Most students are worried about the amount of homework they’re assigned, yet the amount of homework isn’t necessarily the problem; it’s the amount of time spent working on it. According to a national survey conducted by the University of Michigan, the amount time spent on homework has increased 51% since 1981. No sleep and too much pressure has been affiliated with lower scores on standardized tests. Some countries that outbeat the U.S. with test scores such as Japan, Denmark, and the Czech Republic tend to give their students less work. But countries like Greece, Thailand, and Iran, (who have much lower scores than the U.S), pile on homework for their students.

When students are assigned too much homework, most kids take grades a little too seriously. If too much homework is given, the pressure becomes too much for the student. Keeping up As and Bs is a big struggle for some kids, and when they get a grade lower than the best, it affects them deeply. All kids should rely on good grades to aid them in their successful future, but with too much stress and homework, the desire to give up increases more and more. Homework doesn’t just stress out the students, but the parents too. What parent enjoys watching their children suffer from school work?

Other areas of students’ lives suffer because of too much homework. Some kids are in sports, clubs, and activities. With too much homework, when will they have time for enjoying themselves? Teachers mean well, but sometimes they get a little selfish and never think about other classes or the social life of the student. I’m not saying that homework should be eliminated because of all the wrong it does, but it should be limited from the age of the student and the grade. You wouldn’t give a 4th grader as much work as a freshman, would you?