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The Pros and Cons of Homework by Bailey DiRaffaele
Parents, students, and teachers throughout the country have recently taken a look at the amount of homework assigned and have begun to question whether or not homework should be distributed and what is considered a good amount of work.
Parents, students, and teachers throughout the country have recently taken a look at the amount of homework assigned and have begun to question whether or not homework should be distributed and what is considered a good amount of work.
Over the last few years, a number of studies have been conducted analyzing the amount of homework that is given in schools. Research from the National Education Association has been alarming to many. The National Education Association promotes a guideline that students should only be given 10 minutes of homework per grade level each night. For example, if a student is in tenth grade, the student should only be given 100 minutes or one hour and forty minutes.
Julianna Sinotte, a tenth grade student, is enrolled in five honors classes here at CHS. According to Julianna, she has an average of four hours of homework on a night, more than double the amount of what is suggested in the guideline. The four hours of homework can be spent doing anything from reading for English class, reading from an AP History textbook and taking notes, or even completing math problems.
Many have recently argued that high amounts of homework can lead to health problems, both serious and minor. William Crain PhD, professor of psychology at City College of New York, says, “Kids are developing more school-related stomach aches, headaches, sleep problems, and depression than ever before.”
Moreover, a recent article from CNN noted that a study “showed that the impact of excessive homework on high school students included high stress levels, a lack of balance in children’s lives and physical health problems such as ulcers, migraines, sleep deprivation and weight loss.”
According to Sinotte, on the average school night, she will get around 5 hours of sleep. According to Nationwide Children’s, studies have shown that teenagers should be getting around 9 hours of sleep.
Many will argue that school is a “full time job.” As it is, children are sitting in a desk for around 6 to 7 hours a day. The average 3 to 4 hours of additional homework can possibly push the total hours of schoolwork to 50 hours every week.
Moreover, homework has the ability to impact the activities a child will be able to participate in after school. Julianna agrees “one hundred percent” that homework has limited her social life. There have been multiple opportunities Julianna has had to pass down, including hanging out with family and friends, due to having homework. Although Sinotte says she would love to get a job, she is unable to have one during the school year due to the amounts of homework she receives.
On the other hand, people also have found positive aspects of giving out homework. Parents and teachers say homework encourages discipline and time management skills. Some may even argue homework will reduce screen time. Others however, may counter that the majority of the homework done here at Coventry High School is completed digitally.
Teachers may give homework because it allows children to work and learn in an environment that they feel comfortable in, their home. It is believed children may attain more information when working in an environment they trust and enjoy being in.
Julianna Sinotte understands this point and sees both the pros and cons of homework. She says, “Homework is beneficial to learners, however a smaller amount may be more appropriate.”
Sinotte added, “If less homework was given, I would have more time to study for tests and quizzes, which could potentially make my grades even higher”.
According to studies from the National Education Association, a child’s GPA typically will not benefit from homework.
Children in the US are given more homework and spend more time in school than in a number of other countries. According to Vittanna.org, “Students in the US spend more than 100 hours of extra time in school already compared to high-performing countries around the world, but that has not closed the educational gap between those countries and the United States.”.
The United States is among the countries that give the most amounts of homework. Countries like the Czech Republic, Japan and Germany have had higher scoring students, while giving less amounts of homework.
Teachers are not the only people to be blamed for the amounts of homework given. Kylene Beers, president of the National Council for Teachers of English claims, “Many teachers are under greater pressure than ever before. Some of it comes from parents, some from the administration and the desire for high scores on standardized tests.”