Many people believe that homework is a bad and stressful thing for students. Some also believe that homework helps students understand more about the subject.  So the question comes to our mind “Is homework a good thing for students in school?”

As a high school student who does not spend two hours on homework every day,I was inspired to write about this topic because I go through problems with homework. These problems have led me to the conclusion that  there should not be a substantial amount of homework given to  students.

According to the article, “Is Homework Good for the Kids?” Katie Reilly explains that students need a break. The issue is kids that come home from school tired, but they end up stressing because they are thinking about the homework that is given by their teachers. The issue brought up by Reilly’s article shows that many students go through stress. However, some  schools have taken action toward this issue, specifically elementary schools. Reilly reports that  public elementary schools in Massachusetts and New York eliminated homework because they wanted students to have less stress and spend more time with family.

Reilly writes that the Massachusetts school eliminated homework, in part, by extending the school day. The principal of the school said, “We want them to enjoy their families. We want them to go to soccer practice or football practice, and we want them to go to bed. And that’s it.” For elementary school students, eliminating homework is a great idea, even if it means adding to the day a little bit.  

High school is the biggest challenge for homework. Most teachers say that in high school that homework is necessary, especially in Advanced Placement classes.  However, just like with elementary school kids, stress for older kids is a bad thing, and that is what homework provides more than anything.  While it is clear that some homework must exist for high school students, schools should develop some strong rules for it.  

Homework should be limited for all students, even  AP/Honors students.  Caitrin Blake, author of  “Homework Helps High School Students Most – But it Must be Purposeful” on the Concordia University website, argues that high school students should have homework, but that it should be limited and should focus on the point of the subject they are learning. She states, “In high school, the 10-minute per grade level rule still applies (students should receive 10 minutes of homework per night based on the grade level they are in). This rule allows up to 120 minutes of homework in the evening for upper-level students. While students occasionally need to do more than two hours of work a night, this should be the exception rather than the rule. Research shows that completing more than this amount of homework results in no further gains.”

What Blake says is important, and I agree that homework should be limited and it should connect with what we are learning. One of the most important points that the author makes is that  homework should make sense and be focused, not time consuming. However, her point about up to two hours a night seems like too much time. A better rule would be to have teachers do all that they can to shorten homework and eliminate it on weekends as much as possible.