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Craig Carter

Storer

English 3H, Block 5

26 November 2019

Learning How To Learn

Every day, many children and young adults migrate to school to sit through their long day
in an attempt to grow in knowledge. However, many students are solely worried about grades to
get into their dream college and get a high paying job rather than learning useful information. I
believe that schools should be focused on genuine learning rather than grades, and homework
assignments should be replaced with better alternatives for learning.

The current school system does not allow for genuine learning. Most students are too
worried about keeping their grades up or getting their GPA to a 4.0 to absorb the information
being taught in classrooms. From personal experience, many of my friends are constantly
stressing about their grades in AP classes and how well they scored on tests. Because of this,
many students develop anxiety and depression. One study by Pew Research Center says that
61% of students feel a lot of pressure to do well in school (Juliana Menasce Horowitz). Students
are being suffocated by feeling of needing to succeed. This overwhelming angst to be the top of
the class hinders learning by putting value in a letter or a number. Because of this artificial worth
placed on good grades, students are neglecting their personal well-being. Many of my friends, as
well as myself, would rather force ourselves awake to study rather than getting an adequate
amount of sleep. We can all agree how miserable it is to go through an entire day being groggy
and tired, so why impose this upon our children? On top of this, students are also overloaded
with homework and projects.

The system of homework needs to be updated to fit learning needs. Currently, according
to the University of Phoenix College of Education, the average student approximately has 17.5
hours worth of homework every week (Tanya Burden). From personal experiences, I have spent
many grueling nights trying to complete projects and homework assignments that leave me
sleeping in class the next day. Because of this, and to quickly finish the assignment, many
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students result in getting the answers from a friend or online. This, in turn, continues to slow the
practice of the skills that were supposed to be learned in class. Is the point of school not to learn
and have the information stay with the student? Although homework is a system that America
has been using for decades and decades, there is proof that an education system without
homework can work. The Finnish education system does not give students homework, and they
ranked second in science, third in reading, and sixth in math in their 2009 PISA scores (LynNell
Hancock). This proves that an education system without excessive home assignments is not just
possible, but extremely efficient.

The current education system has tricked students into thinking that better grades equates
to more success. However, the reality is that it totally contradicts the true essence of school,
which is to spread knowledge and understanding. There must be a better way to teach the next
generation instead of simply handing them a stack of assignments until they sink with stress. As
a society, we must ask ourselves: is it truly learning if nothing is retained when the assignment is
over?
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Works Cited

“Homework Anxiety: Survey Reveals How Much Homework K-12 Students Are Assigned and
Why Teachers Deem It Beneficial.” Homework Anxiety: Survey Reveals How Much
Homework K-12 Students Are Assigned and Why Teachers Deem It Beneficial - University
of Phoenix, www.phoenix.edu/news/releases/2014/02/survey-reveals-how-much-
homework-k-12-students-are-assigned-why-teachers-deem-it-beneficial.html.

Horowitz, Juliana Menasce, and Nikki Graf. “Most U.S. Teens See Anxiety, Depression as
Major Problems.” Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends Project, 21 Feb.
2019, www.pewsocialtrends.org/2019/02/20/most-u-s-teens-see-anxiety-and-depression-
as-a-major-problem-among-their-peers/.

“Why Are Finland's Schools Successful?” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 1 Sept.

2011, www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/why-are-finlands-schools-successful-
49859555/.