Is homework a waste of time?

Proving that homework on the weeknights is creating stress and should be abolished.
Oppening: As high school students, we have experienced the stressful case of
homework overload, followed by practicing that three point shot for the next basketball
game, all while trying to maintain a social life.
A 2013 survey by the APA found that stress is
extremely common among teenagers. Teenagers who responded to the survey report theyre
experiencing what they think are unhealthy levels of stress, especially during the school year.
Homework should not be assigned to high school students during the weeknights for
multiple reasons, often pertaining to stress levels. No homework during the week will allow
time for students to apply for a part time job to learn responsibility, connect with friends
outside of school, spend time with family members, and relax to prepare for the next day. By
assigning homework on the weekends only, it will allow students to relax and study the
material at their own pace. This also takes the stress and pressure off during the week. If a
student would feel they want homework, they could get a tutor or ask a teacher for practice
problems as they wish.

Points for Argument:

1. Students should be able to retain information within a 24 hour time period

2. Homework demands can limit the time available to spend on other beneficial

activities, such as sport or community involvement.

3. Too much homework can lead to student losing interest in the subject and may
widen social inequalities.
4. Parents can confuse students by using teaching methods different from those of their
teachers.
5. A survey conducted by the United States Bureau of the Census (1984) found that
public elementary school students reported spending an average of 4.9 hours and
private school elementary students 5.5 hours a week on homework. Public high
school students reported doing 6.5 hours and private school students 14.2 hours.
Recent research studies by the Brown Center on Education Policy concluded that the
majority of U.S. students (83% of nine-year-olds; 66% of thirteen-year-olds; 65% of
seventeen-year-olds) spend less than an hour a day on homework, and this has held
true for most of the past 50 years. In the last 20 years, homework has increased only
in the lower grade levels, where it least matters.
6. A 2013 survey by the APA found that stress is extremely common among teenagers.
Teenagers who responded to the survey report theyre experiencing what they think
are unhealthy levels of stress, especially during the school year. *STRESS LEVELS*
7. No homework during the week allows time to create strong social bonds between
family members and friends
8. No homework during the weeknights will allow teenagers to have more time for
work, to learn responsibilities.
9. Homework on the weekend allows you to relax and take time to complete the
information at your own pace.
10. Sometimes teachers only assign homework on the weekends as it is, but daily
assignments every night can be lengthy and take up too much time, causing lack of
sleep.
11. Adolescents are notorious for not getting enough sleep. The average amount of sleep
that teenagers get is between 7 and 7 hours. However, they need between 9 and 9
hours (studies show that most teenagers need exactly 9 hours of sleep).
Teenagers do not get enough sleep for a number of reasons:

Shift in sleep schedule. After puberty, there is a biological shift in an

adolescents internal clock of about 2 hours, meaning that a teenager who used
to fall asleep at 9:00 PM will now not be able to fall asleep until 11:00PM. It
also means waking 2 hours later in the morning.

Early high school start times. In most school districts, the move to high school
is accompanied by an earlier school start time. Some high schools start as early
as 7:00 AM, meaning that some teenagers have to get up as early as 5:00 AM
to get ready for and travel to school. Meaning if a teen is going to bed around
10:00-11:00 that teen is getting about 6-7 hours of sleep.

Social and school obligations. Homework, sports, after-school activities (often

occurring during the evening), and socializing lead to late bedtimes.

Relate these arguments to these stock issues.

Topicality
- only have homework on the weekends
Harms
- high stress levels for teenagers, heavy schedules, not enough time during the weeknights
to finish all homework and get adequate rest
Significance
- homework during the weeknights is not needed when we can instead be focusing
on preparing a future for ourselves like jobs, volunteering, and learning how to be a responsible
adult
Inherency
- Sometimes teachers only assign homework on the weekends as it is, but daily
assignments every night can be lengthy and take up too much time, causing lack of sleep.
Solvency
- Yes. By assigning homework on the weekends only, it will allow students to relax and
study the material at their own pace. This also takes the stress and pressure off during the week. If
a student would feel they want homework, they could get a tutor or ask a teacher for practice
problems as they wish.
Sources:
Works Cited
"Is Homework a Waste of Time?"
Is Homework a Waste of Time?
Web. 14 Apr. 2015.
"Mempowered."
Homework: Is It worth It?
Web. 14 Apr. 2015.
"Sleep in Adolescents (13-18 Years)."
Sleep in Adolescents
. Web. 14 Apr. 2015.
"Teens and Stress: How to Keep Stress in Check."
Http://www.apa.org
. Web. 14 Apr. 2015.