After a long day of school, students come home to relax but are quickly met with another challenge: homework. While homework assignments are intended to reinforce learning, some students say they also often bring stress and frustration, negatively impacting their mental health and academic performance.
The benefits of homework can include a significant impact on students, reinforcing classroom learning and developing essential skills such as time management, organization, and critical thinking.
Physics and chemistry teacher Mr. Matthew Wajda comments, “Homework is a good tool, and a good form of practice, especially for struggling students.”
Homework can provide valuable practice that strengthens understanding and helps students perform better on tests and classwork.
However, while the intentions behind homework are positive, the reality can often be that too much homework can overwhelm students, leaving them with little time for rest, hobbies, and family. A constant workload can lead to burnout, anxiety, and lower motivation, rather than helping students.
Spanish teacher Mrs. Anna Einstein states, “Games motivate the students to do the work. Games can also increase how your brain learns new information.”
Games for homework motivate students because they make learning fun and help them stay interested while practicing the concepts from earlier in the day. Excessive homework can make students feel trapped in a cycle of stress and fatigue. As a result, what was designed to support education can sometimes end up hurting students more than helping them, raising the question of whether the amount and type of homework given today truly benefits students.
For students struggling with their workload, they can access extra help in the literacy center in the yellow hall and the numeracy center in the blue hall.
Both of these supports offer extra help in a quiet place where students can strengthen their learning.
English teacher Ms. Shannon Worcester-Juran highlights, “We can help students with organizing their work and also help with all questions for homework if needed.”
For students without study halls during school, they should take advantage of teachers ‘after-school hours and meet with them for extra help. For example, Ms. Jill Dion, the writing tutor located in the back of the TLC (Teaching and Learning Center), is always open to offer help for students who need it.
