Column By J1 Reporter Jenna Woodard

For as long as I can remember, homework has been a part of my daily regimen. Study halls, lunches, late nights and early mornings are filled with the task of completing assignment after assignment. There seems to be no end to the amount of homework that is given to Marian students. 

Personal time is a foreign concept to many Marian girls, myself included. Balancing school with my almost non-existent personal life, while also holding a part-time job at Target, is proving to be quite the struggle. The main cause of my strife can be pinpointed to one thing: an excessive amount of homework.

Homework has been forever causing intense amounts of stress for students, which is affecting their well-being. Many students would agree that there is no reason to take learning outside of the classroom and into the homes of students. Teachers should give students ample class time to complete work. There should be enough time left in class for students to finish assignments instead of students taking the work home with them. 

Working on assignments during class would have the benefit of the teacher’s help. If a student doesn’t understand the question, they can turn to their teachers instead of their parents who may have no clue how to help. 

Doing away with homework, or decreasing the amount of homework assigned would greatly decrease the stress levels of many students. Less homework would give me the time to do what I love: drawing, hanging out with friends and sleeping. Maybe I would even have time to watch a movie or pick up some hours at work to save up for college. 

According to the WorldAtlas, the average amount of time spent on homework per week for students in the US is about six hours. Those six hours could be spent doing things that students actually enjoy, like taking a walk to appreciate nature, reading a book, or learning a new hobby. If I had six extra hours a week, I would go on a bike ride, take a walk around Walnut Creek, go to dinner with friends, and get the chance to gossip with my sister. 

If only teachers would assign less homework, or if only we had more productive work time during the school day, this wouldn’t be as much of an issue. But the unfortunate reality is that there seems to be no escape from the homework that is thrust upon students each day.