Dear Homework,

Being a high school student, I hear your name everyday. It spills out of the mouths of teachers, friends, and family. You believe you help students practice and understand certain concepts that are taught in school, when in reality, students dread hearing your name. Whether it’s Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, your name is always brought up at least once. Teachers may be your best friend and appreciate what you do for students, but I would be embarrassed to be talked about so often, due to the fact that I only hear negative comments about you.

Every day I wonder why you’re known to be so important. I feel some people don’t realize the stress you put on others. Too much stress can lead to negative physical and mental health, so it shocks me that some like to say you help aid students in learning. I know I may be sounding harsh, but it’s time you stop coming to see me everyday. I feel that seeing you on my desk a few days a week is normal, but completing you every single night is exhausting.

It’s important to address the issue I have with you now, as fellow students can agree with me on how they feel towards you. Because I spend so much time worrying about you, my ability to develop talents and skills has become more difficult. A hobby of mine was lost because I struggled to balance out the two of you. I took part in Irish Dance for 10 years and unfortunately quit because I struggled to work on you, as well as attend dance class. You may be thinking, “Well that’s just a time management issue?”. It most definitely is not. The time I spent working on you became overwhelming, and there would be days where I was so mentally drained I could barely complete a math problem without getting a headache. The never ending cycle of work continues, and gets worse as people get older. Now, I’m not trying to entirely bash you out. I do feel that you provide practice in order to build study skills, but there are several concerning factors that come as a result of stress due to you. Things like sleep deprivation and depression are often ignored.

During this odd time period due to the pandemic, I feel I have noticed a lot more of you and less teaching from the teachers. Often teachers tend to half explain a concept, and assign you in ways that are sometimes never understandable. It’s important to realize how you’re defined, and there needs to be boundaries for what’s a good amount . It’s time to realize that 20 math problems a night is not helping students, it’s making their brain filled with random junk.

You’re like a drug. You feel you’re helping others, when you’re actually causing more harm than good. The comparison between you and a drug may seem dramatic, but I personally feel you are hurting students rather than helping them. It’s difficult for teachers to understand the negative effect you can actually have on them, so I feel it’s time the unnecessary hours of work at least try to decrease. More than 70% of students are overwhelmed from school work and I personally feel students’ mental health would improve if they didn’t have to spend so much time worrying about you.