Almost every student hates homework.  The ‘extra practice’ sheets and assignments from books keep us up well past midnight.  Homework is time consuming, stressful, and often feels similar to busy work. It should be optional for students that need extra practice or feel they benefit from it.

From the years 1992-2012, the amount of homework has doubled, yet there has been little changes in the academics.

Because of this, students are losing sleep and as everyone knows, getting at least 10 hours of sleep as a teenager is strongly recommended. Sleep helps the brain and body grow and function but how are we supposed to do that when we have hours of homework to do each and every night?

Even the amount of homework for younger kids has also increased. My sister and I have a three year gap yet she’s certainly getting more homework than I did when I was in seventh grade.

She has to fit the homework in with extracurriculars and studying for tests, making almost no room to just have fun and enjoy being a kid.

There are, however, some pros with homework, as it can promote study habits and extra practice.

“I think that homework is both positive and negative for students. It helps kids learn but it also takes time away from their social lives,” said Lauren Galardo.

Students  have extracurriculars and activities to do after school. It’s hard to fit it all in if you’re constantly worrying about your grade slipping due to not finishing homework in time.

Prohibiting homework won’t do us any good either. Students may try less in class since they know they will have more free time after school. The alternative would be receiving less homework than we currently do or making it optional in class, thus reducing teen stress levels, depression, and anxiety that may come along with late-night homework.