Is Homework Useful?

A controversial topic in education today is homework. Do students have too much homework? How useful is homework? How much is too much? With these questions, there are many different pros and cons with homework.

One pro to homework is the study skills and good life habits learned from having homework. Studies show that having homework creates good study habits and life skills such as organization. Managing time and keeping all materials organized is one good thing that comes out of homework but some students struggle to do so. 

Keough

In my opinion, I don't see homework being helpful and there's too much of it. Students spend 7-8 hours at school everyday and then go home and do homework for 1 to 2 sometimes 3 hours every night. I have heard multiple conversations at my lunch table about my classmates pulling all nighters or staying up until 4am doing homework.

This isn't because of poor time management, it's because after school, kids are playing sports or participating in clubs and don't have lots of time for that much homework. I also don't see homework being useful because most of the time it's busy work that teachers don't go over in class.

Students are just trying to complete homework for the grade and not trying to learn. Most people in my grade just copy each other’s homework so it's completed for the teacher. Lots of teachers at my school also don't grade homework so therefore students won't do it or cheat. Homework isn't teaching good time management skills, it's giving students a lack of motivation and leads to academic dishonesty.

Westfall

There is also a question of how much of the homework is completed by the student without cheating. Ninety percent of middle students and sixty-seven percent of high school students have admitted to copying another student's homework. Parents have also confessed completing their child’s homework for them as 43% of parents have done this (ProCon.org).

Too much homework also leads to stress. A study done in California showed that 43% of high students in California said homework was the main cause of their stress while 82% felt that they were often stressed as a result of homework (ProCon.org). High school students also admit that lots of homework has lead them to sleep deprivation and other health problems such as weight loss and lots of headaches.

There is evidence found that homework is detrimental to a student’s attitude about school, grades, self confidence, and social skills (Wallace). I know I don't have a good attitude towards school because I struggle to get out of bed every morning and snooze my alarm at least 5 times as a result of staying up late because of homework.

Homework may help with study habits and life skills but having too much leads to sleep deprivation, health issues, and lots of stress. 

Works Cited

Keough, Kay. Stressed Student. 15 Dec. 2016. TeenLife, www.teenlife.com/blogs/10-best-ways-manage-stress. Accessed 13 Dec. 2019.

ProCon.org. "Is Homework Beneficial? - Top 3 Pros and Cons." ProCon.org, 27 Sept. 2018, www.procon.org/headline.php?headlineID=005411. Accessed 11 Dec. 2019.

Wallace, Kelly. "Kids Have Three Times Too Much Homework, Study Finds; What's the Cost?" CNN Health, 12 Aug. 2015, www.cnn.com/2015/08/12/health/homework-elementary-school-study/index.html. Accessed 11 Dec. 2019.

Westfall, Leah. Students Cheating. 21 June 2011. FastWeb, www.fastweb.com/student-news/articles/could-copying-homework-lead-to-a-course-failure-these-test-results-prove-the-answer-is-yes. Accessed 13 Dec. 2019.

What's Happening Here vs. What's Happening There?

What's Happening here?

Schools across the US have different first day of school dates. In the article "'Back to School' Means Anytime from Late July to After Labor Day, Depending on Where in the U.S. You Live", the different dates school start are displayed in graphs and data is discussed.

The first day of school for students can range from July all the way to after Labor Day in September. The main reason schools go back at different times is based on region and weather in certain areas. For example, New England goes back to school later than states such as Mississippi and Tennessee because of the heat.

"In the U.S., First Day of School Varies by Region"

The most popular week for going back to school is August 12-16. Going back to school this early is most likely a result of ending the school year earlier but I think this is too soon.

Summer is a break from school and a time to relax. Today, teenagers are spending more time working or doing extra school work than leisure time during their summers (Desilver). Summer is also a time for traveling and lots of families including mine travel or go on vacation during August. Almost every year during the first week of August, my family goes on a mini vacation.

August is a heavy tourist and family traveling month and some families may miss out because the kids are going back to school so early (Desilver). There is also evidence from Pew Research Center about students going back to school earlier than they used to. I prefer starting in August so I can enjoy time with my family.

What's Happening There?

In the article "Schools in England Introduce a New Subject: Mindfulness", Iliana Magra writes about how 370 schools in England have added a new concept to their teaching. These schools have begun teaching mindfulness to their students which will help them throughout their lifetime. There are different relaxation and breathing techniques being taught to help students with their mental health and stress caused by school. 

Morris

This being taught in school draws more attention to mental health. Students are learning about mental health and ways to stay healthy. These techniques will help kids throughout their lifetime in stressful situations. I think that other countries such as the U.S. should follow England and start teaching mindfulness in schools. This will help students understand mental health and how to handle it.

Incorporating breathing exercises and relaxation techniques throughout the day can help calm students, increase focus, and help students be more productive. 

Works Cited

Desilver, Drew. "'Back to school' means anytime from late July to after Labor Day, depending on where in the U.S. you live ." Pew Research Center, 14 Aug. 2019, www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/08/14/back-to-school-dates-u-s/. Accessed 3 Dec. 2019.

"In the U.S., First Day of School Varies by Region." Aug. 2019. Pew Research Center, 14 Aug. 2019, www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/08/14/back-to-school-dates-u-s/. Accessed 5 Dec. 2019.

Magra, Iliana. "Schools in England Introduce a New Subject: Mindfulness." The New York Times, 4 Feb. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/02/04/world/europe/uk-mindfulness-children-school.html. Accessed 3 Dec. 2019.

Morris, Lindsay. Mindfulness Exercises Are Already Taught in Many Schools Worldwide, including This One in New York. Schools in England Are Joining a Study to Determine Which Techniques Work Best. Feb. 2019. The New York Times, 4 Feb. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/02/04/world/europe/uk-mindfulness-children-school.html. Accessed 5 Dec. 2019.

Time for a Change

In schools across the US, there seems to be a common theme in the teaching structure. There is a lecture given, then homework, followed by a test. If you get the information great, if not, tough luck. This way of teaching has been going on for years without a change. In a Ted Talk given by Dr. Geoffrey Canada, he talks about his experience in school and how it's similar if not the same as teaching today.

Dr. Canada speaks about how there needs to be a change in the education system as students are struggling. In another Ted Talk by Sal Khan, the founder of Khan Academy, he gives ways to fix teaching and how students need to master every topic. He gives an example of a student getting an 80% on a test which is a passing grade yet there is still 20% of the information that student doesn't understand. 

The problem is gaps in learning. This student doesn't understand 20% of the information but the class moves on building on that information that student doesn't understand. Khan's solution to this would be changing the teaching mastery instead of teaching for good test scores. 

Some schools in California have changed their teaching from lectures at school to lectures at home through videos and doing problems in class so students can ask their teachers questions. This way students can pause and learn at their own pace. Khan calls this method flipping the classroom. 

Last year in my Spanish 3 class, my teacher used this method. We would watch videos at home learning different grammar tenses and would come into class the next day and practice with the help of our teacher. Personally, I like this method a lot more than how most schools are teaching their students these days. My grades also improved from Spanish 2 to Spanish 3. 

Suzanne Dikker did a study where students were taught by a lecture and then learning from videos and group work. The results showed that students were more successful and preferred learning from videos and working together rather than the teacher giving a long lecture (Brookshire). 

Unlike in the past, we have the technology today to fix education so why don't we?

Works Cited

Brookshire, Bethany. "Brains Learning Together Act the Same." ScienceNews for Students, 30 June 2017, www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/brains-learning-together-act-same. Accessed 22 Nov. 2019.

"Let's teach for mastery - Not test scores." Ted, uploaded by Sal Khan, Nov. 2015, www.ted.com/talks/sal_khan_let_s_teach_for_mastery_not_test_scores. Accessed 22 Nov. 2019.

"Our failing schools. Enough is enough!" Ted, uploaded by Geoffrey Canada, May 2013, www.ted.com/talks/geoffrey_canada_our_failing_schools_enough_is_enough. Accessed 22 Nov. 2019.

Mental Health of Students and Teachers

One of the 10 challenges with education in the article "10 Challenges Facing Public Education Today", is the mental health of students as well as teachers. Over the years, the mental health of students has gotten worse with an increase in anxiety and depression. 

A high school counselor at La Plata High School in Maryland reports that "Honestly, I've had more students this year hospitalized  for anxiety, depression, and other mental-health issues than ever." This shows that the stress and pressure of school is really getting to students. A study done in 2014 by the American Psychological Association  reports that teens are more stressed than adults. With all the homework, tests, sports, and family events students are the most stressed they have been (Litvinov). There is pressure to fit in as well as succeed. 






The pressure and stress students are under have a negative effect on their mental health as 30% of students reported that they feel depressed due to stress. Another 31% feel overwhelmed while 36% feel that stress is making them tired (Walker). These feelings can and have negatively impacted students' performance in school which leads to even more stress. An 18 year old high school student believes that “Every grade we get, every test we take, becomes a permanent number on a transcript that gets dissected by a college. Throughout high school, our names are constantly represented by numbers and statistics (Walker)." This shows how much pressure there is to succeed in school because it will all impact our future and nobody wants to fail in the future. 

This pressure and stress isn't just with students though as it is getting to teachers as well. A study done by the University of Missouri in 2018 shows reports that 93% of elementary school teachers are highly stressed (Litvinov). I was surprised by this number and began to wonder how stressed high school teachers are? Many of my teachers have taken a personal day to catch up on grading while others have stayed up until 3 am grading papers and tests. 

The stress that students and teachers are under today is not healthy for anyone. This creates a negative environment where it can be difficult to focus and succeed which has a negative impact on education today. 

Works Cited

Litvinov, Amanda, et al. "10 Challenges Facing Public Education Today." NeaToday, 3 Aug. 2018, neatoday.org/2018/08/03/10-challenges-facing-public-education-today/. Accessed 14 Nov. 2019.

Walker, Tim. "Educators Look to Parents and Communities to Help Reduce Student Stress." NeaToday, 16 Sept. 2016, neatoday.org/2016/09/16/reducing-student-stress/. Accessed 14 Nov. 2019.