reasons to why homework should be banned

25 Reasons Homework Should Be Banned (Busywork Arguments)

As students across the globe plow through heaps of homework each night, one question lingers in the minds of educators, parents, and students alike: should homework be banned?

This question is not new, yet it continues to spark lively debate as research findings, anecdotal evidence, and personal experiences paint a complex picture of the pros and cons of homework.

On one hand, proponents of homework argue that it reinforces classroom learning, encourages a disciplined work ethic, and provides teachers with valuable insight into student comprehension. They see homework as an extension of classroom instruction that solidifies and enriches learning while fostering important skills like time management and self-discipline. It also offers an opportunity for parents to be involved in their children's education.

However, some people say there are a lot of downsides. They argue that excessive homework can lead to stress and burnout, reduce time for extracurricular activities and family interactions, exacerbate educational inequalities, and even negatively impact students' mental health.

This article presents 25 reasons why we might need to seriously consider this radical shift in our educational approach. But first, lets share some examples of what homework actually is.

Examples of Homework

These examples cover a wide range of subjects and complexity levels, reflecting the variety of homework assignments students might encounter throughout their educational journey.

• Spelling lists to memorize for a test
• Math worksheets for practicing basic arithmetic operations
• Reading assignments from children's books
• Simple science projects like growing a plant
• Basic geography assignments like labeling a map
• Art projects like drawing a family portrait
• Writing book reports or essays
• Advanced math problems
• Research projects on various topics
• Lab reports for science experiments
• Reading and responding to literature
• Preparing presentations on various topics
• Advanced math problems involving calculus or algebra
• Reading classic literature and writing analytical essays
• Research papers on historical events
• Lab reports for advanced science experiments
• Foreign language exercises
• Preparing for standardized tests
• College application essays
• Extensive research papers
• In-depth case studies
• Advanced problem-solving in subjects like physics, engineering, etc.
• Thesis or dissertation writing
• Extensive reading and literature reviews
• Internship or practicum experiences

Lack of proven benefits

Homework has long been a staple of traditional education, dating back centuries. However, the actual efficacy of homework in enhancing learning outcomes remains disputed. A number of studies indicate that there's no conclusive evidence supporting the notion that homework improves academic performance, especially in primary education . In fact, research suggests that for younger students, the correlation between homework and academic achievement is weak or even negative .

Too much homework can often lead to increased stress and decreased enthusiasm for learning. This issue becomes particularly pressing when considering the common 'more is better' approach to homework, where the quantity of work given to students often outweighs the quality and effectiveness of the tasks. For instance, spending countless hours memorizing facts for a history test may not necessarily translate to better understanding or long-term retention of the subject matter.

However, it's worth noting that homework isn't completely devoid of benefits. It can help foster self-discipline, time management skills, and the ability to work independently. But, these positive outcomes are usually more pronounced in older students and when homework assignments are thoughtfully designed and not excessive in volume.

When discussing the merits and drawbacks of homework, it's critical to consider the nature of the assignments. Routine, repetitive tasks often associated with 'drill-and-practice' homework, such as completing rows of arithmetic problems or copying definitions from a textbook, rarely lead to meaningful learning. On the other hand, assignments that encourage students to apply what they've learned in class, solve problems, or engage creatively with the material can be more beneficial.

Increased stress

Homework can often lead to a significant increase in stress levels among students. This is especially true when students are burdened with large volumes of homework, leaving them with little time to relax or pursue other activities. The feeling of constantly racing against the clock to meet deadlines can contribute to anxiety, frustration, and even burnout.

Contrary to popular belief, stress does not necessarily improve performance or productivity. In fact, high levels of stress can negatively impact memory, concentration, and overall cognitive function. This counteracts the very purpose of homework, which is intended to reinforce learning and improve academic outcomes.

However, one might argue that homework can teach students about time management, organization, and how to handle pressure. These are important life skills that could potentially prepare them for future responsibilities. But it's essential to strike a balance. The pressure to complete homework should not come at the cost of a student's mental wellbeing.

Limited family time

Homework often infringes upon the time students can spend with their families. After spending the entire day in school, children come home to yet more academic work, leaving little room for quality family interactions. This limited family time can hinder the development of important interpersonal skills and familial bonds.

Moreover, family time isn't just about fun and relaxation. It also plays a crucial role in the social and emotional development of children. Opportunities for unstructured play, family conversations, and shared activities can contribute to children's well-being and character building.

Nonetheless, advocates of homework might argue that it can be a platform for parental involvement in a child's education. While this may be true, the involvement should not transform into parental control or cause friction due to differing expectations and pressures.

Reduced physical activity

Homework can often lead to reduced physical activity by eating into the time students have for sports, recreation, and simply being outdoors. Physical activity is essential for children's health, well-being, and even their academic performance. Research suggests that physical activity can enhance cognitive abilities, improve concentration, and reduce symptoms of ADHD .

Homework, especially when it's boring and repetitive, can deter students from engaging in physical activities, leading to a sedentary lifestyle. This lack of balance between work and play can contribute to physical health problems such as obesity, poor posture, and related health concerns.

Homework proponents might point out that disciplined time management could allow students to balance both work and play. However, given the demanding nature of many homework assignments, achieving this balance is often easier said than done.

Negative impact on sleep

A significant concern about homework is its impact on students' sleep patterns. Numerous studies have linked excessive homework to sleep deprivation in students. Children often stay up late to complete assignments, reducing the amount of sleep they get. Lack of sleep can result in a host of issues, from poor academic performance and difficulty concentrating to physical health problems like weakened immunity.

Even the quality of sleep can be affected. The stress and anxiety from a heavy workload can lead to difficulty falling asleep or restless nights. And let's not forget that students often need to wake up early for school, compounding the negative effects of late-night homework sessions.

On the other hand, some argue that homework can teach children time management skills, suggesting that effective organization could help prevent late-night work. However, when schools assign excessive amounts of homework, even the best time management might not prevent encroachment on sleep time.

Homework can exacerbate existing educational inequalities. Not all students have access to a conducive learning environment at home, necessary resources, or support from educated family members. For these students, homework can become a source of stress and disadvantage rather than an opportunity to reinforce learning.

Children from lower socio-economic backgrounds might need to contribute to household chores or part-time work, limiting the time they have for homework. This can create a gap in academic performance and grades, reflecting not on the students' abilities but their circumstances.

While homework is meant to level the playing field by providing additional learning time outside school, it often does the opposite. It's worth noting that students from privileged backgrounds can often access additional help like tutoring, further widening the gap.

Reduced creativity and independent thinking

Homework, particularly when it involves rote learning or repetitive tasks, can stifle creativity and independent thinking. Students often focus on getting the "right" answers to please teachers rather than exploring different ideas and solutions. This can hinder their ability to think creatively and solve problems independently, skills that are increasingly in demand in the modern world.

Homework defenders might claim that it can also promote independent learning. True, when thoughtfully designed, homework can encourage this. But, voluminous or repetitive tasks tend to promote compliance over creativity.

Diminished interest in learning

Overburdening students with homework can diminish their interest in learning. After long hours in school followed by more academic tasks at home, learning can begin to feel like a chore. This can lead to a decline in intrinsic motivation and an unhealthy association of learning with stress and exhaustion.

In theory, homework can deepen interest in a subject, especially when it involves projects or research. Yet, an excess of homework, particularly routine tasks, might achieve the opposite, turning learning into a source of stress rather than enjoyment.

Inability to pursue personal interests

Homework can limit students' ability to pursue personal interests. Hobbies, personal projects, and leisure activities are crucial for personal development and well-being. With heavy homework loads, students may struggle to find time for these activities, missing out on opportunities to discover new interests and talents.

Supporters of homework might argue that it teaches students to manage their time effectively. However, even with good time management, an overload of homework can crowd out time for personal interests.

Excessive workload

The issue of excessive workload is a common complaint among students. Spending several hours on homework after a full school day can be mentally and physically draining. This workload can lead to burnout, decreased motivation, and negative attitudes toward school and learning.

While homework can help consolidate classroom learning, too much can be counterproductive. It's important to consider the overall workload of students, including school, extracurricular activities, and personal time, when assigning homework.

Limited time for reflection

Homework can limit the time students have for reflection. Reflection is a critical part of learning, allowing students to digest and integrate new information. With the constant flow of assignments, there's often little time left for this crucial process. Consequently, the learning becomes superficial, and the true understanding of subjects can be compromised.

Although homework is meant to reinforce what's taught in class, the lack of downtime for reflection might hinder deep learning. It's important to remember that learning is not just about doing, but also about thinking.

Increased pressure on young children

Young children are particularly vulnerable to the pressures of homework. At an age where play and exploration are vital for cognitive and emotional development, too much homework can create undue pressure and stress. This pressure can instigate a negative relationship with learning from an early age, potentially impacting their future attitude towards education.

Advocates of homework often argue that it prepares children for the rigors of their future academic journey. However, placing too much academic pressure on young children might overshadow the importance of learning through play and exploration.

Lack of alignment with real-world skills

Traditional homework often lacks alignment with real-world skills. Assignments typically focus on academic abilities at the expense of skills like creativity, problem-solving, and emotional intelligence. These are crucial for success in the modern workplace and are often under-emphasized in homework tasks.

Homework can be an opportunity to develop these skills when properly structured. However, tasks often focus on memorization and repetition, rather than cultivating skills relevant to the real world.

Loss of motivation

Excessive homework can lead to a loss of motivation. The constant pressure to complete assignments and meet deadlines can diminish a student's intrinsic motivation to learn. This loss of motivation might not only affect their academic performance but also their love of learning, potentially having long-term effects on their educational journey.

Some believe homework instills discipline and responsibility. But, it's important to balance these benefits against the potential for homework to undermine motivation and engagement.

Disruption of work-life balance

Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is as important for students as it is for adults. Overloading students with homework can disrupt this balance, leaving little time for relaxation, socializing, and extracurricular activities. All of these are vital for a student's overall development and well-being.

Homework supporters might argue that it prepares students for the workloads they'll face in college and beyond. But it's also crucial to ensure students have time to relax, recharge, and engage in non-academic activities for a well-rounded development.

Impact on mental health

There's a growing body of evidence showing the negative impact of excessive homework on students' mental health. The stress and anxiety from heavy homework loads can contribute to issues like depression, anxiety, and even thoughts of suicide. Student well-being should be a top priority in education, and the impact of homework on mental health cannot be ignored.

While some might argue that homework helps students develop resilience and coping skills, it's important to ensure these potential benefits don't come at the expense of students' mental health.

Limited time for self-care

With excessive homework, students often find little time for essential self-care activities. These can include physical exercise, proper rest, healthy eating, mindfulness, or even simple leisure activities. These activities are critical for maintaining physical health, emotional well-being, and cognitive function.

Some might argue that managing homework alongside self-care responsibilities teaches students valuable life skills. However, it's important that these skills don't come at the cost of students' health and well-being.

Decreased family involvement

Homework can inadvertently lead to decreased family involvement in a child's learning. Parents often feel unqualified or too busy to help with homework, leading to missed opportunities for family learning interactions. This can also create stress and conflict within the family, especially when parents have high expectations or are unable to assist.

Some believe homework can facilitate parental involvement in education. But, when it becomes a source of stress or conflict, it can discourage parents from engaging in their child's learning.

Reinforcement of inequalities

Homework can unintentionally reinforce inequalities. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds might lack access to resources like private tutors or a quiet study space, placing them at a disadvantage compared to their more privileged peers. Additionally, these students might have additional responsibilities at home, further limiting their time to complete homework.

While the purpose of homework is often to provide additional learning opportunities, it can inadvertently reinforce existing disparities. Therefore, it's essential to ensure that homework doesn't favor students who have more resources at home.

Reduced time for play and creativity

Homework can take away from time for play and creative activities. These activities are not only enjoyable but also crucial for the cognitive, social, and emotional development of children. Play allows children to explore, imagine, and create, fostering innovative thinking and problem-solving skills.

Some may argue that homework teaches discipline and responsibility. Yet, it's vital to remember that play also has significant learning benefits and should be a part of every child's daily routine.

Increased cheating and academic dishonesty

The pressure to complete homework can sometimes lead to increased cheating and academic dishonesty. When faced with a large volume of homework, students might resort to copying from friends or searching for answers online. This undermines the educational value of homework and fosters unhealthy academic practices.

While homework is intended to consolidate learning, the risk of promoting dishonest behaviors is a concern that needs to be addressed.

Strained teacher-student relationships

Excessive homework can strain teacher-student relationships. If students begin to associate teachers with stress or anxiety from homework, it can hinder the development of a positive learning relationship. Furthermore, if teachers are perceived as being unfair or insensitive with their homework demands, it can impact the overall classroom dynamic.

While homework can provide an opportunity for teachers to monitor student progress, it's important to ensure that it doesn't negatively affect the teacher-student relationship.

Negative impact on family dynamics

Homework can impact family dynamics. Parents might feel compelled to enforce homework completion, leading to potential conflict, stress, and tension within the family. These situations can disrupt the harmony in the household and strain relationships.

Homework is sometimes seen as a tool to engage parents in their child's education. However, it's crucial to ensure that this involvement doesn't turn into a source of conflict or pressure.

Cultural and individual differences

Homework might not take into account cultural and individual differences. Education is not a one-size-fits-all process, and what works for one student might not work for another. Some students might thrive on hands-on learning, while others prefer auditory or visual learning methods. By standardizing homework, we might ignore these individual learning styles and preferences.

Homework can also overlook cultural differences. For students from diverse cultural backgrounds, certain types of homework might seem irrelevant or difficult to relate to, leading to disengagement or confusion.

Encouragement of surface-level learning

Homework often encourages surface-level learning instead of deep understanding. When students are swamped with homework, they're likely to rush through assignments to get them done, rather than taking the time to understand the concepts. This can result in superficial learning where students memorize information to regurgitate it on assignments and tests, instead of truly understanding and internalizing the knowledge.

While homework is meant to reinforce classroom learning, the quality of learning is more important than the quantity. It's important to design homework in a way that encourages deep, meaningful learning instead of mere rote memorization.

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21 Reasons Why Homework Should Be Banned

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

Learn about our Editorial Process

The homework debate has strong arguments on both sides. Commonly-cited reasons why homework should be banned include the idea that it is often counterproductive, stifles students’ creativity, and limits their freedom outside the classroom.

Students already have up to 7 hours of schoolwork to complete 5 days a week; adding more contributes to increased anxiety, burnout, and overall poor performance.

But arguments for homework include the fact it does increase student grades (Cooper, Robinson & Patall, 2006), it instils discipline, and it helps to reinforce what was learned into long-term memory.

The following are common arguments for banning homework – note that this is an article written to stimulate debate points on the topic, so it only presents one perspective. For the other side of the argument, it’s worth checking out my article on the 27 pros and cons of homework .

Reasons Why Homework Should Be Banned

1. it contributes to increased anxiety.

If there’s one word that describes middle-school and high-school students, it’s anxiety. In my homework statistics article , I cite research showing that 74% of students cite homework as a source of stress.

They have so much to juggle, from the novelty of adolescence to the realization that they must soon start preparing for college and their life after (Pressman et al., 2015).

It’s a lot to manage, and adding homework that reduces their free time and makes them even more restricted is downright harmful. The natural outcome of this dogpile of pressure is anxiety, and many students often feel overwhelmed, both by the hours and hours of coursework in a day and the extensive homework they are assigned (Galloway, Conner & Pope, 2013).

Because teachers often don’t communicate with one another over curricula, major assignments can overlap such that students have to tackle numerous large projects at once, which contributes to severe anxiety over good grades.

In response to this, some students check out of school entirely, letting their academic future go to waste. While, of course, it’s not fair to strawman and say that homework is to blame for all these cases, it may indeed by a contributing factor.

2. It Offers Less Social Time

Homework cuts out free time. Children already spend the better part of their day learning in a school environment, and when they come home, they need to socialize.

Whether it’s family or friends, a social balance is important. Depending on the coursework they’re assigned, homework can detrimentally affect students’ social life, which feed back into more of our first gripe about homework: its anxiety-inducing nature.

Furthermore, social time is extremely important for children to grow up well-balanced and confident. If a child is highly intelligent (book smart) but lacks to social skills we might call street smarts , they may struggle in adulthood.

3. It Detracts from Play Time

Play is extremely important for children’s physical, social, and cognitive development . In fact, children naturally learn through play .

So, when children get home from school, they need a few hours to play. They’re actually learning when playing! If playing with friends, they’re learning social skills; but playing alone also stimulates creative and analytical thinking skills.

Play is also a different type of learning than the learning that commonly happens at school. So, allowing children to play at home gives their brain a break from ‘school learning’ and lets them learn through active and even relaxing methods.

4. It Discourages Physical Exercise and Contributes to Obesity

Exercise is an important part of life for everyone, but especially for children. Developing a positive self-image and disciplining oneself is an important skill to learn, one that becomes much more difficult when homework is in the picture.

Homework can demand a lot of attention that kids could be spending exercising or socializing. These two important life pursuits can be left by the wayside, leaving students feeling confused, depressed, and anxious about the future.

Physical exercise should be considered a key feature of a child’s holistic development. It helps keep children healthy, can reduce anxiety, and support healthy immune systems. It also helps with physical development such as supporting fine and gross motor skills .

In fact, some scholars (Ren et al., 2017) have even identified excessive homework as a contributing factor for childhood obesity.

5. It Disrupts Sleep Patterns

Everyone knows the trope of a college student staying up late to finish their homework or cram for a test.

While it would be unfair to credit homework exclusively for an unhealthy sleep schedule, the constant pressure to finish assignments on time often yields one of two results.

Students can either burn the midnight oil to make sure their homework is done, or they can check out of school entirely and ignore their academic interests. Neither is an acceptable way to live.

This point is particularly pertinent to teenagers. They are not lazy; teens need 12-13 hours of sleep every day because their bodies are changing so dramatically.

To pile additional homework on them that interferes with the circadian rhythm is not just unhelpful—it may be downright harmful (Yeo et al., 2020).

6. It Involves Less Guidance

If there’s one thing that’s beneficial about the in-person learning experience, it’s the ability to raise one’s hand and let the teacher know when something is unclear or difficult to understand.

That handheld process isn’t available for homework; in fact, homework matters little in the grand scheme of learning. It’s just busywork that’s supposed to help students consolidate their knowledge.

In reality, homework becomes something that students resent and can fill them with feelings of frustration—something that would be much more readily addressed if the same content was covered in-person with a teacher to guide the student through the assignment.

7. It’s Regularly Rote Learning

In most subjects, homework isn’t reflective of the skills students need to learn to thrive in the workforce. Instead, it often simply involves rote learning (repetition of tasks) that is not seen as the best way to learn.

A main goal of education is to train up vocational professionals with defined skills. But more often than not, homework winds up as a bland set of word problems that have no basis in the real world.

Walking through real-world examples under the guidance of a teacher is much more beneficial to student learning.

8. It Can Detract from a Love of Learning

If you know what it’s like to doze off during a boring class or meeting, then you can relate to the difficulty students have paying attention in class.

That motivation starts to dwindle when students must complete assignments on their own time, often under immense pressure.

It’s not a healthy way to inspire kids to learn about different subjects and develop a love of learning.

Students already need to sit through hours and hours of class on end in-person. This learning time should be used more effectively to eliminate the need for home.

When children finally get out of class at the end of the day, they need to socialize and exercise, not spend even longer staring at a book to complete a bunch of unhelpful practice questions.

9. It Convolutes the Subject

Another important consideration about homework is that it can often be counterproductive.

That’s because teachers don’t always use the full curriculum material for their teaching, and they may choose to develop their own homework rather than to use the resources offered by the curriculum provider.

This homework can often be off-subject, extremely niche, or unhelpful in explaining a subject that students are studying.

Students who don’t understand a subject and don’t have resources to rely on will eventually give up. That risk becomes even more prevalent when you factor in the scope, complexity, and type of assignment.

Students need to be taught in a safe environment where they can feel free to ask questions and learn at their own pace. Of course, there’s no fairytale way to perfect this ideal, but what is clear is that homework is not beneficial to the learning environment for many students.

10. It’s Not What Kids Want

Lastly, homework should be banned because it’s generally not what students want. From elementary to college level, most students harbor some sort of resentment towards homework.

It might be easy to dismiss this to say that the students “aren’t living in the real world.” The truth of the matter is that the real world is a lot more nuanced, creative, and diverse than the repetitive, broad, and often stagnant homework.

It’s easy to understand why most students wish that more time in school had been spent on learning how to live rather than trying to figure out how many apples Johnny had. Subjects like car maintenance, entrepreneurship, computer skills, socialization, networking, tax filing, finances, and survival are touched on at best and ignored at worst.

It’s not enough for students to be able to regurgitate information on a piece of paper; in the end, the education system should teach them how to be self-sufficient, something that might be much easier to do if resources were divested from homework and poured into more beneficial subject material.

Consider these 11 Additional Reasons

• Decreases time with parents – Homework may prevent parents and children from spending quality time together.
• Hidden costs – Families often feel pressure to purchase internet and other resources to help their children to complete their homework.
• Is inequitable – some children have parents to help them while others don’t. Similarly, some children have internet access to help while others don’t (see: Kralovec & Buell, 2001).
• Easy to cheat – Unsupervised homework time makes it easy for children to simply cheat on their work so they can get on with play time!
• Lack of downtime – Children need time where they aren’t doing anything. Time that is unstructured helps them to develop hobbies and interests .
• Detracts from reading – Children could be spending their time reading books and developing their imaginations rather than working on repetitive homework tasks.
• Take up parental time – Parents, who have just spent all day working, are increasingly expected to spend their time doing ‘teaching’ with their children at home.
• Discourages club membership – If children are too busy with homework, they may not be able to join clubs and sporting groups that can help them make friends and develop extracurricular skills.
• Makes it hard for college students to make a living – In college, where homework is extensive, students often can’t juggle homework with their weekend and night-time jobs. As a result, it pushes them further into student poverty.
• Contributes to poor work-life culture – From early ages, we’re sending a message to children that they should take their work home with them. This can spill over into the workplace, where they’ll be expected to continue working for their company even after the workday ends.
• Can reinforce faulty learning – When children learn in isolation during homework time, they may end up practicing their work completely wrong! They need intermittent support to make sure their practice is taking them down the right path.

Students may need to demonstrate their understanding of a topic to progress; that, at least, is a reflection of the real world. What’s not helpful is when students are peppered day and night with information that they need to regurgitate on a piece of paper.

For positive outcomes to come from homework, parents and teachers need to work together. It depends a lot on the type of homework provided as well as the age of the student and the need to balance homework with time to do other things in your life.

Cooper, H., Robinson, J. C., & Patall, E. A. (2006). Does homework improve academic achievement? A synthesis of research, 1987–2003.  Review of educational research ,  76 (1), 1-62.

Galloway, M., Conner, J., & Pope, D. (2013). Nonacademic effects of homework in privileged, high-performing high schools.  The journal of experimental education ,  81 (4), 490-510. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/00220973.2012.745469

Kralovec, E., & Buell, J. (2001).  The end of homework: How homework disrupts families, overburdens children, and limits learning . Beacon Press.

Pressman, R. M., Sugarman, D. B., Nemon, M. L., Desjarlais, J., Owens, J. A., & Schettini-Evans, A. (2015). Homework and family stress: With consideration of parents’ self confidence, educational level, and cultural background.  The American Journal of Family Therapy ,  43 (4), 297-313. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/01926187.2015.1061407

Ren, H., Zhou, Z., Liu, W., Wang, X., & Yin, Z. (2017). Excessive homework, inadequate sleep, physical inactivity and screen viewing time are major contributors to high paediatric obesity.  Acta Paediatrica ,  106 (1), 120-127. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.13640

Yeo, S. C., Tan, J., Lo, J. C., Chee, M. W., & Gooley, J. J. (2020). Associations of time spent on homework or studying with nocturnal sleep behavior and depression symptoms in adolescents from Singapore.  Sleep Health ,  6 (6), 758-766. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2020.04.011

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5 thoughts on “21 Reasons Why Homework Should Be Banned”

very helpful website thanks

my topic on publics speaking is on banning homework it really helps

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No More Homework: 12 Reasons We Should Get Rid of It Completely

Last Updated: May 4, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Finn Kobler . Finn Kobler graduated from USC in 2022 with a BFA in Writing for Screen/Television. He is a two-time California State Champion and record holder in Original Prose/Poetry, a 2018 finalist for the Los Angeles Youth Poet Laureate, and he's written micro-budget films that have been screened in over 150 theaters nationwide. Growing up, Finn spent every summer helping his family's nonprofit arts program, Showdown Stage Company, empower people through accessible media. He hopes to continue that mission with his writing at wikiHow. There are 12 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 142,473 times. Learn more...

The amount of homework students are given has increased dramatically in the 21st century, which has sparked countless debates over homework’s overall value. While some have been adamant that homework is an essential part of a good education, it’s been proven that too much homework negatively affects students’ mood, classroom performance, and overall well-being. In addition, a heavy homework load can stress families and teachers. Here are 12 reasons why homework should be banned (or at least heavily reduced).

School is already a full-time job.

• For years, teachers have followed the “10-minute rule” giving students roughly 10 minutes of homework per grade level. However, recent studies have shown students are completing 3+ hours of homework a night well before their senior years even begin. [2] X Trustworthy Source American Psychological Association Leading scientific and professional organization of licensed psychologists Go to source

Homework negatively affects students’ health.

Homework interferes with student’s opportunities to socialize.

Homework hinders students’ chances to learn new things.

Homework lowers students’ enthusiasm for school.

Homework can lower academic performance.

Homework cuts into family time.

Homework is stressful for teachers.

Homework is often irrelevant and punitive.

• There are even studies that have shown homework in primary school has no correlation with classroom performance whatsoever. [9] X Research source

Homework encourages cheating.

Homework is inequitable.

Other countries have banned homework with great results.

• There are even some U.S. schools that have adopted this approach with success. [13] X Research source

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• ↑ https://www.edutopia.org/no-proven-benefits
• ↑ https://www.apa.org/monitor/2016/03/homework
• ↑ https://healthier.stanfordchildrens.org/en/health-hazards-homework/
• ↑ https://teensneedsleep.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/galloway-nonacademic-effects-of-homework-in-privileged-high-performing-high-schools.pdf
• ↑ https://time.com/4466390/homework-debate-research/
• ↑ https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00220485.2022.2075506?role=tab&scroll=top&needAccess=true&journalCode=vece20
• ↑ https://kappanonline.org/teacher-stress-balancing-demands-resources-mccarthy/
• ↑ https://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/ct-life-homework-pros-cons-20180807-story.html
• ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6294446/
• ↑ https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/06/homework-inequality-parents-schedules-grades/485174/
• ↑ https://www.bbc.com/news/education-37716005
• ↑ https://www.wsj.com/articles/no-homework-its-the-new-thing-in-u-s-schools-11544610600

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Why I Think All Schools Should Abolish Homework

H ow long is your child’s workweek? Thirty hours? Forty? Would it surprise you to learn that some elementary school kids have workweeks comparable to adults’ schedules? For most children, mandatory homework assignments push their workweek far beyond the school day and deep into what any other laborers would consider overtime. Even without sports or music or other school-sponsored extracurriculars, the daily homework slog keeps many students on the clock as long as lawyers, teachers, medical residents, truck drivers and other overworked adults. Is it any wonder that,deprived of the labor protections that we provide adults, our kids are suffering an epidemic of disengagement, anxiety and depression ?

With my youngest child just months away from finishing high school, I’m remembering all the needless misery and missed opportunities all three of my kids suffered because of their endless assignments. When my daughters were in middle school, I would urge them into bed before midnight and then find them clandestinely studying under the covers with a flashlight. We cut back on their activities but still found ourselves stuck in a system on overdrive, returning home from hectic days at 6 p.m. only to face hours more of homework. Now, even as a senior with a moderate course load, my son, Zak, has spent many weekends studying, finding little time for the exercise and fresh air essential to his well-being. Week after week, and without any extracurriculars, Zak logs a lot more than the 40 hours adults traditionally work each week — and with no recognition from his “bosses” that it’s too much. I can’t count the number of shared evenings, weekend outings and dinners that our family has missed and will never get back.

How much after-school time should our schools really own?

In the midst of the madness last fall, Zak said to me, “I feel like I’m working towards my death. The constant demands on my time since 5th grade are just going to continue through graduation, into college, and then into my job. It’s like I’m on an endless treadmill with no time for living.”

My spirit crumbled along with his.

Like Zak, many people are now questioning the point of putting so much demand on children and teens that they become thinly stretched and overworked. Studies have long shown that there is no academic benefit to high school homework that consumes more than a modest number of hours each week. In a study of high schoolers conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), researchers concluded that “after around four hours of homework per week, the additional time invested in homework has a negligible impact on performance.”

In elementary school, where we often assign overtime even to the youngest children, studies have shown there’s no academic benefit to any amount of homework at all.

Our unquestioned acceptance of homework also flies in the face of all we know about human health, brain function and learning. Brain scientists know that rest and exercise are essential to good health and real learning . Even top adult professionals in specialized fields take care to limit their work to concentrated periods of focus. A landmark study of how humans develop expertise found that elite musicians, scientists and athletes do their most productive work only about four hours per day .

Yet we continue to overwork our children, depriving them of the chance to cultivate health and learn deeply, burdening them with an imbalance of sedentary, academic tasks. American high school students , in fact, do more homework each week than their peers in the average country in the OECD, a 2014 report found.

It’s time for an uprising.

Already, small rebellions are starting. High schools in Ridgewood, N.J. , and Fairfax County, Va., among others, have banned homework over school breaks. The entire second grade at Taylor Elementary School in Arlington, Va., abolished homework this academic year. Burton Valley Elementary School in Lafayette, Calif., has eliminated homework in grades K through 4. Henry West Laboratory School , a public K-8 school in Coral Gables, Fla., eliminated mandatory, graded homework for optional assignments. One Lexington, Mass., elementary school is piloting a homework-free year, replacing it with reading for pleasure.

More from TIME

Across the Atlantic, students in Spain launched a national strike against excessive assignments in November. And a second-grade teacher in Texas, made headlines this fall when she quit sending home extra work , instead urging families to “spend your evenings doing things that are proven to correlate with student success. Eat dinner as a family, read together, play outside and get your child to bed early.”

It is time that we call loudly for a clear and simple change: a workweek limit for children, counting time on the clock before and after the final bell. Why should schools extend their authority far beyond the boundaries of campus, dictating activities in our homes in the hours that belong to families? An all-out ban on after-school assignments would be optimal. Short of that, we can at least sensibly agree on a cap limiting kids to a 40-hour workweek — and fewer hours for younger children.

Resistance even to this reasonable limit will be rife. Mike Miller, an English teacher at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Va., found this out firsthand when he spearheaded a homework committee to rethink the usual approach. He had read the education research and found a forgotten policy on the county books limiting homework to two hours a night, total, including all classes. “I thought it would be a slam dunk” to put the two-hour cap firmly in place, Miller said.

But immediately, people started balking. “There was a lot of fear in the community,” Miller said. “It’s like jumping off a high dive with your kids’ future. If we reduce homework to two hours or less, is my kid really going to be okay?” In the end, the committee only agreed to a homework ban over school breaks.

Miller’s response is a great model for us all. He decided to limit assignments in his own class to 20 minutes a night (the most allowed for a student with six classes to hit the two-hour max). His students didn’t suddenly fail. Their test scores remained stable. And they started using their more breathable schedule to do more creative, thoughtful work.

That’s the way we will get to a sane work schedule for kids: by simultaneously pursuing changes big and small. Even as we collaboratively press for policy changes at the district or individual school level, all teachers can act now, as individuals, to ease the strain on overworked kids.

As parents and students, we can also organize to make homework the exception rather than the rule. We can insist that every family, teacher and student be allowed to opt out of assignments without penalty to make room for important activities, and we can seek changes that shift practice exercises and assignments into the actual school day.

We’ll know our work is done only when Zak and every other child can clock out, eat dinner, sleep well and stay healthy — the very things needed to engage and learn deeply. That’s the basic standard the law applies to working adults. Let’s do the same for our kids.

Vicki Abeles is the author of the bestseller Beyond Measure: Rescuing an Overscheduled, Overtested, Underestimated Generation, and director and producer of the documentaries “ Race to Nowhere ” and “ Beyond Measure. ”

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Student Opinion

Should We Get Rid of Homework?

Some educators are pushing to get rid of homework. Would that be a good thing?

By Jeremy Engle and Michael Gonchar

Do you like doing homework? Do you think it has benefited you educationally?

Has homework ever helped you practice a difficult skill — in math, for example — until you mastered it? Has it helped you learn new concepts in history or science? Has it helped to teach you life skills, such as independence and responsibility? Or, have you had a more negative experience with homework? Does it stress you out, numb your brain from busywork or actually make you fall behind in your classes?

Should we get rid of homework?

In “ The Movement to End Homework Is Wrong, ” published in July, the Times Opinion writer Jay Caspian Kang argues that homework may be imperfect, but it still serves an important purpose in school. The essay begins:

Do students really need to do their homework? As a parent and a former teacher, I have been pondering this question for quite a long time. The teacher side of me can acknowledge that there were assignments I gave out to my students that probably had little to no academic value. But I also imagine that some of my students never would have done their basic reading if they hadn’t been trained to complete expected assignments, which would have made the task of teaching an English class nearly impossible. As a parent, I would rather my daughter not get stuck doing the sort of pointless homework I would occasionally assign, but I also think there’s a lot of value in saying, “Hey, a lot of work you’re going to end up doing in your life is pointless, so why not just get used to it?” I certainly am not the only person wondering about the value of homework. Recently, the sociologist Jessica McCrory Calarco and the mathematics education scholars Ilana Horn and Grace Chen published a paper, “ You Need to Be More Responsible: The Myth of Meritocracy and Teachers’ Accounts of Homework Inequalities .” They argued that while there’s some evidence that homework might help students learn, it also exacerbates inequalities and reinforces what they call the “meritocratic” narrative that says kids who do well in school do so because of “individual competence, effort and responsibility.” The authors believe this meritocratic narrative is a myth and that homework — math homework in particular — further entrenches the myth in the minds of teachers and their students. Calarco, Horn and Chen write, “Research has highlighted inequalities in students’ homework production and linked those inequalities to differences in students’ home lives and in the support students’ families can provide.”

Mr. Kang argues:

But there’s a defense of homework that doesn’t really have much to do with class mobility, equality or any sense of reinforcing the notion of meritocracy. It’s one that became quite clear to me when I was a teacher: Kids need to learn how to practice things. Homework, in many cases, is the only ritualized thing they have to do every day. Even if we could perfectly equalize opportunity in school and empower all students not to be encumbered by the weight of their socioeconomic status or ethnicity, I’m not sure what good it would do if the kids didn’t know how to do something relentlessly, over and over again, until they perfected it. Most teachers know that type of progress is very difficult to achieve inside the classroom, regardless of a student’s background, which is why, I imagine, Calarco, Horn and Chen found that most teachers weren’t thinking in a structural inequalities frame. Holistic ideas of education, in which learning is emphasized and students can explore concepts and ideas, are largely for the types of kids who don’t need to worry about class mobility. A defense of rote practice through homework might seem revanchist at this moment, but if we truly believe that schools should teach children lessons that fall outside the meritocracy, I can’t think of one that matters more than the simple satisfaction of mastering something that you were once bad at. That takes homework and the acknowledgment that sometimes a student can get a question wrong and, with proper instruction, eventually get it right.

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Homework – Top 3 Pros and Cons

Pro/Con Arguments | Discussion Questions | Take Action | Sources | More Debates

From dioramas to book reports, from algebraic word problems to research projects, whether students should be given homework, as well as the type and amount of homework, has been debated for over a century. [ 1 ]

While we are unsure who invented homework, we do know that the word “homework” dates back to ancient Rome. Pliny the Younger asked his followers to practice their speeches at home. Memorization exercises as homework continued through the Middle Ages and Enlightenment by monks and other scholars. [ 45 ]

In the 19th century, German students of the Volksschulen or “People’s Schools” were given assignments to complete outside of the school day. This concept of homework quickly spread across Europe and was brought to the United States by Horace Mann , who encountered the idea in Prussia. [ 45 ]

In the early 1900s, progressive education theorists, championed by the magazine Ladies’ Home Journal , decried homework’s negative impact on children’s physical and mental health, leading California to ban homework for students under 15 from 1901 until 1917. In the 1930s, homework was portrayed as child labor, which was newly illegal, but the prevailing argument was that kids needed time to do household chores. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 45 ] [ 46 ]

Public opinion swayed again in favor of homework in the 1950s due to concerns about keeping up with the Soviet Union’s technological advances during the Cold War . And, in 1986, the US government included homework as an educational quality boosting tool. [ 3 ] [ 45 ]

A 2014 study found kindergarteners to fifth graders averaged 2.9 hours of homework per week, sixth to eighth graders 3.2 hours per teacher, and ninth to twelfth graders 3.5 hours per teacher. A 2014-2019 study found that teens spent about an hour a day on homework. [ 4 ] [ 44 ]

Beginning in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic complicated the very idea of homework as students were schooling remotely and many were doing all school work from home. Washington Post journalist Valerie Strauss asked, “Does homework work when kids are learning all day at home?” While students were mostly back in school buildings in fall 2021, the question remains of how effective homework is as an educational tool. [ 47 ]

Is Homework Beneficial?

Pro 1 Homework improves student achievement. Studies have shown that homework improved student achievement in terms of improved grades, test results, and the likelihood to attend college. Research published in the High School Journal indicated that students who spent between 31 and 90 minutes each day on homework “scored about 40 points higher on the SAT-Mathematics subtest than their peers, who reported spending no time on homework each day, on average.” [ 6 ] Students in classes that were assigned homework outperformed 69% of students who didn’t have homework on both standardized tests and grades. A majority of studies on homework’s impact – 64% in one meta-study and 72% in another – showed that take-home assignments were effective at improving academic achievement. [ 7 ] [ 8 ] Research by the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) concluded that increased homework led to better GPAs and higher probability of college attendance for high school boys. In fact, boys who attended college did more than three hours of additional homework per week in high school. [ 10 ] Read More

Pro 2 Homework helps to reinforce classroom learning, while developing good study habits and life skills. Students typically retain only 50% of the information teachers provide in class, and they need to apply that information in order to truly learn it. Abby Freireich and Brian Platzer, co-founders of Teachers Who Tutor NYC, explained, “at-home assignments help students learn the material taught in class. Students require independent practice to internalize new concepts… [And] these assignments can provide valuable data for teachers about how well students understand the curriculum.” [ 11 ] [ 49 ] Elementary school students who were taught “strategies to organize and complete homework,” such as prioritizing homework activities, collecting study materials, note-taking, and following directions, showed increased grades and more positive comments on report cards. [ 17 ] Research by the City University of New York noted that “students who engage in self-regulatory processes while completing homework,” such as goal-setting, time management, and remaining focused, “are generally more motivated and are higher achievers than those who do not use these processes.” [ 18 ] Homework also helps students develop key skills that they’ll use throughout their lives: accountability, autonomy, discipline, time management, self-direction, critical thinking, and independent problem-solving. Freireich and Platzer noted that “homework helps students acquire the skills needed to plan, organize, and complete their work.” [ 12 ] [ 13 ] [ 14 ] [ 15 ] [ 49 ] Read More

Pro 3 Homework allows parents to be involved with children’s learning. Thanks to take-home assignments, parents are able to track what their children are learning at school as well as their academic strengths and weaknesses. [ 12 ] Data from a nationwide sample of elementary school students show that parental involvement in homework can improve class performance, especially among economically disadvantaged African-American and Hispanic students. [ 20 ] Research from Johns Hopkins University found that an interactive homework process known as TIPS (Teachers Involve Parents in Schoolwork) improves student achievement: “Students in the TIPS group earned significantly higher report card grades after 18 weeks (1 TIPS assignment per week) than did non-TIPS students.” [ 21 ] Homework can also help clue parents in to the existence of any learning disabilities their children may have, allowing them to get help and adjust learning strategies as needed. Duke University Professor Harris Cooper noted, “Two parents once told me they refused to believe their child had a learning disability until homework revealed it to them.” [ 12 ] Read More

Con 1 Too much homework can be harmful. A poll of California high school students found that 59% thought they had too much homework. 82% of respondents said that they were “often or always stressed by schoolwork.” High-achieving high school students said too much homework leads to sleep deprivation and other health problems such as headaches, exhaustion, weight loss, and stomach problems. [ 24 ] [ 28 ] [ 29 ] Alfie Kohn, an education and parenting expert, said, “Kids should have a chance to just be kids… it’s absurd to insist that children must be engaged in constructive activities right up until their heads hit the pillow.” [ 27 ] Emmy Kang, a mental health counselor, explained, “More than half of students say that homework is their primary source of stress, and we know what stress can do on our bodies.” [ 48 ] Excessive homework can also lead to cheating: 90% of middle school students and 67% of high school students admit to copying someone else’s homework, and 43% of college students engaged in “unauthorized collaboration” on out-of-class assignments. Even parents take shortcuts on homework: 43% of those surveyed admitted to having completed a child’s assignment for them. [ 30 ] [ 31 ] [ 32 ] Read More

Con 2 Homework exacerbates the digital divide or homework gap. Kiara Taylor, financial expert, defined the digital divide as “the gap between demographics and regions that have access to modern information and communications technology and those that don’t. Though the term now encompasses the technical and financial ability to utilize available technology—along with access (or a lack of access) to the Internet—the gap it refers to is constantly shifting with the development of technology.” For students, this is often called the homework gap. [ 50 ] [ 51 ] 30% (about 15 to 16 million) public school students either did not have an adequate internet connection or an appropriate device, or both, for distance learning. Completing homework for these students is more complicated (having to find a safe place with an internet connection, or borrowing a laptop, for example) or impossible. [ 51 ] A Hispanic Heritage Foundation study found that 96.5% of students across the country needed to use the internet for homework, and nearly half reported they were sometimes unable to complete their homework due to lack of access to the internet or a computer, which often resulted in lower grades. [ 37 ] [ 38 ] One study concluded that homework increases social inequality because it “potentially serves as a mechanism to further advantage those students who already experience some privilege in the school system while further disadvantaging those who may already be in a marginalized position.” [ 39 ] Read More

Con 3 Homework does not help younger students, and may not help high school students. We’ve known for a while that homework does not help elementary students. A 2006 study found that “homework had no association with achievement gains” when measured by standardized tests results or grades. [ 7 ] Fourth grade students who did no homework got roughly the same score on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) math exam as those who did 30 minutes of homework a night. Students who did 45 minutes or more of homework a night actually did worse. [ 41 ] Temple University professor Kathryn Hirsh-Pasek said that homework is not the most effective tool for young learners to apply new information: “They’re learning way more important skills when they’re not doing their homework.” [ 42 ] In fact, homework may not be helpful at the high school level either. Alfie Kohn, author of The Homework Myth, stated, “I interviewed high school teachers who completely stopped giving homework and there was no downside, it was all upside.” He explains, “just because the same kids who get more homework do a little better on tests, doesn’t mean the homework made that happen.” [ 52 ] Read More

Discussion Questions

1. Is homework beneficial? Consider the study data, your personal experience, and other types of information. Explain your answer(s).

2. If homework were banned, what other educational strategies would help students learn classroom material? Explain your answer(s).

3. How has homework been helpful to you personally? How has homework been unhelpful to you personally? Make carefully considered lists for both sides.

Take Action

1. Examine an argument in favor of quality homework assignments from Janine Bempechat.

2. Explore Oxford Learning’s infographic on the effects of homework on students.

3. Consider Joseph Lathan’s argument that homework promotes inequality .

4. Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? If so, how? List two to three ways. If your thoughts have not changed, list two to three ways your better understanding of the “other side of the issue” now helps you better argue your position.

5. Push for the position and policies you support by writing US national senators and representatives .

More School Debate Topics

Should K-12 Students Dissect Animals in Science Classrooms? – Proponents say dissecting real animals is a better learning experience. Opponents say the practice is bad for the environment.

Should Students Have to Wear School Uniforms? – Proponents say uniforms may increase student safety. Opponents say uniforms restrict expression.

Should Corporal Punishment Be Used in K-12 Schools? – Proponents say corporal punishment is an appropriate discipline. Opponents say it inflicts long-lasting physical and mental harm on students.

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Why Homework Should Be Banned: Exposing the Downsides

If you've ever attended school, you're familiar with the burden of being sent home with loads of homework. For years, teachers have assigned extra math problems, spelling lists, and other tasks to complete outside of class. But as the demands of modern life continue to mount, more people are advocating for a ban on homework. In this article, our essay writing service will explore several reasons supporting the idea of banning homework.

10 Reasons Why Homework Should Be Banned

Shifting focus from homework to allowing more unstructured time can greatly benefit students as it promotes cognitive, social, and physical development. Here are top 10 reasons fueling the call for banning homework:

• Too Much Homework

School Takes Up All Time

Messes with sleep and health, no time for exercise.

• Makes Stress and Anxiety Worse
• Less Time to Hang Out with Friends

Not Enough Time for Oneself

• Less Time with Family
• Fights with Parents
• Limits Student Freedom

Each reason highlights the impact of homework on various aspects of students' lives, from academic pressures to strained relationships. Let's explore these challenges further while we handle your ' do my homework ' request.

 Tired of Wrestling with Homework Monsters?

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Too Much Homework 

Too much homework is a common complaint among students. It's not about avoiding responsibilities, but about finding balance. Overloading students with homework can lead to stress, burnout, and a loss of interest in learning.

For instance, a study by Stanford University found that 56% of students considered homework a primary source of stress, while The American Psychological Association reports that teens suffering from chronic stress can experience headaches, sleep deprivation, and weight loss.

The goal of homework should be to support learning, not overshadow it. By reassessing the purpose and amount of homework, it can become a more effective and less dreaded part of education.

To help manage homework, consider using our homework planner online . This tool helps keep track of tasks, exams, and deadlines with timely notifications, making it easier to stay organized and reduce stress. Take control of your schedule and make the most of your academic life!

The education system is crucial for shaping young minds, but should it consume every waking hour? This isn't about downplaying learning but about reclaiming balance. Schools should nurture well-rounded individuals, not demand a 24/7 commitment that leaves no room for personal growth.

Consider hobbies that spark creativity, friendships that build character, and downtime for self-reflection. When school takes up all the time, these critical elements of personal development suffer. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, students who participate in extracurricular activities have better attendance, higher academic success, and are more likely to pursue college after high school.

Are we preparing students for a life of constant work, or are we equipping them to lead diverse and fulfilling lives? It's time to rethink the hours spent on school-related activities and ensure students have the time to become well-rounded individuals, ready for the complexities of the real world.

A common scenario where a student burns the midnight oil to complete assignments, sacrificing precious hours of sleep, raises a critical question: what's the cost to their well-being? Sleep is a biological necessity, not a luxury, and homework that interferes with it is problematic.

Lack of sleep doesn't just lead to feeling tired in class; it affects thinking, memory, and mood. According to the CDC, about 7 out of 10 high school students (72.7%) don't get enough sleep on school nights. Teens need 8-10 hours of sleep, but many get far less due to homework. This harms their health and undermines the purpose of homework, which is supposed to aid learning.

Academic pressures often push physical activity aside. Government health guidelines advise children and young people aged 5 to 18 to aim for at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each day, including muscle and bone-strengthening exercises three times a week, while also limiting sedentary time.

But how can kids manage this when they're tied up with homework every evening? This isn't about making everyone into fitness buffs but understanding that exercise is vital for a healthy body and mind. Too much homework leaves little time for physical activity, leading to a sedentary lifestyle and potential health issues down the road.

More Stress and Worry

Our dissertation service experts believe that homework, when excessive, can turn into a breeding ground for stress and worry. The pressure to excel academically can lead to anxiety and worry, overshadowing the joy of learning.

Education should be empowering, not anxiety-inducing. The constant worry about grades and assignments can detract from the learning experience. Striking a balance that fosters intellectual growth without harming mental health is essential. Education should enlighten, not burden, students with stress.

Homework Gets in the Way of Friends

Excessive homework often disrupts these precious connections. A review of 38 studies found that adult friendships, especially high-quality ones that offer social support and companionship, significantly impact well-being and can safeguard against mental health issues like depression and anxiety—and these benefits last a lifetime. When homework consumes too much time, students miss out on these vital interactions.

Friendships are essential for social development, emotional support, and overall well-being. These exchanges shape character, foster resilience, and provide perspectives beyond textbooks. So, we need to ask ourselves: should homework stand in the way of forming these meaningful relationships?

In the race to complete assignments and meet deadlines, personal time is often overlooked. Every student needs moments of solitude and self-reflection. These moments are when passions are discovered, creativity thrives, and a sense of self deepens. Yet, the constant avalanche of homework leaves little room for this crucial personal development.

Time for oneself is not a luxury but a necessity. It's the space to explore interests, dreams, and aspirations beyond academics. When homework becomes all-consuming, it deprives students of the opportunity to discover their unique strengths and inclinations. The discussion on banning homework calls for reevaluating the true purpose of education – is it just about grades, or is it also about nurturing self-aware, curious, and passionate individuals?

Less Family Time

Family, the foundation of support and love, often takes a backseat when homework becomes all-consuming. Quality family time is crucial for instilling values, establishing strong bonds, and nurturing emotional well-being. However, when school demands infiltrate every aspect of a student's life, leaving them worried about coursework, family time inevitably suffers.

Consider the conversations around the dinner table, the shared activities, and the simple joys of being together. Excessive homework disrupts these vital moments, potentially weakening the support system essential for a student's success and happiness.

Arguments with Parents

Homework often becomes the battlefield for nightly skirmishes between parents and students. While parents may perceive themselves as enforcers of responsibility, the constant struggle over completing assignments can strain the parent-child relationship.

Academic pressure, heightened by homework, creates tension at home. Arguments over study time and grades overshadow the supportive role parents should play. So, it's worth questioning if excessive homework is harming the parent-child bond.

Limits Students' Freedom

Excessive homework can feel like invisible chains, limiting the freedom that defines student life. Besides academics, students need the freedom to explore and discover their passions. At our college essay writing service , we firmly believe that when homework takes over, it hinders personal growth.

Think about unfinished projects, unread books, and neglected hobbies. The lack of freedom goes beyond the classroom; it affects the essence of studenthood. We should reflect on whether education should liberate students, allowing them to explore, or if it should confine them to a predetermined path.

Why Should Homework Not Be Banned: Exploring 5 Benefits

Now, having examined the challenges and concerns of homework, let's shift focus to the other side of the debate. While there are valid arguments against excessive homework, it's crucial to acknowledge the potential benefits that well-designed assignments can offer for a student's academic and personal growth. Let's delve into five reasons why homework should not be banned when handled with care.

Instills Discipline in Students

According to our essay writer , assigning homework in moderation helps students develop discipline. It teaches them to manage time, prioritize tasks, and meet deadlines. These skills are valuable beyond academics, laying the groundwork for responsibility and a strong work ethic. Homework becomes more than just a task; it's a character-building exercise preparing students for life's challenges.

Fosters Improved Understanding Among Peers

Homework assignments that encourage collaboration facilitate better understanding among peers. Group projects and discussions not only deepen subject knowledge but also enhance teamwork skills. Students learn from each other's perspectives, creating a cooperative learning environment that extends beyond assignments.

Equips Students for Real-World Challenges

Homework prepares students for real-world challenges by promoting critical thinking, problem-solving, and independent research. Assignments mirror the complexities of professional and personal life, bridging theoretical knowledge with practical application. Tasks like solving real-world problems or conducting interviews develop practical skills essential for adulthood.

Cultivates Skills and Expertise

Homework allows students to develop a diverse set of skills beyond knowledge acquisition. Whether writing essays or completing a math homework paper , each task hones analytical thinking, research skills, and effective communication. It provides opportunities for students to explore their interests, deepen expertise, and foster a passion for lifelong learning.

Fosters a Sense of Responsibility

Completing homework instills a sense of responsibility in students. Meeting deadlines and fulfilling obligations teach the importance of accountability. Consistent completion of assignments nurtures reliability and accountability, essential traits for success in both personal and professional life.

Banning Homework: Successful Cases

As the debate over homework rages on, some educational institutions and communities have taken a bold step—banning or significantly reducing homework. Let's explore a few stories of schools that have embraced this approach and the impact it has had on students, families, and the overall learning environment.

The Case of P.S. 116 in New York City: P.S. 116, a public elementary school in New York City, made headlines by banning traditional homework. Instead, they emphasized reading and encouraged students to explore activities beyond the classroom. Research supporting this decision suggested that excessive homework might not improve academic outcomes and could lead to stress.

The results were striking. Parents noticed a positive shift in their children's attitude toward learning, with elementary students showing more motivation. Teachers found they had more time for meaningful interactions with students. This experiment challenged norms and highlighted the potential benefits of rethinking homework's role in learning.

Finland's Education System: Finland, known for its innovative education approach, has reduced homework emphasis. Finnish educators prioritize quality instruction during school hours. Students are urged to participate in extracurriculars, spend time with family, and pursue interests outside academics.

Finland's consistently high rankings in global education assessments reflect this approach's success. Finnish students excel academically and report high satisfaction and well-being. This challenges the belief that extensive homework is crucial for academic success and emphasizes a balanced education approach.

The Harris Cooper Study: While not a case of a specific school, the work of Harris Cooper, a renowned homework researcher, provides valuable insights into the impact of homework. His work indicates elementary homework has minimal effect on academic achievement. In high school, homework's influence is moderate, and excessive homework can harm well-being.

These cases and studies collectively suggest that reconsidering homework's role can benefit students and improve education systems. As schools experiment with homework policies, these stories offer valuable insights into shaping education's future.

Final Outlook

Here we are, considering the reasons why homework should be banned, weighing worries and potential benefits. It's not just about how much work students should bring home, but the childhood and learning experiences we want for them. By giving students more free time, we enable them to explore, create, and develop in ways structured homework doesn't always allow. Moving forward, educators and policymakers should learn from global views and the advantages of free time.

 Drowning in Homework Havoc?

Fear not! Our team of homework heroes is here to turn your academic struggles into victories.

Daniel Parker

is a seasoned educational writer focusing on scholarship guidance, research papers, and various forms of academic essays including reflective and narrative essays. His expertise also extends to detailed case studies. A scholar with a background in English Literature and Education, Daniel’s work on EssayPro blog aims to support students in achieving academic excellence and securing scholarships. His hobbies include reading classic literature and participating in academic forums.

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• World Health Organization. (2022, October 5). Physical activity . World Health Organization; World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity  
• Stanford research shows pitfalls of homework . (n.d.). News.stanford.edu. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2014/03/too-much-homework-031014#:~:text=Their%20study%20found%20that%20too  
• Bethune, S. (2014). American Psychological Association Survey Shows Teen Stress Rivals That of Adults. Https://Www.apa.org . https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2014/02/teen-stress  
• O’Brien, E., & Rollefson, M. (1995, June). Extracurricular Participation and Student Engagement . Ed.gov; National Center for Education Statistics. https://nces.ed.gov/pubs95/web/95741.asp  
• Pezirkianidis, C., Galanaki, E., Raftopoulou, G., Moraitou, D., & Stalikas, A. (2023). Adult friendship and wellbeing: A systematic review with practical implications. Frontiers in Psychology , 14 . https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1059057  

Is it time to get rid of homework? Mental health experts weigh in.

It's no secret that kids hate homework. And as students grapple with an ongoing pandemic that has had a wide range of mental health impacts, is it time schools start listening to their pleas about workloads?

Some teachers are turning to social media to take a stand against homework. 

Tiktok user @misguided.teacher says he doesn't assign it because the "whole premise of homework is flawed."

For starters, he says, he can't grade work on "even playing fields" when students' home environments can be vastly different.

"Even students who go home to a peaceful house, do they really want to spend their time on busy work? Because typically that's what a lot of homework is, it's busy work," he says in the video that has garnered 1.6 million likes. "You only get one year to be 7, you only got one year to be 10, you only get one year to be 16, 18."

Mental health experts agree heavy workloads have the potential do more harm than good for students, especially when taking into account the impacts of the pandemic. But they also say the answer may not be to eliminate homework altogether.

Emmy Kang, mental health counselor at Humantold , says studies have shown heavy workloads can be "detrimental" for students and cause a "big impact on their mental, physical and emotional health."

"More than half of students say that homework is their primary source of stress, and we know what stress can do on our bodies," she says, adding that staying up late to finish assignments also leads to disrupted sleep and exhaustion.

Cynthia Catchings, a licensed clinical social worker and therapist at Talkspace , says heavy workloads can also cause serious mental health problems in the long run, like anxiety and depression. 

And for all the distress homework  can cause, it's not as useful as many may think, says Dr. Nicholas Kardaras, a psychologist and CEO of Omega Recovery treatment center.

"The research shows that there's really limited benefit of homework for elementary age students, that really the school work should be contained in the classroom," he says.

For older students, Kang says, homework benefits plateau at about two hours per night. 

"Most students, especially at these high achieving schools, they're doing a minimum of three hours, and it's taking away time from their friends, from their families, their extracurricular activities. And these are all very important things for a person's mental and emotional health."

Catchings, who also taught third to 12th graders for 12 years, says she's seen the positive effects of a no-homework policy while working with students abroad.

"Not having homework was something that I always admired from the French students (and) the French schools, because that was helping the students to really have the time off and really disconnect from school," she says.

The answer may not be to eliminate homework completely but to be more mindful of the type of work students take home, suggests Kang, who was a high school teacher for 10 years.

"I don't think (we) should scrap homework; I think we should scrap meaningless, purposeless busy work-type homework. That's something that needs to be scrapped entirely," she says, encouraging teachers to be thoughtful and consider the amount of time it would take for students to complete assignments.

The pandemic made the conversation around homework more crucial 

Mindfulness surrounding homework is especially important in the context of the past two years. Many students will be struggling with mental health issues that were brought on or worsened by the pandemic , making heavy workloads even harder to balance.

"COVID was just a disaster in terms of the lack of structure. Everything just deteriorated," Kardaras says, pointing to an increase in cognitive issues and decrease in attention spans among students. "School acts as an anchor for a lot of children, as a stabilizing force, and that disappeared."

But even if students transition back to the structure of in-person classes, Kardaras suspects students may still struggle after two school years of shifted schedules and disrupted sleeping habits.

"We've seen adults struggling to go back to in-person work environments from remote work environments. That effect is amplified with children because children have less resources to be able to cope with those transitions than adults do," he explains.

'Get organized' ahead of back-to-school

In order to make the transition back to in-person school easier, Kang encourages students to "get good sleep, exercise regularly (and) eat a healthy diet."

To help manage workloads, she suggests students "get organized."

"There's so much mental clutter up there when you're disorganized. ... Sitting down and planning out their study schedules can really help manage their time," she says.

Breaking up assignments can also make things easier to tackle.

"I know that heavy workloads can be stressful, but if you sit down and you break down that studying into smaller chunks, they're much more manageable."

If workloads are still too much, Kang encourages students to advocate for themselves.

"They should tell their teachers when a homework assignment just took too much time or if it was too difficult for them to do on their own," she says. "It's good to speak up and ask those questions. Respectfully, of course, because these are your teachers. But still, I think sometimes teachers themselves need this feedback from their students."

More: Some teachers let their students sleep in class. Here's what mental health experts say.

More: Some parents are slipping young kids in for the COVID-19 vaccine, but doctors discourage the move as 'risky'

Homework could have an impact on kids’ health. Should schools ban it?

Professor of Education, Penn State

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Gerald K. LeTendre has received funding from the National Science Foundation and the Spencer Foundation.

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Reformers in the Progressive Era (from the 1890s to 1920s) depicted homework as a “sin” that deprived children of their playtime . Many critics voice similar concerns today.

Yet there are many parents who feel that from early on, children need to do homework if they are to succeed in an increasingly competitive academic culture. School administrators and policy makers have also weighed in, proposing various policies on homework .

So, does homework help or hinder kids?

For the last 10 years, my colleagues and I have been investigating international patterns in homework using databases like the Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) . If we step back from the heated debates about homework and look at how homework is used around the world, we find the highest homework loads are associated with countries that have lower incomes and higher social inequality.

Does homework result in academic success?

Let’s first look at the global trends on homework.

Undoubtedly, homework is a global phenomenon ; students from all 59 countries that participated in the 2007 Trends in Math and Science Study (TIMSS) reported getting homework. Worldwide, only less than 7% of fourth graders said they did no homework.

TIMSS is one of the few data sets that allow us to compare many nations on how much homework is given (and done). And the data show extreme variation.

For example, in some nations, like Algeria, Kuwait and Morocco, more than one in five fourth graders reported high levels of homework. In Japan, less than 3% of students indicated they did more than four hours of homework on a normal school night.

TIMSS data can also help to dispel some common stereotypes. For instance, in East Asia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan – countries that had the top rankings on TIMSS average math achievement – reported rates of heavy homework that were below the international mean.

In the Netherlands, nearly one out of five fourth graders reported doing no homework on an average school night, even though Dutch fourth graders put their country in the top 10 in terms of average math scores in 2007.

Going by TIMSS data, the US is neither “ A Nation at Rest” as some have claimed, nor a nation straining under excessive homework load . Fourth and eighth grade US students fall in the middle of the 59 countries in the TIMSS data set, although only 12% of US fourth graders reported high math homework loads compared to an international average of 21%.

So, is homework related to high academic success?

At a national level, the answer is clearly no. Worldwide, homework is not associated with high national levels of academic achievement .

But, the TIMSS can’t be used to determine if homework is actually helping or hurting academic performance overall , it can help us see how much homework students are doing, and what conditions are associated with higher national levels of homework.

We have typically found that the highest homework loads are associated with countries that have lower incomes and higher levels of social inequality – not hallmarks that most countries would want to emulate.

Impact of homework on kids

TIMSS data also show us how even elementary school kids are being burdened with large amounts of homework.

Almost 10% of fourth graders worldwide (one in 10 children) reported spending multiple hours on homework each night. Globally, one in five fourth graders report 30 minutes or more of homework in math three to four times a week.

These reports of large homework loads should worry parents, teachers and policymakers alike.

Empirical studies have linked excessive homework to sleep disruption , indicating a negative relationship between the amount of homework, perceived stress and physical health.

What constitutes excessive amounts of homework varies by age, and may also be affected by cultural or family expectations. Young adolescents in middle school, or teenagers in high school, can study for longer duration than elementary school children.

But for elementary school students, even 30 minutes of homework a night, if combined with other sources of academic stress, can have a negative impact . Researchers in China have linked homework of two or more hours per night with sleep disruption .

Even though some cultures may normalize long periods of studying for elementary age children, there is no evidence to support that this level of homework has clear academic benefits . Also, when parents and children conflict over homework, and strong negative emotions are created, homework can actually have a negative association with academic achievement.

Should there be “no homework” policies?

Administrators and policymakers have not been reluctant to wade into the debates on homework and to formulate policies . France’s president, Francois Hollande, even proposed that homework be banned because it may have inegaliatarian effects.

However, “zero-tolerance” homework policies for schools, or nations, are likely to create as many problems as they solve because of the wide variation of homework effects. Contrary to what Hollande said, research suggests that homework is not a likely source of social class differences in academic achievement .

Homework, in fact, is an important component of education for students in the middle and upper grades of schooling.

Policymakers and researchers should look more closely at the connection between poverty, inequality and higher levels of homework. Rather than seeing homework as a “solution,” policymakers should question what facets of their educational system might impel students, teachers and parents to increase homework loads.

At the classroom level, in setting homework, teachers need to communicate with their peers and with parents to assure that the homework assigned overall for a grade is not burdensome, and that it is indeed having a positive effect.

Perhaps, teachers can opt for a more individualized approach to homework. If teachers are careful in selecting their assignments – weighing the student’s age, family situation and need for skill development – then homework can be tailored in ways that improve the chance of maximum positive impact for any given student.

I strongly suspect that when teachers face conditions such as pressure to meet arbitrary achievement goals, lack of planning time or little autonomy over curriculum, homework becomes an easy option to make up what could not be covered in class.

Whatever the reason, the fact is a significant percentage of elementary school children around the world are struggling with large homework loads. That alone could have long-term negative consequences for their academic success.

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Should homework be banned?

Social media has sparked into life about whether children should be given homework - should students be freed from this daily chore? Dr Gerald Letendre, a professor of education at Pennsylvania State University, investigates.

We’ve all done it: pretended to leave an essay at home, or stayed up until 2am to finish a piece of coursework we’ve been ignoring for weeks. Homework, for some people, is seen as a chore that’s ‘wrecking kids’ or ‘killing parents’, while others think it is an essential part of a well-rounded education. The problem is far from new: public debates about homework have been raging since at least the early-1900s, and recently spilled over into a Twitter feud between Gary Lineker and Piers Morgan.

Ironically, the conversation surrounding homework often ignores the scientific ‘homework’ that researchers have carried out. Many detailed studies have been conducted, and can guide parents, teachers and administrators to make sensible decisions about how much work should be completed by students outside of the classroom.

So why does homework stir up such strong emotions? One reason is that, by its very nature, it is an intrusion of schoolwork into family life. I carried out a study in 2005, and found that the amount of time that children and adolescents spend in school, from nursery right up to the end of compulsory education, has greatly increased over the last century . This means that more of a child’s time is taken up with education, so family time is reduced. This increases pressure on the boundary between the family and the school.

Plus, the amount of homework that students receive appears to be increasing, especially in the early years when parents are keen for their children to play with friends and spend time with the family.

Finally, success in school has become increasingly important to success in life. Parents can use homework to promote, or exercise control over, their child’s academic trajectory, and hopefully ensure their future educational success. But this often leaves parents conflicted – they want their children to be successful in school, but they don’t want them to be stressed or upset because of an unmanageable workload.

However, the issue isn’t simply down to the opinions of parents, children and their teachers – governments also like to get involved. In the autumn of 2012, French president François Hollande hit world headlines after making a comment about banning homework, ostensibly because it promoted inequality. The Chinese government has also toyed with a ban, because of concerns about excessive academic pressure being put on children.

The problem is, some politicians and national administrators regard regulatory policy in education as a solution for a wide array of social, economic and political issues, perhaps without considering the consequences for students and parents.

Does homework work?

Homework seems to generally have a positive effect for high school students, according to an extensive range of empirical literature. For example, Duke University’s Prof Harris Cooper carried out a meta-analysis using data from US schools, covering a period from 1987 to 2003. He found that homework offered a general beneficial impact on test scores and improvements in attitude, with a greater effect seen in older students. But dig deeper into the issue and a complex set of factors quickly emerges, related to how much homework students do, and exactly how they feel about it.

In 2009, Prof Ulrich Trautwein and his team at the University of Tübingen found that in order to establish whether homework is having any effect, researchers must take into account the differences both between and within classes . For example, a teacher may assign a good deal of homework to a lower-level class, producing an association between more homework and lower levels of achievement. Yet, within the same class, individual students may vary significantly in how much homework improves their baseline performance. Plus, there is the fact that some students are simply more efficient at completing their homework than others, and it becomes quite difficult to pinpoint just what type of homework, and how much of it, will affect overall academic performance.

Over the last century, the amount of time that children and adolescents spend in school has greatly increased

Gender is also a major factor. For example, a study of US high school students carried out by Prof Gary Natriello in the 1980s revealed that girls devote more time to homework than boys, while a follow-up study found that US girls tend to spend more time on mathematics homework than boys. Another study, this time of African-American students in the US, found that eighth grade (ages 13-14) girls were more likely to successfully manage both their tasks and emotions around schoolwork, and were more likely to finish homework.

So why do girls seem to respond more positively to homework? One possible answer proposed by Eunsook Hong of the University of Nevada in 2011 is that teachers tend to rate girls’ habits and attitudes towards work more favourably than boys’. This perception could potentially set up a positive feedback loop between teacher expectations and the children’s capacity for academic work based on gender, resulting in girls outperforming boys. All of this makes it particularly difficult to determine the extent to which homework is helping, though it is clear that simply increasing the time spent on assignments does not directly correspond to a universal increase in learning.

Can homework cause damage?

The lack of empirical data supporting homework in the early years of education, along with an emerging trend to assign more work to this age range, appears to be fuelling parental concerns about potential negative effects. But, aside from anecdotes of increased tension in the household, is there any evidence of this? Can doing too much homework actually damage children?

Evidence suggests extreme amounts of homework can indeed have serious effects on students’ health and well-being. A Chinese study carried out in 2010 found a link between excessive homework and sleep disruption: children who had less homework had better routines and more stable sleep schedules. A Canadian study carried out in 2015 by Isabelle Michaud found that high levels of homework were associated with a greater risk of obesity among boys, if they were already feeling stressed about school in general.

For useful revision guides and video clips to assist with learning, visit BBC Bitesize . This is a free online study resource for UK students from early years up to GCSEs and Scottish Highers.

It is also worth noting that too much homework can create negative effects that may undermine any positives. These negative consequences may not only affect the child, but also could also pile on the stress for the whole family, according to a recent study by Robert Pressman of the New England Centre for Pediatric Psychology. Parents were particularly affected when their perception of their own capacity to assist their children decreased.

What then, is the tipping point, and when does homework simply become too much for parents and children? Guidelines typically suggest that children in the first grade (six years old) should have no more that 10 minutes per night, and that this amount should increase by 10 minutes per school year. However, cultural norms may greatly affect what constitutes too much.

A study of children aged between 8 and 10 in Quebec defined high levels of homework as more than 30 minutes a night, but a study in China of children aged 5 to 11 deemed that two or more hours per night was excessive. It is therefore difficult to create a clear standard for what constitutes as too much homework, because cultural differences, school-related stress, and negative emotions within the family all appear to interact with how homework affects children.

Should we stop setting homework?

In my opinion, even though there are potential risks of negative effects, homework should not be banned. Small amounts, assigned with specific learning goals in mind and with proper parental support, can help to improve students’ performance. While some studies have generally found little evidence that homework has a positive effect on young children overall, a 2008 study by Norwegian researcher Marte Rønning found that even some very young children do receive some benefit. So simply banning homework would mean that any particularly gifted or motivated pupils would not be able to benefit from increased study. However, at the earliest ages, very little homework should be assigned. The decisions about how much and what type are best left to teachers and parents.

As a parent, it is important to clarify what goals your child’s teacher has for homework assignments. Teachers can assign work for different reasons – as an academic drill to foster better study habits, and unfortunately, as a punishment. The goals for each assignment should be made clear, and should encourage positive engagement with academic routines.

Parents should inform the teachers of how long the homework is taking, as teachers often incorrectly estimate the amount of time needed to complete an assignment, and how it is affecting household routines. For young children, positive teacher support and feedback is critical in establishing a student’s positive perception of homework and other academic routines. Teachers and parents need to be vigilant and ensure that homework routines do not start to generate patterns of negative interaction that erode students’ motivation.

Likewise, any positive effects of homework are dependent on several complex interactive factors, including the child’s personal motivation, the type of assignment, parental support and teacher goals. Creating an overarching policy to address every single situation is not realistic, and so homework policies tend to be fixated on the time the homework takes to complete. But rather than focusing on this, everyone would be better off if schools worked on fostering stronger communication between parents, teachers and students, allowing them to respond more sensitively to the child’s emotional and academic needs.

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17 Reasons Why Homework Should Be Banned

For generations, homework has been a staple of student life, but recent discussions are challenging its value.

Do the hours spent on homework truly advance learning, or could they be better used in other ways, discovering new interests or simply getting the rest they need?

Let’s find out as we explore the possibility that maybe, just maybe, the best homework is no homework at all.

Table of Contents

Homework Cuts Into Family Moments

Homework drains students’ energy, homework doesn’t always lead to better grades, homework widens the wealth gap, homework clashes with after-school fun, homework limits creativity, homework chills the love of learning, homework blurs life-school boundaries, homework steals sleep, homework may require mom and dad’s help, homework challenges health, homework doesn’t mirror real understanding, homework repeats without purpose, homework piles up for teachers too, homework overlooks different ways of learning, homework tempts shortcuts, homework can knock down self-confidence, frequently asked questions, final thoughts.

When kids come home, they should be able to relax, talk with their parents, and play with their siblings. Instead, they have to sit down and work on more assignments. This takes away from the quality time that families could be spending together, like having dinner or just talking about their day.

Homework not only takes away from the fun times but also from the everyday conversations that bring families closer. These are the times when parents can get to know what’s happening in their child’s life and offer support where it’s needed. Without this, kids and parents might not feel as close to each other.

After a full day at school, students are often tired. They spend all day listening to teachers, taking notes, and doing class activities. They need time to rest and do things they enjoy to get their energy back.

But when students come home with too much homework:

• They have less energy for other things they like.
• It’s harder for them to focus on learning new things.
• They might be too tired to really enjoy learning.

Some people think the more homework students do, the better their grades will be. But this isn’t always true. Sometimes, even if students work really hard at home, their grades don’t go up. This can be confusing and frustrating for them.

Here’s the thing: learning depends on understanding, not just on how many hours you spend hitting the books. If you don’t get the concept in class, doing a lot of homework on it might not help much. Also, feeling stressed from too much homework can make it harder to learn and remember things.

Homework often needs things like books, the internet, or even help from tutors. When homework asks for these things, it’s not fair because:

• Some families can’t afford these resources.
• Other families might not have time to help with homework.
• Sometimes, there’s no quiet place at home to study.

Schools could try to make things more equal by providing more resources for homework, like after-school study sessions or access to computers. This way, all students have a better chance to do well, no matter what they have at home.

Being in clubs or playing sports is good for students. But too much homework means less time for these important experiences.

These activities are not just about having fun. They help kids learn new things and find out what they are good at. Plus, everyone, including kids, needs a break after working hard, right? But when homework gets in the way of after-school activities, kids miss out on learning and having fun.

Creativity isn’t just about painting or writing stories. It’s about thinking in new ways, whether it’s figuring out a math problem or designing a science project. But too much homework can make every task seem like just another box to tick.

When kids are always following instructions for assignments, they get fewer chances to think outside the box or dream up their own ideas. But with less homework, kids can follow their curiosity, make mistakes, and come up with something unique. 

Learning should be something kids enjoy. It’s about finding out new things and finding out what they like. But if children have too much homework, they might start to see learning as just another job.

We should care about this because:

• Learning is something we do throughout our lives.
• Children will want to learn more if they enjoy it.
• Enjoying learning helps children do better at school.

We should think about ways to keep learning fun and interesting. Maybe instead of a lot of homework, there could be different kinds of projects that make kids curious and eager to learn. This way, learning stays fun, and kids keep wanting to discover more.

Home should be a place where kids can relax, have fun, and spend time with family. But too much homework makes it feel like they’re still in class, even at the dinner table or in their bedrooms. It’s like their backpacks are filled with school time that spills out all over their house.

This mix-up can stress them out because they feel like they’re always in ‘ school mode ‘ and never really get to switch off, relax, and do normal home things.

Getting enough sleep is super important for kids. They need it to grow, to be healthy, and to do well in school.

But here’s the thing: homework can keep them up too late. When kids stay up to finish homework, they:

• Might find it hard to wake up for school.
• Could have trouble paying attention in class.
• Often feel grumpy or sad because they’re tired.

Sometimes, homework is so hard, or there’s so much of it that kids need help from their parents. This isn’t bad – parents love to help! But parents are also busy with work, taking care of the house, and maybe even more school or classes at night. When kids and parents have to spend a lot of time on homework, it can be stressful for everyone.

Remember, there’s nothing wrong with asking for help, but when homework always needs a parent’s help, it might be too much. It’s also important for homework to be something kids can do on their own, so they can learn and feel proud of what they’ve done.

Homework doesn’t just make kids feel mentally tired; it can also affect their physical and mental health. Here’s a few ways it can happen:

• Sitting too much: Kids sit a lot at school, and sitting more at home isn’t good for their bodies.
• No time to move: They need to run around and be active to be healthy.
• Stress: Worrying about homework can make them feel stressed, which is not good for their health.

Even if children do all their homework, it doesn’t always mean they understand it. Sometimes, they might do the work just because they have to, not because they really get what it’s about.

We should think about whether the homework:

• Let children show what they’ve actually learned.
• Helps them think deeply about what they’re studying.
• Adds something useful to their school day.

Teachers can find out if kids really understand what they were taught by letting them talk about it or show what they learned by drawing or building something. This way, teachers can see if kids really get the ideas, not just if they can say them back.

Sometimes homework feels like doing the same thing over and over without a good reason. It’s like when you have to write the same word many times to learn it, but you still forget it the next day.

This kind of homework doesn’t help kids learn better. Instead, it makes learning feel boring and pointless.

Homework isn’t just a lot of work for kids; it’s also a lot for teachers. Here’s what teachers are dealing with when it comes to homework:

• Making sure it’s fair and doable for students.
• Spending hours checking and marking piles of it.
• Planning homework that’s supposed to help each student.

Teachers have a big job already, teaching and looking after kids all day. So, when they also have to handle a mountain of homework, it’s a lot of extra work for them. Teachers and kids both deserve a break, and too much homework can get in the way of that.

Not everyone learns the same way. Some people learn best by seeing, some by listening, and others by doing. But a lot of homework is just reading and writing. This doesn’t fit well with how everyone learns.

Schools could try to understand and use different ways of learning. There could be options like making a video, creating a song, or building a model. This change would let all kids learn in the way that’s best for them, making learning more fun and effective.

When there’s a lot of homework to do, kids might feel like they can’t finish it all the right way. This is when they might start thinking about taking shortcuts. These could be things like copying answers or rushing through work without understanding it.

We don’t want kids to think this is okay, but too much homework might push them in that direction. It’s important to find a balance so kids can do their work well and learn what they need to without feeling like they have to cut corners.

Sometimes, if homework is too hard or there’s just too much of it, kids can start to doubt themselves. They might think they’re not good at school or learning. This isn’t what we want. Homework should make kids feel like they’re getting better, not make them feel bad.

Here’s why too much homework can be a problem for self-confidence:

• Feeling overwhelmed : Sometimes, no matter how hard they try, the homework just keeps piling up. This can make students feel like they’re not good enough.
• Comparisons : Hearing classmates say the homework was easy when it wasn’t for them can be tough. It makes them think they’re the only ones struggling.
• Fear of mistakes : Knowing they’ll be graded, students might fear trying and getting it wrong. They start to believe that making a mistake means they’re failing.

What are the alternatives to traditional homework?

Educators and experts suggest several alternatives, such as flipped classrooms (where students watch lectures at home and do “ homework ” in class with teacher support), project-based learning, reading for pleasure, and pursuing personal projects or hobbies that develop a wide range of skills.

How does homework impact younger students compared to older ones?

Younger students are more likely to experience negative effects from homework due to their developing organizational skills and shorter attention spans.

Older students, while better equipped to manage their time, may still suffer from stress and burnout if the workload is excessive. The impact largely depends on the nature and amount of homework assigned.

At the end of the day, it’s clear that homework has its ups and downs. But if lots of us find it makes learning tougher instead of helping, maybe it’s time for a change.

So, let’s keep this conversation alive because every question, every ‘ what if,’ brings us closer to making learning truly wonderful for everyone.

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Bea Mariel Saulo

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Education scholar Denise Pope has found that too much homework has negative effects on student well-being and behavioral engagement. (Image credit: L.A. Cicero)

A Stanford researcher found that too much homework can negatively affect kids, especially their lives away from school, where family, friends and activities matter.

“Our findings on the effects of homework challenge the traditional assumption that homework is inherently good,” wrote Denise Pope , a senior lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Education and a co-author of a study published in the Journal of Experimental Education .

The researchers used survey data to examine perceptions about homework, student well-being and behavioral engagement in a sample of 4,317 students from 10 high-performing high schools in upper-middle-class California communities. Along with the survey data, Pope and her colleagues used open-ended answers to explore the students’ views on homework.

Median household income exceeded $90,000 in these communities, and 93 percent of the students went on to college, either two-year or four-year.

Students in these schools average about 3.1 hours of homework each night.

“The findings address how current homework practices in privileged, high-performing schools sustain students’ advantage in competitive climates yet hinder learning, full engagement and well-being,” Pope wrote.

Pope and her colleagues found that too much homework can diminish its effectiveness and even be counterproductive. They cite prior research indicating that homework benefits plateau at about two hours per night, and that 90 minutes to two and a half hours is optimal for high school.

Their study found that too much homework is associated with:

* Greater stress: 56 percent of the students considered homework a primary source of stress, according to the survey data. Forty-three percent viewed tests as a primary stressor, while 33 percent put the pressure to get good grades in that category. Less than 1 percent of the students said homework was not a stressor.

* Reductions in health: In their open-ended answers, many students said their homework load led to sleep deprivation and other health problems. The researchers asked students whether they experienced health issues such as headaches, exhaustion, sleep deprivation, weight loss and stomach problems.

* Less time for friends, family and extracurricular pursuits: Both the survey data and student responses indicate that spending too much time on homework meant that students were “not meeting their developmental needs or cultivating other critical life skills,” according to the researchers. Students were more likely to drop activities, not see friends or family, and not pursue hobbies they enjoy.

A balancing act

The results offer empirical evidence that many students struggle to find balance between homework, extracurricular activities and social time, the researchers said. Many students felt forced or obligated to choose homework over developing other talents or skills.

Also, there was no relationship between the time spent on homework and how much the student enjoyed it. The research quoted students as saying they often do homework they see as “pointless” or “mindless” in order to keep their grades up.

“This kind of busy work, by its very nature, discourages learning and instead promotes doing homework simply to get points,” Pope said.

She said the research calls into question the value of assigning large amounts of homework in high-performing schools. Homework should not be simply assigned as a routine practice, she said.

“Rather, any homework assigned should have a purpose and benefit, and it should be designed to cultivate learning and development,” wrote Pope.

High-performing paradox

In places where students attend high-performing schools, too much homework can reduce their time to foster skills in the area of personal responsibility, the researchers concluded. “Young people are spending more time alone,” they wrote, “which means less time for family and fewer opportunities to engage in their communities.”

Student perspectives

The researchers say that while their open-ended or “self-reporting” methodology to gauge student concerns about homework may have limitations – some might regard it as an opportunity for “typical adolescent complaining” – it was important to learn firsthand what the students believe.

The paper was co-authored by Mollie Galloway from Lewis and Clark College and Jerusha Conner from Villanova University.

Media Contacts

Denise Pope, Stanford Graduate School of Education: (650) 725-7412, [email protected] Clifton B. Parker, Stanford News Service: (650) 725-0224, [email protected]

Why homework should be banned?

Banning homework could significantly reduce stress and pressure on students while promoting a more equitable and effective educational system. Homework exacerbates educational inequalities, lacks consistent effectiveness, encourages academic dishonesty, and hinders the promotion of lifelong learning.

There are many reasons why homework should be banned. Students claim they don’t have enough time for it. Nevertheless, professors give more and more assignments for self-education. As a result, the stress of deadlines adds up, diminishing students’ motivation to learn. 

Many people argue that the modern curriculum leaves too much for self-study. Students don’t get enough explanation on the topic and end up with surface-level knowledge across many fields rather than an in-depth understanding of one.

Banning or at least reducing the amount of homework could be the answer to these concerns. Yet, many educational institutions are reluctant to change their curricula or don’t see the need for it.

8 Reasons why homework should be banned

When looking for arguments to support our stance, we stopped at eight. They are as follows: 

Increased stress

• Less time for family
• Lack of equality among students

Poor sleep schedules

• No time for after-school development

Questionable academic benefit

• Worsened student-teacher relationships
• Risk of burnout

All these are real implications that homework has on students. In the later sections, we will expand on each in more detail.

When it comes to the reasons why should homework be banned, stress is the first one that comes to mind. With each year, academic demands only grow. It gets harder and harder to get into educational institutions, hence, it is also hard to stay. Students are expected to perform at an extraordinary level only to secure their spot. 

At the same time, they hardly ever get any financial support, so some have to combine studying with work. With such a schedule, it’s very hard to find time for homework. Learners are forced to do it at night, in between classes or at work, running the risk of making their manager or professor mad. This is why students are under insurmountable pressure from their school, family, and themselves. 

No time for family

The continuing debate on homework should be banned leads us to the next point. Students who are always busy with homework, hardly have time for themselves, not to mention their family. Reduced family visits or even conversation can lead to the feelings of loneliness and isolation.  

Banning homework, or at least reducing its amount, could help students reconnect with their loved ones. For many students, especially freshers, loneliness is one of the biggest concerns. Many people struggle with making friends or even striking up a casual conversation with a stranger. Even a small encounter can make one feel less lonely, yet how do you find time for it if you’re always in your room doing homework?

Lack of equality

While the demands on students are approximately the same, some peoples’ resources are more limited than others’. Students from wealthier backgrounds have access to more modern technology, and, as a result, may even have more time on their hands.

At the same time, students with less resources are stuck with outdated library computers that take 20 minutes only to turn on. This inequality can lead to unfair judgment, resentment and even more inequality among students.

At the same time, in class, everyone has the same resources - the same amount of time, pen and paper. Doing assignments in class could ensure that everyone gets the same treatments based on their knowledge.

As we’ve already mentioned, some students have to work after school. And even if they don’t work, they may have multiple assignments due on the same day. Everybody needs some time to themselves, student or not. Relaxing is also vital for comprehension and memory. If you don’t sleep well, all that cramming just goes to waste, because it doesn’t make the trip from short-term memory to long-term storage. 

Luckily, there is a solution. Using a do my homework service can provide students with more time for themselves or other important assignments. Getting help with homework will not only ensure that you are well-rested before class, it can also help you see a different perspective on a topic you may be struggling with. Because when a paper is completed by a professional writer, it can be an amazing learning resource. 

No time for extracurriculars

Extracurricular classes, clubs and societies play a vital role in students’ holistic development. Participating in debates, math, or drama clubs can help you learn in practice, develop leadership skills, and gain real experience that can later help you excel in your profession. 

Cutting all those things out for the sake of homework will leave you with theoretical knowledge only. Which is why homework should be banned. 

College should give you a well-rounded education and prepare you for the real world. If you don’t engage in after-school development, don’t socialize with other students and don’t develop leadership skills, you’re going to have to learn those skills from scratch in the workplace. That makes you a less eligible candidate compared to those with practical skills.

With all the drawbacks presented above, it’s hard to argue for homework. When a student is stressed, lonely, isolated, and hasn’t had a good night’s sleep in months, writing another essay won’t do them much good.

Some research suggests that there is little to no correlation between homework and academic success, especially for younger students. That should push educators to reassess the current teaching methods and come up with better strategies for education. 

When it comes to academic success, educators should focus on what can be achieved in class rather than at home. After classes, students should have time to rest, socialize and recharge.

But who invented homework and why ? Read our article to find out all about homework and its inventor!

Poor relationships between students and teachers

When teachers ask a lot from students, it can lead to resentment. Without properly explaining the task or the benefit behind it, teachers load students with an assignment every week. But when a student doesn’t understand why it’s important, they may end up doing the task haphazardly. 

On the other hand, when a student who performs well in class comes back with an assignment done carelessly, the teacher may apply even more pressure on that student.

So, why should homework be abolished? Because it leads to a lot of miscommunication between teachers and students. Teachers tend to put a lot of expectations on students without considering that they have many other commitments and classes.

Academic burnout

Burnout has become increasingly more common among students. It can be characterized by the following symptoms: 

• Chronic fatigue
• Irritability
• Distraction
• Loss of motivation
• Reduced performance.

It is usually caused by high expectations placed on a student by themselves, their teachers or parents. High workload can also lead a student to burn out. Perfectionism, lack of support and poor time management are among other contributors to burning out.

The easiest way to deal with burnout would, of course, be to ban homework. But, when it’s not possible, you could also try the following: 

• Self-care . Take a day off or implement small habits into every day that would remind you that you are your own priority. It can be a nice meal, sports, or meditation.
• Setting goals . Determining your priorities and writing them down can be an efficient tool for those who lack motivation.
• Seeking support . Counseling services, therapy, or just talking to a friend can make a world of difference for people struggling with burnout.

Taking a break . Sometimes, it’s hard to think straight when you’re so close to the fire. Taking a vacation, a gap year or a week off can really help you evaluate your priorities and see what’s causing you stress.

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Why homework should not be required?

Homework should not be required because it can cause significant stress for children. Research indicates that extra assignments, especially for younger students, can lead to unhealthy levels of stress. When students are bombarded with numerous lessons both at school and at home, they may experience stress and anxiety if they cannot complete the assignments on time.

Many studies have confirmed that homework negatively affects students’ performance, mood, motivation and even health. Those who have access to quality homework help can consider themselves lucky. But the rest may feel isolated, struggling on their own. 

What educators must understand is that homework is already a full-time job. Those teachers do not come back from work and do more work, but students do, all the while paying insane amounts of money for that education. This inevitably poses the question of whether higher education is even worth it anymore.

It can lead to burnout, cause severe mental and physical health problems while draining your family of its life’s savings. 

Banning homework for students with different learning styles

It’s no secret that people have different learning styles. However, homework is not adapted to that difference, which is another r eason why homework should be banned. The four commonly defined styles are:

• Read/Write,
• Kinaesthetic.

That means that for someone who derives most benefit from Kinaesthetic-styled learning, reading a book may not be efficient. In the same way, a visual learner will hardly benefit from writing an essay. 

Yet, when it comes to homework, a teacher can’t give everyone a different task. They will normally assign the same project to everyone. That means that only ¼ of the group will benefit from that task.

Socialization should be prioritized

So, why homework should be banned? Because it takes away the time that could otherwise be spent socializing. Students that don’t have a social life do worse with their studies. When you don’t have anyone to talk to, you can feel isolated, lonely, and even depressed. 

On the contrary, when you have a few friends or simply are in contact with your classmates, you have someone who can share your struggles with you. College can be a great time to bond, even if over a tyrant teacher. 

Extracurriculars, study groups, and clubs can give you valuable experience that you can apply in class or even in the workplace. 

Having a few extra minutes to call your family can help you reduce anxiety, feelings of separation and loneliness.

Stress doesn’t have to be an integral part of the college experience

Students are under a lot of pressure. Many of them report wanting to quit because the demands are so high. People who are the first generation from their family to attend college report even higher levels of pressure due to the feeling of responsibility before their family. 

Yet, at the same time, the resources to help these students are quite scarce. Counselors’ offices are always booked weeks in advance, and therapy is not affordable to an average student with zero income.

Depression is very common among college students, while those are supposed to be the happiest years of one’s life. Could homework be the reason for that? We say yes. So, why homework should be abolished is not even a question anymore.

Final thoughts

Even though in this article, we argue against homework, we also have a few arguments on why is homework important : 

It can help students dive deeper into the concepts explained in class. Lectures are limited in time, but a student may need longer to grasp a concept. While studying at home, they may use different resources and gain a deeper understanding of the topic in their own time.

Homework is also vital for teachers to be able to assess students’ understanding. There’s, unfortunately, no better way for teachers to know if you’ve understood a topic other than homework.

Overall, even though it has many drawbacks, homework doesn’t yet have an alternative. And while causing stress, it also has benefits, like deeper understanding and ease of assessment.

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Frequently Asked Questions 

Why should we ban homework.

Homework doesn’t make much sense in the modern world. Most students have to work to support themselves or their families. This leaves them with little to no time for self-education. While it used to be customary for young people to live with their parents throughout college, it’s no longer the case. 

Most students have to fend for themselves - pay rent, buy groceries, and pay bills, starting at about 18 years old. Doing all that while also writing endless essays and projects for school is hardly impossible. Yet, people who combine all those things often end up stressed, burnt out and unmotivated. This may lead to frustration with the educational system and even dropping out. 

On top of the stress of test scores, more homework can slow down school learning for elementary students and make them lose their motivation for further studying and academic performance. So, how can they find the motivation to go through it?

Where to find motivation for doing homework?

How to motivate yourself to do homework is a big and loaded question, but we’ll try to give you an easy answer. First of all, you should try to remember what you’re here for. Did you enter college to become a highly qualified professional? Do you want to make your parents proud? Are you internally curious and want to know everything about everything? Think of other reasons that made you go to college in the first place.

Planning out your assignments will also help. Break bigger tasks into smaller ones, plan breaks in between and come up with a course of action. This way, these assignments will seem more approachable.

You can view this from the perspective of educators who are preparing students and encouraging students for more difficult academic responsibilities later on. On the other side, it's perfectly normal for your motivation to waver when met with too much homework. Too much homework, long school hours, and a lot of time spent on even more homework can explain why banning homework can be an option.

How do I find time for leisure when homework exists?

So, why should homework be banned? Because students don’t have any time for their personal lives and end up stuck doing homework for hours on end.

If you feel it influences your mental health, it’s detrimental to take a break and find some time for yourself. It may be difficult when homework has no end. 

Luckily, services like Studyfy can offer a helping hand in the time of need. Outsourcing your homework to a professional writer will not only give you a few hours to spare, but also a perfect paper sample you can use to educate yourself. 

Alternatively, you can: 

• Ask your professor for an extension
• Combine efforts with your friends to finish the task faster
• Get smaller tasks out of the way, your schedule will clear up, and you might find time for a walk in the park.

How to improve my performance in class?

All the way from elementary school to middle school and beyond, academic achievement and academic performance have been tied to test scores and assigning homework. You may have struggled with answering can homework improve academic achievement, especially with such repetitive homework tasks. The best thing you can do for your future education is to complete assignments on time, increase your academic performance, and use the education system for essential life skills.

It’s no secret that being active and communicating with the professor can get you some cookie points. If they notice you are trying hard, and you make a good impression, they may let some of your homework mistakes slide. This is why it’s important to address other aspects of your school performance since banning homework is not an option.

To get better in your teacher’s eyes is not that hard, really. You just have to be active. Try to sit closer to them, and maybe even further away from your friends so that you don;t get distracted. Take notes, write everything down and ask questions.

Debate on Homework Should be Abolished [In Favour and Against]

Homework, a task students complete outside of school hours, sparks a widespread debate. Many argue it should be abolished. Today, with evolving educational methods, the relevance of homework is a hot topic. Its impact on students’ well-being and learning experience is under scrutiny.

Arguments in Favour Of Homework Should be Abolished

Argument 1: positive effects of abolishing homework on student mental health.

Homework can sometimes feel like a never-ending cycle of stress and pressure for students. Imagine a world where students could focus on learning in the classroom without the looming burden of homework hanging over their heads. Abolishing homework could have a profoundly positive impact on student mental health.

One primary reason why abolishing homework would benefit students’ mental health is the reduction of stress and anxiety. Students often feel overwhelmed by the amount of homework they have to complete, leading to high levels of stress that can affect their overall well-being. By removing this extra pressure, students would have more time to relax, unwind, and engage in activities that bring them joy.

Moreover, abolishing homework can improve students’ sleep quality. Many students stay up late trying to finish assignments, sacrificing valuable hours of sleep in the process. Sleep is essential for mental health, and getting enough rest allows students to focus better in school and feel more refreshed and energized.

Additionally, abolishing homework can help students maintain a healthier work-life balance. Students deserve time to pursue their interests, spend time with family and friends, and engage in extracurricular activities. Without the burden of homework, students would have more opportunities to explore their passions and develop a well-rounded lifestyle.

Furthermore, abolishing homework can enhance students’ confidence and self-esteem. When students are constantly struggling to complete assignments, it can take a toll on their belief in their abilities. By eliminating homework, students can feel more confident in their academic skills and approach learning with a positive attitude.

In conclusion, abolishing homework could be a significant step towards promoting better mental health among students. By reducing stress, improving sleep quality, fostering a healthier work-life balance, and boosting confidence, students can thrive academically and emotionally in a homework-free environment.

Argument 2: Fostering Family Bonding and Social Skills Through the Abolition of Homework

When homework is abolished, families have more opportunities to bond and connect with each other. Instead of being engrossed in individual tasks, students and their families can engage in shared activities like cooking together, playing games, or simply talking about their day. These moments of togetherness can strengthen family relationships and create lasting memories that may not have been possible if homework were taking up all the time.

Furthermore, abolishing homework can also help students develop important social skills. Without the burden of homework, students have more time to interact with their siblings, parents, and even neighbors. These interactions allow them to practice communication, empathy, and teamwork in a real-world setting. Through conversations and activities with family members, students can learn how to express themselves effectively, resolve conflicts peacefully, and understand different perspectives.

In addition, by abolishing homework, schools can encourage students to participate in community activities and events. Students can join clubs, sports teams, or volunteer organizations, fostering a sense of belonging and social responsibility. These extracurricular activities not only provide opportunities for students to make new friends but also help them develop leadership skills, teamwork, and resilience.

In conclusion, abolishing homework can have a positive impact on fostering family bonding and social skills among students. By prioritizing quality time with family members and engaging in social activities outside of school, students can develop stronger relationships, communication skills, and a sense of community. Ultimately, by promoting these aspects, schools can contribute to the holistic development of students and prepare them for success in both their personal and professional lives.

Arguments Against Of Homework Should be Abolished

Argument 1: detrimental impact on academic performance and learning retention.

Homework can be a source of stress and anxiety for many students. It takes away precious time that could be spent on other activities like hobbies, sports, or spending time with family and friends. This burden of homework can lead to students feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, affecting their overall well-being and mental health.

Furthermore, the pressure to complete homework assignments can sometimes result in students rushing through their work just to meet deadlines. This rush to finish tasks can compromise the quality of their learning and understanding of the material. Instead of deeply engaging with the subject matter, students may simply focus on completing the assignment quickly, leading to surface-level learning that is quickly forgotten.

Research has shown that excessive homework can actually have a negative impact on academic performance. When students are overloaded with homework, they may struggle to retain the information they are trying to learn. This can result in lower test scores and a lack of true mastery of the material. Without sufficient time to review and consolidate what they have learned in class, students may find themselves falling behind academically.

Moreover, the stress and pressure associated with homework can create a barrier to effective learning. Students may feel demotivated and disengaged from their studies when faced with an overwhelming amount of homework to complete. This can hinder their ability to develop a genuine interest in the subjects they are studying and can lead to a lack of enthusiasm for learning.

In conclusion, the detrimental impact of homework on academic performance and learning retention is a significant concern that should not be overlooked. By abolishing homework, we can create a more balanced and holistic approach to education that prioritizes student well-being and genuine understanding of the material.

Argument 2: Loss of Individual Accountability and Work Ethic

Additionally, when students are given homework tasks that they do not understand, it can be demotivating and lead to a lack of effort in completing the assignments. This lack of motivation can hinder the development of a strong work ethic, as students may not see the value in putting in the effort to complete tasks that they perceive as irrelevant or too challenging.

Moreover, the pressure to complete homework assignments on time can sometimes cause students to prioritize speed over quality. This can result in rushed and incomplete work, which does not foster a sense of pride in one’s accomplishments or encourage students to strive for excellence in their academic pursuits.

In conclusion, the practice of assigning homework can inadvertently contribute to a loss of individual accountability and work ethic among students. By abolishing homework, we can create a learning environment that encourages students to take ownership of their education, develop a strong work ethic, and prioritize meaningful learning experiences over rote tasks.

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Top Reasons Why Homework Should Be Banned To Improve Student’s Life

In the modern education system, homework has long been a contentious topic, sparking debates among educators, parents, and students alike. While it is often viewed as an integral part of the learning process, there is growing evidence suggesting that homework may not be as beneficial as previously thought. This article explores the reasons why homework should be banned, shedding light on the potential negative effects it can have on students’ well-being and academic performance.

Why should ban homework?

Table of Contents

Exploring the reasons behind advocating for a ban on homework reveals various perspectives and concerns. Here are some common arguments put forth by those who believe homework should be banned:

Lack of Time for Other Activities

One of the primary reasons for banning homework is the belief that it consumes a significant portion of a student’s time, leaving little room for extracurricular activities, family time, or pursuing personal interests.

Critics argue that this imbalance can lead to stress, burnout, and an overall lack of well-rounded development.

Negative Impact on Mental Health

Excessive homework can have detrimental effects on students’ mental health. The pressure to complete assignments, coupled with high expectations and tight deadlines, can contribute to stress, anxiety, and sleep deprivation.

Critics argue that a ban on homework would alleviate these pressures and promote healthier well-being among students.

Inequality and Disadvantaged Students

Homework can exacerbate educational inequalities. Not all students have equal access to resources, such as a quiet study environment or parental assistance.

This discrepancy can widen the achievement gap and place disadvantaged students at a further disadvantage. Advocates for a ban argue that eliminating homework would help level the playing field and promote equity in education.

Questioning Effectiveness

Critics also question the effectiveness of homework in terms of enhancing learning outcomes. Some argue that the benefits of homework.

Such as increased academic achievement, can be achieved through alternative methods that are less burdensome and more engaging for students. They suggest that class time should be optimized for active learning and meaningful teacher-student interactions instead.

Encouraging Autonomy and Personalized Learning

Banning homework can allow students to have more autonomy over their learning and promote personalized approaches to education.

Advocates argue that students should have the freedom to explore their interests, engage in self-directed learning, and pursue projects that align with their passions and strengths.

It is important to note that opinions on banning homework can vary, and there are counterarguments supporting the value of homework. These counterarguments emphasize the reinforcement of learning, development of discipline and responsibility, and preparation for higher education.

What are 10 disadvantages of homework?

There are several perceived disadvantages of homework that critics often raise. Here are ten commonly mentioned drawbacks associated with homework:

Time Constraints

Homework can consume a significant amount of a student’s time, leaving little room for leisure activities, family time, or pursuing personal interests.

Increased Stress

The pressure to complete homework assignments within tight deadlines can lead to heightened stress levels, especially when students have multiple subjects to focus on simultaneously.

Lack of Balance

Excessive homework can disrupt the balance between academic commitments and other aspects of a student’s life, such as extracurricular activities, hobbies, and social interactions.

Heavy workloads and the associated stress can contribute to anxiety, sleep deprivation, and other mental health issues among students.

Limited Learning Autonomy

Homework often requires students to follow specific instructions and guidelines, limiting their ability to explore alternative approaches or pursue their own learning interests.

Potential for Inequality

Not all students have equal access to resources or support systems outside of school, which can create disparities in completing homework and lead to educational inequalities.

Loss of Interest and Engagement

Lengthy or repetitive homework tasks can result in a loss of interest, leading to decreased motivation, disengagement, and a negative attitude towards learning.

Negative Impact on Family Life

Excessive homework can strain family dynamics, as it may limit quality time spent together, disrupt meal times, or cause conflicts between parents and children.

Increased Pressure on Students

The need to perform well in homework assignments, coupled with the fear of negative consequences for incomplete or subpar work, can intensify academic pressure on students.

Potential for Burnout

Overwhelming workloads and constant deadlines can contribute to feelings of burnout among students, leading to exhaustion and a decline in overall well-being.

It is important to note that these perceived disadvantages may vary among individuals and are influenced by factors such as the educational system, workload distribution, and the specific practices implemented by teachers and schools.

Who invented homework 😡?

The invention of homework cannot be attributed to a single individual. The concept of assigning academic tasks to be completed outside of school has evolved over centuries. The origins of homework can be traced back to ancient civilizations where scholars and educators recognized the value of practice and independent study.

The practice of assigning homework as we know it today has its roots in the educational reforms of the 19th century. Influential figure.

Such as Horace Mann in the United States and Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi in Europe played significant roles in shaping modern education systems, including the incorporation of homework as a regular part of students’ academic routine.

However, it is worth noting that the implementation and practices of homework have evolved over time and vary across different educational systems and cultures. The purpose, amount, and approach to homework continue to be subject to ongoing research, debate, and adaptation in response to changing educational needs and goals.

Is homework a punishment for kids?

The perception of homework as a punishment for kids is a matter of perspective and can vary among individuals. While some may argue that homework is a form of punishment, it is important to consider the intention and purpose behind assigning homework.

Homework is primarily designed to reinforce learning, provide opportunities for independent practice, and extend the learning process beyond the classroom. It serves as a tool for students to review and apply what they have learned, develop skills, and prepare for assessments.

When used effectively, homework can contribute to academic growth and help students develop important habits such as responsibility, time management, and self-discipline.

Should homework be banned for kids?

The question of whether homework should be banned for kids is a topic of ongoing debate in the field of education. While there is no definitive answer that applies universally to all situations, it is important to consider the different perspectives and weigh the potential benefits and drawbacks of homework.

Advocates for banning homework argue the following points:

Reduced Stress and Well-being

Banning homework can alleviate stress levels among students, allowing them to focus on their well-being, mental health, and other activities outside of school. It can promote a healthier balance between academic responsibilities and personal life.

Increased Engagement and Interest

Without the burden of homework, students may have more time and energy to engage in extracurricular activities, pursue their passions, and explore personal interests. This freedom can foster a love for learning and intrinsic motivation.

Equity and Access

Banning homework can help address educational inequalities. Not all students have equal access to resources and support systems outside of school, which can create disparities in completing homework assignments. Eliminating homework can level the playing field and promote fairness.

Enhanced Learning Strategies

Advocates argue that alternative approaches, such as project-based learning, experiential learning, and collaborative activities, can be more effective in promoting critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity compared to traditional homework assignments.

On the other hand, opponents of banning homework raise the following arguments:

Reinforcement of Learning

Homework provides an opportunity for students to reinforce what they have learned in class, practice skills, and develop a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

Responsibility and Time Management

Homework helps students develop important life skills such as responsibility, self-discipline, organization, and time management. These skills are crucial for success in higher education and the workforce.

Parental Involvement

Homework can promote parental involvement and engagement in a child’s education. It provides an opportunity for parents to understand their child’s learning progress and support their academic development.

Preparation for Higher Education

Homework is often seen as a preparation for the demands of higher education, where independent study and self-directed learning are essential.

Ultimately, the decision to ban or retain homework depends on various factors, including the educational context, the quality and quantity of assignments, and the specific needs and circumstances of the students. Striking a balance between academic requirements, student well-being, and promoting effective learning experiences is crucial to ensure a holistic and meaningful education.

Why homework should not be banned?

While the debate on whether homework should be banned continues, there are compelling arguments in favor of retaining homework as an integral part of the educational system. Here are some reasons why homework should not be banned:

Homework provides an opportunity for students to reinforce and consolidate what they have learned in class. Through independent practice, students can solidify their understanding of concepts, apply knowledge to new situations, and develop essential skills.

Preparation for Future Responsibilities

Homework helps students develop important skills such as time management, organization, self-discipline, and responsibility. These skills are essential for success not only in academics but also in future endeavors, including higher education and the workplace.

Extension of Learning Beyond the Classroom

Homework allows students to delve deeper into a subject, explore additional resources, and engage in independent research. It promotes self-directed learning and encourages students to take ownership of their education.

Practice and Mastery

Regular practice through homework enables students to master foundational concepts and skills. Repetition and reinforcement help solidify learning, improve retention, and build fluency in various subjects.

Individualized Learning

Homework assignments can be tailored to meet the individual needs and abilities of students. Teachers can provide differentiated tasks or additional challenges to cater to varying levels of understanding and promote personalized learning.

Parental Involvement and Support

Homework provides an avenue for parents to be involved in their child’s education. It allows parents to monitor their child’s progress, understand their strengths and weaknesses, and offer guidance and support when needed.

Accountability and Assessment

Homework assignments contribute to the assessment and evaluation of a student’s progress. They provide valuable feedback for both students and teachers, highlighting areas that require further attention or additional instruction.

Homework prepares students for the rigors of higher education, where independent study, research, and self-directed learning are essential components. By engaging in homework, students develop the necessary skills and work habits to succeed in advanced academic pursuits.

The Purpose of Homework

The purpose of homework extends beyond the completion of tasks and assignments outside of the classroom. Homework serves several important educational objectives that contribute to students’ learning and academic development.

Homework provides an opportunity for students to reinforce and apply the concepts, skills, and knowledge they have learned in class.

It allows them to practice and solidify their understanding through independent work, which can lead to better retention and mastery of the material.

Extension of Learning

Homework extends learning beyond the classroom, encouraging students to explore topics in greater depth and engage in independent research.

It promotes critical thinking, problem-solving, and independent inquiry, fostering a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

Skill Development

Homework helps students develop important skills such as time management, organization, self-discipline, and responsibility.

By completing assignments within designated time frames, students learn to prioritize tasks, manage their workload, and meet deadlines – skills that are valuable in both academic and professional settings.

Preparation for Assessments

Homework prepares students for assessments, such as tests, quizzes, and exams. It allows them to practice applying their knowledge, review concepts, and identify areas that require further clarification or study. This helps build confidence and improves performance in formal evaluations.

Engagement and Active Learning

Homework can promote active engagement in the learning process by involving students in activities that require reflection, analysis, and problem-solving. It encourages independent thinking, creativity, and self-expression, fostering a deeper connection to the subject matter.

Communication and Collaboration

Homework can serve as a means of communication between teachers, students, and parents. It provides an avenue for teachers to provide feedback, track progress, and identify areas of improvement.

It also enables parents to be involved in their child’s education and gain insight into their academic development.

Preparation for Real-World Responsibilities

Homework instills a sense of responsibility and accountability in students, mirroring the expectations they will encounter in higher education and future careers.

It prepares them for the demands of college or workplace environments, where self-directed learning and independent work are often required.

Why Homework Should Be Banned?

While homework has been a longstanding practice in education, it is important to acknowledge the negative effects it can have on students.

These effects should be taken into consideration when evaluating the overall impact of homework on students’ well-being, mental health, and academic performance.

Increased Stress and Pressure

Excessive homework assignments can lead to heightened stress levels among students. The pressure to complete numerous tasks within tight deadlines can cause anxiety, burnout, and feelings of being overwhelmed.

This can negatively affect students’ mental well-being and hinder their ability to perform at their best.

The time-consuming nature of homework can limit students’ opportunities to engage in extracurricular activities, pursue hobbies, spend quality time with family and friends, and participate in physical exercise.

Balancing homework with other aspects of life is crucial for a well-rounded education and healthy development.

Reduced Sleep and Fatigue

Homework often extends into evenings and weekends, leaving students with inadequate time for rest and sleep. Insufficient sleep can result in fatigue, decreased concentration, and diminished cognitive functioning, ultimately impacting students’ ability to learn effectively and retain information.

Loss of Interest in Learning

When homework becomes monotonous, repetitive, or disconnected from students’ interests, it can lead to a loss of enthusiasm for learning.

Excessive or uninspiring homework assignments may cause students to view education as a chore rather than a source of curiosity and growth, potentially diminishing their intrinsic motivation.

Inequality and Academic Pressure

The burden of homework can disproportionately affect students from disadvantaged backgrounds who may lack access to resources or support systems outside of school.

Additionally, excessive homework can contribute to a competitive academic environment, fostering a culture of intense pressure and comparison among students.

Potential for Negative Parental Involvement

Excessive homework can strain parent-child relationships when parents feel compelled to assume the role of enforcer or tutor. This can lead to increased stress within the family and diminish the quality of parent-child interactions.

Limited Personalization and Creativity

Homework assignments often follow a standardized approach, leaving little room for personalization, creativity, and individual learning styles.

This can hinder students’ ability to explore their own interests, think critically, and develop problem-solving skills outside of the prescribed curriculum.

Inequality in Access and Support

Students from disadvantaged backgrounds may face challenges in completing homework due to limited access to resources such as textbooks, computers, or internet connectivity.

This inequality in access can widen the achievement gap and contribute to educational disparities.

Limited Time for Self-Reflection and Creativity

Excessive homework can leave little room for self-reflection, introspection, and creative expression. Students may feel compelled to prioritize completing assignments over exploring their own interests, pursuing independent projects, or engaging in self-directed learning.

Impact on Physical Health

Prolonged periods of sitting and excessive mental exertion associated with homework can contribute to sedentary behaviors and physical health issues.

lack of writing of physical activity and prolonged screen time can lead to a sedentary lifestyle, posture problems, eye strain, and musculoskeletal issues.

Loss of Autonomy and Personal Agency

Excessive homework can diminish students’ sense of autonomy and personal agency over their learning. When assignments are rigidly structured and dictate how, when, and what students must learn.

It limits their ability to explore topics of interest or pursue personalized learning pathways.

Negative Attitudes towards Learning

A heavy emphasis on homework can inadvertently foster negative attitudes towards learning. Students may associate education with stress, pressure, and repetitive tasks, leading to a disengagement from the learning process and a diminished desire to explore new ideas or develop a growth mindset.

Impact on Mental Health

The stress, anxiety, and pressure associated with homework can have a detrimental effect on students’ mental health. It can contribute to symptoms of depression, anxiety disorders, sleep disturbances, and overall emotional well-being.

Promoting a balanced approach to learning is crucial for safeguarding students’ mental health.

Overemphasis on Grades and Performance

Homework-centric education systems often prioritize grades and performance over holistic development and individual growth.

The focus on completing assignments for the sake of achieving high marks can overshadow the joy of learning, creativity, and the development of critical thinking skills.

Limitations for Multidimensional Assessment

Excessive homework may restrict teachers’ ability to assess students comprehensively. Relying heavily on homework as a primary mode of assessment can overlook other aspects of a student’s abilities, such as communication skills, creativity, problem-solving, and social-emotional development.

Alternative Approaches to Homework

In recent years, alternative approaches to learning have gained recognition for their potential to address the limitations and negative effects associated with traditional homework.

These approaches prioritize student well-being, engagement, and meaningful learning experiences. Here are some examples of alternative approaches that can enhance the educational landscape:

Project-Based Learning

Project-based learning involves students working on real-world projects or inquiries that promote critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.

Instead of assigning repetitive homework, educators design projects that allow students to apply their knowledge in practical contexts, fostering a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

Flipped Classroom

In a flipped classroom model, students access instructional materials, such as videos or readings, outside of class time. Classroom sessions are then dedicated to active learning, discussions, and hands-on activities.

This approach encourages students to engage with the content during class, receive immediate feedback, and collaborate with peers and teachers.

Experiential Learning

Experiential learning focuses on providing students with firsthand experiences to explore and understand concepts. Field trips, simulations, role-playing activities, and hands-on experiments are examples of experiential learning methods.

By actively engaging with the subject matter, students develop a deeper understanding and retain knowledge more effectively.

Personalized Learning

Personalized learning recognizes that students have unique learning styles, interests, and paces of learning. This approach tailors instruction to individual students’ needs, allowing them to progress at their own pace and explore topics of interest.

Adaptive technology, differentiated instruction, and individualized projects are key components of personalized learning.

Collaborative Learning

Collaborative learning emphasizes cooperation, teamwork, and peer interaction. Students work together in groups or pairs to solve problems, discuss ideas, and share knowledge.

This approach promotes social skills, communication, and the development of a supportive learning community.

Authentic Assessments

Authentic assessments go beyond traditional exams and quizzes. They assess students’ understanding and skills through real-world tasks and demonstrations of learning.

Portfolios , presentations, performances, and exhibitions are examples of authentic assessments that provide a more holistic view of students’ capabilities.

Mindfulness and Well-being Practices

Incorporating mindfulness techniques, such as breathing exercises , meditation, and reflection, into the learning environment can help students manage stress, enhance focus, and promote overall well-being.

Creating a positive and nurturing classroom environment is essential for fostering healthy learning experiences.

By embracing these alternative approaches, educators can create engaging and meaningful learning opportunities that cater to students’ diverse needs and promote their overall development.

These approaches not only mitigate the negative effects associated with traditional homework but also cultivate a lifelong love for learning and empower students to become active participants in their education.

In conclusion, the debate surrounding whether homework should be banned is a complex and multifaceted issue. While homework has long been seen as a fundamental part of education.

It is important to consider the potential negative effects it can have on students’ well-being, mental health, and overall learning experience.

The arguments against homework being assigned to students are rooted in the belief that it can lead to increased stress levels, limited free time for other activities, and a lack of opportunity for students to explore their own interests and develop essential life skills.

Banning homework would allow students to have a better balance between their academic responsibilities and personal lives. It would provide them with the opportunity to engage in extracurricular activities, pursue hobbies, and spend quality time with family and friends.

Additionally, it could encourage students to take ownership of their learning by fostering a love for knowledge rather than treating education as a mere checklist of assignments.

However, it is important to note that eliminating homework entirely may not be the most effective solution. Homework, when designed thoughtfully and aligned with the learning objectives, can reinforce concepts, encourage independent thinking, and develop crucial skills such as time management and self-discipline.

Therefore, a more balanced approach is necessary, focusing on quality over quantity and considering the individual needs and abilities of students.

Ultimately, the decision of whether homework should be banned or not should be based on comprehensive research, open dialogue between educators, students, and parents, and a deep understanding of the educational goals and needs of each student.

Striking a balance between academic responsibilities and overall well-being is crucial in fostering a positive and effective learning environment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will banning homework affect students’ academic performance negatively.

No, banning homework allows for alternative learning approaches that can enhance academic performance.

How can parents support their child’s education without homework?

Parents can engage in meaningful discussions about school topics, provide resources, and encourage active learning beyond the classroom.

What are the potential benefits of project-based learning?

Project-based learning promotes critical thinking, problem-solving, and the practical application of knowledge.

How can teachers ensure fairness in assessments without homework?

Teachers can implement various assessment methods, including formative assessments, presentations, and project evaluations, to gauge students’ progress fairly.

What steps can schools take to address the concerns of homework opponents?

Schools can establish open dialogues with parents, students, and educators, while exploring alternative approaches that prioritize student well-being and engagement.

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18 Advantages and Disadvantages of Homework Should Be Banned

Homework has been a part of the schooling experience for multiple generations. There are some lessons that are perfect for the classroom environment, but there are also some things that children can learn better at home. As a general rule, the maximum amount of time that a student should spend each day on lessons outside of school is 10 minutes per each grade level.

That means a first grader should spend about 10 minutes each night on homework. If you are a senior in high school, then the maximum limit would be two hours. For some students, that might still be too much extra time doing work. There are some calls to limit the amount of time spent on extra limits to 30 minutes per day at all of the older K-12 grades – and some are saying that homework should be banned outright.

Can teachers get all of the lessons taught in an appropriate way during the 1-2 hours per subject that they might get each day? Do parents have an opportunity to review what their children learn at school if none of the work ever gets brought back home?

There are several advantages and disadvantages of why homework should be banned from the current school structure.

List of the Advantages of Why Homework Should Be Banned

1. Homework creates a longer day for students than what parents work. There are times when parents need to bring work home with them after a long day of productivity, but this time is usually part of a compensation package. Students do not receive the same luxury. After spending 6-8 hours at school, there might be two more hours of homework to complete before getting through all of the assignments that are due. That means some kids are putting in a longer working day than their parents. This disadvantage means there are fewer moments for going outside, spending time with friends, or pursuing a hobby.

2. There is no guarantee of an improved academic outcome. Research studies provide conflicting results when looking at the impact of homework on a student’s life. Younger students may benefit from a complete ban so that they can separate their home and classroom experiences. Even older students who perform projects outside of the school benefit from time restrictions on this responsibility. Design flaws exist on both sides of the clinical work that looks at this topic, so there is no definitive scientific conclusion that points to a specific result. It may be better to err on the side of caution.

3. Homework restrictions reduce issues with classroom burnout for students. Homework stress is a significant problem in the modern classroom for K-12 students. Even kids in grade school are finding it a challenge to maintain their performance because of the pressure that daily assignments cause. About 1 in 4 teachers in North America say that there are direct adverse impacts that happen because of the amount of learning required of students today. It can also cause older students to drop out of school because they can’t stay caught up on the work that they need to do.

When students have a chance to have time to pursue interests outside of the classroom, then it can create healthier learning opportunities in the future for them.

4. Banning homework would give families more time to spend together. One in three American households with children say that the homework assignments that teachers give are the primary source of stress in their home. When kids must complete their work by a specific deadline, then there is less time for families to do activities together. Instead of scheduling their time around their free hours, they must balance homework requirements in their plans. There are even fewer moments for parents to be involved in the learning process because of the specific instructions that students must follow to stay in compliance with the assignment.

5. Student health is adversely impacted by too many homework assignments. Kids of any age struggle academically when they do not have opportunities to finish their homework by a specific deadline. It is not unusual for school administrators and some teachers to judge children based on their ability to turn work in on time. If a child has a robust work ethic and still cannot complete the work, the negative approach that they might encounter in the classroom could cause them to abandon their learning goals.

This issue can even lead to the development of mental health problems. It can reduce a child’s self-esteem, prevent them from learning essential learning skills, and disrupt their ability to learn new skills in other areas of life outside of the classroom. Even the risk of self-harm and suicide increase because of excessive homework. That’s why banning it could be a healthy choice for some people.

6. Banning homework would help students get more sleep. Teens need up to 10 hours of sleep each night to maximize their productivity. Students in grade school can need up to 12 hours nightly as well. When homework assignments are necessary and time consuming, then this issue can eat into the amount of rest that kids get each night. Every assignment given to a K-12 student increases their risks of losing at least one hour of sleep per night. This issue can eventually lead to sleep deficits that can create chronic learning issues. It may even lead to problems with emotional control, obesity, and attention problems. Banning homework would remove the issue entirely.

7. It would encourage dynamic learning opportunities. There are some homework projects that students find to be engaging, such as a science fair project or another hands-on assignment. Many of the tasks that students must complete for their teachers involves repetition instead. You might see grade school students coming home with math sheets with 100 or more problems for them to solve. Reading assignments are common at all grades. Instead of learning the “why” behind the information they learn, the goal with homework is usually closer to memorization that it is to self-discovery. That’s why it can be challenging to retain the data that homework provides.

8. Banning homework would provide more time for peer socialization. Students who are only spending time in school before going home to do homework for the rest of the evening are at a higher risk of experiencing isolation and loneliness. When these sentiments are present in the life of a child, then they are more likely to experience physical and mental health concerns that lead to shyness and avoidance.

These students lack essential connections with other people because of their need to complete homework. The adverse impact on the well being of a child is the equivalent of smoking more than a pack of cigarettes each day. If kids are spending time all of their time on homework, then they are not connecting with their family and friends.

9. Some students do not have a home environment that’s conducive to homework. Although some kids can do their homework in a tranquil room without distress, that is not the case for most children. Numerous events happen at home that can shift a child’s attention away from the homework that their teacher wants them to complete. It isn’t just the TV, video games, and the Internet which are problematic either. Family problems, chores, an after-school job, and team sports can make it problematic to get the assignments finished on time.

Banning homework equalizes the playing field because teachers can control the classroom environment. They do not have control over when, where, or how their students complete assignments away from school.

10. It would eliminate the assignment of irrelevant work. Homework can be a useful tool when teachers use it in targeted ways. There are times when these assignments are handed out for the sake of giving out busy work. If the content of the work is irrelevant to the lessons in the classroom, then it should not be handed out. It is unreasonable to expect that a student can generate excellent grades on work that is barely covered in the classroom.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development reports that given students just four hours of take-home assignments per week has a detrimental impact on individual productivity. The average U.S. high school already pushes that limit by offering 3.5 hours of extra assignments per week.

List of the Disadvantages of Why Homework Should Be Banned

1. Teachers can see if students understand the materials being taught. Homework allows a teacher to determine if a student has a grasp on the materials being taught in the classroom. Tests and school-based activities can provide this information as well, but not in the same way. If the data sticks outside of the educational setting, then this is an excellent indication that the process was effective for that individual. If there are gaps in knowledge that occur in the homework, then the learning process can become individualized to ensure the best possible results for each child.

2. Homework can reduce the stress and anxiety of test-taking. Students often study for tests at home to ensure that they can pass with an acceptable grade. Walking into a classroom only prepared with the notes and memories of previous lessons can create high levels of fear that could impact that child’s final result. Banning homework could place more pressure on kids to succeed than what they currently experience today. This disadvantage would also create more labels in the classroom based on the performance of each child in unfair ways. Some students excel in a lecture-based environment, but others do better at home where there are fewer distractions.

3. Assignments can be an effective way to discover learning disabilities. Kids do an excellent job of hiding their struggles in the classroom from adults. They use their disguises as a coping mechanism to help them blend in when they feel different. That behavior can make it a challenge to identify students who many benefit from a different learning approach in specific subjects. By assigning homework to each child periodically, there are more opportunities to identify the issues that can hold some people back. Then the teachers can work with the families to develop alternative learning plans that can make the educational process better for each student because individual assignments eliminate the ability to hide.

4. Parents are more involved in the learning process because of homework. Parents need to know what their children are learning in school. Even if they ask their kids about what they are learning, the answers tend to be given in generalities. Without specific examples from the classroom, it is challenging to stay involved in a student’s educational process.

By sending homework from the school, it allows the entire family to encounter the assignments that their kids are doing when they are in school during the day. Then there is more adult involvement with the learning process, reinforcing the core ideas that were discovered by their kids each day.

5. Homework provides opportunities for students to use deeper research. The average classroom in the United States provides less than 60 minutes of instruction for each subject daily. Generalist teachers in grade school might skip certain subjects on some days as well. When there are homework assignments going home, then it creates more chances to use the tools at home to learn more about what is happening at school. Taking a deeper look at specific subjects or lessons through independent study can lead to new thoughts or ideas that may not occur in the classroom environment. This process can eventually lead to a better understanding of the material.

6. The homework process requires time management and persistence to be successful. Students must learn core life skills as part of the educational process. Time management skills are one of the most useful tools that can be in a child’s life toolbox. When you know how to complete work by a deadline consistently, then this skill can translate to an eventual career. Homework can also teach students how to solve complex problems, understand current events, or tap into what they are passionate about in life. By learning from an early age that there are jobs that we sometimes need to do even if we don’t want to them, the persistence lessons can translate into real successes later in life.

7. Assignments make students accountable for their role in the educational process. Teachers cannot force a student to learn anything. There must be a desire present in the child to know more for information retention to occur. An education can dramatically improve the life of a child in multiple ways. It can lead to more income opportunities, a greater understanding of the world, and how to establish a healthy routine. By offering homework to students, teachers are encouraging today’s kids how to be accountable for their role in their own education. It creates opportunities to demonstrate responsibility by proving that the work can be done on time and to a specific quality.

8. It creates opportunities to practice time management. There can be problems with homework for some students when they are heavily involved in extra-curricular activities. If you give a child two hours of homework after school and they have two hours of commitments to manage at the same time, then there are some significant challenges to their time management to solve. Time really is a finite commodity. If we are unable to manage it in wise ways, then our productivity levels are going to be limited in multiple ways. Creating a calendar with every responsibility and commitment helps kids and their families figure out ways to manage everything while pushing the learning process forward.

Verdict of the Advantages and Disadvantages of Banning Homework

Some students thrive on the homework they receive from their teachers each day. There are also some kids that struggle to complete even basic assignments on time because of their home environment. How can we find a balance between the two extremes so that every child can receive the best possible chance to succeed?

One solution is to ban homework entirely. Although taking this action would require teachers and parents to be proactive in their communication, it could help to equalize the educational opportunities in the classroom.

Until more research occurs in this area, the advantages and disadvantages of banning homework are subjective. If you feel that your child would benefit from a reduced workload, then speak with the teacher to see if this is an option. For teens and older students, there is always the option to pursue a different form of education, such as a vocational school or an apprenticeship, if the traditional classroom doesn’t seem to be working.

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Should Homework Really Be Banned? It’s Complicated

By Leon Wilczek Categories: People & Society June 3, 2023, 8:42 AM

Should homework be banned? Every student has asked themselves this question. Is homework actually just annoying or does it also provide some benefits?

Should homework be banned? Once you’ve been out of school for some time, this question doesn’t even seem relevant until you have children of your own. That said, some believe that homework serves a number of important purposes, such as:

• Practice: Doing your homework allows you to put what you learned in class into practice and improve. To make sure you comprehend the information, it works like extra practice.
• Independent learning: Doing your homework helps you to be in charge of your own education. You gain the crucial ability of time management and independent learning.
• Preparation for class: Occasionally, homework helps you get ready for the upcoming lesson. Before a topic is covered in class, you might read up on it or conduct some research to find out more information. You’ll be able to participate in conversations in class better as a result.
• Feedback and evaluation: Teachers use homework to determine your level of comprehension of the subject. They can offer you comments on your work and support you if you are having problems.
• Involvement of parents: Parents have the opportunity to have a glimpse into their learning and academic performance. Homework can give them the chance to participate in their child’s education and can assist them if they need it.

There are many differing opinions about homework. While some think having too much homework can be detrimental, others think that it’s crucial for learning. Let’s have a closer look at the positive and negative aspects of homework while we consider if homework should be banned. 

Benefits of Homework

Next to the number of purposes listed above there are some more benefits of homework that speak for keeping homework as a part of the learning process:

• Learning skills: Homework can help in the development of vital abilities. It enhances your ability of analysis, critical thought, and problem-solving. You gain knowledge on how to apply what you’ve studied to actual circumstances.
• Time management and responsibility: Doing your homework teaches you how to be responsible and manage your time. You develop the time management skills necessary for academic and personal success by completing assignments on time.
• Independent learning: Homework inspires independent learning. You can look into many subjects, conduct research, and learn more. This encourages your curiosity, motivation, and independence as a learner.
• Exam preparation: Homework helps you get ready for exams. It provides you with practice and helps you understand concepts better. It may enhance your performance on tests as a result.
• Extension of learning: Homework lets you explore topics more deeply. You can do extra research and learn more about the things that interest you. This helps you understand the subject better.
• Improved memory: Homework helps with the retention of classroom material. Doing extra practice at home makes the information stick in your brain longer.
• Connecting school and home:  Homework enables you to discover how the lessons you learn in class connect to your daily life. It enables you to put what you’ve learned into practice and discuss it with your family.

In general, there are many benefits of homework that speak against the question “Should homework be banned?”. But let us have a look at the opposing sides of homework before drawing any conclusions.

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Negative Effects of Homework

While there are certainly many advantages, it’s important to consider some of the potential negative effects of homework as well. Here are some aspects to consider when wondering if homework should be banned:

• Mental health: An excessive amount of schoolwork might leave students feeling worn out and frustrated. It might be exhausting and leave you with little time for leisure or other enjoyable pursuits.
• Lack of balance: Homework takes up a lot of time, meaning students have less time for hobbies, sports, and time with family and friends. It might be challenging to achieve a balanced lifestyle.
• Unequal access:  Not every student can access the same materials at home. Some people might not have access to computers, the internet or a peaceful space to study. This may make it more difficult to finish assignments.
• Achievement gaps: Different schools and teachers may have different expectations for homework, which can affect how well students learn. Students who have less support or fewer resources may struggle to keep up, widening the gap between privileged and marginalized students.
• Physical health: Too much time spent on schoolwork might result in long periods of sitting. This can affect mental and physical health and lead to problems like elevated stress levels or sleep deprivation.
• Loss of interest and creativity: If students have too much schoolwork, they may not have time for hobbies or creative interests. It might diminish their love of learning new things and make it seem like work.

As one can see, homework has a substantial impact on learners, especially when they are children. Let’s draw a conclusion based on the positive and negative aspects we just explored.

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Should Homework Be Banned? A Conclusion

All in all, perhaps homework shouldn’t be banned completely, but it needs to be considered in a fair and balanced way. Here are some important points to remember that take the individual needs and resources of students into account:

• Everyone is different: Every person is unique, and each student learns differently. Homework should be personalized to meet each student’s needs and abilities.
• Homework should have a purpose: The goal of homework should be to reinforce the lessons learned in class. It should be meaningful. Students should have the chance to put their knowledge to use and gain a deeper understanding of the situation.
• The workload should be reasonable: Students shouldn’t be given so much homework that it becomes overwhelming. It’s crucial to have a balance so that they have time for other activities and don’t get too stressed.
• Fairness for everyone: Not every student’s family has the same resources. All students should be able to access and finish their assignments, and teachers should take this into account. Those that require it should receive additional assistance.
• Different learning styles: Homework should be adaptable so that students show their understanding in various ways. Additionally, it’s essential for teachers and professors to provide students with feedback and support when they require it.
• Physical and mental health is important: Students shouldn’t feel overburdened or that their time is completely consumed with homework. Make time for enjoyable activities and build in self-care days . 

Homework should be given with the intention of assisting in your growth and learning. It needs to be reasonable, fair, and adjusted to individual requirements. While doing homework, keep in mind to take breaks and take care of yourself as well.

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Why Homework Should Be Banned: 9 Reasons Must be Discussed

Do you agree or disagree on why homework should be banned?  Should homework be made unfair? Many parents believe that professors or teachers give their students more assignments than they can handle. We will discuss reasons why homework should be banned.

As we all know, in today’s world maximum children are busy with homework, especially if they need to do that on mobile. That is why they don’t have proper time to engage in physical activities like playing outdoor games. Many students need to do online assignments, so they need to look at mobile phones or laptops. This can also be bad for children’s eye health. And there are many more issues related to children’s health that are why this is important to discuss why homework should be banned. 

Let us start with basic questions that are important to discuss before getting into the topic. Many parents think homework plays an essential role in students’ lives. So after analyzing a lot of things, we will include the pros and cons of doing homework. Let us continue with why homework should be banned. 

9 Major Reasons Why Homework Should Be Banned

Table of Contents

Here are 9 reasons why homework should be banned which are as follows:

1. Children’s Physical Health

This is the most crucial point I would bring up first on why homework should be banned. When a teacher gives homework to students, it is fairly typical for them to take their time completing it. It can take several hours to finish. As a result, children don’t have much time to play. As we all know, outdoor games are essential for children’s physical and mental development. 

Homework is an important component of academic achievement in and out of the classroom, but too much of it can ruin your development. Students who used to spend excessive amounts of time on homework may find it difficult to meet other tasks, such as being physically and socially active. So this is an important point that must be considered on why homework should be banned.

2. It Is A Full-Time Task To Go To School

Many children’s schools start at 8:00 a.m. or even earlier and end at 3:00 p.m. or later. Every day, students attend school for around 7 hours. Meanwhile, students must prepare for school, attend school, and return home, which takes a significant amount of time.

When you factor in extracurricular activities, children are forced to compete and succeed in society, such as cram school, musical instrument study, and sports participation. 

Many parents complain that children easily spend more than 10 hours each day on school-related activities. All of this amounts to the maximum amount of time a youngster can spend in a day. As a result, they will accomplish that much homework across all disciplines as a student. As a result, homework should be banned.

3. Students Are Stressed Out By Homework

This brings us to the third reason why homework should be banned. Homework can be a source of anxiety. According to a Stanford University poll, homework is a significant source of stress for 56 percent of youngsters. Only 1% of students, on the other hand, say that homework is not a significant source of stress.

No schoolwork, without a doubt, means no stress. If students don’t have homework, they don’t have to waste time sitting at their desks, exhausted, and wondering if they turned in all of their assignments. As a result, a student’s fantasy of having no schoolwork has come true.

Homework reduces their revision time, which might negatively impact their test grades. This will harm the student’s reputation, but many people don’t realize that it will also harm the school’s reputation.

The parents of the students then conclude that the school’s teaching is poor, and they may decide to send their child to a different school! The school’s popularity may decrease over time, and the simplest way to prevent this is to ban homework.

Furthermore, more than 80% of students have stress-related symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, sleep deprivation, weight loss, and gastrointestinal problems. Homework may be to blame for these aggravating stress and health problems.

4. Don’t Have Enough Time For Yourself

This brings us to the 4th reason why homework should be banned. Students who spend excessive time on schoolwork do not meet their developmental goals or learn other essential life skills. Extracurricular activities like various students spending time in athletics, musical instruments, and other activities are less likely to pursue by students who have too much homework.

Furthermore, if children spend all of their time doing homework, they may not develop essential life skills such as independence, cooking, time management, or even social interaction.

Many students feel forced to place a greater emphasis on homework than on discovering and developing other skills or talents. Without schoolwork, children would be able to devote more time to their hobbies, such as dancing, playing video games, and painting, while still functioning as adults in society.

5. There Is No Genuine Benefit To Doing Homework

This brings us to the 5th reason why homework should be banned. Teachers feel that giving students more homework will help them grow and learn. However, this is not the case. Students are less motivated to know if they have a lot of homework.

As a result, homework turns into a devil, forcing children into a corner of anxiety rather than motivating them to learn more. Many students used to spend too much time doing school homework has been linked to lower academic achievement. Despite the fact that homework can help you get better grades, it usually has diminishing returns. 

6. There Will Be No Family Time

This brings us to the 6th reason why homework should be banned. Today’s parents’ biggest issue is that they do not spend nearly enough time with their children. Kids start focusing on their schoolwork and projects as soon as they get home, and they barely have time to chat with their families because they’re so fatigued.

Those constantly focusing on schoolwork miss out on quality time with their families, shared evenings, weekend activities, and dinners. However, more time would be available for family bonding without homework, bringing families closer together.

7. A Regular Sleep Cycle

The 7th reason I feel on why homework should be banned from all schools worldwide is that it disrupts children’s sleep cycles, potentially resulting in harmful or annoying health conditions. Some may argue that the student is to blame for sleeping late.

It’s no wonder that kids are working late at night on homework when you consider travel hours, dining times, family gathering times, and so on. They haven’t noticed or taken into account that the majority of students live a long distance from school!

8. There Is A Lack Of Support

This brings us to the 8th reason why homework should be banned. It is a key reason why homework should be prohibited. Many schools or college teachers fail to express many things needed to perform the task during class, which is considered one of the most compelling grounds for forbidding homework.

Parents are unable to assist in all aspects of their children’s lives. Sometimes some students lack the essential experience to help, and they also have work to finish. Professional internet services are the only companies that can help students with their academic work.

9. Homework Is a Type of Irrelevant Content

If you think writing your homework is good, whether your homework is relevant or not. Then it is totally wrong. There is no meaning in writing irrelevant content as your homework. However, if homework has nothing to do with your topic, then it should be banned. Or we can say that you must assign only relevant material to the students as a teacher. 

This will automatically help them in improving their grades. This is the ninth reason why homework should be banned.

Is Homework Slavery: Can Homework Be Considered Slavery? 

Some people might think that is homework slavery so let’s find out. We can’t say that homework is slavery because there is no legal definition to support it. On the other hand, homework is assigned to students without their permission. If you equate this to slavery, then it is considered an argument that will fall under legal inspection.

If you consider homework slavery, you must prove something. For example, you have to prove that the instructor or teacher enjoys the economic benefits of your homework or when you complete the assignment given by teachers. 

However, teachers don’t get any financial benefits. The main aim of homework is to help students get better academic results. 

Homework is nothing but a privilege. The only thing you can say is that it is almost the direct opposite of slavery. But, too much homework for the students makes them overburdened. As a result, the students get stressed. 

If you still believe that homework doesn’t contribute positively to your career, you can state your case to the relevant authorities.

Does Homework Cause Stress: Everything You Need To Know

Extra assignments given to students by schools may lead to an imbalance in stress levels. Yes, I know students need to learn in class in order to get good academic results, but they also get some time to explore other things and chill and relax.

Imagine you’re working in an office. Your boss gives you some extra tasks to complete within a given deadline. How would you feel? Well, it is obvious to many people that you feel very stressed. That’s what a sixth or eighth-grade student feels.

As per the survey by Stanford University, almost 56 percent of the students think that homework causes stress and is the primary cause. On the other hand, the remaining students believe that getting good grades on tests can cause mental illness and lead to stress or anxiety.

Only one percent of the students think that homework or academic tests do not cause any stress, which is remarkable.

In Which State Is Homework Illegal?

In all states of the United States, there is no law banning homework, and it is legal. There is no state law prohibiting them. 

However, schools in different states of the US have their own rules about homework. Some schools have banned homework, while others limit the amount of homework given to students. 

Where homework is limited in the US:

• Connecticut

How Can Parents Help Their Children to Get Better Academic Marks? 

You might be wondering how you, as a parent, can help your children learn and get good academic grades. So, how can you boost their achievements?

Listed below are five ways to boost their academics. 

1. Engaged with your children

You can do that by asking your child what they’re learning in school.

2. Don’t forget to give some extra free time 

Give some free time to your child in order to develop creativity, problem-solving skills, and curiosity. 

3. You can teach your child formally

Start teaching your child more formally, which means that you can involve your child in some other projects instead of homework. This can be an excellent learning experience. Creating some bonding with your children is a good way to teach anything to your child.

4. Do not be overly involved with your child’s homework

Suppose you want good academic results from your children. Give them some space to study alone. You can do that by giving your children a well-designed and comfortable area for studying.

5. You can communicate with the child’s teacher

There are many reasons why you want to be in contact with your child’s teacher. If your child is having academic difficulties, you can talk with their teacher to find the best solutions so that your child does not have the same problem.

Homework Should Be Banned Agree Or Disagree: Debate

On the one hand, those who believe homework should be banned argue that it causes stress, anxiety, and even depression in students. Homework often takes up a significant amount of time and can interfere with other important activities, such as spending time with family and participating in extracurricular activities. Additionally, some students may not have access to resources at home, making it difficult to complete assignments. Proponents of banning homework believe that students would benefit from more free time and less pressure, allowing them to explore their interests and engage in activities that support their well-being.

On the other hand, those who argue against banning homework believe it is necessary to reinforce concepts learned in the classroom and develop important skills, such as time management and responsibility. Homework also helps students prepare for exams and can be an important factor in determining their grades. Furthermore, homework supporters argue that it is a crucial aspect of education and that students who do not complete it may fall behind their peers. Therefore, homework should continue to be assigned appropriately, focusing on quality rather than quantity.

As a result, it depends on the individual’s choice. If you find homework beneficial, then homework is good for you. Otherwise, your opinion is like “Homework Should Be Banned.”.

To conclude, why homework is banned many parents think homework is beneficial because it can help you improve your grades, learn new content, and prepare for tests. However, it isn’t always advantageous. A student’s perception of the subject may be tainted by pointless busywork homework (not to mention a teacher). This blog has explained why homework should be prohibited. The benefits and drawbacks of giving assignments after school was discussed. The majority of college students support such chores, and students should make every effort to complete their responsibilities.

If you need any assistance related to your homework, feel free to contact our experts. We offer various assignment help services such as math assignment help , probability assignment help , statistics assignment help , and many more. Don’t hesitate to call us.

Q1. Is homework harmful to one’s mental health?

We know what stress can do to our bodies, adding that staying up late to do projects leads to sleep disruption and tiredness. To overcome stress to can play games and do other physical activities.

Q2. Why do students hate doing their homework?

Students despise homework for various reasons, including the belief that it should only be utilized as extra practice for students who need it or to study for examinations and quizzes when possible. In addition, schoolwork can be overwhelming. It can result in weariness, stress, and various other issues.

Q3. What Are Some Weird Facts About Homework?

Here are some weird facts about homework which are as follows:

1. Homework can cause anxiety and stress.  2. There is no dought that homework is dangerous for student’s social life. 3. Homework can cause burnout. 4. There is no official research on why homework is beneficial to students. 5. Homework can replace some major parts of studying.

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Why (Most) Homework Should Be Banned

The 30-minute rule is there to justify giving a lot of homework

Anthony Malcolm ‘23 , Staff Writer December 8, 2022

There are plenty of reasons why (most) homework should be banned. I’ll start out with some general facts and look at homework in general, then go into some detail about our school.

Stanford conducted a study surveying over 4,300 students in 10 high performing high schools in California. More than 70% of the students said they were “often or always stressed over schoolwork,” with 56% claiming that homework was the main stressor. But here’s the kicker: Less than 1% said homework was not a stressor. 

The researchers then asked the students if they had exhibited symptoms of stress like headaches, exhaustion, sleep deprivation, weight loss, and stomach problems. More than 80% of the students reported at least one stress related symptom recently and 44% claimed they experienced 3 or more symptoms. The study also found that students who spend a lot of time working on homework experience more stress, physical health problems, and a lack of balance in their lives. The study claimed that any more than 2 hours of homework per night was counterproductive, and that the students who spent too much time on homework were more likely to not participate in activities and hobbies, and stop seeing friends and family. 

A smaller NYU study claimed that students at elite high schools are susceptible to chronic stress, emotional exhaustion, and alcohol and drug abuse. About half of the students said they received at least 3 hours of homework a night on top of being pressured to take college level classes and participate in extracurricular activities (sound familiar?). The study claims that many of the students felt they were being worked as hard as adults, and they said that their workload seemed inappropriate for their development level. The study reported that the students felt that they had little time for relaxing and hobbies. More than two thirds of students said they used alcohol or drugs, primarily marijuana, to cope with the stress.

Back to the Stanford study for a second; many of the students claimed that the homework was “pointless” or “mindless.” The study argues that homework should have a purpose and benefit, which should be to cultivate learning. One of the main reasons is that school feels like a full-time job at this point. We, as in BC High students, are in school from 8:25 till 2:40; most of us have some sort of extracurricular activity on top of that, and most of us have significant commutes, which means we are getting home much later. On top of a rigorous day at school, an afterschool activity, and a commute, we have to deal with a varying amount of homework every night. Sometimes it is 2 hours, sometimes 3, sometimes even 4. I will give you an example of a day in my life last year to provide a specific example, because we are not a one size fits all community. 

I live in Middleboro and Bridgewater, so I ride the train to school which takes 50 minutes to an hour. A spring day last year would start by waking up at 5:30 and then leaving my house to get to the train at 6:30-6:35, getting on the train at 6:50, getting off the train at 7:50, and arriving at the school before classes started at 8:20. I would go through the school day and stay after for track practice. After track, I would most likely get on the train at 5:00 and get home at 6:15. I would eat dinner, shower, and then start my homework around 7:30-8, and usually I would finish somewhere between 10:30ish to 11:30ish. Can you see how that can be misconstrued as a full-time job?

Some of you might be thinking (especially any teacher reading this), why didn’t you use the 30-minute rule? Well, because most (and I mean MOST) of the time the 30-minute rule is an ineffective rule that justifies giving students a lot of homework. If you use the 30-minute rule and don’t finish a homework assignment, it still has to be completed sometime, and you’ll be behind in class. It is only effective when a teacher plans for the 30-minute rule and tells you to stop at 30 minutes to get an idea of how long an assignment takes their students. The 30-minute rule is there to justify giving a lot of homework because if you say in class that the homework took a long time, you will probably be told about the 30-minute rule. But if you used the 30-minute rule, you would have an unfinished homework assignment which means, depending on the class, you would be lost and behind, and you would still have to do it at some point. If you should have to justify giving a lot of homework, then it is probably too much. 

Parker, Clifton B. “Stanford Research Shows Pitfalls of Homework.” Stanford University , 10 Mar. 2014, http://news.stanford.edu/news/2014/march/too-much-homework-031014.html . 

Communications, NYU Web. NYU Study Examines Top High School Students’ Stress and Coping Mechanisms . http://www.nyu.edu/content/nyu/en/about/news-publications/news/2015/august/nyu

-study-examines-top-high-school-students-stress-and-coping-mechanisms . 

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20 Reasons Why Homework Should Be Banned

• Post author By admin
• September 19, 2022

Colleges and schools give a lot of homework to students. Students often do it incorrectly because they don’t have enough information and knowledge. Sometimes students get new and unknown tasks to complete. Even at home, students are unable to find anyone to assist.

These types of practices make things worse. Facts are overwhelming nowadays, which is one of the reasons why homework should be banned. Today’s parents are too busy with their responsibilities to run their families effectively. They are frequently unable to teach their students about the subjects.

These factors leave a student alone to gather knowledge and do homework. When these students return to school the next day, their teachers may punish or scold them for their poor presentation.

Table of Contents

Why Homework Should Be Banned

We can’t say that homework is not important, homework also has its importance , but that does not mean that it is too necessary. It creates many types of problems for students and their parents, which is why people demand to ban homework.

These are some of the reasons why homework should be banned -:

Homework Restricts A Student’s Freedom

• No Time For Exercises
• No Time To Play Outdoor Games

Often Breaks Students’ Confidence

Homework doing not an achievement, most homework creates bad habits, less time to spend with family members, conflict with parents, downtime at home, negative impact on tests, writing has different effects, extra challenges, homework causes depression, homework provides no real benefit, too much homework means not enough time for yourself, school is a full-time job, no real impact on performance, irrelevant content.

In most cases, children do not want to get up early in the morning. When they sleep for long periods and wake up late in the morning, they feel more relaxed and energetic. The best time for students to spend more time in bed is during the holidays. If kids are assigned homework during the holidays, it becomes a painful task. Students must finish assignments on time, regardless of the consequences. In any case, they must study every day. This is the first reason why homework should be banned.

No Time For Exercises 

Exercises are suitable for people of all ages. Persons of any age group can do activities. Students go to school, spend hours there, and then return home. They don’t have a lot of time to become fresh and eat. Most students go to their rooms to rest before beginning to work on their homework. They are busy doing school homework at home during the week and on weekends. This is the second reason why homework should be banned.

No Time To Play Outdoor Games 

More students take part in home activities these days. Students do not have enough free time to participate in sports. They’re on their way out the door to finish their homework. Parents have been unable to discover a solution to this problem. They have all of these headaches and are exhausted. The clock runs its way, and by the time they’ve finished, it’s bedtime. This is the third reason why homework should be banned.

Homework cannot be achieved without the use of the tool. Nobody can judge a student’s ability just on their homework. Many students are unfamiliar with the topic and how to complete it correctly. If you provide incorrect information, you will be misusing the concepts you are familiar with. Facts are overpowering, which is why homework should be banned.

Suppose many students do it incorrectly and that several teachers make fun of them in class. Because of uncultured experts, it occurs in many schools. Such activities will break students’ confidence. Regardless, teachers should assist students in gaining a thorough comprehension of concepts and showing how to apply them to the subject. This is the fourth reason why homework should be banned.

Students who complete homework according to a teacher’s instructions will not succeed. If you spend all of your time studying and working hard on your lesson, you will not have enough time to do other tasks. It becomes boring for you. It has the potential to impact the causal relationship with others. Doing homework is not a learning process. Students treat homework as though it were a competition with their classmates. This is the fifth reason why homework should be banned.

If a student continues to work on homework, additional study time for another topic will be added to the stack. You will be unable to study and read due to a lack of time. Many students treat homework as though it were a daily task. Homework rarely motivates students. They have no idea what the topic is and finish it without any motivation. This is why homework should be banned because it is discouraging. This is the sixth reason why homework should be banned.

A student’s hours are consumed by their homework load. For a child to grasp the relationships between different persons, family time is crucial when they are young. It reduces the amount of time that children must spend with their families. It helps form social bonds and teaches them how to live in society. This is the seventh reason why homework should be banned.

Students frequently refuse to do homework or study. They are exhausted and wish to rest. This might lead to a disagreement between children and their parents. Parents never want to scold their children, but situations force them to do so. This is the eighth reason why homework should be banned.

Homework Can Encourage Cheating

When students have a large amount of work to complete in a short amount of time, they copy from other students. This attempt to duplicate leads to them learning how to cheat effectively such that teachers are unable to differentiate between the two works. If a teacher finds both works similar, they may punish both. With the availability of generative AI writing tools like ChatGPT that assist in making interactive brochures and other homework related tasks. This can get students into a lot of trouble with writing assignments being detected by an accurate AI content detector . This is why homework should be banned. This is the ninth reason why homework should be banned.

Also Read -: Best Homework Songs to Listen

After 8 hours in class, 2 hours of homework is a punishment. Professors should provide students with more unscheduled time. Going outside, hanging out with friends, joining hobby organizations, supporting parents, and, yes, watching TV and playing video games all make children feel like kids. This is the tenth reason why homework should be banned.

One of the main reasons homework should be banned is that many teachers cannot provide all the information needed to finish the lesson during class. Parents also can’t help their children with all tasks. The friends of students lack the experience to assist them. Online assignment companies are the options for them. They only can help students with their homework of any level. This is the eleventh reason why homework should be banned.

Even though students understand the subject, the lack of writing or research skills can cause them to fail the entire course, and many teachers do nothing to help them. This is the twelth reason why homework should be banned.

It is challenging for students who juggle their business schedules with activities after classes, internships, and part-time jobs to keep up. They are exhausted at the end of the day. This is the thirteen reason why homework should be banned.

Having too much homework can negatively affect students’ mental and physical health. Five-six per cent of students say their homework is the primary source of stress and exhaustion, according to a Stanford University study. Lack of sleep, headaches, and weight loss can result from too much homework. This is the fourteen reason why homework should be banned.

Many teachers believe that students will become better and remember more if they give them more homework. However, this is not always the case, as more homework results in students not learning. Students are being pushed into a corner of stress by homework instead of using it as a tool to encourage them to learn more.

A lot of homework negatively impacts academic performance. Although homework can contribute to higher grades, it mostly has diminishing returns. This is the fifteen reasons why homework should be banned.

Students who spend too much time on homework fail to develop their life skills and developmental needs. A student who has too much homework is more likely to avoid participating in activities outside of school, such as sports, music, etc.

Additionally, if students spend all their time doing homework, they may not develop essential life skills, such as independence, cooking skills, time management, or social skills.

Most students feel forced to prioritize their homework over discovering and developing other skills and talents. By not having homework, they could spend more time on their interests, such as dancing, video gaming, and painting, thus fitting into society as they grow older. This is the sixteen reason why homework should be banned.

For most kids in Taiwan, school begins at 8 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m. or later. Each day, kids put in about 9 hours of work into their education. Students do extracurricular activities to compete and survive in society, such as attending cram school, learning musical instruments, and participating in sports. They quickly spend more than 10 hours a day engaged in school-related activities. This is the seventeenth reason why homework should be banned.

In 4 hours of weekly home-taken assignments, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) discovered that spending more time on education has no effect on productivity. This is the eighteen reason why homework should be banned.

If homework has nothing to do with the topic or subject being studied, it should be banned. It’s unethical to assign homework that students haven’t completed in class and expect good grades. This is the nineteen reason why homework should be banned.

Also read : Is Homework Illegal AnyWhere?

20 Other Reasons about Why Homework Should be Banned

These are the 20 reasons because of why homework should be banned:

• Waste time of Students
• It affects the physical health of students
• It affects the mental health of students
• Homework does not provide practical knowledge
• Homework creates the habit of Procrastination in children
• Because of homework children starts hating study
• It forces children to work like a robot
• Homework is boring
• Does not help that much in study
• It creates the habit of memorizing concepts in the students
• Children start thinking of their parents and teachers as a villain
• Homework creates pressure on the students
• No time left for students to learn something new
• Homework repeats the already taught concepts of school
• The teacher gives a lot of homework to students
• It increases the daily tasks of the students
• Another burden on the students
• No family time left for the students
• It makes students feel like a puppet
• Students lose their confidence if they fail to do their homework.

List Of The Pros Of Banning Homework

Homework Does Not Improve Student Academic Performance.

The reality of homework for modern students is that we don’t know if assigning an extra task outside of class is helpful. Each study contains several flaws, resulting in unreliable data & Students also search for someone to do their homework online. Some research suggests that students in secondary schools or higher can benefit from little homework; banning it for younger students may make sense for their learning experience.

Banning Homework Can Reduce Burnout Among Students.

Today, teachers are paying more attention to homework stress in the classroom. Over 25% of grade school professors say that they have seen students stressed out by homework. When students are dealing with the impact of homework, it can have a tremendous negative impact.

It Can Help You Spend More Time With Your Family.

 Homework creates a noticeable disruption to family connections. It not only cuts down on time spent with family, but it also reduces the opportunities for parents to teach their values and talents to their children. Over half of North American parents say they’ve had a significant disagreement with their children about schoolwork in the last month. Homework is identified as the leading source of trouble in one-third of families.

It Can Reduce The Negative Impact Of Homework On The Student’s Health.

When students fail to complete a homework assignment on time, they suffer mental distress. When the outcome occurs, assumptions are frequently made about the student’s time management skills, but the reasons are usually more complex. It may be too challenging, tedious, or uninteresting, or there may be insufficient time in the day to finish the task. When students fail in this area, it can lead to serious mental health problems. It can discourage a desire to learn in students. Some people believe they are intellectual failures who will never live a good life.

Why Homework is good

Here are a few reasons why homework is good .

• Increase Memory Power.
• Enhances Concentration.
• Homework Strengthens Problem-Solving.
• Helps in Developing Analytical Skills.
• Discipline Skills.

Also read : Who Invented Homework And Why? Best Facts You Should Know

List Of The Cons Of Banning Homework

Homework can assist parents and educators in determining a child’s learning skills..

Many children develop a self-defense strategy that helps them fit in with the other students in their class. This procedure allows them to hide learning problems that may be hindering their academic achievement. Because children cannot hide their learning problems while working one-on-one with their parents on specific subjects, homework allows teachers and parents to uncover this problem. By banning homework, you’re removing half of the opportunity to spot possible issues right away.

It Teaches Students How To Manage Their Time Effectively.

As people get older, they recognize that time is a limited resource. To increase productivity, it is critical to managing time wisely. Homework is an excellent technique to encourage the development of abilities in children as early as school. The trick is to keep the time allocated for work to a minimum. Students should spend 10 minutes on schoolwork and plan their schedules accordingly. If a student is having trouble creating a program, the family should provide them with the opportunity to do so.

Homework Allows Parents To Participate In Their Children’s Education.

Parents must be aware of what their children are learning in school. Even when a parent inquires about their children’s learning, the response is more generic than precise. Parents will see and experience their children’s growth in what they are doing while they are at school throughout the day if work is sent home from the classroom. Parents can readily participate in the learning process to reinforce their children’s essential concepts every day.

Is Homework Good or Bad?

What are your thoughts on whether is homework good or bad ? It is essential to consult with students and their parents. Parents work hard to keep track of their children’s progress in every field. When it comes to family tours and celebrations, homework becomes a source of frustration. The majority of homework takes up a child’s spare time. To live, it’s not enough to breathe. More is required for a student to have a happy childhood and grow peacefully. It would help if you understood why homework should be banned.

Another point to consider is that homework is not an after-school activity. Parents provide tutors for their children who are having difficulty with their homework. This keeps a student occupied during their free time. Many parents choose to send their children to boarding schools. You should be aware of your child’s activities and achievements. It is a source of worry about whether homework is harmful or beneficial to students. It is something that parents and teachers should seriously consider.

Should We Get Rid of Homework?

Homework is a big topic, and some people wonder if we should get rid of it. Homework is when teachers give you work to do at home, like math problems, reading, or projects. Some people think it’s a good way to practice what you learned in school, but others say it’s not so great.

People who want to get rid of homework say it can be too much. It can take up a lot of your free time, leaving less time to play and relax. Some kids also feel stressed and worried about getting their homework done. They might even need help from their parents, and that can be tough if their parents are busy too.

But not everyone agrees. Some think homework helps you learn better. It can reinforce what you learn in class and make you more responsible. You can also get extra practice, which might make you better at things like math or reading.

In this blog, we have discussed why homework should be banned and the pros and cons of banning homework. I hope you have understood why homework should be banned easily. 

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

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Reasons Why Homework Should Be Banned

• Categories: Homework Mental Health

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Words: 623 |

Published: Mar 19, 2024

Words: 623 | Page: 1 | 4 min read

Table of contents

Introduction, negative impact on mental health, lack of evidence supporting benefits, alternative approaches to promote learning, addressing inequities.

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Oklahoma education head discusses why he’s mandating public schools teach the Bible

Stephanie Sy Stephanie Sy

Adam Kemp Adam Kemp

Jackson Hudgins Jackson Hudgins

Murrey Jacobson Murrey Jacobson

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• Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/oklahoma-education-head-discusses-why-hes-mandating-public-schools-teach-the-bible

A new directive from Oklahoma’s top education official requires all public schools to teach the Bible and the Ten Commandments. It comes weeks after Louisiana mandated the display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms. Stephanie Sy discussed more with Ryan Walters, the author of the order and Oklahoma’s state superintendent of public education.

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Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors.

Amna Nawaz:

A new directive from Oklahoma's top education official requires all public schools to teach the Bible and the Ten Commandments starting in the fall.

Stephanie Sy has the details.

Stephanie Sy:

Amna, just weeks after Louisiana law mandated the display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms, Oklahoma is now requiring the Bible's inclusion in lesson plans, not only in studying history or comparative religions, but — quote — "ensuring our students grasp the core values and historical context of our country."

For more, we're joined by the author of this new directive, Oklahoma's state superintendent of public education, Ryan Walters.

Superintendent Walters, welcome to the "NewsHour."

Let's start with this new directive. Your memorandum says — quote — "Effective immediately, all Oklahoma schools are required to incorporate the Bible, which includes the Ten Commandments, as an instructional support." It also says: "Immediate and strict compliance is expected."

Sir, what does compliance mean? Because that's wide open for interpretation. It could mean referencing how Shakespeare employs Scripture in his plays, or it could mean memorizing Bible verses. Which is it, and are teachers going to be able to decide for themselves?

Ryan Walters, Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction: Well, thanks for the question there.

We have issued this guidance, and we are issuing additional guidance to classroom on specificity in the upcoming weeks. So we have standards that are in place that talk about that our teachers are to teach the role religion played in the classroom. We have since seen that they are not doing that. They are not talking about in their classroom the role that the Bible played in American history.

So we will be offering additional guidance to districts that they will have to comply with, which is to ensure the teaching of our standards and the role the Bible played in American history, dating back pre-Constitution, whether it's Mayflower Compact, the pilgrims, all the way up through Martin Luther King Jr. and civil rights movement, where he repeatedly quotes the Bible as a directive for what he's trying to do there.

Your critics charged that this is a clear violation not only of parental rights, but of the Constitution.

Here's what Rachel Laser with Americans United for Separation of Church and State had to say.

Rachel Laser, President and CEO, Americans United for Separation of Church and State: It's not about teaching religion as an inspiration for literature at times or art, which is — and that's all permissible — or teaching comparative religion.

This is about claiming the Christian nationalist myth that America is a Christian country. And this is also about preaching, and not teaching, because when Ryan Walters announced the policy, he made clear that he was requiring teachers to have the Bible in every classroom and — quote — "to teach from it." That's not education. That's indoctrination. And it's unconstitutional.

Superintendent Walters, the Bible is not banned in any schools. It's allowed to be taught already in Oklahoma schools.

And yet your own Constitution says the schools should be open to all children and free from sectarian control. Given the Oklahoma Supreme Court's recent decision against publicly funding a religious charter school, do you think this policy will remain, or are you just making a political point?

Ryan Walters:

Yes, the left, they can be offended, they can be mad, they can be upset, but what they can't do is they can't rewrite history.

We are going to show the countless citations. The Bible was cited more than any other document in the 1600s, 1700s' political writings. It is clearly a momentous historical source. We will bring it back to our schools.

And, look, we will continue to battle. We feel very confident in President Trump's nominees to the U.S. that, if we can — if we get sued and we get challenged, we will be victorious, because the Supreme Court justices he appointed actually are originalists that look at the Constitution and not what some left-wing professor said about the Constitution.

So we feel very confident in it moving forward and winning every legal case.

For the record, the Constitution itself does not mention God or Jesus or Christian in its text.

But going back to your memo, you also say immediate and strict compliance. Immediate and strict compliance is expected. What do you mean immediate? Is every teacher expected to understand how to teach what trained theologians like Dr. King spent their lives trying to interpret? Are you going to have Bible classes for teachers? And what if they don't comply? What happens?

Well, first, you made an absurd assumption there, which is the Declaration of Independence and our rights come from our creator. That was a distinct change in a world history there.

And, also, the separation of church and state appears nowhere in the Declaration of Independence or Constitution. So you all continue to cite people who say that obviously don't know what they're talking about.

And what we're going to continue to do is we're going to make sure our kids know history. They're going to see citations. They're going to see quotations. They're going to see directly from individuals who said the Bible impacted their decision-making. That is in our standards. If teachers don't want to teach it, they are compelled to teach it, or they can find another job.

You don't get to pick and choose what standards you teach, the same way, if a teacher came in and said, I don't want to teach the civil rights movement. Well, it's in our standards, so you're going to have to find another job.

We will make sure that our kids in Oklahoma understand American history. We will not be censored by left-wing extremists who don't want the Bible mentioned in our classroom. And that's what we will continue to do here.

What is the real goal here? When you talk about core values, what do you mean? Because critics believe measures like this lead to more division and hate. And, in schools, that could mean bullying or ostracizing certain students.

Yes, that's an absurd assumption.

We have been very clear what our goal was here. It's for our kids understand American history. The left has been at war with the Bible in schools. They have removed the Bible from schools. It is academically, incredibly — it is — honestly, it is incredible to have an academic course on U.S. history and not include the Bible's influence in American history.

So we will continue to fix that, so that our kids understand this country, understand why the founders designed it in the way that they did and understand the role that the Bible played in American history. And, frankly, it's the number one bestselling book in American history. If that doesn't meet a test to be in a classroom for its literary value or its historical relevance, I don't know what book would meet that criteria.

That is the superintendent of public education in Oklahoma, Ryan Walters.

Mr. Walters, thanks for joining the "NewsHour."

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Stephanie Sy is a PBS News Hour correspondent and serves as anchor of PBS News Hour West. Throughout her career, she served in anchor and correspondent capacities for ABC News, Al Jazeera America, CBSN, CNN International, and PBS News Hour Weekend. Prior to joining NewsHour, she was with Yahoo News where she anchored coverage of the 2018 Midterm Elections and reported from Donald Trump’s victory party on Election Day 2016.

Adam Kemp is a Communities Correspondent for the PBS NewsHour based in Oklahoma.

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Here’s What Tech-Savvy Educators Think About Cellphone Bans in Schools

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School districts have been debating whether to completely ban student cellphones, encourage teachers to integrate them into their instruction, or something in between for about a decade.

Outright bans seem to be gathering momentum, especially at the state level . And just this month, Los Angeles, the nation’s second-largest school district, announced that it will ban the use of student cellphones, beginning in January. In explaining the decision, LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho argued that the devices distract students from their academics and that social media platforms hurt kids’ mental health.

Plenty of educators agree with him. In fact, nearly 1 of every 4 teachers support completely banning phones , according to a nationally representative survey conducted last fall by the EdWeek Research Center.

But what do educators at the International Society for Technology in Education’s annual conference here in Denver think? ISTE is one of the largest ed-tech conferences in the world. It’s hard to imagine a bigger concentration of ed-tech directors, coaches, and teachers who embrace digital tools.

Surely, the educators in this ed-tech epicenter wouldn’t favor banning a ubiquitous technology like cellphones. Right?

Not exactly. In fact, when two EdWeek reporters approached ISTE attendees to talk about school cellphone policies, we got a range of responses.

Here’s a sample of what we heard.

Why these educators support a cellphone ban

Take: Ban them. They’re a big distraction.

“I am for [bans]. I’m a parent, too, and I understand the safety concerns [of not having direct access to our kids at school], but we need to be able to trust the school. Cellphones are a distraction, and it’s too much to ask a child to pay attention when there’s a phone buzzing in their pocket or a smartwatch vibrating on their wrist .

“They can’t help themselves. It’s human nature. Even as an adult, it’s hard for us to put our phones away and pay attention to a staff meeting.”

—Rachel Lemansky, elementary library coordinator, Dudley-Charlton district, Mass.

Take: Ban them to keep students safe.

“I’m in middle school and it affects everything I do. There are so many layers to [banning cellphones]. It’s a safety issue. As a school, there’s not much we can do to monitor what students do on their personal devices, but we need to be able to know what they’re doing because it’s part of our responsibility.

“It’s also an engagement issue. I need [students] to put the phones away so I can hopefully engage them in the lesson. We’re also a 1-to-1 district now so they don’t need their phones to access learning materials.”

—Gerilyn Williams, middle school math teacher, Pinelands schools, N.J.

Take: Consider a ban, but don’t make teachers the enforcers.

“I am pro exploring [a ban]. We have enough data about social media and mental health issues. We’re stewards of kids’ well-being. If we’re not thinking about doing something [to help], it’s like, what are we doing?

“I’m convinced that you can’t just put it on the teacher. Teachers are already burned out. We already have a shortage. And we’re asking them to have these great relationships with students. But if we maintain the status quo of, ‘it’s the teachers’ decision,’ then we’re inserting a barrier [to relationship building] that doesn’t have to be there.”

—A district technology administrator from Texas who preferred not to be named because the administrator’s views run counter to the district’s policy, which leaves decisions about cellphones up to individual teachers

Why these educators oppose cellphone bans

Take: Don’t ban them because students need to learn to use them.

“As educators in high school, we need to teach students how to use cellphones and when to use them responsibly. If you just ban them, what are we really accomplishing when they go out into the workforce? How do they know when it’s appropriate, where it’s appropriate, how it’s appropriate to use them? The teenage years are the years we figure things out.”

—Candice Breaux, the career and technical education supervisor, West Baton Rouge Parish Schools, La.

Take: Don’t ban them because teachers will devote too much time to enforcing that policy.

“Teachers could spend a lot of energy and effort fighting [cellphones], but I don’t know how far they really would get. The kids, they have cellphones. They’re going to be using them. I personally feel like as educators, especially now, we need to be figuring out how do you help kids use them productively and to get the task done at hand?”

—Lauren Tavarez, director of digital learning, Ector County Independent School District, Texas

Take: They’re problematic, but don’t take them away.

“Since the pandemic, I’ve talked to a lot of teachers across the country. They’re seeing kids having issues trying to talk face-to-face or work in groups. They’re hiding behind their cellphones. It’s become a crutch. And for some of my kids, because they’ve experienced a lot of trauma, they feel safe [with their phones].

“You have to work quite a bit with them to realize, ‘oh, they’re not doing it to be rude.’ You really have to change your mindset that they’re doing it because they don’t feel safe. If I yelled at these kids [to put their phones away], they’re just going to get up and walk out.”

—Kristin Conley, teacher, Arapahoe Ridge High School, an alternative school in Colorado

The argument against all or nothing cellphone policies

Take: Limit them and teach mindfulness practices to keep kids off their phones.

“I do see how it can seem like all or nothing. But we really do need to have a blend. [Students need to understand] if you feel like you’re getting addicted to it, you’re maybe looking at your cellphone at inappropriate times, you can use mindful strategies and give [yourself] permission to put it down to the side.

"[Teachers can help by having] ‘cellphone away time,’ and then maybe the last 10 minutes of class, have it accessible. I’m never good with all or nothing. I always feel like there has to be a balance.”

—Kara Fahy, STEAM and project-based learning coach, Fort Belvoir Upper Elementary, Va.

And the official ISTE take…

Take: Don’t ban them. Teach students to use them.

“In general, banning tools that students are going to need to use in their future life is not a good idea. I do understand that if you have a school or district that has not been able to get ahead of creating a healthy culture for device use, you may need to just take a pause and reset some things to help reinforce some good, healthy habits. And so that may be a choice that some schools are taking.

“I do want to make sure it’s clear that in some way, shape, or form, we have to help young people learn how to use these tools in effective ways, if you want them to be successful in the future.”

—Richard Culatta, ISTE’s CEO

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Why are US states, school districts banning smartphones in schools?

Many experts around the world say smartphones pose a danger to children’s mental health but does banning phones help?

Los Angeles has joined a growing list of United States school districts, states and cities restricting the use of smartphones in public schools amid a debate over the effects of social media and technology on children and young people.

Last month, the Los Angeles Unified School District Board, which is responsible for about 1,000 schools, approved a resolution to develop a policy to ban student use of cellphones and social media platforms within 120 days. The policy itself would not be implemented until 2025, however. California passed legislation in 2019 that allows school districts to restrict smartphone usage during school hours with the exception of emergencies.

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“When children and teens are in school, they should be focused on their studies, not their screens,” California Governor Gavin Newsom said on June 19.

Last week, US Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy called for warning labels to be added to social media platforms, similar to the health warnings that appear on tobacco and alcohol products.

“Social media is associated with significant mental health harms for adolescents. A surgeon general’s warning label, which requires congressional action, would regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe,” Murthy wrote in The New York Times.

Where else have smartphones been banned in US schools?

The states of Ohio, Indiana, Oklahoma and Florida have already imposed statewide restrictions on the use of smartphones in public schools.

The Indiana Senate Bill 185, which bans students from using a device during school teaching hours, was signed into law by Governor Eric Holcomb in March and took effect on July 1.

Last month, Governor Mike DeWine of Ohio signed House Bill 250, requiring school districts to limit smartphone use in classrooms to reduce distractions. The bill leaves it up to local school administrators to create their own smartphone bans. Exceptions will be made for health or medical emergencies.

“By limiting these distractions, we will reestablish the opportunity for students across Ohio to immerse themselves in their classwork, learn from their teachers, and create lifelong memories with their closest friends,” DeWine said in a statement.

In February, the Oklahoma Senate Appropriations Committee also decided to impose a ban restricting the use of smartphones in schools. Under Senate Bill 1314 , students are banned from using smartphones while on public school campuses.

“Being normal kids, like kids were prior to social media, is important. The social media (causes) more problems than it solves, and I think it causes more harm than good,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said in May last year after passing a law banning smartphones and other wireless devices in schools during teaching hours. Similar to the Ohio smartphone ban, local school districts can decide how they want to implement it.

“So, let’s have our education system be as much about traditional education as we can,” DeSantis stated at the time. The Florida law also blocks students’ access to Wi-Fi and requires that social media literacy be taught in schools.

Although there is no statewide ban in Michigan, some school districts have prohibited smartphone use in schools. In January, the Flint Board of Education implemented a phone ban in school buildings and on school buses.

Last month, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul said she intends to pursue a statewide ban on phones in schools from 2025 to protect young people’s mental health. New York City previously imposed a ban but dropped it in 2015, leaving it up to schools to decide for themselves.

In a recent interview with a local news station, David Banks, the chancellor of New York City Public Schools, stated: “They’re not just a distraction, kids are fully addicted now to phones … We’re going to ban the use of phones in schools.”

Why are smartphones in schools a problem?

Nearly three-quarters of US high school teachers say smartphones are a major distraction in the classroom, according to a Pew Research poll conducted last November.

“High school teachers are especially likely to see cellphones as problematic. About seven in 10 (72 percent) say that students being distracted by cellphones is a major problem in their classroom, compared with 33 percent of middle school teachers and six percent of elementary school teachers,” the Pew survey reported.

“If you talk to safety experts, they will tell you that it’s actually better for the kid if they are not all on their cellphones,” said Oklahoma State Representative Chad Caldwell, the sponsor of that state’s bill banning smartphones in school in February this year.

“One, they are quieter, but number two they can pay attention to the teacher or adult in the room to help give them directions.”

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in an interview with The Guardian last month: “I have seen these addictive algorithms pull in young people, literally capture them and make them prisoners in a space where they are cut off from human connection, social interaction and normal classroom activity.”

What do experts on children’s mental health say?

Some experts have noted that the growth in popularity of smartphones in the early 2010s was the inflection point at which administrators and health experts started to see a difference in the mental health of young people.

“We’re trying to explain why in many countries between the years of 2010 and 2015, there was a sudden and sharp drop in a bunch of different measures of wellbeing and mental health among adolescents, and in particular adolescent girls,” Zach Rausch, associate research scientist at the NYU-Stern School of Business, told Al Jazeera.

“But what we’re trying to show is that the primary driver of the sudden change that happened during that period, we think, is tied to the rapid movement of social life among teenagers onto smartphones and social media.”

Jonathan Haidt, social psychologist and author of The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, said his research has identified a strong link between smartphone use and declining mental health.

“To the teachers and administrators I spoke with, this wasn’t merely a coincidence. They saw clear links between rising phone addiction and declining mental health, to say nothing of declining academic performance,” Haidt, has written on his Substack, After Babel.

“A common theme in my conversations with them was: We all hate the phones. Keeping students off of them during class was a constant struggle. Getting students’ attention was harder because they seemed permanently distracted and congenitally distractible.”

Does banning smartphones in schools work?

Little research has been done on this and many experts argue that the data is inconclusive on the impact of these bans.

Marilyn Campbell, professor of early childhood and inclusive education in the Faculty of Education at Queensland University of Technology, and Elizabeth Edwards, associate professor in education at the University of Queensland, Australia, carried out a “scoping review” of published and unpublished global evidence for and against banning mobile phones in schools. The findings were published in March.

A scoping review is carried out on a topic for which there are not many studies. The review covered 1,317 articles and reports including dissertations from masters and PhD students, written between 2007 when the smartphone was first introduced, until May 2023.

In addition, they identified 22 studies that examined schools before and after phone bans. The studies covered schools in Bermuda, China, the Czech Republic, Ghana, Malawi, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States.

From their initial research, Campbell and Edwards said they found only weak evidence for the benefits of banning smartphones in school.

However, Policy Exchange, a British educational think tank, published a study in May – The Case for a Smartphone Ban in Schools – that it said “shows a clear correlation between an effective phone ban and better school performance”.

Rausch said: “Anecdotally, from the schools that we know that have gone phone-free – sometimes it’s hard initially, the first week or so, partly because it’s like cutting off your caffeine habit. You’re going to be pretty miserable for a little bit. But then as time goes on, kids start to focus more in class.

“We’ve never met a school that has gone phone-free and has regretted that decision.”

So, is it a good idea to ban phones in schools?

Opinions on how to address the impact of smartphones and social media vary considerably. Some oppose an outright ban on using smartphones in schools, saying removing critical communication devices from schools will not address the root of the problem.

“I don’t think bans solve the thing that we’re trying to solve, which is trying to get our kids to understand when it’s appropriate to use phones and when it’s not,” Keri Rodrigues, president of the US-based National Parents Union, told Al Jazeera.

However, Daisy Greenwell, co-founder of Smartphone Free Childhood in the United Kingdom, a parent-led organisation that focuses on the responsible use of smartphones with children, said she backs curbs on smartphone use.

“We feel like childhood is being colonised by Big Tech in a way that we’ve not, as a society, spoken about with each other enough,” Greenwell told Al Jazeera. “Teachers are telling us the biggest problems that they face in school come from the smartphones and the social side and social problems that it causes amongst the pupils.”

Some argue that banning smartphones in schools can mitigate distractions and enhance focus, but it may also deprive students of valuable learning resources and essential communication tools.

“School’s the same for 120 years, where kids go nine to three, have long holidays, sit at desks and have to regurgitate what the adults tell them to learn, basically all over the world. We’re blaming kids for falling academic standards, we’re blaming the rise in mental ill health, we’re blaming the rise of cyberbullying. Oh, well, it all must be the fault of the mobile phone,” Marilyn Campbell told Al Jazeera.

“I mean, what a simplistic view of how we are educating our children in a different world and taking away that main tool that we’re all using in society and saying, ‘No, the kids can’t have it now’.”

A balanced approach, involving regulated use and clear guidelines, may be the most effective way to harness the benefits of smartphones while minimising their drawbacks, experts say.

The general recommendation of Campbell and Edwards, who carried out the scoping review in Australia, was to leave it to individual schools to determine smartphone use and to focus on helping children to use smartphones positively.