Letter To The Editor: Excessive Amounts Of Homework At EG High

By Kinjal Gupta

Last year, the East Greenwich School District pushed back the start times to give students the sleep they lost from the amount of homework and after-school commitments. This, however, did not solve the problem of lack of sleep. The problem of lack of sleep occurs not because of when school starts but the workload of homework and lack of time to manage that with after-school commitments. In fact, a study published in the Journal of Experimental Education examined the correlation between homework and its effects on high schoolers. The study surveyed over 4,300 students from ten high-performing public and private high schools in upper-middle-class communities. Results from this study showed that 56% of the students in the study cited homework as a primary stressor in their lives. They also depicted the impact of excessive homework on high schoolers which include high-stress levels, a lack of balance in children's lives and physical health problems such as ulcers, migraines, sleep deprivation and weight loss.

The results of the data speak for most high schoolers, including students of East Greenwich High School. While homework is a necessary part of learning, it should be lessened such that students are able to lead a healthy lifestyle. Homework can be tailored in ways that improve the chance of maximum positive impact for any given student. It should be limited to ten minutes per grade so that high schoolers are able to complete their homework in in about two hours.

Currently, the time for homework is about three to five hours on an average night for high schoolers. Most students are part of athletics and after-school clubs. By the time students get home, they are anxious about the amount of homework, and thereby, are forced to delete aspects of their social and family time in order to complete their homework. If homework was limited to two hours for high schoolers, they could go to sleep at a time they need to and have extra time for family and other social interactions, all components that are important to personal growth.

A well-balanced life with good sleep and healthy lifestyle for students calls for a balance between social and academic aspects, and that starts with decreasing the excessive amount of homework.