Unnecessary Homework
Most see homework as an academic necessity, but many people disagree. Though possibly inaccurate, teachers and school officials always say students need homework in order to to succeed. As eighth grade students in advanced classes, my classmates and I strongly believe homework brings no academic advantages. Although incorrect, some may believe we simply despise homework. Personally, I believe homework solely brings my grades down.
I spend too much time doing homework every night, and I lose sleep. This sleep deprivation shows during class. Even over the weekend, I receive less sleep than I need. I have to properly finish all my homework very quickly. Depending on how much of my homework I do, I either lose sleep or my grades go down.
Either way, I end up in a lose-lose situation. Depending on my grade level, I need to complete many more homework assignments each night. As students grow older, and move higher in academic difficulty, homework assignments rapidly increase in difficulty and in volume. According to many studies, homework lacks correlation with standardized test scores or advancement in academic fields. David Baker, a professor of education and sociology who completed a study with Gerald Letendre, says, “Not only did we fail to find any positive relationships,” but “the overall correlations between national average student achievement and national averages in [homework assigned] are all negative.
” Homework also lacks nonacademic benefits. In some cases, homework even leads to depression instead of advancement in academic fields. Research has shown students working on homework for more than 90 minutes a night directly leads to high stress levels, physical health problems, and unbalanced lives. Homework also causes migraines, stomach problems, sleep deprivation, exhaustion, and even excessive, unhealthy weight loss. After hearing homework may lead to depression, some parents immediately wanted homework to end.
If left untreated, depression can lead to many more issues and in some cases, even suicide. Fortunately, scientists always try to find the right amount of homework for the average student. Many scientists conduct experiments daily to find the ideal amount of homework for students. For most students, 45 minutes brings some academic practice without any risks. This, obviously, means 45 minutes without distractions delaying the work. Studies show students with less homework have better health conditions and advancement in academic fields.
In Finland, students work on homework for 30 minutes each night. With this amount, the students there have better academic lives and live healthier. Overall, homework brings barely any benefits to students. Students across the globe agree homework brings more stress to their lives without any academic advantages. Teachers and school officials, though, fail to understand this, even with scientific studies done to prove it.
These studies done by professionals have proven homework lacks benefits in both academic and nonacademic fields. The homework not only brings mental disabilities like stress and depression, but large quantities also bring physical health problems. The homework puts students in a lose-lose situation. They either need to lose their sleep, or they need to deal with bad grades. Parents and students must fight to end or decrease homework!
