Is Homework Necessary?

Students at Sutton High School have a fair amount of homework to do after school. It can conflict with sports, work, having time to themselves, and personal hobbies. A question many students, including myself, have is if homework is truly necessary?

I spoke with a few students about their after school workload. Freshman Mady Raskett says, “I probably spend one to three hours on homework every night. I usually get one or two assignments in every class”.  

She doesn’t really mind homework but would like it if there wasn’t so much of it. She also mentions that sometimes she isn’t able to complete all of it. 

Freshman Nicky DeCell says, “I spend around an hour on homework every night. I just get really sick of it and sometimes rush. I just want to get it done”. 

I asked Sophomore Caitlin Conley what she thinks about homework. She spends about one to three hours on it and feels that even though she can get it all done, it may not be her best work. She mentions the struggles of balancing sports and activities outside of school with homework. To her, homework is a big-time consumer, especially on the weekends, which are free days for her to focus on herself. 

I talked to a few students from other schools to compare the amount of work. Andi DiStefano, a Freshman at Blackstone Valley Tech, says, “The amount of homework does cause conflict with other things like field hockey or any other after school sports. Sometimes I do some of my homework in the morning because I just can’t do it all in one sitting.” 

Freshman Will Kelly, also from BVT  says, “I get about four to five assignments every night. I wish teachers wouldn’t give homework.” However, he finds himself able to complete all of it and he says it does not conflict with other things in his life. He says homework is very important to him.

Andi says something similar. “Homework is important to me because I want to have the highest grade I can get. Without doing my homework, my grade would be lower.”

A student from a different school who wished to remain anonymous says the amount of homework conflicts with other activities in their life. “If I can’t finish an assignment before I go somewhere, usually I can’t finish it all.” They get around three or four assignments a week and spends a good few hours on them. They wish there would be less homework since it causes a lot of stress. 

The majority of the students I interviewed agreed that homework isn’t entirely necessary since it conflicts with other things in their schedules. But for the most part, they can agree the extra practice will help on tests and quizzes.

I spoke with a couple faculty members as well. Principal Ted McCarthy says assigned homework should only be given if it’ll actually help students learn instead of teachers giving homework because they feel they have to. 

When history teacher Matt Perrin assigns homework, he does it when it’s absolutely needed for class the next day. He tries to give one or two assignments per week but he also knows students don’t need to do as much history homework as they would in math class.

Both agree that it should only be assigned when it’s needed to practice and it really depends on the subject. Math requires practicing a skill over and over again when English requires a lot of reading and other subjects don’t require all too much of anything.

Homework can be beneficial in some ways. It can help students practice skills further and be more prepared for tests. It also helps students learn time management. However, homework can be harmful too. It can cause a lot of stress among students resulting in mental health declining. It can get in the way of sports and activities that students do on their own, leaving little to no time for themselves. 

Overall, I’ve concluded that homework is necessary but only when it will help kids learn and do better in class.