Too Much Homework: A Curse to Independent Thinking, Hobbies, and Sleep

Too Much Homework: A Curse to Independent Thinking, Hobbies, and Sleep

By Ammie Grade 5

    Is extra homework a benefit or a hindrance to student learning? Giving students lots of homework seems like a great idea. It seems like it can improve the learning of a student, and it seems like it lets a student know learning is much more important than playing. But actually, giving students lots of homework is not a good idea. It hurts student’s learning. It shows the students homework, not learning, is more important than anything else. Students shouldn’t have too much homework because students will have less time to think in their own way, it doesn’t let students work on their hobbies, and it prevents students from getting the sleep they need.

    First, when students are doing too much homework, they are not thinking in their own way, but only mindlessly doing what the teacher said. “Many students said…they often did homework they saw as ‘pointless’ or ‘mindless’” (Levy). Some students have too many homework assignments which are too easy and just waste. Many students do their homework mindlessly without any benefits. Experts agree “homework assignments should have a purpose and benefit, and should be designed to cultivate learning and development” (Levy). One time, my English teacher gave us an assignment; it was not too easy or too hard. It was interesting to me, and I learned a lot from doing it. Some teachers are making homework optional and “something surprising happened…[students] used their newfound free time to explore subject topics of interest to them” (Terada). Other schools are allowing students to focus on what they are passionate about. “Genius Hour…students spend 20 percent of each week’s class time working on a project of their choosing…[teachers] frame homework assignments around these passion projects” (Hey Teach!). This is a great way to assign homework because students get to make their own choices based on their interests. This shows how doing too much homework is affecting the minds of students; homework should be given with a goal and purpose.

    Second, too much homework prevents students from having time to work on their interests and hobbies; it will also not allow the student to think in creative ways. When students have too much homework, they are not able to do activities, see their friends and families, and participate in their hobbies (Levy). Teachers can fix this by giving students less homework. Some schools are doing this well because teachers give less homework, so students have time to work on their hobbies and interests. For example, a teacher once told his students to write down their afterschool activities so he will know better how much homework he has to give. By giving students more time to do extracurricular activities instead of doing too much homework it helps them by “teaching them new skills and helping them socialize, to developing their passions and providing a constructive outlet for their energy” (Kinsley). For example, some students play musical instruments as their extracurricular. Students learn how to cooperate with other instruments, and they also learned many beautiful songs. If they have too much homework, they will not be able to learn musical instruments. This is why letting a student do less homework can allow them to have more time to work on their interests and hobbies.

    Finally, having a student do too much homework will affect the amount of sleep a student gets. Sleeping in daily life seems like an ordinary thing, but it is important for people because sleeping allows people to relax. When people sleep well tonight, they will be energetic tomorrow and be in a nice mood. This is what many people say, but some people complained they have too much homework and it prevents them from a good sleep. “Adolescents should be getting 9 to 9 ½ hours of sleep per night…sleep deprivation…has many negative effects such as mood changes, being more inclined to engage in risky behavior such as driving fast, drinking, doing worse in school, and declined cognitive abilities” (Hood). For example, a student once had too much homework, and stayed up late into the night. The next day, it was really hard to concentrate on their work at school and they had a really bad mood. They kept arguing with their little siblings. If homework prevents a person from sleeping it may also cause a stress related symptom. Some students have so much homework it causes them too much stress. “More than 80 percent of students reported having at least one stress-related symptom…physical symptoms of stress, such as headaches, exhaustion, sleep deprivation, weight loss, and stomach problems…in the past month, and 44 percent said they had experienced three or more symptoms” (Levy). This is why doing too much homework will affect the amount of sleep a student gets, which will also affect their health.

    Some parents and teachers still believe students need lots of homework because they believe giving homework can improve the learning of a student; however, if teachers are going to give homework, they need to follow these rules: limit the time, only have review, talk to each other, and encourage parental help. First, teachers need to limit the amount of homework they give based on what grade the student is in. Experts agree and support a standard of “10 minutes of homework per grade level” (Terada). For example, if a student is in grade 5 they should get no more than 50 minutes of homework every day. Some 5th grade students say they have around 1 hour of homework. Sometimes it is less and sometimes it is more. When it takes longer, the students feel annoyed they do not have time to work on other things they like. “The data shows…homework over [10 minutes per grade level] is not only not beneficial to children’s grades or GPA, but there’s really a plethora of evidence…it’s detrimental to their attitude about school, their grades, their self-confidence, their social skills, and their quality of life” (Levy). Second, teachers need to only give homework they have explained in class so doing homework will be a way of reflecting on the learning. “Homework…should always relate to the lesson and be doable without any assistance, and feedback should be clear and explicit” (Terada). One time, the teacher told a group of students to read something and prepare for the next class. It made the students feel the teacher was not prepared for their learning because the teacher let them start a new unit all by themselves. It was really hard to do. It took the students twice the normal time to complete it. Third, teachers need to work together to make sure the total homework given does not go over the 10 minutes per grade level. When students have more than one teacher the “teachers…should be aware of how much homework other teachers are assigning. It may seem reasonable [for one teacher] to assign 30 minutes of daily homework, but across six subjects, that’s three hours—far above a reasonable amount” (Terada). Some schools, the grade 5 teachers have a meeting once a week to talk about how to assign homework. This helps the teachers make sure the total homework given to students from all the teachers is matching up with time the students have. Finally, parents need to support their child with their homework if they do not understand it. “Homework can be a powerful tool to help parents become more involved in their child’s learning” (Walker et al.) But they need to be careful to not overdo it. “Parents should avoid being overly intrusive or controlling—students report feeling less motivated to learn when they don’t have enough space and autonomy to do their homework” (Orkin et al; Patall et al; Silinskas and Kikas). These are the rules teachers should follow when they are assigning homework.

    It has been clearly shown why schools should not assign too much homework. It will prevent a student from thinking in their own way; it will not leave time for students to work on their interests and hobbies; and it will affect the amount of sleep a student gets. However, this doesn’t mean students must have no homework, students should have just the right amount of homework. Homework should be in a way to improve the learning of a student, so say no to too much homework.

 

Works Cited

Hey Teach! “Balancing Extracurriculars and Passion with Homework in High School.” Hey Teach!, Western Governors University — WGU., 25 Oct. 2017, www.wgu.edu/heyteach/article/balancing-extracurriculars-and-passion-homework-high-school1710.html. Accessed 26 Oct. 2021.

Hood, Julia. “Homework or Personal Lives? — Science Leadership Academy @ Center City.” Scienceleadership.org, Science Leadership Academy, 2 Nov. 2017, https://scienceleadership.org/blog/homework_or_personal_lives. Accessed 26 Oct. 2021.

KINSLEY, TAYLOR. “Find the Balance between Homework and Extracurricular Activities.” Through Education, Through Education, 17 Oct. 2019, www.througheducation.com/homework-vs-extracurricular-activities-you-can-find-a-balance/. Accessed 26 Oct. 2021.

Levy, Sandra. “Why Homework Is Bad: Stress and Consequences.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 22 Aug. 2019, www.healthline.com/health-news/children-more-homework-means-more-stress-031114. Accessed 19 Oct. 2021.

Orkin, Melissa, et al. “How Parental Support during Homework Contributes to Helpless Behaviors among Struggling Readers.” Reading Psychology, vol. 38, no. 5, 27 Mar. 2017, pp. 506–541, 10.1080/02702711.2017.1299822. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1138651. Accessed 26 Oct. 2021.

Patall, Erika A., et al. “Parent Involvement in Homework: A Research Synthesis.” Review of Educational Research, vol. 78, no. 4, Dec. 2008, pp. 1039–1101, 10.3102/0034654308325185. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.3102/0034654308325185?journalCode=rera. Accessed 26 Oct. 2021.

Silinskas, Gintautas, and Eve Kikas. “Parental Involvement in Math Homework: Links to Children’s Performance and Motivation.” Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, vol. 63, no. 1, June 2017, pp. 17–37, 10.1080/00313831.2017.1324901. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2018-61521-002. Accessed 26 Oct. 2021.

Terada, Youki. “What’s the Right Amount of Homework?” Edutopia, George Lucas Educational Foundation, 23 Feb. 2018, www.edutopia.org/article/whats-right-amount-homework. Accessed 19 Oct. 2021.

Walker, Joan M. T., et al. Parental Involvement in Homework: A Review of Current Research and Its Implications for Teachers, after School Program Staff, and Parent Leaders. 2021. ERIC, Harvard Family Research Project, Harvard Graduate School of Education, 3 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, 1 Oct. 2004, https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED484761. Accessed 21 Dec. 2021.