Homework has existed for thousands of years and is currently the topic of debate in many countries across the world. Statistically, more people support the ban of homework than people who are against it. For many reasons, I believe that homework should be banned.
Homework is very time-consuming and takes up most students' time at home. Teenagers go to school for roughly seven hours a day and have around five hours after (if they go to sleep at the recommended time schools say they should). However, most teenagers don’t get those five hours for rest or other activities they want to do, as they have homework. Schools often give 4 times more homework then recommended every night. Students in secondary schools’ study around 9 subjects. If a student gets a piece of homework from one class that takes half an hour, that doesn’t seem that bad. But if a student gets a piece of homework for all the subjects he/she takes, that’ll be four and a half hours spent on homework, which is the majority of the evening. Teachers expect students to complete all set homework, plus do hours of revision for tests and exams, yet still say how we should have time to ourselves. How are teenagers supposed to fit everything into their little time at home? Having so much homework to do in such little time can often cause stress, which is my next reason for a ban.
Going to school can be quite stressful for most teenagers. Waking up early can make students tired, which can lead to a lack of concentration and focus, and this can lead to teachers making students feel like they aren’t smart enough. Another reason why school can be stressful for students is that they get bombarded with work, tasks, and expectations. Plus, students are more focused on fitting in, their appearances and what other people think of them than on school work and education. With all of this going on at school, students want to go home and relax but can’t because they have piles of homework to do.
There are many other problems with homework that can cause stress. One big problem with homework is that there’s no teacher there to help you at home, and many parents can’t help. Another problem is some students may not be able to complete the homework on time. This can cause stress because in most schools not doing homework is punishable by detentions. Homework can interfere with school activities, such as going out with friends and resting. It even interferes with time for revision if there’s a test coming up. Stress can lead to many other problems, such as depression and anxiety, and can cause students not to want to go to school. Because of homework, the average age of depression has got younger. In 1960, the average age of people suffering from depression was 29, but now it is 15.
There has been evidence that Homework has no bearing on the improvement on students’ school work. Surveys have shown that without a knowledgeable tutor or parent, homework does not help a student get a higher level of academic achievement on a national level. Instead of spending hours on homework, kids should pursue things they enjoy doing, like sports or learning an instrument. Activities like these are often important to kids and might help them in later life. However, homework often takes up most evenings, preventing students from participating in activities.
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Most of the time, students don’t even attempt to complete the homework on their own, but search up the answers on the internet. In classes, students can’t cheat on work, as a teacher is there to watch and help if stuck. But at home, there is no one to tell you off if you cheat, leaving the student more likely to do it, especially if they don’t understand the homework or have no time to complete it independently. Most students are tired after coming home from school, and by the time they attempt their homework, they do not absorb much information. This can lead to academic results decreasing, which can also lead to stress.
It’s not just teenagers in secondary school who are being negatively affected by homework. Kids in the primary are losing their childhood to homework, always coming home from doing work at school to do more work. Kids should be playing with friends, going outdoors and spending time with family before growing up. Instead, they stay at home and are forced to do homework that will most likely not help with their academic results anyway. From the age of five, kids have been going to school every week day with only a few holidays. Young children will likely go to extra-curricular clubs after school, such as sports and supported studies. Add homework on top of all of this, and that’s all-day doing work. That’s a lot, especially for little kids in primary.
However, some people believe that homework is helpful for many reasons. In some views, it encourages students to do independent work and prepares them for work after school. It also helps them remember and perfect the subject by repetitively doing the set tasks. Plus, it teaches students time management by having to organize schedules and set time aside to do the homework. It also means that students can do the work in a more comfortable and safer place, as sometimes school can be a stressful environment.
Nevertheless, the reasons why homework should be banned far outweigh the reasons why we should have it. Plus, the reasons why we shouldn’t have it are more severe and important than the reasons why we should. In my opinion, students shouldn’t get homework, and evidence shows that students would actually benefit from it, too. Homework is more likely to have negative effects on students than positive ones and should not be allowed.
