Why a homework policy will benefit all involved

For the typical high school student, they arrive home following each school day with the same thing on their minds, homework. Some students may only have a half-hour or so of work, however many students find themselves working tireselly for two to three hours on assignments, projects, and studying for tests.

According to a 2014 Stanford study, in which 4,317 students were surveyed from 10 high-performing California high schools, the average student said they typically spent 3.1 hours per night doing homework.

“Sometimes it can be hard to get all of my work done because I have already been at school all day, so to have to do two or three hours of extra work can be stressful,” said junior Kelsey Trecarichi.

These students also reported high levels of stress, lack of sleep, and a lack of social life, something they formerly enjoyed and had.

If you think about it, say the normal high school student gets home at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. For their overall health, it is important they have an opportunity to decompress and enjoy themselves. At 5 o’clock, let's say they eat dinner then talk and hang out with family until 7 o’clock. Next thing you know by the time you finish your homework it’s 10 or 11 o’clock at night and the day is over. However, instead of going to bed, many teens spend time watching their favorite tv show or scrolling through their phones to catch up on everything they missed throughout the day.

“With this, students also have jobs that they must work in order to drive and do other things outside of school, and homework only makes these nights more stressful,” said sophomore Mira Catania.

This also does not account for students who are involved in extracurricular clubs or athletics. These students may not get home until 5 or 6 o’clock and then their whole day is condensed even more.

“With playing sports year around, it can make homework difficult sometimes because I do not get home until 8 or 9 at night and simply do not have the time to do all of it to the best of my ability,” said senior Colin McNamara.

With this being said, many students find themselves not being able to go to sleep until midnight or one in-the-morning. This simply does not allow these individuals to get the proper amount of rest in order to fully recover from their long days. Sleep is vital during the high school period, as students are still developing and growing.

This Stanford study concludes, along with the National PTA and National Education Association, that 10 minutes of homework per night is essentially the ‘perfect’ amount. This would result in high school seniors being maxed out at 120 minutes, or two hours.

“Although I feel that this policy is too generalized, as every student has a different workload, I believe this policy could work if it was altered for AHS students,” said teacher Jenna Schadle.

By doing this, students would be able to become naturally adjusted to having more and more homework each year. This would ultimately decrease the level of stress involved while also preparing the students for college.

By decreasing the stress students are experiencing, their overall health will be improved and they will be able to come to school with more excitement and focus.

All in all, I strongly believe this is a very effective policy and one that Aurora High School should look to adopt.