Is Homework Beneficial?

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Preston Peiffer, Staff Writer

Homework for students is a real struggle and something that they have to worry about in their everyday life. Many kids struggle with homework for hours or don’t get it completed.

At school, it is easier for kids to get their work done because they have a structured schedule but at home that is not always the case for kids. 

When students get to high school their schedules start to get busier with things like sports, clubs, after school jobs, and even just trying to hang out with friends and family. A lot of the time students don’t have time to do those things because their homework gets in the way or the opposite occurs and homework doesn’t get done. 

Student-athlete, Jena Herbon, says, “It’s hard when I have practice and games outside of school and have to come home and do homework after. It’s exhausting and there isn’t enough time for both.” 

Herbon isn’t alone, fellow students Joe Washburn and Haiden Bentley both agree that homework doesn’t always fit into their schedules Washburn explains, “I work an after school job and get home late and I still have homework waiting for me, it really messes with my sleep schedule most nights.” 

Bentley states, “It’s really stressful to have a lot of homework especially when you have six classes a day and you have assignments for multiple classes to complete it can make it hard for a student to complete their homework and it becomes easy to slack off and not worry about it and then it affects a student in a negative way.”

Students aren’t the only ones who don’t agree with homework. There are many teacher who find it unnecessary to assign their students homework and find that it hurts some students more than it helps them. 

Chelsea Lebiecki, English teacher, says, “I have always had a strong opposition toward homework. I don’t think it sends the right message to students. Personally, I do not want to work my 8-10 hour day only to go home and work more. So, I certainly don’t want that for my students. They need to be socializing, exploring their hobbies, and spending time with family while they are not in school.” 

Tamela Blaszkowski, media teacher, explains that she never assigns homework because she understands as well as a handful of other teachers that students have a life outside of school. “I give my students time in class to do their assignments, so that they have that time after school to have a life. Because, I know a lot of kids have after school jobs and activities or might have to take care of their families and even want to hang out with friends.” 

Mallory Miller, CTE teacher, agrees that students should have their after school time to themselves. “I think that students have a lot of things going on outside of the classroom, so you should have that time to do what you need to do.” 

Although these teachers are on the students’ side about homework and how it is unnecessary to a student they still believe that if you don’t use your class time wisely then that is your responsibility if you have assignments to finish at home. 

Blaszkowski says, “If the time given to students isn’t enough time or spent doing what they are supposed to be doing, then they should finish the work outside of school as homework.”

Miller explains, “If you are not using your time wisely or are absent then you have to take that responsibility and get your work done.”

Lebiecki also says, “If you don’t accomplish the work during the time allotted, then you may have something to finish up at home. Unfortunately, I do have students who squander the time they are given in class, so they feel like they have a lot of homework. However, in that case, it is just a product of their own mismanagement of time.”

Some might argue that it is good practice for students to work on assignments outside of school as homework and it might even get parents involved in their child’s lives and what they are working on. That isn’t always the case and when it is the case it isn’t a fun time for the student or their parents. 

Todaro speaks as a parent and says her son needs time to be a kid and do things little boys like to do instead of sitting in front of homework after a long day of school. 

Todaro explains, “I am not a big fan of homework, especially for kids in first grade. Extra, busy work that takes hours for kids to complete after school is not beneficial. Work that needs to be done and completed from class is fine but students need their time to be a kid or young adult and they aren’t going to get that time if it’s consumed by busy work.”