Hinsdale School District 86 Gives Seniors Homework-Free Day So They Can Focus On College Apps

The majority of high school students in Illinois are no doubt enjoying their time off for Columbus Day, but senior students in Hinsdale High School District 86 have their eyes set on another prize: next weekend is the one homework-free weekend they get this school year.

This is the sixth year District 86 has offered seniors a breather weekend in which they can focus on other aspects of their lives, the Pioneer Press reported. So Oct. 15 and Oct. 16, those students can take some time off from AP U.S. History flashcards and spend more time on, say, thinking about their futures at college.

Okay, so it’s not exactly intended to give students a complete break.

“It’s to help them make sure they have enough time to work on their college applications,” Jennifer Regnier, director of counseling and social work at District 86, told the Pioneer Press.

Lyons Township High School District 204 had another idea to help students cope. They work a half-hour study hall into each student’s day in which the student can get help in courses they’re struggling with or spend some time working on things that might have otherwise cut into after-school hours.

Scott Eggerding, the director of curriculum and instruction at Lyons Township, said the direct result has been fewer F’s and happier students.

Still, the debate of how much homework is appropriate continues in an annual cycle.

How much homework is too much or too little is a perennial question that students, parents, teachers and others always seem to be striving to answer. Wendy Snyder, a parent who has had two children at LT, said she has often wondered if the homework load is too much.

"Kids today have so much anxiety and depression," she said. "To me, it's overload. They don't get to do the things that make them who they are."

Another parent, Marcy Dunne of La Grange, has had four children currently or previously at LT.

"I feel like my first two had work that didn't have a point," Snyder said. "I'd rather see them do more work at school and when they're at home, they are at home."

What do you think? Is one homework-free weekend enough? Too much? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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