Students are immediately bonded through the phrase: “I hate homework.” Often heard on a daily basis, it seems every student harbors a severe aversion to this common school requirement. The reason for the hatred depends on the student; they may view homework as pointless, they may not have time for it, or they may just dislike the topic that they are studying. However, despite the obvious discontent, many high school students take home hours of homework every night.

The stress that homework puts on students does more harm than good. Many students spend time doing extracurricular activities that occur after school, in addition to homework. Extracurricular activities build a well-rounded college resume while teaching teenagers new skills that will create positive experiences compared to being cooped up at a desk yet again.

According to Scholastic.com, “The National Education Association (among other organizations) recommends no more than 10 minutes of homework per grade level per night.” For example, ninth graders should have ninety minutes and twelfth grade students should only have one hundred twenty minutes of homework a night.

For our high school to adjust to this schedule, teachers would have to give no more than twenty minutes of homework per subject each night. Depending on the course load of the student and their comprehension of the material, this may not be realistic.

Sometimes, teachers can overlook the lives of students when it is their job to meet specific standards. Also, most teachers underestimate the amount of time it takes to complete the homework. An assignment they say will take thirty minutes may take more than an hour to complete.

However, in support of teachers, some provide a sufficient amount of time in class to work on homework. Others who don’t give time in class, may be more understanding of your schedule and give you a free homework pass.

Overall, homework in high school becomes an overwhelming amount when taken into an account with after school activities and other commitments. Homework keeps students stuck at a desk for more than the required seven hours. Students are consequently forced to insufficiently complete their homework or refrain from doing it which results in declining grades. Students in the high school level should be enjoying their lives before they head off to college and start their futures. We will never get these years back, so why fill them with copious amounts of work?