Do you ever catch yourself staying up late hours just to complete your homework assigned to you? Believe it or not, in the early 1920’s, homework was considered a “sin.” The real question is, does homework actually benefit children?

       Everything for each student varies. Such as, not every high school student has the audacity to consume as much homework as the other high school student, due to everyone having a different learning capacity. One student may be able to study for three hours, meanwhile the other student may only be able to contain the capacity to study for one single hour. As stated in the Washington Post, “Perhaps, teachers can opt for a more individualized approach to homework. If teachers are careful in selecting their assignments – weighing the student’s age, family situation and need for skill development – then homework can be tailored in ways that improve the chance of maximum positive impact for any given student.”

     Extra assignments given to children can lead to unhealthy levels of stress, according to research. If bombarded with countless lessons at school and at home, students may feel stress and anxiety should they fail to complete the assignment on time. Students need to learn in a classroom setting, but they should also be able to spend some time exploring other things outside of the classroom. Multiples of students lose time not only with friends but also with their family due to amounts of homework given, which affects the social life of the student. Often, some teachers will depend on students to do most required work at home, on which can stress students out due to situations being dealt with in the home. Studies show, that students also learn the  material better if work is done in the classroom in which the students have on-hand work from the teacher. Many students also participate in extracurricular activities, in which becomes difficult and can  cause grades to decrease due to the amounts of homework given.

     As for a teacher’s point of view, they see homework as a beneficial strategy. Many teachers believe homework is beneficial due to it applying the student to use their time wisely, and helps them receive the needed practice at home. As posted in “The Homework Debate” on Concordia University, “Duke University professor Harris Cooper supports Ravitch’s assessment, saying that, “Across five studies, the average student who did homework had a higher unit test score than the students not doing homework.” Dr. Cooper and his colleagues analyzed dozens of studies on whether homework is beneficial in a 2006 publication.” Teachers believe that homework not only gives time management, but also perseverance and responsibility.

     Teachers in general should decrease the amount of outside-school work, and work more internally within the school, so that students have hands on assistance and can reduce stress. Do you believe teachers should reduce homework, or do you think it benefits students to have more homework?