Thousands of students around the world loathe homework. It can be extremely stressful and can take away from time to enjoy outside-of-school activities. Taking away from free time outside of school at a young age can result in a dislike for school, even if the goal is to help build a strong work ethic for the future. An online survey by education.com showed that 74% of people do not think students should have homework. Another study showed that too much homework each night can be counterproductive because of the amount of stress it causes. 99% of students said that homework created some form of stress in a poll from healthline.com. A study conducted by Brown University found that, “Stress and tension for families increased most when parents perceived themselves as unable to help with the homework, when the child disliked doing the homework, and when the homework caused arguments.” These research findings demonstrate the many reasons why homework is unpopular.

If individuals are struggling in class, homework can help them learn the material better outside of class. But if you aren’t struggling in class, should you have homework? Why is it a standard aspect of school? The recommended amount of homework per night is ten minutes multiplied by your grade level. When asked how much homework they usually have per night, a freshmen claimed to have at least two hours of homework, a sophomore had about three hours, and a senior had four and a half hours per night. Dr. Susan Miller, a professor who teaches sociology and criminology at the University of Delaware, explained, “Homework takes away quality time that I can have with my son because he doesn’t get home until 6pm from sports and then has a lot of homework before and after dinner. Some of it does not seem related to reinforcing class material.”

One of the main reasons why students have homework is to review material covered in class. Jake Luckangelo ’18 said, “We should study more in class for more free time at home.” Simon Wakeley ’19 added, “Half the people don’t do it anyway.” When too much homework gets assigned to students, it can be counterproductive. Dr. Miller shared her homework philosophy: “I assign homework to reinforce material taught in class and to develop the students’ study habits for exams. I won’t just give out homework for the sake of it and, for high school students, if you get homework in all of your classes, it can be way too much to handle.” This particular take on homework seems balanced.

In order to better understand the merits of homework, or the possibility that it is not that helpful, it is helpful to ask some current college students and professors about their thoughts. A lawyer, a psychologist, a sociologist, a statistician, and several college students were invited to share their opinions on homework. Most of them believed there were some benefits, and all agreed that it is a necessity and is extremely helpful for learning, with the exception the psychologist, who shared, “Homework can limit or even preclude other activity that is vital for students, especially teens, who are developing mentally and need time to explore and uncover individual interests and abilities for the growth and well-being of teens.” If a psychologist’s area of expertise is people and how they develop, shouldn’t her professional knowledge be trusted? Similarly, the statistician and the lawyer believed that busy-work that was routine and not reinforcing did not help students in the same way that practicing concrete problems and reading outside of class accomplished. In other words, they did not believe in homework for homework’s sake.

If prestigious college level professors believe that the merits of homework are limited, it would make sense for high school teachers to reconsider the amount of homework they assign. Several students believe that adding a little time to each class is a better idea so that we have more time to learn the material in class and would not have to go home and essentially teach ourselves. If the merits of homework are controversial, perhaps it’s time to experiment with these proposed alternatives.