Homework has always been a difficult thing for students to do after school. Whether it be Math, English, or Science, it always seems to be a nuisance. But the question is, does it actually benefit us? Most teachers and students would say yes, but the reality will shock you.

One thing that is bad about homework is that it makes your home a stressful environment, and the stress increases as you get more homework. Students are always rushing to get their homework done, and that takes away from family time and physical activity. Also, parents sometimes don’t have time to help with it. According to ‘idtech.com’, “Many families dread ‘the homework battle,’ and with good reason. Not all parents have the knowledge, time, or (frankly) patience to be homework monitors, and not all students have the self-regulatory skills to do so themselves.” This shows that not all students can get help on their homework, which can stress them out.

Studies have shown that homework doesn’t actually benefit your grades. The website ‘news.virginia.edu’ says, “Contrary to much published research, a regression analysis of time spent on homework and the final class grade found no substantive difference in grades between students who complete homework and those who do not.” This shows that homework doesn’t even help with grades, let alone your health.

Homework doesn’t help your grades, it makes you stress, and it hurts you! According to ‘news.stanford.edu’, “A Stanford researcher found that students in high-achieving communities who spend too much time on homework experience more stress, physical health problems, a lack of balance and even alienation from society. More than two hours of homework a night may be counterproductive, according to the study.” This shows that homework can hurt both your body and your mind.

Homework does benefit you in some ways, though. When students do homework, they obtain problem-solving skills that can be used in real life. It can also teach students time management, which helps them with other things in their life. According to ‘vittana.org’, “It forces children (and parents, to some extent) to develop time management skills. Schedules must be organized to ensure that all tasks can be completed during the day. This creates independent thinking and develops problem-solving skills.” This explains how homework can help students, even though there are more downfalls.

Homework can be harmful to you, but most people don’t know about these problems. When asked about homework, our 7th-grade history teacher, Ms. Kratofil, said, “I think the benefit of homework depends on the assignment. It takes about three or four times for students to remember or memorize information. They listen to the lecture in class, that’s one, and they do an assignment in class, but that’s only two. When students do an assignment for homework, that’s three times, and when they study for tests, that’s four. Then, the students have memorized the activity, and they will remember it for a long time.” This explains how not all homework is beneficial to students, and that just a little homework can go a long way.