Most students and parents are asking the same question every night: “Why is there so much homework?!”

Students are filled with frustration as they try to complete the nightly chore of homework. Most students and parents are asking the same question every night: “Why is there so much homework?!” Many parents are shocked by the amount of time their kids spend in the evening doing their homework, even in Kindergarten. They have no idea why that is. Educators are beginning to ask the same question. Research has led to many possible answers to this question but has yet no final answer has been found. Is there not enough time for the lesson to be taught, is an increased amount of homework really necessary, is there really anyone to blame, or do the instructors need other ways to teach their students? What is the reason for all this work and has anyone done anything to solve this problem?

“I believe that we’re stressing children out,”.

Although many people believe that more homework is beneficial for students, it also has some negatives. When students were asked if homework helped them, only twenty to thirty percent answered that it was helpful. Many people, especially parents, are outraged by the amount of time it takes their child to complete their work for the teacher. The time it takes to complete their assignment, even the littlest thing, could take up to an hour. This is violating the “ten minute rule” that some schools have when it comes to do homework, as the work should take the student up to or limited to ten minutes only. The ten minute rule is the practice of starting with ten minutes of homework for first graders and increasing the homework by ten minutes for each additional grade. In other words, first grade is ten minutes, second grade is twenty minutes, third grade is thirty minutes up to a least two hours for twelfth graders. This also has Stephanie Donaldson-Pressman, an editor to the New England Center for Pediatric Psychology, amazed as well: “It is absolutely shocking to me to find out that particularly kindergarteners (who) are not supposed to have any homework at all...are getting as much homework as a third-grader is supposed to get,”. Homework has been shown as a source of stress found in children, as Diane Garfield, a fifth grade teacher in San Francisco stated. “I believe that we’re stressing children out,”. It has also been revealed that the work does not only stress the students, it also stresses the parents. “Teachers nowadays assign these almost college-level projects with requirements that make my mouth fall open with disbelief, it’s not just the kids who suffer!” a parent said. The work that has to be done for a class could also affect the entire family, not just the student, and might not help the student in any way. The amount of homework given to a student could also affect their relationship with the class. When the class has too much work, the student would not want to take that class again during the school year. Students who have jobs stay up all night due to the work or could also not have the time to get hired for one.

The purpose of homework is practicing and recapping what was already taught in school.

• However, some would think that homework is essential. It is for those who are in AP (Advanced Placement) classes. In AP Classes, the students are expected to have more homework that a regular student because the ones taken it are in a class that make the student more prepared for College. The purpose of homework is practicing and recapping what was already taught in school. Homework has also been proven beneficial by keeping the information on the subject in the brain longer and showing the student’s parents what they have learned that day during class. Others have stated that one of the purposes of doing homework is to prepare the student for when they are questioned about the topic they are studying or given an exam about what was taught to them. Sometimes the act of giving out more that required homework is necessary, however, sometimes it is not a needed act.

"It's about exploring the world together and supporting children's thinking rather than just giving them ready-made answers,"

• Instead of handing the students more homework, there are other ways for a student to learn the lesson. Rather than having to write something down by hand or typing it, the school could provide audio or videos on how to teach the assignment. Another alternate way of learning is having a visual representation of what has to be tested or, if it can be done, is having the student do the work physically or verbally. Schools could ask the students to create a personal exam for taking in the information. "It's about exploring the world together and supporting children's thinking rather than just giving them ready-made answers," said Louise Boyd Cadwell, an Indian intern at two Reggio Emilia Schools in Italy during early nineties. When it comes to taking a test, many people think that an “assessment” includes pencils, filling in the blank, explaining their reason, and reciting what was already learned, however, this is not ALWAYS the case. The assessment can be something enjoyable and not as stressful. Charity Preston created a list of forty alternate ways that a person could learn. Two of which, when it comes to reading, is having the student create a wanted poster of the antagonist in the book the class is currently reading or creating a list of five things that happened in the story. Coming up with different ways of learning is not as difficult as it sounds as the public has made various websites on the topic.

If humans were not educated then humanity would not know how to adapt or live in the environment.

• It is very obvious that education is a requirement. If humans were not educated then humanity would not know how to adapt or live in the environment. The fact of having to do homework is necessary because humans need a way to test themselves and evolve. However, sometimes, having to do too much, is not appropriate at times. People have agreed with schools assigning more work than the needed limit as various people have created lists of how to teach the public rather than having to do homework hoping that it will fix the current dilemma. Community Contributor kasahina20, of the Chicago Tribune, has stated that if you overload the student’s mind by doing the amount of homework that’s given, you are taking away the chance of exploring the world and trying new things, they do not have time to spend time with family and can not take part in any activities after school hours It has also been stated by the writer that if there was less homework assigned to the pupils, the students have less stress, which improves their work during school, and there is less work for the teachers. Some schools have made it a policy to not give the students homework at all. The main motive of this is to establish the need to lessen the amount of work that students have in school. When educators come up with different ways of learning, it will be less aggravating for the instructor, and it will not take away the student’s time with family and evolvement...maybe schools will have the idea of following through on this topic based on it’s effects. The school day is long enough, is there really a need for hours of school work after school?