WOODBURY — As a kid, I remember getting off the bus on a sunny afternoon, fun ideas racing through my mind. Endless possibilities. All I would like to do after a long day of school would be to relax and enjoy time with family and friends — that was until I remembered the pages of homework I had to finish. 

Homework has been a part of the educational fabric for hundreds of years, but is it really necessary? Not only does it take time away from outside activities, but it also leads to stress and can cause students to be overwhelmed.

Researchers show that homework isn’t always effective. In fact, homework is shown to take time away from family and outside activities. According to a CNN survey, 56% of students consider homework as a primary source of stress. 

Homework is intended to help students learn and be better at certain subjects in school; however, this is not always the case. Many students find that homework is the opposite of what they say it’s intended to be. Endless surveys show that homework actually creates a negative attitude towards school. 

“Homework annoys me,” said Chris Koemp, an NHS senior. “I think homework is not that useful because it’s just a repeat of work we did in class; just paying attention in class should be enough. Sometimes homework really messes with my schedule.”

19.4% of high school students are employed somewhere. An excessive amount of homework really impacts these students’ lives, creating a unhealthy imbalance between free time and work. The stress of these high schoolers trying to maintain a job and remain in good academic standing can be very difficult and have a negative impact. Many teens find that the only time they have to work on homework is during the night. A study shows that 91% of teens admit that homework is the thing that keeps them up at night. 

“I feel that the only time I have to work on homework is at night,” said Peyton Sagendorf, an NHS senior. “It really messes with my sleep schedule, but all that really matters is that I have a good grade.”

Students are known to put their grades first; they would rather get good grades on assignments than have the recommended amount of sleep.

This is a problem.  

Not only does it affect their sleep schedule, but too much homework can encourage cheating; this happens due to students getting overwhelmed in an attempt to finish all of their assignments. 

Many say homework in college is essential; although it may not be that way in high school, college is a little different. Many professors just teach, and it’s up to the student to take notes as there’s less emphasis on classwork. All students have to rely on is notes and homework. 

Matthew Greaves, a Spanish teacher at Nonnewaug who also teaches night classes at UConn said: “Students at the university level are required to complete much more work independently, outside of the classroom. Many courses, mine included, have online learning platforms where professors assign work. I must say that I do see a direct correlation between students who succeed and the amount of time they spend on coursework outside of the classroom.”

It has been proven that homework isn’t the most beneficial thing for students at least on the high school and middle school level. I believe that teachers and administrators should cut down on the amount of homework students receive. Studies show and I believe that this could be the solution. All that remains is will schools start cutting back on homework?

This is the opinion of Chief Advocate reporter Nick Penrosa.