Does the use of homework help students learn? Will the extra practice given be as useful as teachers think? We’ll be looking into one of the sides of homework, the bad side.

Homework is given to students in K-12 grade and can get very exhausting. Yes, homework can help reduce screen time and encourage responsibility, but over time the workload has been known to cause depression, anxiety, and, of course, stress. With an average of 8 hour “jobs,” students may have little to no free time which may affect them now and surely in the future.

Rachel Lee, an 8th grader at Sierra Vista Middle School, agrees and says, “A lot of students carry out a similar story: We sit at a desk for at least 4 hours at home, trying to finish homework. By the time we’re done, it’s already dark.” Extracurriculars are not only important for higher education opportunities, but it also can create a potential career path. One can play football for a hobby and get a scholarship and go on to later pursue a career in football.

The fact that homework may be the obstacle that stops them from doing so is concerning.

Similarly, it is no lie that highschool has a much greater workload than others. “I guess it just drains me, but I feel like I’m used to the workload because it’s my senior year,” says Inso Park, a senior at Valencia High School. It is discouraging that this type of stressful routine has been going on for one’s whole school career.

Additionally,multiple fellow students have stated that homework drains them and although it is what it is as a student, the pressure and stress is way too much! Julie Jeong, a senior at Hanalani School, said “sometimes I get super tired because of the homework load, and that’ll also affect my school performance which impacts my grades.”

This evidence proves that homework is draining and exhausting. Balancing both homework and daily activities may be easy for some, but it is important to remember that this is not the case for all students.

Additionally, homework can dramatically impact one’s life, physically and mentally. Rachel Lee, a 8th grader at Sierra Vista Middle School, spoke out that, “Although being a student means that we carry a responsibility to study, we also have to take care of ourselves.”

Indeed, students have lives outside of school, but feeling the need to put school before their hobbies or enjoyments is not the best habit.

In conclusion, the overwhelming pressure of time management and studies resulting from homework has negative impacts and consequences on students.

<Yuna Shin / Yorba Linda High School 10th Grade>