No one really likes homework. Homework has been around since 1095, invented by Roberto Nevilis in Italy. It was a form of punishment, that supposedly ended up increasing the productivity of his students. Today homework has become a dreaded chore, causing stress, anxiety, and sometimes depression. Yet we don’t question the use of after school assignments. It has become a accepted normality and simply part of how school is. But it shouldn’t be.
Homework just doesn’t make sense to me. This argument has two view points. One side says it helps students learn the information and that it increases the rate of learning for students. The other side argues that it causes unnecessary stress and brings a sense of anxiety into the students home, which should be a place of relaxation and comfort.
Now, as a student, I strongly agree with the second opinion. I do around seven hours of school five days a week. That’s full of quizzes, tests, packets, and projects. I do all of this in a environment that has been made for teaching. A entire building full of people and tools to help me learn. When I return home after school the last thing I want to do is more work. I think the only reasonable homework we should be doing is studying. It never hurts to study after school or with a tutor. But this is optional and specific to the individual student.
But there’s more than just keeping work out of home. There’s the aspect of extra curricular activities after school. As I attend I fairly prestigious school, there are many art and sport programs available. We are taught that these things are pretty much required in order for us to be accepted into a above average college. Many students don’t get home until after dinner time, and they’re already exhausted. Homework is a unnecessary addition that means even after they’re busy school day and two hours of sports, dance, or rehearsal, there is still more work to be done.
When you look at a students entire day, there isn’t much time to relax or feel comfortable. Some people might say, oh use the weekend to relax, wrong. Weekends include again, sports and other programs. We also usually have homework during this time as well. It’s surprisingly hard to relax and have fun when you have homework assignments looming ahead. In conclusion, homework causes more stress and anxiety than is worth the extra information. It makes high school a more uncomfortable and anxiety ridden place than it a,ready is, and homework invades our places of safety with worry and dread. Students should be given after school time to devote towards personal goals and extra curricular activities.
Written by Lenny O’Mahony.
April 17, 2018.