Homework is a concept students of almost all ages apprehend. The amount of work students are given may vary depending on the teacher, class and grade level. Thus, when does homework become too much for students to handle?
During remote learning, some teachers lowered the amount of homework due to the fact that students were online. However, now that students are back in school, the workload appears to be too much, seemingly rising, yet it is not a fact. Antioch Community High School social studies teacher Brian Glashagel was one of those teachers who changed the workload during COVID-19.
“I was juggling between what I think a normal school year would be… the reality was no one including us as teachers were going to be able to keep up with the same workload,” Glashagel said.
Some students at ACHS think that the amount of homework they had last year was just about the same as they have had this year. Some even think that teachers have lowered the amount of homework they give out this year because this is the first year back since being online for a year and a half; sophomore Emma Wagner somewhat agrees.
“We had a lot [of homework] last year as well as this year, but we don’t have less this year,” Wagner said.
Students are taught from a young age that they will be spending more time on their homework as they get older. According to the Washington Post, some students spend 2.7 hours on homework a night; if students get the same workload every day, they would be averaging 13.5 hours a week. The calculations do not account for the part-time jobs some students have outside of school, or extracurricular activities, which can cause students to stay up late or wake up before school to finish their homework; sophomore Jennifer Champney is one of those students.
“I have homework three times a week and 20 to 30 minutes each night,” Champney said.
With students spending upwards of an hour a week on homework and then adding in the time teachers take to grade each student’s paper, it is uncertain if teachers are bestowing more work than the students can fathom.
