Not having homework can be very beneficial for highschool students. There are a lot of highschool students who come to school without their homework finished, and it is not because their dog ate their homework, or their dad accidentally took it to work with his other papers. Students generally go to school 5 out of 7 days a week, and adding on to that they may have a job after school hours, play a sport, spend time with family and friends, attend events, clubs, volunteering, and most importantly make time for themselves. School work should stay in school, they should not force students to do it outside of the school’s hours, when they already have a busy schedule.
One of the biggest reasons to eliminate homework for high school students is the harmful effect on their mental health and physical well-being. Mental health plays a big role in everyone’s life, especially teenager’s. Adding hours of homework each night can increase anxiety and stress, which can lead to burnout and sleep deprivation. Stanford Report, researched the effects of homework on highschool students, they found that the majority of students said, “Their homework load led to sleep deprivation and other health problems… They experienced health issues such as headaches, exhaustion, sleep deprivation, weight loss, and stomach problems.” To succeed and complete highschool, students need to be at school, but we are developing mental and physical complications because of these effects homework has on highschool students. The effects are keeping students from being able to show up to school everyday, and that is not fair to students when they are simply just trying their best.
Research has also shown that homework doesn’t significantly improve students academic skills and success rate. University of the People stated, “When it comes to homework, more isn’t always better. Piling on assignments can lead to diminished returns on learning. Instead of diving deep into a subject and gaining thorough understanding, students might rush through tasks just to get them done. This focus on quantity over quality can undermine the educational value of homework.” So, when students come home each night with a pile of homework it is really defeating the purpose of it. High School students are most likely to go home and do whatever they need to first, and then at the last minute they have to rush through their homework, so they can finally get some rest. Many are worried about the amount of sleep students are getting but they are not realizing the impact homework can have on the amount of sleep they are able to get.
Some argue that homework teaches highschool students discipline, responsibility, and prepares them for the real world. But, there are many other ways to develop these skills such as project based learning, internships, and hands-on classroom activities. Forcing students to complete tedious assignments at home is not the only way to experience work ethic and time management skills.
Homework does more harm than good. It contributes to stress, disrupts social and family life and interactions, and does not significantly improve learning. School’s should prioritize their students well-being by eliminating homework and focusing on quality education in the classroom. It is time to rethink the outdated traditions and create an education system that truly supports students.