
 Vizon 4

Teachers should assign minimal homework throughout the week and assign the

unfinished work that was supposed to be done in class for homework. This will help students

focus more on other class they have and lessen their worry on finishing on time. The weekends

are supposed to be for relaxation and time to recharge from the week. Just like during the week,

students should be assigned the unfinished work for homework, this way not only are they able

to recharge, but they can work on projects, hang out with family, and go to sport tournaments

without worrying about homework.

 Vizon 5

Works Cited

“Is Homework Beneficial? - Top 3 Pros and Cons.” ProConorg Headlines,

https://www.procon.org/headline.php?headlineID=005411.

Leonard, et al. “A Multi-Method Exploratory Study of Stress, Coping, and Substance Use among

High School Youth in Private Schools.” Frontiers, Frontiers, 6 July 2015,

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01028/full.

Levy, Sandra. “Why Homework Is Bad: Stress and Consequences.” Healthline, Healthline

Media, 22 Aug. 2019, https://www.healthline.com/health-news/children-more-

homework-means-more-stress-031114#5.

Stanford University. “Stanford Research Shows Pitfalls of Homework.” Stanford News, 16 Apr.

2016, https://news.stanford.edu/2014/03/10/too-much-homework-031014/.