Issy Hernandez

English II Acc
Jobst
19 April 2015
Less is More: At Least in Terms of Homework

Homework adversely affects students. Studies show that students homework loads have
increased since the turn of the century which is negatively impacting their everyday lives. Hours
upon hours at home spent on each assignment, students are giving up so much time each day. It
is even proven that many students arent comprehending half of the material teachers are
assigning to do at home. And without free time, it is harder for students to develop their brain
creatively and emotionally. All over the world, students are losing sleep and undergoing stress
with resulting symptoms.
High schools across the globe promote and encourage every student to go to college. In
order to fulfill this dream, it requires hard work and stability coming from the student. These
grades will reflect how well each student is doing on tests, quizzes, homework, classwork.., etc.
Yes, homework. Homework plays a huge part in a students grade and staying up all night to
finish it can only punish his or herself. It will reflect in the next days work ethic at school, and

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coming to school with only 4-5 hours of sleep will definitely penetrate his or hers ability to
focus. Lack of sleep is a major factor of why teenagers are often coming to school sick or
unhealthy. In order to function healthily and properly, on average a student requires at least nine
hours of sleep per night (Saminsky). Therefore, if a student falls asleep around 11:30 due to
homework, they wont be able encounter and absorb the full lesson the next day unless they sleep
in until 8:30. Unfortunately, most high schools start around 7:30-8 and most teenagers require
around an hour just to get up and get ready before class even begins. According to this, students
are receiving at least two hours less than what their bodies need. Some schools may fight that
school must start early due to bus schedules and after-school activities, (Saminsky) but
obtaining a healthy lifestyle does require a fair amount of sleep every night. It is both sad and
frustrating to watch students cope with side effects and unhealthy repercussions due to lack of
sleep.
Not only does lack of sleep lead to illnesses, but undergoing stress will also do the trick.
With so much stress over homework, no one is realizing how important unstructured play is for
childrens development (Ginsburg). It is extremely important for kids of all ages to have down
time. Without it, kids are beginning to undergo all kinds of stress, punishing themselves with
sicknesses from it. Free time fosters creativity and emotional development and without it, he or
she is at greater risk of self absorption, depression and anxiety disorders (Bennett). Side effects
like these, will only make kids stress and react more to the amounts of homework they need to
do, and the effect will be worse when they are unable to produce like they usually could.
Statistics show that 56 percent [of students] indicated homework is a primary cause of stress
and 82% reported experiencing at least one physical symptom due to stress this past month
(Strauss). Numbers like these prove that homework is out of hand all over the world. With data

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from various schools, most students will come to the conclusion that homework has added stress
into their everyday life.
Stress is only resulting negatively into childrens lives. With the combination of stress
and lack of sleep, students are facing short-term consequences such as bad moods, a
deterioration in learning ability, being wearier, being less alert, having to expend greater effort to
learn, and an increase in skipped classes (Saminsky). These factors will impact a kids liveliness
and health over a short period of time, but short term effects only turn into long-term. After
undergoing stress for so long, kids are beginning to face long-term effects ranging from being
misdiagnosed with ADHD, to diabetes, serious sleep problems, rebelliousness, cigarette
smoking, depression, heart disease, obesity, and even a shortened life span (Saminsky).
Watching kids fight these kinds of sicknesses, I hope students and parents are willing to take a
stand. Most parents would fight that their kids health is more important than 40 math problems,
an essay, and a chemistry packet. Even though homework is supposed to affect students
positively through their learning and production through education at school, it has almost done
the opposite.
With all of these negative factors coming from homework, I am hoping society will
understand that homework isnt everything. It is so crucial to spend time doing non-academic
activities such as: spending time with family and friends, creative endeavors, getting at least an
hour or two of physical exercise after school, and spending time alone.
After various studies from professors and scientists homework has proven to be the main
cause of sleep deprivation, stress, and illnesses. For healthier students and happier children,
teachers should assign less homework.

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Work Cited
1.

Saminsky, Alina. Getting Enough Sleep Is No Easy Task for Today's

Students. N.p., n.d. Web.

2.

Strauss, Valerie. "Homework Hurts High-achieving Students, Study Says." Washington

Post. The Washington Post, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.

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3.

Bennett, Sara. "Stop Homework." Stop Homework RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.